Leviticus 15 Study Notes
General
What did someone who touched the bed of the man suffering the discharge have to do (15:5)?
Answer: Launder his garments and bathe, remaining unclean until evening
The man's uncleanness spread to whatever he lay on or sat on (15:4). Anyone who touched his bed, sat where he had sat, or touched his body had to launder his garments and bathe, and stayed unclean until evening (15:5-7). This was a short, temporary uncleanness, cleared by washing and waiting for the day to end, with no sacrifice required. A similar pattern applied to someone who touched or picked up the carcass of an unclean animal (Leviticus 11:24-25), and Leviticus 22:5-6 confirms that such contact uncleanness lasted until evening and required bathing.
- Leviticus 15:4-7 (BSB)“Any bed on which the man with the discharge lies will be unclean, and any furniture on which he sits will be unclean. Anyone who touches his bed must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening. Whoever sits on furniture on which the man with the discharge was sitting must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening. Whoever touches the body of the man with a discharge must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening.”The man's bed and seat become unclean, and anyone who touches them or him must wash, bathe, and remain unclean until evening.
- Leviticus 11:24-25 (BSB)“These creatures will make you unclean. Whoever touches their carcasses will be unclean until evening, and whoever picks up one of their carcasses must wash his clothes, and he will be unclean until evening.”Touching an unclean carcass likewise required washing one's clothes and left a person unclean until evening, the same pattern of contact uncleanness.
- Leviticus 22:5-6 (BSB)“or whoever touches a crawling creature or a person that makes him unclean, whatever the uncleanness may be— the man who touches any of these will remain unclean until evening. He must not eat from the sacred offerings unless he has bathed himself with water.”Confirms that uncleanness by contact lasted until evening and that bathing was required before eating the sacred offerings.
Theological
What does 15:5 require of someone who touches the bed of the man suffering the discharge?
Answer: Laundering his garments and bathing, remaining unclean until evening
The man's uncleanness is transmitted to anything he lies or sits on (15:4), and secondary contact, whether with his bed, his seat, or his body, requires laundering one's garments and bathing, with uncleanness lasting until evening (15:5-7). This minor, one-day impurity requires no sacrifice. The same structure governs contact with carcasses of unclean animals (Leviticus 11:24-25) and is restated in the priestly regulations, where contact impurity lasts until evening and requires bathing (Leviticus 22:5-6).
- Leviticus 15:4-7 (BSB)“Any bed on which the man with the discharge lies will be unclean, and any furniture on which he sits will be unclean. Anyone who touches his bed must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening. Whoever sits on furniture on which the man with the discharge was sitting must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening. Whoever touches the body of the man with a discharge must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening.”The man's bed and seat become unclean, and anyone who touches them or him must wash, bathe, and remain unclean until evening.
- Leviticus 11:24-25 (BSB)“These creatures will make you unclean. Whoever touches their carcasses will be unclean until evening, and whoever picks up one of their carcasses must wash his clothes, and he will be unclean until evening.”Touching an unclean carcass likewise required washing one's clothes and left a person unclean until evening, the same pattern of contact uncleanness.
- Leviticus 22:5-6 (BSB)“or whoever touches a crawling creature or a person that makes him unclean, whatever the uncleanness may be— the man who touches any of these will remain unclean until evening. He must not eat from the sacred offerings unless he has bathed himself with water.”Confirms that uncleanness by contact lasted until evening and that bathing was required before eating the sacred offerings.
General
True or False: Leviticus 15 treats the bodily discharges it describes as sins deserving punishment.
Answer: False
This is false. Chapter 15 calls these conditions unclean, meaning ceremonially unfit to come near God's holy things for a time, not morally guilty. Several of them are normal parts of life, including marital intimacy (15:18) and monthly periods (15:19). The cure was washing, waiting, and in some cases an offering. Even the sin offering here dealt with the discharge itself (15:14-15), just as sin and burnt offerings did after childbirth, which is no sin (12:6-7). Jesus taught that what truly defiles a person morally comes from the heart (Mark 7:20-23). The outward cleansings of the law pictured a deeper need that only Christ's blood meets, cleansing the conscience (Hebrews 9:13-14).
- Leviticus 15:14-15 (BSB)“On the eighth day he is to take two turtledoves or two young pigeons, come before the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, and give them to the priest. The priest is to sacrifice them, one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering. In this way the priest will make atonement for the man before the LORD because of his discharge.”The atonement is made because of the discharge itself, a bodily condition.
- Leviticus 12:6-7 (BSB)“When the days of her purification are complete, whether for a son or for a daughter, she is to bring to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting a year-old lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering. And the priest will present them before the LORD and make atonement for her; and she shall be ceremonially cleansed from her flow of blood. This is the law for a woman giving birth, whether to a male or to a female.”Sin and burnt offerings were likewise required after childbirth, which is not a sin.
- Mark 7:20-23 (BSB)“He continued: “What comes out of a man, that is what defiles him. For from within the hearts of men come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, debauchery, envy, slander, arrogance, and foolishness. All these evils come from within, and these are what defile a man.””Jesus teaches that the defilement that matters morally comes from within the heart.
