The Uncleanness of Issues and their Cleansing

As regards men (1–18)

2. an issue out of his flesh] by flesh is here meant the private parts, as in Leviticus 6:10, Leviticus 16:4. Everything which a man in this condition touched was unclean, so that anyone coming in contact with the man, or with anything that he had touched, must wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and was not considered purified until the evening.

9. saddle] any seat in a carriage or other kind of conveyance is included.

11. without having rinsed his hands in water] This is the only case mentioned in the law where a person who is unclean can, by washing his hands, avoid communicating uncleanness to another.

12. The difference between the earthen and wooden vessel is the same as that in Leviticus 6:28, Leviticus 11:32 f. The rabbis inferred from this verse that metal vessels should be washed. The Jew who purchased a brasen pot was bound to wash it, for it might have been handled by one who was ritually unclean. These ‘washings of cups, and pots, and brasen vessels,’ are referred to in Mark 7:4.

13. When the man is physically cured, he has yet to observe the rules for ritual purification, and to offer sacrifices, a Sin-Offering and a Burnt-Offering.

16. A similar precept is found in Deuteronomy 23:10.

18. As unclean they could not take part in the service of the sanctuary. Similar limitations are found Exodus 19:15; 1 Samuel 21:5 f.

As regards women (19–30)

19–24. Normal periodical issues. The uncleanness of these issues is similar to that in the preceding case (cp. Leviticus 15:4-11), but no sacrifice is required at the close of the period. For the belief in early religions that in such cases special precautions were needed against maleficent spiritual agencies, see Rob.-Sm. Rel. Sem.2 447 ff., and Frazer, G.B.3, Pt II. pp. 145 ff.

24. It is generally supposed that the case treated in this verse is different from that contemplated in Leviticus 18:19, Leviticus 20:18. If, as some think, the three passages refer to the same act, they cannot all be from the same source.

25–30. If the issue be abnormal, it is of the nature of a disease, and is treated in the same manner as the first case (Leviticus 15:2-15). The woman in the Gospel (Matthew 9:20; Mark 5:25; Luke 8:43) was thus afflicted.

31. A reason for these purifications is given.

my tabernacle] Another name for the tabernacle is (Heb. mishkân) dwelling, e.g. Exodus 25:9 R.V. mg. In Exodus 25-27, and in parts of 35–40 the word is used to denote the structure described in 26, 36, and distinguished as the ‘tabernacle’ from the ‘tent over the tabernacle’ (Exodus 26:7; Exodus 36:14 in R.V.). But in other passages it is used as the equivalent of the ‘tent of meeting’ for the tabernacle with its covering tent. It indicates the place where God dwells among the children of Israel according to His promise (so in Leviticus 16:16, Leviticus 26:11 f.; Exodus 29:45; cp. Exodus 25:8; Numbers 5:3; Numbers 35:34), and is used only of the tabernacle1[52] (in the plur., Numbers 24:5, it is used of Israel in poetical parallelism with ‘tents’). The combination ‘tabernacle of the tent of meeting’ occurs Exodus 40:2; Exodus 40:6; Exodus 40:29†. As the A.V. renders both ‘ohel (see on Leviticus 1:1) and mishkân by ‘tabernacle,’ the difference does not appear in that version.

[52] The use of the word tabernacle of the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram (see McNeile C. B. ad loc. Numbers 16:24; Numbers 16:27) is very strange, and the text must be considered doubtful.

32, 33. The concluding vv. include all the cases mentioned in this chapter. Cp. the conclusion to ch. 11.

The gradations in the methods of cleansing should be noted: (a) the uncleanness lasted till the end of the day, and ceased without any further ceremonial, ‘he shall be unclean until the even’; (b) washing the clothes and bathing in running water is added (Leviticus 15:13); (c) sacrifices must also be offered, for the leper, a woman in childbirth (ch. 12) and two cases in ch. 15 (Leviticus 15:15; Leviticus 15:30).