And if he that hath the issue spit upon him that is clean; then he shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.

LEVITICUS 15:8KJV
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Leviticus 15:8 (KJV)

What does Leviticus 15:8 mean?

Leviticus 15:8 says that if a man with a bodily discharge spits on someone who is considered clean, the person who was spat on must wash their clothes, bathe in water, and will be considered unclean until evening. This rule is about how ritual impurity could be transferred by contact, even through spit, and what steps were required to become clean again.

In this part of Leviticus, God is giving instructions to Moses and Aaron for the Israelites about ritual cleanliness, especially concerning bodily discharges. The verse focuses on how impurity can be passed from a person with a discharge to someone else, not just by touch but even by spit, and it sets out the process for restoring ritual cleanliness. This is part of a larger section that details various situations that make someone ritually unclean and the steps needed to return to a state of purity.

The Hebrew behind Leviticus 15:8

  • "issue" (זוּב, zuv): This word refers to a bodily discharge, usually understood as an ongoing flow from the body, which in this context makes a person ritually unclean.
  • "spit" (רֹק, roq): This word means spit or saliva. Its use here shows that impurity could be transferred even by something as simple as spit, not just by direct touch.
  • "clean" (טָהוֹר, tahor): This word means ritually clean or pure. The verse draws a clear line between those who are already clean and those who become unclean by contact.
  • "wash" (כָּבַס, kavas): This word means to wash or launder, specifically referring to washing clothes as part of the purification process.
  • "bathe" (רָחַץ, rachats): This word means to bathe or wash the body, emphasizing that both clothing and the person needed cleansing.
  • "unclean" (טָמֵא, tame): This word means ritually unclean, showing that the person is temporarily excluded from certain religious or communal activities.
  • "even" (עֶרֶב, erev): This word means evening. The uncleanness lasted until sunset, after which the person could be considered clean again.

Why Leviticus 15:8 matters

  • Leviticus 15:8 clarifies that ritual impurity could be passed in ways other than direct physical touch, highlighting the seriousness with which ritual purity was treated in ancient Israel.
  • The verse shows that the process of becoming clean again involved both washing clothes and bathing, not just one or the other, emphasizing thoroughness in ritual cleansing.
  • This instruction fits into a broader set of laws in Leviticus about bodily discharges, helping the community maintain boundaries around ritual purity and communal worship.

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.

“clean” Hebrew H2889 · used in 87 verses

  • Genesis 7:2 Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female.
  • Exodus 39:25 And they made bells of pure gold, and put the bells between the pomegranates upon the hem of the robe, round about between the pomegranates;
  • Deuteronomy 12:15 Notwithstanding thou mayest kill and eat flesh in all thy gates, whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, according to the blessing of the LORD thy God which he hath given thee: the unclean and the clean may eat thereof, as of the roebuck, and as of the hart.