- Hebrews 9:13-14 (BSB)“For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that their bodies are clean, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God, purify our consciences from works of death, so that we may serve the living God!”The old rites made the ceremonially unclean outwardly clean, while Christ's blood cleanses the conscience.
Theological
True or False: Leviticus 15 treats the bodily discharges it regulates as moral transgressions deserving punishment.
Answer: False
This is false. The discharges of chapter 15 produce ritual impurity, a disqualification from contact with the holy, not moral guilt. Several are entirely normal, such as marital relations (15:18) and menstruation (15:19). Remedies consist of washing, waiting, and in the chronic cases the sin (purification) and burnt offerings, which make atonement on account of the discharge itself (15:14-15), as sin and burnt offerings also did after childbirth (12:6-7). Jesus locates moral defilement in the heart (Mark 7:20-23). The external purifications of the law thus function as a shadow of the inward cleansing of the conscience accomplished by Christ's blood (Hebrews 9:13-14).
- Leviticus 15:14-15 (BSB)“On the eighth day he is to take two turtledoves or two young pigeons, come before the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, and give them to the priest. The priest is to sacrifice them, one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering. In this way the priest will make atonement for the man before the LORD because of his discharge.”The atonement is made because of the discharge itself, a bodily condition.
- Leviticus 12:6-7 (BSB)“When the days of her purification are complete, whether for a son or for a daughter, she is to bring to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting a year-old lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering. And the priest will present them before the LORD and make atonement for her; and she shall be ceremonially cleansed from her flow of blood. This is the law for a woman giving birth, whether to a male or to a female.”Sin and burnt offerings were likewise required after childbirth, which is not a sin.
- Mark 7:20-23 (BSB)“He continued: “What comes out of a man, that is what defiles him. For from within the hearts of men come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, debauchery, envy, slander, arrogance, and foolishness. All these evils come from within, and these are what defile a man.””Jesus teaches that the defilement that matters morally comes from within the heart.
- Hebrews 9:13-14 (BSB)“For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that their bodies are clean, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God, purify our consciences from works of death, so that we may serve the living God!”The old rites made the ceremonially unclean outwardly clean, while Christ's blood cleanses the conscience.
General
What was done with a clay pot and with a wooden utensil that the man suffering the discharge had touched (15:12)?
Answer: The clay pot was broken, and the wooden utensil rinsed with water
An earthenware pot the man touched had to be smashed, but a wooden utensil could be rinsed in water and kept (15:12). The law draws this same line elsewhere: when a dead unclean creature fell on something, wooden items were rinsed but a clay pot was broken (11:32-33), and a clay pot used to cook the sin offering also had to be broken, while a bronze one could be scoured (6:28). Clay is porous, which is commonly given as the reason it was destroyed rather than washed.
- Leviticus 15:12 (BSB)“Any clay pot that the man with the discharge touches must be broken, and any wooden utensil must be rinsed with water.”A clay pot the man touches must be broken, but a wooden utensil is rinsed.
- Leviticus 11:32-33 (BSB)“When one of them dies and falls on something, that article becomes unclean; any article of wood, clothing, leather, sackcloth, or any implement used for work must be rinsed with water and will remain unclean until evening; then it will be clean. If any of them falls into a clay pot, everything in it will be unclean; you must break the pot.”The same distinction appears for contact with dead creatures: wooden articles are rinsed, but a clay pot must be broken.
- Leviticus 6:28 (BSB)“The clay pot in which the sin offering is boiled must be broken; if it is boiled in a bronze pot, the pot must be scoured and rinsed with water.”A clay pot used for the sin offering also had to be broken, while a bronze one could be scoured and rinsed.
Theological
How does 15:12 distinguish between clay and wooden vessels touched by the man suffering the discharge?
Answer: The clay pot is broken, while the wooden utensil is rinsed with water
Earthenware touched by the man must be broken, whereas wooden utensils are rinsed (15:12). The distinction is consistent across Leviticus: in the case of contact with unclean carcasses, wooden articles are rinsed but clay vessels shattered (11:32-33), and the earthenware pot used to boil a sin offering must be smashed, though a bronze one may be scoured (6:28). The porousness of earthenware is commonly cited as the reason it was destroyed rather than purified.
- Leviticus 15:12 (BSB)“Any clay pot that the man with the discharge touches must be broken, and any wooden utensil must be rinsed with water.”A clay pot the man touches must be broken, but a wooden utensil is rinsed.
- Leviticus 11:32-33 (BSB)“When one of them dies and falls on something, that article becomes unclean; any article of wood, clothing, leather, sackcloth, or any implement used for work must be rinsed with water and will remain unclean until evening; then it will be clean. If any of them falls into a clay pot, everything in it will be unclean; you must break the pot.”The same distinction appears for contact with dead creatures: wooden articles are rinsed, but a clay pot must be broken.
- Leviticus 6:28 (BSB)“The clay pot in which the sin offering is boiled must be broken; if it is boiled in a bronze pot, the pot must be scoured and rinsed with water.”A clay pot used for the sin offering also had to be broken, while a bronze one could be scoured and rinsed.
