Bible Commentaries

And the LORD spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying, No JFB commentary on this verse.

Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When any man hath a running issue out of his flesh, because of his issue he is unclean.

When any man hath a running issue. This chapter describes other forms of uncleanness, the nature of which is sufficiently intelligible in the text, without any explanatory comment. Whether proceeding from natural causes or from disease, they properly came within the notice of the legislator; and the very stringent rules here prescribed, both for the separation of the person so affected, and for avoiding contamination from anything connected with him, were well calculated not only to prevent contagion, but to discourage the excesses of licentious indulgence.

And this shall be his uncleanness in his issue: whether his flesh run with his issue, or his flesh be stopped from his issue, it is his uncleanness.

No JFB commentary on these verses.

And what saddle soever he rideth upon that hath the issue shall be unclean.

Saddle ... he rideth upon - (see the note at Genesis 31:34).

And whosoever toucheth any thing that was under him shall be unclean until the even: and he that beareth any of those things shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.

No JFB commentary on these verses.

And the vessel of earth, that he toucheth which hath the issue, shall be broken: and every vessel of wood shall be rinsed in water.

The vessel of earth ... shall be broken. It is thought the pottery of the Israelites, like the earthenware jars in which the Egyptians kept their water, was unglazed, and consequently porous, and that it was its porousness which, rendering it extremely liable to imbibe small particles of impure matter, was the reason of the vessel touched by an unclean person being ordered to be broken.

And when he that hath an issue is cleansed of his issue; then he shall number to himself seven days for his cleansing, and wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in running water, and shall be clean.

Number to himself seven days. Like a leprous person, he underwent a week's probation, whether he was completely healed; and then with the sacrifices prescribed, the priest made an atonement for him - i:e., offered the oblations necessary for the removal of his ceremonial defilement, as well as the typical pardon of his sins.

And the priest shall offer them, the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering; and the priest shall make an atonement for him before the LORD for his issue.

No JFB commentary on these verses.

And if a woman have an issue, and her issue in her flesh be blood, she shall be put apart seven days: and whosoever toucheth her shall be unclean until the even.

If a woman have an issue. Though this, like the leprosy, might be a natural affection, it was anciently considered contagious, and entailed a ceremonial defilement which typified a moral impurity. This ceremonial defilement had to be removed by an appointed method of ceremonial expiation, and the neglect of it subjected any one to the guilt of defiling the tabernacle, and to death as the penalty of profane temerity.

Thus shall ye separate the children of Israel from their uncleanness; that they die not in their uncleanness, when they defile my tabernacle that is among them.

Thus shall ye separate ... from their uncleanness. The divine wisdom was manifested in inspiring the Israelites with a profound reverence for holy things; and nothing was more suited to this purpose than to debar from the tabernacle all who were polluted by any kind of uncleanness, ceremonial as well as natural, mental as well as physical. The better to mark out that people as His family, His servants and priests, dwelling in the camp as in a holy place, consecrated by His presence and His tabernacle, He required of them complete purity, and did not allow them to come before Him when defiled, even by involuntary or secret impurities, as want of respect due to His majesty. And when we bear in mind that God was training up a people to live in His presence in some measure as priests devoted to His service, we shall not consider these rules for the maintenance of personal purity either too stringent or too minute (1 Thessalonians 4:4).