1YEHOVAH parla aussi à Moïse et à Aaron, en disant: 2Parlez aux enfants d'Israël, et dites-leur: Tout homme qui a une gonorrhée en sa chair, son flux le rend souillé. 3C'est dans son flux que consiste sa souillure: que sa chair laisse couler son flux ou qu'elle le retienne, il est souillé. 4Tout lit sur lequel couchera celui qui est atteint d'un flux sera souillé, et tout objet sur lequel il s'assiéra sera souillé. 5Celui qui touchera son lit, lavera ses vêtements, se lavera dans l'eau, et sera souillé jusqu'au soir. 6Celui qui s'assiéra sur l'objet sur lequel celui qui est atteint d'un flux se sera assis, lavera ses vêtements, se lavera dans l'eau, et sera souillé jusqu'au soir. 7Celui qui touchera la chair d'un homme atteint d'un flux, lavera ses vêtements, se lavera dans l'eau, et sera souillé jusqu'au soir. 8Et si l'homme atteint d'un flux crache sur celui qui est pur, celui-ci lavera ses vêtements, se lavera dans l'eau, et sera souillé jusqu'au soir. 9Et tout char sur lequel celui qui est atteint d'un flux aura monté sera souillé. 10Quiconque touchera quoi que ce soit qui aura été sous lui, sera souillé jusqu'au soir. Et qui portera ces choses lavera ses vêtements, se lavera dans l'eau, et sera souillé jusqu'au soir. 11Quiconque sera touché par celui qui est atteint d'un flux, et qui ne se sera pas lavé les mains dans l'eau, lavera ses vêtements, se lavera dans l'eau, et sera souillé jusqu'au soir. 12Le vase de terre que celui qui est atteint d'un flux touchera sera brisé, et tout vase de bois sera lavé dans l'eau. 13Or, quand celui qui est atteint d'un flux en sera purifié, il comptera sept jours pour sa purification; il lavera ses vêtements, lavera sa chair avec de l'eau vive, et il sera pur. 14Et au huitième jour il prendra pour lui deux tourterelles ou deux pigeonneaux, et il viendra devant YEHOVAH à l'entrée du tabernacle d'assignation, et il les donnera au sacrificateur. 15Et le sacrificateur les offrira, l'un en sacrifice pour le péché, et l'autre en offrande à brûler; et le sacrificateur fera l'expiation pour lui devant YEHOVAH, à cause de son flux. 16L'homme qui aura une pollution lavera dans l'eau toute sa chair, et sera souillé jusqu'au soir. 17Et tout vêtement, et toute peau, qui en seront atteints, seront lavés dans l'eau, et seront souillés jusqu'au soir. 18Et quand une femme et un homme coucheront et auront commerce ensemble, ils se laveront dans l'eau, et seront souillés jusqu'au soir. 19Et quand une femme aura un flux, un flux de sang en sa chair, elle sera dans son impureté pendant sept jours; quiconque la touchera sera souillé jusqu'au soir. 20Tout objet sur lequel elle aura couché pendant son impureté sera souillé; et toute chose sur laquelle elle se sera assise sera souillée. 21Quiconque touchera son lit lavera ses vêtements, se lavera dans l'eau, et sera souillé jusqu'au soir. 22Et quiconque touchera un objet quelconque sur lequel elle se sera assise lavera ses vêtements, se lavera dans l'eau, et sera souillé jusqu'au soir. 23Et s'il y a quelque chose sur le lit ou sur l'objet sur lequel elle s'est assise, celui qui y touchera sera souillé jusqu'au soir. 24Si un homme couche avec elle, et que son impureté le touche, il sera souillé sept jours, et tout lit sur lequel il couchera sera souillé. 25Et quand une femme aura un flux de sang pendant plusieurs jours, hors du temps de son impureté, ou quand elle perdra au-delà du temps de son impureté, elle sera souillée tout le temps de son flux, comme au temps de son impureté. 26Tout lit sur lequel elle couchera, pendant tout le temps de son flux, sera pour elle comme le lit de son impureté; et tout objet sur lequel elle s'assiéra sera souillé, comme pour la souillure de son impureté. 27Et quiconque les touchera sera souillé; il lavera ses vêtements, se lavera dans l'eau, et sera souillé jusqu'au soir. 28Lorsqu'elle sera purifiée de son flux, elle comptera sept jours, et après elle sera pure. 29Et au huitième jour, elle prendra deux tourterelles ou deux pigeonneaux, et les apportera au sacrificateur, à l'entrée du tabernacle d'assignation; 30Le sacrificateur offrira l'un en sacrifice pour le péché, et l'autre en offrande à brûler; et le sacrificateur fera pour elle l'expiation devant YEHOVAH, à cause du flux qui la souillait. 31Ainsi vous séparerez les enfants d'Israël de leur souillure, afin qu'ils ne meurent point à cause de leur souillure, en souillant ma Demeure qui est au milieu d'eux. 32Telle est la loi concernant celui qui est atteint d'un flux ou qui est souillé par une pollution, 33Et concernant celle qui est indisposée pour son impureté, et toute personne atteinte d'un flux, soit homme, soit femme, et l'homme qui couche avec une femme souillée.