General
True or False: A man who had a seminal emission had to bring a sacrifice on day eight.
Answer: False
This is false. For a normal emission of semen, the man simply bathed his whole body and remained unclean until evening; garments or leather it touched were washed (15:16-17). When a husband and wife had intercourse, both bathed and were unclean until evening (15:18). No sacrifice was required, unlike the ongoing discharge described earlier (15:13-15). Deuteronomy likewise requires no offering for a nighttime emission: the man stayed outside the camp, washed toward evening, and came back at sunset (Deuteronomy 23:10-11). This temporary uncleanness did not make married love sinful. God created the one-flesh union of husband and wife (Genesis 2:24), and the New Testament calls for marriage, including the marriage bed, to be honored and kept pure (Hebrews 13:4).
- Leviticus 15:16-18 (BSB)“When a man has an emission of semen, he must bathe his whole body with water, and he will be unclean until evening. Any clothing or leather on which there is an emission of semen must be washed with water, and it will remain unclean until evening. If a man lies with a woman and there is an emission of semen, both must bathe with water, and they will remain unclean until evening.”A normal emission of semen, including within marital intercourse, requires bathing and makes one unclean until evening, with no sacrifice.
- Deuteronomy 23:10-11 (BSB)“If any man among you becomes unclean because of a nocturnal emission, he must leave the camp and stay outside. When evening approaches, he must wash with water, and when the sun sets he may return to the camp.”Another law deals with a nocturnal emission by washing toward evening and returning to the camp at sunset, with no offering required.
- Genesis 2:24 (BSB)“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.”God Himself established the one-flesh union of husband and wife at creation.
- Hebrews 13:4 (BSB)“Marriage should be honored by all and the marriage bed kept undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers.”Calls for marriage to be honored and the marriage bed kept undefiled, treating marital intimacy as good and honorable.
Theological
True or False: According to 15:16-18, a man with a seminal emission must bring a sacrifice on day eight.
Answer: False
This is false. A normal emission requires only bathing the whole body and renders the man unclean until evening, with affected garments or leather washed (15:16-17); marital intercourse renders both spouses unclean until evening, removed by bathing (15:18). Unlike the chronic discharge of 15:13-15, no sacrifice is prescribed, and Deuteronomy 23:10-11 likewise prescribes only washing toward evening, not a sacrifice, for a nocturnal emission. The impurity is ceremonial and temporary; it implies no moral fault in the conjugal act, which God instituted at creation (Genesis 2:24) and which the New Testament calls all to honor and keep undefiled (Hebrews 13:4).
- Leviticus 15:16-18 (BSB)“When a man has an emission of semen, he must bathe his whole body with water, and he will be unclean until evening. Any clothing or leather on which there is an emission of semen must be washed with water, and it will remain unclean until evening. If a man lies with a woman and there is an emission of semen, both must bathe with water, and they will remain unclean until evening.”A normal emission of semen, including within marital intercourse, requires bathing and makes one unclean until evening, with no sacrifice.
- Deuteronomy 23:10-11 (BSB)“If any man among you becomes unclean because of a nocturnal emission, he must leave the camp and stay outside. When evening approaches, he must wash with water, and when the sun sets he may return to the camp.”Another law deals with a nocturnal emission by washing toward evening and returning to the camp at sunset, with no offering required.
- Genesis 2:24 (BSB)“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.”God Himself established the one-flesh union of husband and wife at creation.
- Hebrews 13:4 (BSB)“Marriage should be honored by all and the marriage bed kept undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers.”Calls for marriage to be honored and the marriage bed kept undefiled, treating marital intimacy as good and honorable.
General
According to 15:2-3, when did a man's bodily discharge make him unclean?
Answer: Whether it was flowing or blocked
Chapter 15 deals with discharges from the body. It begins with a man suffering an ongoing, abnormal discharge, which is different from the normal emission described later (15:16). Such a discharge made him unclean whether his body let it flow or held it back (15:2-3). Unclean here does not mean sinful. It means ceremonially unfit, that is, not allowed to take part in the holy things of worship for a time. A priest in this condition, for example, could not eat the holy offerings until he was clean again (Leviticus 22:4), and such people were kept apart because God lived among His people in the camp (Numbers 5:2-3).
- Leviticus 15:2-3 (BSB)““Say to the Israelites, ‘When any man has a bodily discharge, the discharge is unclean. This uncleanness is from his discharge, whether his body allows the discharge to flow or blocks it. So his discharge will bring about uncleanness.”Introduces the law of a man's bodily discharge and says it makes him unclean whether it flows or is blocked.
- Numbers 5:2-3 (BSB)““Command the Israelites to send away from the camp anyone with a skin disease, anyone who has a bodily discharge, and anyone who is defiled by a dead body. You must send away male and female alike; send them outside the camp so they will not defile their camp, where I dwell among them.””Shows that a person with a discharge was among those kept apart because God dwelt among His people in the camp.
