Leviticus 20:18
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The text uses the metaphor of a "fountain" to describe both the man's exposure and the woman's blood, emphasizing the violation of intimate, life-giving aspects of their being. This isn't just about physical contact, but a profound desecration that threatens the very life and purity of the community's lineage.
If a man lies with a woman during her menstrual period and uncovers her nakedness, he has made naked her fountain, and she has uncovered the fountain of her blood. Both of them shall be cut off from among their people.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse follows a series of prohibitions against various sexual sins, detailing severe punishments for breaking God's covenant laws. It specifically addresses sexual intercourse during a woman's menstrual period, a practice already mentioned as bringing impurity but now prescribed with the penalty of being "cut off" from the community. This extreme penalty underscores the seriousness with which God viewed maintaining ritual and moral cleanness within the Israelite nation.
This verse, with its stark imagery and severe punishment, seems jarring to us today. What is God really teaching here?
Leviticus 20:18 is often read as a purely sanitary or physical law. While there might be underlying concerns about purity and the spread of disease, the commentators emphasize that God's primary intention here is to teach His people about decency and the proper conduct within intimate relationships.
Restraint and Reverence
This wasn't just about avoiding illness; it was about honoring the sanctity of the marital union. The "fountain" imagery highlights the deep, life-giving aspect of intimacy, and engaging in it during a woman's menstrual cycle was seen as a violation of that natural order and a disregard for the sensitive nature of the relationship. It's a call to a higher standard of respect and self-control, even within marriage.
The punishment is severe: 'cut off from among their people.' But was this for any and every instance, or was intent a key factor?
The commentators point out a crucial distinction: this severe penalty wasn't necessarily for an accidental or unknowing encounter. The language suggests a willful and knowing act by both the man and the woman.
Shared Knowledge, Shared Consequence
If a man unknowingly lay with his wife during her period, the consequences were different (Leviticus 15:24). However, this verse implies both parties were aware of her condition and willingly proceeded. The phrases 'he has made naked her fountain, and she has uncovered the fountain of her blood' suggest mutual participation and consent in this prohibited act. The gravity of the consequence ('both of them shall be cut off') underscores that this was a sin of deliberate defiance, not a mere mistake.
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Understand the original words
maqor · Hebrew Noun
In this context, it refers to a woman's reproductive capacity or the flow of menstrual blood, symbolizing the boundaries of physical purity and the sacredness of the life-giving process.
This passage directly precedes Leviticus 20:18 and explains the uncleanness associated with a woman's menstrual period, setting the stage for the prohibition in the verse you provided.
Leviticus 18:19This verse also prohibits sexual intercourse during menstruation, reinforcing the seriousness of the offense by placing it within a broader context of sexual purity laws.
Mark 5:25-34The story of the woman with the issue of blood demonstrates the physical and social separation caused by such conditions in biblical times, and Jesus' healing touch highlights the power to overcome uncleanness and restore wholeness.
1 Corinthians 6:18-20This New Testament passage speaks to the sanctity of the body and calls believers to flee sexual immorality, providing a spiritual parallel to the Old Testament's emphasis on purity and avoiding defilement.
calvinLeviticus 20:18: "And if a man shall lie with a woman having her sickness, and shall uncover her nakedness; he hath discovered her fountain, and she hath uncovered the fountain of her blood: and both of them shall be cut off from among their people."
And if a man shall lie with a woman having her sickness, and shall uncover her nakedness, he hath discovered her fountain, and she hath uncovered the fountain of her blood: and both of them shall be cut off from among their people.
Quicunq…
pooleLeviticus 20:18: "And if a man shall lie with a woman having her sickness, and shall uncover her nakedness; he hath discovered her fountain, and she hath uncovered the fountain of her blood: and both of them shall be cut off from among their people."
If a man shall lie with a woman, wittingly and willingly. See on Leviticus 15:24 18:19 . Her sisters, i.e. her monthly infirmity. Her fountain, or her issue. Thus the fountain of blood in Mark 5:29 , is the issue of blood , Luke 8:44 , the fountain…
The text uses the metaphor of a "fountain" to describe both the man's exposure and the woman's blood, emphasizing the violation of intimate, life-giving aspects of their being. This isn't just about physical contact, but a profound desecration that threatens the very life and purity of the community's lineage.
This verse follows a series of prohibitions against various sexual sins, detailing severe punishments for breaking God's covenant laws. It specifically addresses sexual intercourse during a woman's menstrual period, a practice already mentioned as bringing impurity but now prescribed with the penalty of being "cut off" from the community. This extreme penalty underscores the seriousness with which God viewed maintaining ritual and moral cleanness within the Israelite nation.
This verse follows a series of prohibitions against various sexual sins, detailing severe punishments for breaking God's covenant laws. It specifically addresses sexual intercourse during a woman's menstrual period, a practice already mentioned as bringing impurity but now prescribed with the penalty of being "cut off" from the community. This extreme penalty underscores the seriousness with which God viewed maintaining ritual and moral cleanness within the Israelite nation.
"If a man lies with a woman during her menstrual period and uncovers her nakedness, he has made naked her fountain, and she has uncovered the fountain of her blood. Both of them shall be cut off from among their people." — The text uses the metaphor of a "fountain" to describe both the man's exposure and the woman's blood, emphasizing the violation of intimate, life-giving aspects of their being. This isn't just about…
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Last reviewed October 2026
