Leviticus 15:33 (KJV)

What does Leviticus 15:33 mean?

Leviticus 15:33 closes a set of instructions about bodily discharges and the periods when people were considered unclean. It includes a woman during menstruation, a man or woman with a discharge, and a man who has sexual relations with a woman who is unclean.

“Unclean” describes a status under Israel’s rules for worship and community life. In this setting, a discharge could affect whether a person could approach the place where God was worshiped. The verse comes at the end of instructions that distinguish several situations and give procedures for becoming clean again.

The Hebrew behind Leviticus 15:33

• “flowers” — נִדָּה (niddah): The word refers here to menstruation and the associated period of separation. The KJV’s “flowers” is an old expression, not a reference to plants.
• “issue” — זוֹב (zov): The word means a discharge or flow from the body. In this verse, it covers discharges affecting either a man or a woman.

Why Leviticus 15:33 matters

• The closing list makes clear that these instructions concern both sexes. The verse names a person with a discharge as “the man” and “the woman.”
• “Sick” in the KJV can sound as if menstruation itself were an illness. The surrounding instructions distinguish a woman’s ordinary monthly period from a discharge that continues beyond it (Leviticus 15:19, 25).
• The rule about sexual relations is part of the same set of instructions. Earlier in the chapter, Leviticus 15:24 describes the uncleanness that results when a man lies with a menstruating woman.