Leviticus 15:1. And the Lord spake unto Moses and to Aaron, &c.— Some other cases respecting both sexes are here mentioned; and, no doubt, with the same view to moral purity, and reverence to the worship of God, as the former. We leave all physical remarks to the physicians. read more
The first case is the secretion caused by some disease affecting a man’s sexual organs. The Hebrew word basar, translated "flesh" (Leviticus 15:2, et al.) has a wide range of meanings. In this context it clearly refers to the woman’s vagina (Leviticus 15:19) and so apparently to the man’s penis in Leviticus 15:2-3. The writer did not describe the physical problem in detail. The terms used seem to refer to either a diseased flow of semen (gonorrhea) or a discharge of pus from the urethra. [Note:... read more
4. Uncleanness due to bodily discharges associated with reproduction ch. 15This chapter concludes the regulations on uncleanness (chs. 11-15)."The uncleanness laws start with uncleanness that is permanent: that associated with various animals and food (ch. 11). Then they deal with the uncleanness of childbirth, which may last up to eighty days (ch. 12). Chs. 13 and 14 deal with uncleanness of indefinite duration; it all depends how long the serious skin disease persists. Finally, ch. 15 deals... read more
Uncleanness connected with Sexual DischargesThe subject of this chapter is related to that of Leviticus 12 : see intro. there. Here three natural (Leviticus 15:16-17, Leviticus 15:18, Leviticus 15:19-24) and two abnormal (Leviticus 15:1-15, Leviticus 15:25-30) conditions are dealt with. Though not in themselves sinful, they render the person ceremonially unclean, and the enactments with respect to them would tend to purity of morals, being a reminder that all uncleanness is hateful to God, and... read more
XV.(1) And the Lord spake unto Moses and to Aaron.—This chapter, which lays down the laws of uncleanness arising from issues, discusses two diseased and three natural secretions. read more
OF THE UNCLEANNESS OF ISSUESLeviticus 15:1-33INASMUCH as the law concerning defilement from issues is presupposed and referred to in that concerning the defilement of child bearing, in chapter 12, it will be well to consider this before the latter. For this order there is the more reason, because, as will appear, although the two sections are separated, in the present arrangement of the book, by the law concerning defilement by leprosy (Leviticus 13:1-59; Leviticus 14:1-57), they both refer to... read more
5. Concerning Issues: Man’s Weakness and Defilement CHAPTER 15 1. The uncleanness of a man (Leviticus 15:1-18 ) 2. The uncleanness of a woman (Leviticus 15:19-33 ) The whole chapter shows the deplorable physical condition into which man has been plunged by sin. The issues mentioned were therefore an evidence of the presence of sin in man’s nature with the curse upon it, and constitutes man and woman unclean in the sight of God. “Not only actions, from which we can abstain, but operations... read more
UNAVOIDABLE DISCHARGES (vv. 1-33) Because leprosy speaks of the outbreak of positive sin, it required rigorous treatment. Nothing like this is intimated in chapter 15, but rather the frailty of the human body in suffering the effects of the contamination of sin through Adam, our first father. We are not in any way responsible for the sinful nature we have inherited by birth, though we are responsible for allowing that nature to manifest itself in sinful actions. The discharges spoken of here... read more
CONTENTS The subject of this chapter refers to the laws concerning uncleanness, both as to men and women. read more
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Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Leviticus 15:1
This chapter deals with uncleanness deriving from sexual discharges of both normal and abnormal natures in both men and women. We may at first be somewhat surprised that normal sexual discharges should be construed as causing uncleanness. However, the mystery of life itself is suggested by these rules, and the thought that even in the sacred right of procreation the animal lusts of mankind so necessary in the exercise of that right nevertheless carried deep and powerful overtones of human... read more