- Leviticus 22:4 (BSB)“If a descendant of Aaron has a skin disease or a discharge, he may not eat the sacred offerings until he is clean. Whoever touches anything defiled by a corpse or by a man who has an emission of semen,”Shows a practical effect of such uncleanness: even a priest with a discharge could not eat the sacred offerings until clean.
Theological
According to 15:2-3, under what conditions does a man's discharge render him unclean?
Answer: Whether it flows or is obstructed
The chapter opens with a man's chronic, abnormal discharge, distinguished from the ordinary emission treated in 15:16. The condition renders him unclean whether the discharge flows or is obstructed (15:2-3). The category is ceremonial, not moral: it bars access to holy things rather than imputing guilt, as the prohibition on a priest with a discharge eating the sacred offerings illustrates (Leviticus 22:4). Its seriousness derives from the presence of the LORD dwelling in the midst of the camp (Numbers 5:2-3).
- Leviticus 15:2-3 (BSB)““Say to the Israelites, ‘When any man has a bodily discharge, the discharge is unclean. This uncleanness is from his discharge, whether his body allows the discharge to flow or blocks it. So his discharge will bring about uncleanness.”Introduces the law of a man's bodily discharge and says it makes him unclean whether it flows or is blocked.
- Numbers 5:2-3 (BSB)““Command the Israelites to send away from the camp anyone with a skin disease, anyone who has a bodily discharge, and anyone who is defiled by a dead body. You must send away male and female alike; send them outside the camp so they will not defile their camp, where I dwell among them.””Shows that a person with a discharge was among those kept apart because God dwelt among His people in the camp.
- Leviticus 22:4 (BSB)“If a descendant of Aaron has a skin disease or a discharge, he may not eat the sacred offerings until he is clean. Whoever touches anything defiled by a corpse or by a man who has an emission of semen,”Shows a practical effect of such uncleanness: even a priest with a discharge could not eat the sacred offerings until clean.
General
When the man's discharge ended, what did he do to be cleansed (15:13-15)?
Answer: Counted seven days, washed and bathed with fresh water, and on day eight brought two doves or pigeons to the priest
Once the discharge stopped, the man counted seven days, laundered his clothes, and bathed in fresh (flowing) water, and he was clean (15:13). On day eight he brought a pair of doves or pigeons to the tabernacle doorway for the priest, who offered one bird for sin and sacrificed the second as a whole burnt offering, making atonement for him on account of the discharge (15:14-15). Here atonement means putting right his standing before God so he could again share in worship. These were the same modest offerings the law allowed for the poor (5:7) and for a new mother who could not afford a lamb (12:8).
- Leviticus 15:13-15 (BSB)“When the man has been cleansed from his discharge, he must count off seven days for his cleansing, wash his clothes, and bathe himself in fresh water, and he shall be clean. On the eighth day he is to take two turtledoves or two young pigeons, come before the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, and give them to the priest. The priest is to sacrifice them, one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering. In this way the priest will make atonement for the man before the LORD because of his discharge.”The man counts seven days, washes and bathes in fresh water, and on the eighth day brings two birds for a sin offering and a burnt offering.
- Leviticus 5:7 (BSB)“If, however, he cannot afford a lamb, he may bring to the LORD as restitution for his sin two turtledoves or two young pigeons—one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering.”Two doves or pigeons, one for a sin offering and one for a burnt offering, were the law's modest offering for those who could not afford a lamb.
- Leviticus 12:8 (BSB)“But if she cannot afford a lamb, she shall bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. Then the priest will make atonement for her, and she will be clean.’””A mother after childbirth, which is not a sin, brought the same pair of birds when she could not afford a lamb.
Theological
What does 15:13-15 prescribe for a man once his discharge has ceased?
Answer: Seven days counted, washing and bathing with fresh water, and on day eight two doves or pigeons brought to the priest
When healed, the man counts seven days, launders, and bathes in fresh (literally living) water (15:13). On day eight he brings a pair of doves or pigeons to the tent's doorway for the priest, one bird for a sin (purification) offering and the second as a whole burnt offering; through these the priest makes atonement for him before the LORD on account of his discharge (15:14-15). The offerings are the same modest pair prescribed as the reduced sin and burnt offerings (5:7) and for a mother after childbirth who could not afford a lamb (12:8); here the atonement is made on account of the discharge itself (15:15).
- Leviticus 15:13-15 (BSB)“When the man has been cleansed from his discharge, he must count off seven days for his cleansing, wash his clothes, and bathe himself in fresh water, and he shall be clean. On the eighth day he is to take two turtledoves or two young pigeons, come before the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, and give them to the priest. The priest is to sacrifice them, one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering. In this way the priest will make atonement for the man before the LORD because of his discharge.”The man counts seven days, washes and bathes in fresh water, and on the eighth day brings two birds for a sin offering and a burnt offering.
- Leviticus 5:7 (BSB)“If, however, he cannot afford a lamb, he may bring to the LORD as restitution for his sin two turtledoves or two young pigeons—one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering.”Two doves or pigeons, one for a sin offering and one for a burnt offering, were the law's modest offering for those who could not afford a lamb.
