And whosoever toucheth his bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.

LEVITICUS 15:5KJV
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Leviticus 15:5 (KJV)

What does Leviticus 15:5 mean?

Leviticus 15:5 says that anyone who touches the bed of a person with a bodily discharge must wash their clothes, bathe in water, and will remain ceremonially unclean until evening. This instruction sets out a process for dealing with ritual impurity in ancient Israel, focusing on physical contact with objects used by someone considered unclean.

In this part of Leviticus, God is giving Moses and Aaron detailed laws about purity to pass on to the Israelites. The situation involves someone who has a bodily discharge, which made them ritually unclean according to the law. The verse shows how even indirect contact—touching the bed, not just the person—required careful steps for cleansing, reflecting the seriousness with which ritual purity was treated in daily life.

The Hebrew behind Leviticus 15:5

  • בֶּגֶד (beged, transliterated as "clothes"): This word refers to garments or clothing. The command to wash clothes highlights that impurity was seen as something that could transfer to objects, not just people.
  • רָחַץ (rachats, "bathe"): This word means to wash or bathe oneself. The instruction to bathe in water shows that cleansing was both a physical and ritual act, not just symbolic.
  • טָמֵא (tame, "unclean"): This word means ritually impure or unclean. Being "unclean until the even[ing]" did not mean sinful, but that the person was temporarily restricted from certain religious activities or contact with others.

Why Leviticus 15:5 matters

  • This verse clarifies that ritual impurity in ancient Israel was not just about personal health, but about maintaining communal and religious order, with specific steps for restoration.
  • The emphasis on washing both clothes and body shows the thoroughness expected in returning to a state of ritual cleanliness, underlining the seriousness of these laws for everyday life.
  • Leviticus 15:5 fits into a larger section that details how impurity could spread through contact, helping modern readers understand the broader system of purity and holiness in Israelite worship.

Where else these words appear

“bed” Hebrew H4904 · used in 44 verses

  • Genesis 49:4 Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father's bed; then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch.
  • Judges 21:12 And they found among the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead four hundred young virgins, that had known no man by lying with any male: and they brought them unto the camp to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.
  • Psalms 4:4 Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.

“wash” Hebrew H3526 · used in 48 verses

  • Genesis 49:11 Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass's colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes:
  • Leviticus 14:47 And he that lieth in the house shall wash his clothes; and he that eateth in the house shall wash his clothes.
  • Numbers 8:21 And the Levites were purified, and they washed their clothes; and Aaron offered them as an offering before the LORD; and Aaron made an atonement for them to cleanse them.

“bathe” Hebrew H7364 · used in 71 verses

  • Genesis 18:4 Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree:
  • Leviticus 15:6 And he that sitteth on any thing whereon he sat that hath the issue shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.
  • Judges 19:21 So he brought him into his house, and gave provender unto the asses: and they washed their feet, and did eat and drink.

“even” Hebrew H6153 · used in 130 verses

  • Genesis 1:5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
  • 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.
  • 1 Kings 17:6 And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook.