Leviticus 15

Le 15:1-18.

UNCLEANNESS OF

MEN.

2. When any man hath a running issue--This chapter describes

other forms of uncleanness, the nature of which is sufficiently

intelligible in the text without any explanatory comment. Being the

effects of licentiousness, they properly come within the notice of the

legislator, and the very stringent rules here prescribed, both for the

separation of the person diseased and for avoiding contamination from

anything connected with him, were well calculated not only to prevent

contagion, but to discourage the excesses of licentious indulgence.

9. what saddle . . . he rideth upon that hath the issue

shall be unclean--(See on

Ge 31:34).

12. the vessel of earth, that he toucheth which hath the issue,

shall be broken--It is thought that the pottery of the Israelites,

like the earthenware jars in which the Egyptians kept their water, was

unglazed and consequently porous, and that it was its porousness which,

rendering it extremely liable to imbibe small particles of impure

matter, was the reason why the vessel touched by an unclean person was

ordered to be broken.

13, 14. then he shall number to himself seven days for his

cleansing--Like a leprous person he underwent a week's probation,

to make sure he was completely healed. Then with the sacrifices

prescribed, the priest made an atonement for him, that is, offered the

oblations necessary for the removal of his ceremonial defilement, as

well as the typical pardon of his sins.

Le 15:19-33.

UNCLEANNESS OF

WOMEN.

19. if a woman have an issue--Though this, like the leprosy,

might be a natural affection, it was anciently considered contagious

and entailed a ceremonial defilement which typified a moral impurity.

This ceremonial defilement had to be removed by an appointed method of

ceremonial expiation, and the neglect of it subjected any one to the

guilt of defiling the tabernacle, and to death as the penalty of

profane temerity.

31-33. Thus shall ye separate the children of Israel from their

uncleanness--The divine wisdom was manifested in inspiring the

Israelites with a profound reverence for holy things; and nothing was

more suited to this purpose than to debar from the tabernacle all who

were polluted by any kind of uncleanness, ceremonial as well as

natural, mental as well as physical. The better to mark out that people

as His family, His servants and priests, dwelling in the camp as in a

holy place, consecrated by His presence and His tabernacle, He required

of them complete purity, and did not allow them to come before Him when

defiled, even by involuntary or secret impurities, as a want of respect

due to His majesty. And when we bear in mind that God was training a

people to live in His presence in some measure as priests devoted to

His service, we shall not consider these rules for the maintenance of

personal purity either too stringent or too minute

(1Th 4:4).