Leviticus 15:1 kjv
And the LORD spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying,
Leviticus 15:1 nkjv
And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,
Leviticus 15:1 niv
The LORD said to Moses and Aaron,
Leviticus 15:1 esv
The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,
Leviticus 15:1 nlt
The LORD said to Moses and Aaron,
Leviticus 15 1 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference (Short Note) |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 1:3 | "And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light." | God's powerful, creative speech. |
| Exo 6:10 | "Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying," | Common divine instruction introduction. |
| Lev 1:1 | "The LORD called to Moses and spoke to him..." | Opening phrase of the book of Leviticus. |
| Lev 4:1 | "The LORD spoke to Moses, saying," | Another similar direct divine command. |
| Lev 10:11 | "...distinguish between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean." | Priestly responsibility in discerning laws. |
| Lev 11:44-45 | "For I am the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy." | The ultimate reason for purity laws: God's holiness. |
| Num 1:1 | "The LORD spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai..." | Marks the beginning of new instructions for the people. |
| Deut 4:1-2 | "Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the rules...You shall not add to the word..." | Emphasis on obeying God's exact commandments. |
| Deut 5:5 | "I stood between the LORD and you at that time, to declare to you the word of the LORD..." | Moses' central mediatorial role. |
| Mal 2:7 | "For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth..." | Priestly duty to uphold and teach God's law. |
| Psa 33:9 | "For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm." | The inherent power and authority of God's word. |
| Pro 30:5 | "Every word of God proves true..." | Divine truthfulness and reliability of Scripture. |
| Isa 8:20 | "To the teaching and to the testimony!..." | Importance of adhering to God's revealed law. |
| Mark 7:18-19 | "Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him...Thus he declared all foods clean." | Christ's re-interpretation of ritual purity in NT. |
| Acts 10:14-15 | "But Peter said, “By no means, Lord...“What God has made clean, do not call common.”" | God's sovereign declaration over purity in the New Covenant. |
| Rom 14:17 | "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." | Spiritual over external ritual purity in the new covenant. |
| Gal 3:19 | "...the law was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come..." | The law's purpose and its temporary nature. |
| Col 2:16-17 | "Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink...These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ." | Ceremonial laws are types foreshadowing Christ. |
| Heb 9:10 | "...only rules applying to the body until the time of reformation." | Old Covenant rituals as temporary until Christ's coming. |
| Heb 10:1 | "For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities..." | The law as a shadow pointing to greater realities. |
| Heb 12:14 | "Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord." | Call to spiritual holiness in the New Testament. |
| 1 Pet 1:15-16 | "But as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, 'You shall be holy, for I am holy.'" | Echoes Lev 11:44 in the context of Christian living. |
| 2 Tim 3:16-17 | "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness..." | Affirmation of divine inspiration and authority of Scripture. |
Leviticus 15 verses
Leviticus 15 1 Meaning
Leviticus 15:1 introduces the subsequent laws concerning bodily discharges by stating their divine origin: "The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying." This verse establishes that the intricate regulations that follow regarding ritual purity and impurity are not human inventions or cultural customs, but direct commandments from Yahweh, the covenant God of Israel. It emphasizes divine authority and the integral role of both Moses, as the primary mediator, and Aaron, representing the priesthood, in receiving and transmitting God's instructions to the people of Israel.
Leviticus 15 1 Context
Leviticus 15:1 serves as the opening statement for the final major section of purity laws in the book of Leviticus, specifically dealing with laws of ritual impurity arising from bodily discharges. This chapter distinguishes various types of bodily emissions from both males and females, outlining the procedures for purification (e.g., washing, specific time periods, and sometimes sacrifices) necessary to restore the affected individual to ritual cleanness and communal participation. These laws are critical within the broader context of Leviticus, which is primarily concerned with establishing the pathways to holiness and maintaining ritual purity for a people dwelling in the presence of a holy God (manifested in the Tabernacle). The historical context places these commands in the wilderness, after the giving of the Law at Sinai, as Israel is being prepared to be God's holy nation and enter the promised land. These purity laws, divinely instituted, served to set Israel apart from the surrounding pagan cultures, whose similar practices, if any, often stemmed from superstitious fear or fertility cults rather than the pursuit of Yahweh's holiness.
Leviticus 15 1 Word analysis
- The LORD (יהוה, YHWH): This is the Tetragrammaton, God's personal and covenant name. Its use here signifies that the forthcoming instructions derive from the self-existent, faithful God who entered into covenant with Israel. It emphasizes divine sovereignty and personal engagement in the details of His people's lives.