- Leviticus 12:8 (BSB)“But if she cannot afford a lamb, she shall bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. Then the priest will make atonement for her, and she will be clean.’””A mother after childbirth, which is not a sin, brought the same pair of birds when she could not afford a lamb.
General
How long was a woman unclean because of her regular monthly period (15:19)?
Answer: Seven days
During her monthly period a woman remained unclean seven days, and a person touching her was unclean until evening (15:19). Her bed and seat during that time became unclean, and a person touching them had to launder his garments and bathe (15:20-23). If a man slept with her and came into contact with her flow, his uncleanness also lasted seven days (15:24). This was a normal part of life, not a sin; Leviticus even uses it as the measure for a mother's uncleanness after childbirth (12:2). Hebrews explains that such washings were outward regulations in force until Christ brought a new order (Hebrews 9:10).
- Leviticus 15:19-20 (BSB)“When a woman has a discharge consisting of blood from her body, she will be unclean due to her menstruation for seven days, and anyone who touches her will be unclean until evening. Anything on which she lies or sits during her menstruation will be unclean,”A woman is unclean for seven days during her period, and whatever she lies or sits on becomes unclean.
- Leviticus 15:24 (BSB)“If a man lies with her and her menstrual flow touches him, he will be unclean for seven days, and any bed on which he lies will become unclean.”A man who lies with her and is touched by her flow becomes unclean for seven days.
- Leviticus 12:2 (BSB)““Say to the Israelites, ‘A woman who becomes pregnant and gives birth to a son will be unclean for seven days, as she is during the days of her menstruation.”Uses the uncleanness of menstruation as the standard for measuring a new mother's uncleanness, treating both as normal ceremonial conditions.
- Hebrews 9:10 (BSB)“They consist only in food and drink and special washings—external regulations imposed until the time of reform.”Describes such washings as external regulations imposed until the time of reform in Christ.
Theological
According to 15:19, how long does menstrual uncleanness last?
Answer: Seven days
Menstrual impurity lasts seven days, and contact with the woman defiles until evening (15:19). Her bed and seat become unclean, and touching them requires laundering and bathing (15:20-23). A man who sleeps with her and contacts her flow incurs a full seven-day impurity (15:24). The condition is natural and ceremonial, not culpable; it serves as the benchmark for postpartum impurity (12:2). Hebrews 9:10 classes such washings among outward rules in force until the reformation Christ brought.
- Leviticus 15:19-20 (BSB)“When a woman has a discharge consisting of blood from her body, she will be unclean due to her menstruation for seven days, and anyone who touches her will be unclean until evening. Anything on which she lies or sits during her menstruation will be unclean,”A woman is unclean for seven days during her period, and whatever she lies or sits on becomes unclean.
- Leviticus 15:24 (BSB)“If a man lies with her and her menstrual flow touches him, he will be unclean for seven days, and any bed on which he lies will become unclean.”A man who lies with her and is touched by her flow becomes unclean for seven days.
- Leviticus 12:2 (BSB)““Say to the Israelites, ‘A woman who becomes pregnant and gives birth to a son will be unclean for seven days, as she is during the days of her menstruation.”Uses the uncleanness of menstruation as the standard for measuring a new mother's uncleanness, treating both as normal ceremonial conditions.
- Hebrews 9:10 (BSB)“They consist only in food and drink and special washings—external regulations imposed until the time of reform.”Describes such washings as external regulations imposed until the time of reform in Christ.
General
Which woman in the Gospels had a condition like the prolonged bleeding described in 15:25-27?
Answer: The woman who had bled for twelve years and touched Jesus' cloak
A woman whose bleeding went on for many days outside her normal period, or continued past it, was unclean for as long as it lasted, just as during her period, and anything she lay or sat on was unclean (15:25-27). The woman in Mark 5 had lived under this burden for twelve years. Under these rules, contact with her would ordinarily have made others unclean (15:19, 25). Yet when she touched Jesus' cloak, the Gospels record no defilement of Jesus; instead, healing power went out from Him and her bleeding stopped at once (Mark 5:25-29; Luke 8:43-44). Jesus called her Daughter, told her that her faith had healed her, and sent her away in peace (Mark 5:30-34).
- Leviticus 15:25-27 (BSB)“When a woman has a discharge of her blood for many days at a time other than her menstrual period, or if it continues beyond her period, she will be unclean all the days of her unclean discharge, just as she is during the days of her menstruation. Any bed on which she lies or any furniture on which she sits during the days of her discharge will be unclean, like her bed during her menstrual period. Anyone who touches these things will be unclean; he must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening.”A woman with bleeding beyond her normal period is unclean for as long as it lasts, and what she lies or sits on is unclean.
- Mark 5:25-29 (BSB)“And a woman was there who had suffered from bleeding for twelve years. She had borne much agony under the care of many physicians and had spent all she had, but to no avail. Instead, her condition had only grown worse. When the woman heard about Jesus, she came up through the crowd behind Him and touched His cloak. For she kept saying, “If only I touch His garments, I will be healed.” Immediately her bleeding stopped, and she sensed in her body that she was healed of her affliction.”A woman who had bled for twelve years touched Jesus' cloak and was immediately healed.