Matthew Henry - Complete Commentary 1 We have here the law concerning the ceremonial uncleanness that was contracted by running issues in men. It is called in the margin (
Lev 15:2) the
running of the reins: a very grievous and loathsome disease, which was, usually the effect and consequent of wantonness and uncleanness, and a dissolute course of life, filling men's bones with the sins of their youth, and leaving them to mourn at the last, when all the pleasures of their wickedness have vanished, and nothing remains but the pain and anguish of a rotten carcase and a wounded conscience. And what fruit has the sinner then of those things whereof he has so much reason to be ashamed?
Roma 6:21. As modesty is
an ornament of grace to the head and chains about the neck, so chastity is
health to the navel and marrow to the bones; but uncleanness is a
wound and dishonour, the consumption of the flesh and the body, and a sin which is often its own punishment more than any other. It was also sometimes inflicted by the righteous hand of God for other sins, as appears by David's imprecation of a curse upon the family of Joab, for the murder of Abner.
2Sam 3:29,
Let there not fail from the house of Joab one that hath an issue, or is a leper. A vile disease for vile deserts. Now whoever had this disease upon him, 1. He was himself unclean,
Lev 15:2. He must not dare to come near the sanctuary, it was at his peril if he did, nor might he eat of the holy things. This signified the filthiness of sin, and of all the productions of our corrupt nature, which render us odious to God's holiness, and utterly unfit for communion with him. Out of a pure heart well kept are the issues of life (
Prov 4:23), but out of an unclean heart comes that which is defiling,
Matt 12:34,
Matt 12:35. 2. He made every person and thing unclean that he touched, or that touched him,
Lev 15:4-
Lev 15:12. His bed, and his chair, and his saddle, and every thing that belonged to him, could not be touched without a ceremonial uncleanness contracted, which a man must remain conscious to himself of till sunset, and from which he could not be cleansed without washing his clothes, and bathing his flesh in water. This signified the contagion of sin, the danger we are in of being polluted by conversing with those that are polluted, and the need we have with the utmost circumspection to
save ourselves from this untoward generation. 3. When he was cured of the disease, yet he could not be cleansed from the pollution without a sacrifice, for which he was to prepare himself by seven days' expectation after he was perfectly clear from his distemper, and by bathing in spring water,
Lev 15:13-
Lev 15:15. This signified the great gospel duties of faith and repentance, and the great gospel privileges of the application of Christ's blood to our souls for our justification and his grace for our sanctification. God has promised to sprinkle clean water upon us, and to cleanse us from all our filthiness, and has appointed us by repentance to wash and make ourselves clean: he has also provided a sacrifice of atonement, and requires us by faith to interest ourselves in that sacrifice; for it is
the blood of Christ his Son that cleanses us from all sin, and by which atonement is made for us, that we may have admission into God's presence and may partake of his favour.
