This is the law of him that hath an issue, and of him whose seed goeth from him, and is defiled therewith;

LEVITICUS 15:32KJV
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Leviticus 15:32 (KJV)

What does Leviticus 15:32 mean?

Leviticus 15:32 sets out the rule for anyone who has a bodily discharge or emission, including a man whose semen leaves his body and becomes unclean as a result. The verse summarizes the laws about ritual impurity connected to these physical conditions.

In this verse, God is giving instructions to Moses and Aaron for the Israelites about how to handle situations involving bodily fluids that make a person ritually unclean. This comes near the end of a section in Leviticus that details various laws about purity, especially those related to bodily discharges, and serves as a summary statement for what has just been explained.

The Hebrew behind Leviticus 15:32

  • law (תּוֹרָה, torah): This word means "instruction" or "law." Here, it signals that what follows is an official guideline for the community, not just a suggestion.
  • issue (זוֹב, zov): This refers to an abnormal bodily discharge, often understood as a chronic or unusual flow, which made a person ritually impure in ancient Israel.
  • seed (זֶרַע, zera‘): This word means "seed," and in this context, it refers specifically to semen. The verse distinguishes between different types of bodily emissions.
  • goeth (יֵצֵא, yetse): This verb means "goes out" or "comes out," describing the act of the emission leaving the body.
  • defiled (טָמֵא, tame): This word means "to become unclean" or "defiled," indicating a state of ritual impurity, not necessarily moral wrongdoing.

Why Leviticus 15:32 matters

  • Leviticus 15:32 clarifies that the laws about ritual impurity apply to both chronic discharges and normal bodily functions, showing the thoroughness of the purity system in ancient Israel.
  • The verse helps the reader see that ritual impurity was a matter of physical condition, not moral failure, which can clear up common misunderstandings about these laws.
  • By summarizing the preceding instructions, this verse marks the transition to the next section and helps the reader keep track of the structure and flow of Leviticus.

Where else these words appear

“seed” Hebrew H7902 · used in 9 verses

  • Exodus 16:13 And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay round about the host.
  • Leviticus 15:16 And if any man's seed of copulation go out from him, then he shall wash all his flesh in water, and be unclean until the even.
  • Leviticus 19:20 And whosoever lieth carnally with a woman, that is a bondmaid, betrothed to an husband, and not at all redeemed, nor freedom given her; she shall be scourged; they shall not be put to death, because she was not free.

“issue” Hebrew H2100 · used in 41 verses

  • Exodus 3:8 And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
  • Leviticus 15:19 And if a woman have an issue, and her issue in her flesh be blood, she shall be put apart seven days: and whosoever toucheth her shall be unclean until the even.
  • Deuteronomy 26:15 Look down from thy holy habitation, from heaven, and bless thy people Israel, and the land which thou hast given us, as thou swarest unto our fathers, a land that floweth with milk and honey.

“defiled” Hebrew H2930 · used in 142 verses

  • Genesis 34:5 And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter: now his sons were with his cattle in the field: and Jacob held his peace until they were come.
  • Leviticus 15:19 And if a woman have an issue, and her issue in her flesh be blood, she shall be put apart seven days: and whosoever toucheth her shall be unclean until the even.
  • Deuteronomy 21:23 His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day;(for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.