And he that toucheth the flesh of him that hath the issue shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.

LEVITICUS 15:7KJV
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Leviticus 15:7 (KJV)

What does Leviticus 15:7 mean?

Leviticus 15:7 says that anyone who touches the body of a man with a bodily discharge must wash their clothes, bathe in water, and will remain ceremonially unclean until evening. This verse sets out a specific rule for ritual cleanliness in ancient Israel, focusing on physical contact with someone considered unclean.

This instruction comes from God to Moses and Aaron, who are relaying laws about purity to the Israelites. The situation involves a man with a bodily "issue" (often thought to be a medical condition causing discharge), and anyone who touches him must follow a process to become ritually clean again. The verse highlights the importance of ritual purity in daily life and the steps required to restore it after certain kinds of contact.

The Hebrew behind Leviticus 15:7

  • "toucheth" (נָגַע, naga‘): This word means to physically touch or come into contact with. In this context, it emphasizes that even indirect involvement with impurity brings ritual consequences.
  • "flesh" (בָּשָׂר, basar): This refers specifically to the body or skin, making clear that the rule applies to direct physical contact, not just being in the same space.
  • "issue" (זוּב, zub): This word describes a bodily discharge, often understood as a chronic or abnormal flow, which in ancient Israel made a person ritually unclean.
  • "wash" (כָּבַס, kabas): This verb means to wash or launder clothes, not just rinse, indicating a thorough cleansing.
  • "bathe" (רָחַץ, rachats): This means to wash the body with water, showing that both the person and their clothing needed to be cleansed.
  • "unclean" (טָמֵא, tame): This term means ritually impure, not necessarily physically dirty, and signals a temporary state that affects participation in worship and community life.
  • "even" (עָרֶב, ‘erev): This means "evening," marking the end of the period of uncleanness and the restoration of ritual status.

Why Leviticus 15:7 matters

  • Leviticus 15:7 clarifies that ritual impurity was not just a personal matter but could be transferred through touch, affecting anyone who came into direct contact with someone unclean.
  • The verse shows how daily life and religious practice were closely linked in ancient Israel, with specific steps required to move from a state of impurity back to normal participation in community and worship.
  • This rule fits into a larger section about bodily discharges, emphasizing the seriousness with which the community treated ritual purity and the boundaries set around it.

Where else these words appear

“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 15:25 And if a woman have an issue of her blood many days out of the time of her separation, or if it run beyond the time of her separation; all the days of the issue of her uncleanness shall be as the days of her separation: she shall be unclean.
  • 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.

“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 15:5 And whosoever toucheth his bed 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.