19 This is concerning the ceremonial uncleanness which women lay under from their issues, both those that were regular and healthful, and according to the course of nature (
Lev 15:19-
Lev 15:24), and those that were unseasonable, excessive, and the disease of the body; such was the bloody issue of that poor woman who was suddenly cured by touching the hem of Christ's garment, after she had lain twelve years under her distemper, and had spent her estate upon physicians and physic in vain. This made the woman that was afflicted with it unclean (
Lev 15:25) and every thing she touched unclean,
Lev 15:26,
Lev 15:27. And if she was cured, and found by seven days' trial that she was perfectly free from her issue of blood, she was to be cleansed by the offering of two turtle-doves or two young pigeons, to make an atonement for her,
Lev 15:28,
Lev 15:29. All wicked courses, particularly idolatries, are compared to the uncleanness of a
removed woman (
Ezek 36:17), and, in allusion to this, it is said of Jerusalem (
Lam 1:9),
Her filthiness is in her skirts, so that (as it follows,
Lev 15:17) she was shunned as a menstruous woman.
I. The reasons given for all these laws (which we are ready to think might very well have been spared) we have,
Lev 15:31. 1.
Thus shall you separate the children of Israel (for to them only and their servants and proselytes these laws pertained)
from their uncleanness; that is, (1.) By these laws they were taught their privilege and honour, that they were
purified unto God a peculiar people, and were intended by the holy God for a kingdom of priests, a holy nation; for that was a defilement to them which was not so to others. (2.) They were also taught their duty, which was to preserve the honour of their purity, and to keep themselves from all sinful pollutions. It was easy for them to argue that if those pollutions which were natural, unavoidable, involuntary, their affliction and not their sin, rendered them for the time so odious that they were not fit for communion either with God or man, much more abominable and filthy were they if they sinned against the light and law of nature, by drunkenness, adultery, fraud, and the like sins, which defile the very mind and conscience. And, if these ceremonial pollutions could not be done away but by sacrifice and offering, something greater and much more valuable must be expected and depended upon for the purifying of the soul from the uncleanness of sin. 2. Thus their dying in their uncleanness by the hand of God's justice, if while they were under any of these defilements they should come near the sanctuary, would be prevented. Note, It is a dangerous thing to die in our uncleanness; and it is our own fault if we do, since we have not only fair warning given us, by God's law, against those things that will defile us, but also such gracious provision made by his gospel for our cleansing if at any time we be defiled. 3. In all these laws there seems to be a special regard had to the honour of the tabernacle, to which none must approach in their uncleanness, that they
defile not my tabernacle. Infinite Wisdom took this course to preserve in the minds of that careless people a continual dread of, and veneration for, the manifestations of God's glory and presence among them in his sanctuary. Now that the tabernacle of God was with men familiarity would be apt to breed contempt, and therefore the law made so many things of frequent incidence to be ceremonial pollutions, and to involve an incapacity of drawing near to the sanctuary (making death the penalty), that so they might not approach without great caution, and reverence, and serious preparation, and fear of being found unfit. Thus they were taught never to draw near to God but with an awful humble sense of their distance and danger, and an exact observance of every thing that was required in order to their safety and acceptance.
II. And what duty must we learn from all this? 1. Let us bless God that we are not under the yoke of these carnal ordinances, that, as nothing can destroy us, so nothing can defile us, but sin. Those may now partake of the Lord's supper who durst not then eat of the peace-offerings. And the defilement we contract by our sins of daily infirmity we may be cleansed from in secret by the renewed acts of repentance and faith, without bathing in water or bringing an offering to the door of the tabernacle. 2. Let us carefully abstain from all sin, as defiling to the conscience, and particularly from all fleshly lusts,
possessing our vessel in sanctification and honour, and not in the lusts of uncleanness, which not only pollute the soul, but
war against it, and threaten its ruin. 3. Let us all see how indispensably necessary real holiness is to our future happiness, and get our hearts purified by faith, that we may see God. Perhaps it is in allusion to these laws which forbade the unclean to approach the sanctuary that when it is asked,
Who shall stand in God's holy place? it is answered,
He that hath clean hands and a pure heart (
Pss 24:3,
Pss 24:4); for
without holiness no man shall see the Lord.
