Leviticus 15 27

Leviticus 15:27 kjv

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

Leviticus 15:27 nkjv

Whoever touches those things shall be unclean; he shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening.

Leviticus 15:27 niv

Anyone who touches them will be unclean; they must wash their clothes and bathe with water, and they will be unclean till evening.

Leviticus 15:27 esv

And whoever touches these things shall be unclean, and shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening.

Leviticus 15:27 nlt

If any of you touch these things, you will be ceremonially unclean. You must wash your clothes and bathe yourself in water, and you will remain unclean until evening.

Leviticus 15 verses

Leviticus 15 27 Meaning

Leviticus 15:27 stipulates that if anyone comes into contact with the garments of a person suffering from an abnormal bodily discharge, they too become ritually impure. To be ritually clean again, they must wash their clothes and bathe their entire body in water. This state of impurity lasts until the evening, after which they are considered pure again. The verse underscores the contagious nature of certain ritual defilements within the community and outlines the standard process for purification.

Leviticus 15 27 Context

Leviticus Chapter 15 provides detailed regulations concerning various forms of bodily discharges that cause ritual impurity (ṭum'ah). These impurities are not moral sins but temporary conditions that make a person unfit for participation in the community's sacred activities, particularly worship at the Tabernacle. The chapter covers discharges from men (verses 1-18, including seminal emissions and gonorrheal discharges) and from women (verses 19-30, including menstrual periods and chronic flows). Verse 27 specifically refers back to the impurity of a woman with an irregular or prolonged discharge mentioned in verses 25-26. The broader historical context is God's establishment of a holy people in the wilderness, training them in concepts of purity, separation, and access to His presence. These laws distinguished Israel from surrounding pagan nations, whose own purification rites were often associated with idolatrous practices or lacked a similar theological grounding in divine holiness and the sanctity of life.

Leviticus 15 27 Word analysis

• And whoever touches (וְכֹ֣ל הַנֹּגֵ֗עַ - Veḥōl hannōḡēa‘):
  • כֹּל (kōl) means "all" or "whoever/everyone."
  • נֹגֵעַ (nōḡēa‘), from the root נגע (naga'), meaning "to touch, strike, reach." Here, it signifies direct physical contact that causes the transfer of ritual impurity. This term emphasizes the infectious nature of tum'ah and sets a clear boundary for interaction.
• their garments (בְּבִגְדָּ֖ם - bəḇiḡdām):
  • בְּ (be-) is a prefix meaning "in, with, on."
  • בִּגְדָּם (biḡdām) is from בֶּגֶד (beged), meaning "garment, clothing," with a suffix indicating "their" (referring to the woman with the discharge in Lev 15:25-26). This highlights that the impurity extends beyond the person themselves to anything they have directly touched, illustrating the extensive scope of defilement.
• shall wash his clothes (וְכִבֶּ֥ס בְּגָדָ֖יו - wəḵibbəs bəḡāḏāyw):
  • כִבֶּס (kibbəs), from the root כבס (kabas), "to wash (clothes)." This is a specific action for purifying clothing. The necessity to wash garments signifies that impurity permeates the fabric and requires a dedicated act of cleansing, not merely removal.
• and bathe himself in water (וְרָחַ֥ץ בַּמַּ֖יִם - wəraḥaṣ bammaim):
  • רָחַץ (raḥaṣ), from the root רחץ (rachatz), "to wash, bathe (the body)." This is a prescribed full immersion or thorough washing of the body. It represents the personal cleansing required after contamination, a symbolic act of removal of defilement to prepare for re-entry into the pure sphere.
  • מַיִם (mayim), "water." Water, especially "living water" (running water), was a key element of purification rites throughout the ancient Near East, symbolizing life, purity, and renewal. For Israel, its use was divinely mandated and tied to covenant purity.
• and be unclean (וְטָמֵ֥א - wəṭāmē):
  • טָמֵא (ṭāmē'), "unclean, impure, defiled." This term denotes a state of ritual inability to interact with the sacred, rather than a moral failing. The temporary state signifies God's grace in providing a pathway back to purity.
• until evening (עַד־הָעָֽרֶב׃ - ‘aḏ-hā‘ārev):
  • עַד (‘aḏ), "until, up to."
  • הָעָרֶב (hā‘ārev), "the evening, dusk." This specific timeframe is crucial for many Levitical impurities. The new day (by biblical reckoning) begins at evening. The "until evening" clause indicates that the impurity is temporary, and after the prescribed washing and the passage of a night, the individual is ritually pure again at dawn. This continuous cycle emphasizes the accessible nature of purity within God's covenant.

Leviticus 15 27 Bonus section

• Reversal by Christ: The Levitical law, as seen in Lev 15:27, dictates that touching the unclean makes one unclean. However, in the Gospels, when the woman with the issue of blood touches Jesus' garment (Mark 5:27-30), it is she who becomes clean, not Jesus who becomes unclean. This highlights Jesus' divine power to reverse the principle of impurity, making Him the ultimate source of purification from all defilement, both ritual and spiritual.
• Purity and Holiness Distinction: It's important to differentiate ṭum'ah (ritual impurity) from ḥēṭ’ (sin). Being impure, as described in Lev 15:27, was not a sin itself unless one intentionally defiled holy things or failed to undergo purification. These laws rather created a system to manage proximity to God's absolute holiness, teaching Israel discernment between the sacred and the profane, the clean and the common.
• Temporal Nature of Impurity: The phrase "until evening" (ad ha'erev) is central to many purity laws, signifying that most ritual impurities were temporary and had a built-in end. This offered hope and emphasized restoration. The daily cycle of day and night symbolized God's provision for renewing one's covenantal status and readmittance to full community life after following the prescribed rituals.

Leviticus 15 27 Commentary

Leviticus 15:27 illustrates the principle of ritual contagiousness (ṭum'ah) inherent in the Levitical purity laws. These laws were not merely about hygiene but served profound theological and social purposes. The verse specifically deals with secondary contamination—touching the garments of someone with an irregular bodily discharge (as detailed in verses 25-26)—demonstrating how widely impurity could spread. The immediate and stringent requirements for purification (washing clothes and bathing the body in water) followed by a period of uncleanness "until evening" underscored the seriousness of ritual defilement. This meticulous system taught Israel to appreciate God's holiness, fostering a deep consciousness of clean and unclean, proper boundaries, and the sacred space around God's dwelling (the Tabernacle). It provided a constant, tangible reminder of humanity's need for cleansing to approach a holy God. Though seemingly burdensome, these temporary defilements and prescribed purification rites were a gracious provision, ensuring a pathway back to full communal and religious participation, preventing permanent exclusion, unlike some contemporary pagan systems that viewed certain states as irrevocably polluting. In the New Covenant, Jesus Christ, rather than becoming unclean by touching the ritually impure (as with the woman in Mark 5), makes the impure clean, reversing the very flow of defilement and fulfilling the spiritual need for true cleansing.