- Mark 5:30-34 (BSB)“At once Jesus was aware that power had gone out from Him. Turning to the crowd, He asked, “Who touched My garments?” His disciples answered, “You can see the crowd pressing in on You, and yet You ask, ‘Who touched Me?’” But He kept looking around to see who had done this. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him trembling in fear, and she told Him the whole truth. “Daughter,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be free of your affliction.””Jesus called her Daughter and told her that her faith had healed her, sending her away in peace.
- Luke 8:43-44 (BSB)“including a woman who had suffered from bleeding for twelve years. She had spent all her money on physicians, but no one was able to heal her. She came up behind Jesus and touched the fringe of His cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.”Luke's account confirms that her bleeding stopped the moment she touched the fringe of His cloak.
Theological
Which Gospel figure suffered from the kind of prolonged bleeding described in 15:25-27?
Answer: The woman with a twelve-year hemorrhage who touched Jesus' cloak
Bleeding beyond or outside the normal period renders a woman unclean for its whole duration, with the same effects as menstrual impurity on her bed and seat (15:25-27). The woman of Mark 5 had borne this condition for twelve years, and under this law her touch would ordinarily transmit impurity (15:19, 25). When she touches Jesus' cloak, the Gospels record no defilement of Jesus; instead, power goes out from Him and she is healed at once (Mark 5:25-29; Luke 8:43-44). Jesus then publicly receives her as Daughter and attributes her healing to faith (Mark 5:30-34).
- Leviticus 15:25-27 (BSB)“When a woman has a discharge of her blood for many days at a time other than her menstrual period, or if it continues beyond her period, she will be unclean all the days of her unclean discharge, just as she is during the days of her menstruation. Any bed on which she lies or any furniture on which she sits during the days of her discharge will be unclean, like her bed during her menstrual period. Anyone who touches these things will be unclean; he must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening.”A woman with bleeding beyond her normal period is unclean for as long as it lasts, and what she lies or sits on is unclean.
- Mark 5:25-29 (BSB)“And a woman was there who had suffered from bleeding for twelve years. She had borne much agony under the care of many physicians and had spent all she had, but to no avail. Instead, her condition had only grown worse. When the woman heard about Jesus, she came up through the crowd behind Him and touched His cloak. For she kept saying, “If only I touch His garments, I will be healed.” Immediately her bleeding stopped, and she sensed in her body that she was healed of her affliction.”A woman who had bled for twelve years touched Jesus' cloak and was immediately healed.
- Mark 5:30-34 (BSB)“At once Jesus was aware that power had gone out from Him. Turning to the crowd, He asked, “Who touched My garments?” His disciples answered, “You can see the crowd pressing in on You, and yet You ask, ‘Who touched Me?’” But He kept looking around to see who had done this. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him trembling in fear, and she told Him the whole truth. “Daughter,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be free of your affliction.””Jesus called her Daughter and told her that her faith had healed her, sending her away in peace.
- Luke 8:43-44 (BSB)“including a woman who had suffered from bleeding for twelve years. She had spent all her money on physicians, but no one was able to heal her. She came up behind Jesus and touched the fringe of His cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.”Luke's account confirms that her bleeding stopped the moment she touched the fringe of His cloak.
General
What reason does 15:31 give for keeping Israel apart from their uncleanness?
Answer: So they would not die for defiling God's dwelling place among them
The chapter ends by giving its purpose: Israel was to be kept apart from their uncleanness; otherwise they would die for defiling God's tabernacle, which stood in their midst (15:31). The point was not hygiene but God's holy presence. The holy God lived among His people, and uncleanness brought near His dwelling was a grave matter (Numbers 19:13). Through Jesus' blood, believers now have confidence to draw near to God, with hearts cleansed and bodies washed (Hebrews 10:19-22).
- Leviticus 15:31 (BSB)“You must keep the children of Israel separate from their uncleanness, so that they do not die by defiling My tabernacle, which is among them.”States the purpose of the chapter: keeping Israel separate from uncleanness so they do not die by defiling God's tabernacle among them.
- Numbers 19:13 (BSB)“Anyone who touches a human corpse and fails to purify himself defiles the tabernacle of the LORD. That person must be cut off from Israel. He remains unclean, because the water of purification has not been sprinkled on him, and his uncleanness is still on him.”Shows that an unpurified person defiled the tabernacle of the LORD and faced being cut off.
- Hebrews 10:19-22 (BSB)“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way opened for us through the curtain of His body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”Believers now draw near to God with confidence through Jesus' blood, cleansed and washed.
Theological
What rationale does 15:31 give for separating Israel from their uncleanness?
Answer: So they would not die for defiling God's dwelling place among them
The chapter's rationale is explicitly theological: Israel must be kept apart from their uncleanness lest they die for defiling the LORD's tabernacle in their midst (15:31). The purity system protected the holiness of the divine presence, not public health, and defiling the sanctuary carried the penalty of being cut off (Numbers 19:13). In Christ the barrier is overcome, not ignored: by His blood believers come boldly into God's own presence, their hearts sprinkled and bodies washed (Hebrews 10:19-22).