- spoke (וַיְדַבֵּר, va-y'dabber): From the verb "dabar" (דבר), which means to speak, say, declare. The intensive (Piel) form indicates a clear, deliberate, and authoritative pronouncement. This is not a casual utterance but a firm declaration of divine will and command, requiring direct attention and obedience.
- to Moses (אֶל-מֹשֶׁה, el Moshe): Moses is God's chosen prophet and mediator for the Old Covenant. He is the unique recipient of direct divine revelation for Israel, serving as the conduit through which God's laws are communicated to the nation. His designation here highlights his foundational role in the theocratic governance of Israel.
- and Aaron (וְאֶל-אַהֲרֹן, v'el Aharon): Aaron, Moses' brother, represents the priestly line, particularly the High Priesthood. His inclusion alongside Moses underscores the practical role of the priesthood in understanding, interpreting, applying, and teaching these purity laws to the people, ensuring their proper observance within the communal and cultic life. The laws affect daily life and access to worship, realms managed by priests.
- saying (לֵאמֹר, le'mor): This is a common Hebrew idiomatic phrase that introduces the content of the divine speech. It functions to signify that what immediately follows are the very words or substance of God's communication, directly flowing from the previous verb ("spoke"). It lends gravity and directness to the ensuing commandments.
Words-group by words-group analysis
- "The LORD spoke": This phrase firmly establishes the ultimate source and authority of all the ensuing laws. It underscores that these are not human statutes but divine commands, originating from the sovereign covenant God of Israel. This foundation is crucial for Israel's unique identity and obedience.
- "to Moses and Aaron": This dual address highlights the dual authority structure God established for Israel: the prophetic (Moses) and the priestly (Aaron). Moses is the unique law-giver and primary mediator of God's direct revelation to the nation. Aaron, as the head of the priestly caste, along with his descendants, bore the responsibility of enforcing these laws, teaching the people about clean and unclean distinctions, and officiating the necessary purification rites and sacrifices. Their joint reception signifies the comprehensive nature of the upcoming laws impacting both civil life and religious ritual.
- "saying": This term acts as a direct link, presenting the subsequent regulations as the immediate and unadulterated divine discourse. It signals that the following text is the exact content of God's communicated will, reinforcing the imperative nature and precision of the commands to follow.
Leviticus 15 1 Bonus section
The seemingly repetitive introductory phrase, "The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying," common throughout Leviticus, serves a crucial theological and literary function. It acts as a divine timestamp and imprimatur, validating each subsequent legal decree as direct revelation from Yahweh. In the ancient Near East, law codes typically carried the authority of human kings (e.g., Hammurabi), sometimes with divine invocation but originating from the monarch. In stark contrast, Israel's entire legal system, including these detailed purity laws, is presented as having a direct and ongoing divine source. This uniquely elevates the Torah above all other ancient legal or cultural customs, establishing it as the authoritative and infallible word of God, intended to shape the very identity and purpose of His covenant people. It reinforces the consistent theme throughout the Pentateuch that Israel's identity, laws, and very existence are a direct consequence of God's self-revelation and covenant relationship with them.
Leviticus 15 1 Commentary
Leviticus 15:1, though concise, functions as a powerful preamble to one of the more detailed purity codes in the Torah. It dispels any notion that these often-misunderstood laws regarding bodily discharges were arbitrary human traditions. Instead, it anchors them directly in the unchallengeable authority of "The LORD" (Yahweh). This emphasis on divine revelation transforms the mundane aspects of human physiology into subjects of sacred instruction. God, as the Creator, claims authority over every facet of His people's existence, including their physical bodies and their states of purity.
The divine address to "Moses and Aaron" signifies a shared but distinct responsibility. Moses, as the preeminent prophet, receives the comprehensive divine directive, embodying the authoritative revelation. Aaron and the priesthood are not merely passive listeners but active agents; they are responsible for disseminating, applying, and teaching these laws to the community, and for officiating the necessary cleansing rites. This structure ensured that God's people maintained ritual cleanness—a necessary prerequisite for an individual or community to properly interact with the Holy God and participate in the Tabernacle worship. These laws, while focused on external purity, ultimately aimed to instill a profound sense of God's holiness and His demand for a set-apart people, both individually and communally. They foreshadowed a greater spiritual purity that could only be fully achieved through the sacrifice of Christ, where inward defilement (sin) rather than external conditions became the ultimate concern (e.g., Mk 7:18-23).