Whatsoever shall touch the flesh thereof shall be holy: and when there is sprinkled of the blood thereof upon any garment, thou shalt wash that whereon it was sprinkled in the holy place.

LEVITICUS 6:27KJV
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Leviticus 6:27 (KJV)

What does Leviticus 6:27 mean?

Leviticus 6:27 says that anything touching the flesh of a certain sacrifice becomes holy, and if any of its blood is sprinkled on a garment, that garment must be washed in a holy place. This verse highlights the special, set-apart nature of the sacrificial offerings in Israel’s worship.

In this part of Leviticus, God is giving Moses instructions for the priests about handling sin offerings. The “flesh” refers to the meat of the sacrifice, and the “holy place” is the area of the tabernacle where only priests could go. The verse shows how contact with the sacrifice made things holy and required careful handling, even down to washing clothes that got blood on them.

The Hebrew behind Leviticus 6:27

  • “touch” (נָגַע, nagaʿ): This word means to physically touch or come into contact with. Here, it shows that holiness could be transferred by contact, affecting even objects or people that touched the sacrifice.
  • “holy” (קָדַשׁ, qadash): This word means to be set apart or consecrated. The verse uses it to show that anything touching the sacrifice was made special and had to be treated differently from ordinary things.
  • “sprinkled” (נָזָה, nazah): This word means to scatter or splash, often referring to ritual actions with blood. The act of sprinkling blood on garments made them ritually affected, so they needed special washing.
  • “wash” (כָּבַס, kabas): This word means to wash or launder. The command to wash the bloodied garment in the holy place shows the seriousness of keeping ritual purity.

Why Leviticus 6:27 matters

  • Leviticus 6:27 clears up that holiness was not just an abstract idea but something that could affect physical objects through contact, which shaped how priests handled sacrifices.
  • The verse emphasizes the careful boundaries between holy and ordinary things in Israel’s worship, revealing how seriously God’s instructions were taken.
  • This detail connects to the wider passage by showing the practical steps priests had to follow to maintain the sacredness of the tabernacle and its rituals.

Where else these words appear

“sprinkled” Hebrew H5137 · used in 22 verses

  • Exodus 29:21 And thou shalt take of the blood that is upon the altar, and of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it upon Aaron, and upon his garments, and upon his sons, and upon the garments of his sons with him: and he shall be hallowed, and his garments, and his sons, and his sons' garments with him.
  • Leviticus 14:16 And the priest shall dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand, and shall sprinkle of the oil with his finger seven times before the LORD:
  • Numbers 19:4 And Eleazar the priest shall take of her blood with his finger, and sprinkle of her blood directly before the tabernacle of the congregation seven times:

“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 15:5 And whosoever toucheth his bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.
  • 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.

“holy” Hebrew H6918 · used in 106 verses

  • Exodus 19:6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.
  • 2 Chronicles 35:3 And said unto the Levites that taught all Israel, which were holy unto the LORD, Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David king of Israel did build; it shall not be a burden upon your shoulders: serve now the LORD your God, and his people Israel,
  • Isaiah 29:19 The meek also shall increase their joy in the LORD, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

“touch” Hebrew H5060 · used in 142 verses

  • Genesis 3:3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
  • Numbers 19:21 And it shall be a perpetual statute unto them, that he that sprinkleth the water of separation shall wash his clothes; and he that toucheth the water of separation shall be unclean until even.
  • Psalms 73:14 For all the day long have I been plagued, and chastened every morning.