- Leviticus 15:31 (BSB)“You must keep the children of Israel separate from their uncleanness, so that they do not die by defiling My tabernacle, which is among them.”States the purpose of the chapter: keeping Israel separate from uncleanness so they do not die by defiling God's tabernacle among them.
- Numbers 19:13 (BSB)“Anyone who touches a human corpse and fails to purify himself defiles the tabernacle of the LORD. That person must be cut off from Israel. He remains unclean, because the water of purification has not been sprinkled on him, and his uncleanness is still on him.”Shows that an unpurified person defiled the tabernacle of the LORD and faced being cut off.
- Hebrews 10:19-22 (BSB)“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way opened for us through the curtain of His body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”Believers now draw near to God with confidence through Jesus' blood, cleansed and washed.
General
What could the man suffering the discharge do so that touching someone would not make that person unclean (15:11)?
Answer: Rinse his hands in water beforehand
The law said that if the man touched someone before rinsing his hands in water, the person he touched had to launder his clothes, bathe, and was unclean until evening (15:11). So a simple act of washing kept his uncleanness from spreading through his hands. Washing with water runs all through God's laws about approaching Him; even the priests had to wash hands and feet before serving, or they would die (Exodus 30:19-21). The New Testament takes up this picture when it invites believers to draw near to God with hearts cleansed and bodies washed clean with pure water (Hebrews 10:22).
- Leviticus 15:11 (BSB)“If the man with the discharge touches anyone without first rinsing his hands with water, the one who was touched must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening.”If the man touches someone without first rinsing his hands, that person becomes unclean.
- Exodus 30:19-21 (BSB)“with which Aaron and his sons are to wash their hands and feet. Whenever they enter the Tent of Meeting or approach the altar to minister by presenting a food offering to the LORD, they must wash with water so that they will not die. Thus they are to wash their hands and feet so that they will not die; this shall be a permanent statute for Aaron and his descendants for the generations to come.””Priests had to wash their hands and feet before serving, showing that washing with water was God's appointed means of readiness to approach Him.
- Hebrews 10:22 (BSB)“let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”Uses the picture of bodies washed with pure water to describe how believers now draw near to God through Christ.
Theological
According to 15:11, what prevents the man suffering the discharge from defiling someone he touches?
Answer: Rinsing his hands in water beforehand
If the man touches another before rinsing his hands, the person touched must launder, bathe, and stays unclean until evening (15:11); rinsing the hands therefore limits the transmission of impurity. Ablution with water is the standard instrument of ritual readiness throughout the Mosaic system, as in the priests' mandatory washing of hands and feet on pain of death (Exodus 30:19-21). Hebrews 10:22 appropriates the imagery for the new covenant, where believers draw near with hearts sprinkled clean and bodies washed clean with pure water.
- Leviticus 15:11 (BSB)“If the man with the discharge touches anyone without first rinsing his hands with water, the one who was touched must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening.”If the man touches someone without first rinsing his hands, that person becomes unclean.
- Exodus 30:19-21 (BSB)“with which Aaron and his sons are to wash their hands and feet. Whenever they enter the Tent of Meeting or approach the altar to minister by presenting a food offering to the LORD, they must wash with water so that they will not die. Thus they are to wash their hands and feet so that they will not die; this shall be a permanent statute for Aaron and his descendants for the generations to come.””Priests had to wash their hands and feet before serving, showing that washing with water was God's appointed means of readiness to approach Him.
- Hebrews 10:22 (BSB)“let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”Uses the picture of bodies washed with pure water to describe how believers now draw near to God through Christ.
General
True or False: Even carrying something that had been under the man suffering the discharge made a person unclean until evening.
Answer: True
This is true. The law traced the man's uncleanness into many everyday situations. If he spat on someone who was clean, that person had to launder his clothes, bathe, and was unclean until evening (15:8). A saddle he rode on became unclean, and whoever touched or carried anything that had been under him was unclean until evening, with the one carrying it also washing and bathing (15:9-10). The principle that uncleanness passes along by contact appears elsewhere in the law (Numbers 19:22), and the priests in Haggai's day still taught it (Haggai 2:13).
- Leviticus 15:8-10 (BSB)“If the man with the discharge spits on one who is clean, that person must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening. Any saddle on which the man with the discharge rides will be unclean. Whoever touches anything that was under him will be unclean until evening, and whoever carries such things must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening.”Spitting on someone, a saddle he rides on, and things that were under him all pass on uncleanness.
- Haggai 2:13 (BSB)“So Haggai asked, “If one who is defiled by contact with a corpse touches any of these, does it become defiled?” “Yes, it becomes defiled,” the priests answered.”The priests of Haggai's day confirmed that uncleanness passes to what an unclean person touches.
- Numbers 19:22 (BSB)“Anything the unclean person touches will become unclean, and anyone who touches it will be unclean until evening.””States the same principle: what an unclean person touches becomes unclean, and whoever touches it is unclean until evening.
