What is the meaning of Leviticus 15:28? When a woman is cleansed of her discharge “ When a woman is cleansed of her discharge ” (Leviticus 15:28a) draws a clear line between the time of an unusual flow of blood (15:25–27) and the moment that flow stops. • The wording assumes a literal physical event and a definite endpoint to the issue of blood, just as 15:13 speaks of a man “healed of his discharge.” • The Law treats bodily discharges as matters of tangible defilement, affecting everything touched (15:26–27; cf. Leviticus 12:2, 5). • Once the flow ceases, the woman moves from a state of uncleanness toward restoration, echoing Numbers 5:2 where defiled persons were put outside the camp until purified. • The narrative of the woman healed by Jesus after twelve years of bleeding (Mark 5:25-29) shows this same progression—her flow stops first, then full restoration follows. she must count off seven days “ …she must count off seven days ” (Leviticus 15:28b) sets a fixed, God-given timetable. • Seven consistently marks completion in Scripture—creation week (Genesis 2:2-3), the seven-day waiting periods for lepers (Leviticus 14:8-9) and for those who touched a corpse (Numbers 19:11-12). • The count is personal responsibility: “she must count,” ensuring she tracks her own progress toward purity. • During these days she still refrains from normal worship life, mirroring the separation described in Leviticus 12:4 for postpartum mothers. • This grace-filled pause protects community holiness (Leviticus 15:31) and gives time for physical recovery. • The seven-day pattern later points forward to Christ’s perfect, once-for-all cleansing (Hebrews 9:13-14), showing that the need for measured waiting is ultimately met in Him. and after that she will be ceremonially clean “ …and after that she will be ceremonially clean ” (Leviticus 15:28c) declares the goal reached. • Ceremonial cleanness means the woman can again worship at the tabernacle, handle sacred things, and engage in regular marital life (cf. Leviticus 15:18, 24). • Verses 29-30 outline the accompanying sacrifice: two turtledoves or pigeons—one for a sin offering, one for a burnt offering—so “the priest shall make atonement for her before the LORD.” • Purification offerings underline that sin and impurity both require atonement, anticipating the fuller cleansing secured by Christ’s blood (Hebrews 10:19-22). • Restoration is communal as well as personal; once clean, she no longer transmits uncleanness to others (Leviticus 15:7, 11). • Jesus’ words to the healed woman, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace and be healed of your affliction” (Mark 5:34), mirror the same movement from uncleanness to wholeness and fellowship. summary Leviticus 15:28 traces a three-step journey: the stoppage of an abnormal discharge, a God-ordained seven-day waiting period, and the declaration of complete ceremonial cleanness. These steps protect Israel’s holiness, safeguard physical health, and foreshadow the perfect, instantaneous cleansing found in Christ. |
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