Theological
True or False: According to 15:10, carrying something that had been under the man suffering the discharge rendered a person unclean until evening.
Answer: True
This is true. The chapter extends the man's impurity to his spittle (15:8), to a saddle he rides (15:9), and to anything that had been beneath him: whoever touches such an item remains unclean until evening, while anyone carrying it must also launder and bathe (15:10). The contagion principle, that whatever an unclean person handles becomes unclean and in turn defiles until evening, is stated generally in Numbers 19:22 and was affirmed by the priests in Haggai 2:13.
- Leviticus 15:8-10 (BSB)“If the man with the discharge spits on one who is clean, that person must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening. Any saddle on which the man with the discharge rides will be unclean. Whoever touches anything that was under him will be unclean until evening, and whoever carries such things must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening.”Spitting on someone, a saddle he rides on, and things that were under him all pass on uncleanness.
- Haggai 2:13 (BSB)“So Haggai asked, “If one who is defiled by contact with a corpse touches any of these, does it become defiled?” “Yes, it becomes defiled,” the priests answered.”The priests of Haggai's day confirmed that uncleanness passes to what an unclean person touches.
- Numbers 19:22 (BSB)“Anything the unclean person touches will become unclean, and anyone who touches it will be unclean until evening.””States the same principle: what an unclean person touches becomes unclean, and whoever touches it is unclean until evening.
General
True or False: A woman healed of a prolonged discharge brought the same offering on day eight as a man healed of a discharge.
Answer: True
This is true. When the woman's discharge ended, she counted seven days and was then clean (15:28). On day eight she brought a pair of doves or pigeons to the tabernacle doorway for the priest, one bird for sin and the second as a whole burnt offering; through these the priest made atonement for her (15:29-30). That is exactly what the healed man brought (15:14-15). The purity laws applied to men and women alike (Numbers 5:2-3), and both had the same way back into worship, and the same pair of birds was also the offering of a new mother who could not afford a lamb (12:8).
- Leviticus 15:28-30 (BSB)“When a woman is cleansed of her discharge, she must count off seven days, and after that she will be ceremonially clean. On the eighth day she is to take two turtledoves or two young pigeons and bring them to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. The priest is to sacrifice one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering. In this way the priest will make atonement for her before the LORD for her unclean discharge.”The healed woman counts seven days and on the eighth day brings two birds for a sin offering and a burnt offering.
- Leviticus 15:14-15 (BSB)“On the eighth day he is to take two turtledoves or two young pigeons, come before the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, and give them to the priest. The priest is to sacrifice them, one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering. In this way the priest will make atonement for the man before the LORD because of his discharge.”The healed man brings the same pair of birds on the eighth day for the same two offerings.
- Numbers 5:2-3 (BSB)““Command the Israelites to send away from the camp anyone with a skin disease, anyone who has a bodily discharge, and anyone who is defiled by a dead body. You must send away male and female alike; send them outside the camp so they will not defile their camp, where I dwell among them.””The purity laws applied to male and female alike.
- Leviticus 12:8 (BSB)“But if she cannot afford a lamb, she shall bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. Then the priest will make atonement for her, and she will be clean.’””The same pair of birds served as a mother's offering after childbirth when she could not afford a lamb.
Theological
True or False: In 15:28-30, the woman healed of a prolonged discharge brings the same eighth-day offering prescribed for the healed man in 15:14-15.
Answer: True
This is true. After counting seven days (15:28), the woman brings a pair of doves or pigeons on day eight to the tent's doorway for the priest, one bird for sin and the second as a whole burnt offering; through these the priest makes atonement for her (15:29-30), precisely mirroring the man's rite (15:14-15). The symmetry reflects the equal application of the purity laws to male and female (Numbers 5:2-3), and the same pair of birds appears in the purification after childbirth when a lamb was unaffordable (12:8).
- Leviticus 15:28-30 (BSB)“When a woman is cleansed of her discharge, she must count off seven days, and after that she will be ceremonially clean. On the eighth day she is to take two turtledoves or two young pigeons and bring them to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. The priest is to sacrifice one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering. In this way the priest will make atonement for her before the LORD for her unclean discharge.”The healed woman counts seven days and on the eighth day brings two birds for a sin offering and a burnt offering.
- Leviticus 15:14-15 (BSB)“On the eighth day he is to take two turtledoves or two young pigeons, come before the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, and give them to the priest. The priest is to sacrifice them, one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering. In this way the priest will make atonement for the man before the LORD because of his discharge.”The healed man brings the same pair of birds on the eighth day for the same two offerings.
- Numbers 5:2-3 (BSB)““Command the Israelites to send away from the camp anyone with a skin disease, anyone who has a bodily discharge, and anyone who is defiled by a dead body. You must send away male and female alike; send them outside the camp so they will not defile their camp, where I dwell among them.””The purity laws applied to male and female alike.
- Leviticus 12:8 (BSB)“But if she cannot afford a lamb, she shall bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. Then the priest will make atonement for her, and she will be clean.’””The same pair of birds served as a mother's offering after childbirth when she could not afford a lamb.