Leviticus 16, Re-entering the Sanctuary

After covering rules for cleanliness and atonement for sin, God now describes the process required for priests to safely enter the sanctuary.

Leviticus 16:1-8, How to enter the sanctuary

The LORD spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron who died when they approached the LORD. The LORD said to Moses: "Tell your brother Aaron not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will die, because I appear in the cloud over the atonement cover.  

"This is how Aaron is to enter the sanctuary area: with a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. He is to put on the sacred linen tunic, with linen undergarments next to his body; he is to tie the linen sash around him and put on the linen turban. These are sacred garments; so he must bathe himself with water before he puts them on. From the Israelite community he is to take two male goats for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.  

"Aaron is to offer the bull for his own sin offering to make atonement for himself and his household. Then he is to take the two goats and present them before the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. He is to cast lots for the two goats--one lot for the LORD and the other for the scapegoat.

Preparations for entering the sanctuary include dressing in the appropriate clothes and making the appropriate sacrifices.

Leviticus 16:9-10, Scapegoat

Aaron shall bring the goat whose lot falls to the LORD and sacrifice it for a sin offering. But the goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the LORD to be used for making atonement by sending it into the desert as a scapegoat.  

The scapegoat carries into the wilderness the sin originally attributed to the priest.

Leviticus 16:11-16, Atonement for Aaron

"Aaron shall bring the bull for his own sin offering to make atonement for himself and his household, and he is to slaughter the bull for his own sin offering. He is to take a censer full of burning coals from the altar before the LORD and two handfuls of finely ground fragrant incense and take them behind the curtain. He is to put the incense on the fire before the LORD, and the smoke of the incense will conceal the atonement cover above the Testimony, so that he will not die. He is to take some of the bull's blood and with his finger sprinkle it on the front of the atonement cover; then he shall sprinkle some of it with his finger seven times before the atonement cover.  

"He shall then slaughter the goat for the sin offering for the people and take its blood behind the curtain and do with it as he did with the bull's blood: He shall sprinkle it on the atonement cover and in front of it. In this way he will make atonement for the Most Holy Place because of the uncleanness and rebellion of the Israelites, whatever their sins have been. He is to do the same for the Tent of Meeting, which is among them in the midst of their uncleanness. 

Aaron is to sacrifice a bull to atone for himself and his family. He is also to offer a goat as a different sacrifice.

Leviticus 16:17-28, Atonement for both Aaron and Israel

No one is to be in the Tent of Meeting from the time Aaron goes in to make atonement in the Most Holy Place until he comes out, having made atonement for himself, his household and the whole community of Israel.

"Then he shall come out to the altar that is before the LORD and make atonement for it. He shall take some of the bull's blood and some of the goat's blood and put it on all the horns of the altar. He shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times to cleanse it and to consecrate it from the uncleanness of the Israelites.  

"When Aaron has finished making atonement for the Most Holy Place, the Tent of Meeting and the altar, he shall bring forward the live goat. He is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites--all their sins--and put them on the goat's head.  He shall send the goat away into the desert in the care of a man appointed for the task. The goat will carry on itself all their sins to a solitary  place; and the man shall release it in the desert.  

"Then Aaron is to go into the Tent of Meeting and take off the linen garments he put on before he entered the Most Holy Place, and he is to leave them there. He shall bathe himself with water in a holy place and put on his regular garments. Then he shall come out and sacrifice the burnt offering for himself and the burnt offering for the people, to make atonement for himself and for the  people. He shall also burn the fat of the sin offering on the altar.  

"The man who releases the goat as a scapegoat must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water; afterward he may come  into the camp. The bull and the goat for the sin offerings, whose blood was brought into the Most Holy Place to make atonement, must be taken outside the camp; their hides, flesh and offal are to be burned up. The man who burns them must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water; afterward he may come into the camp.  

Aaron must sacrifice for himself but also sacrifice for the people of Israel. This includes releasing a scapegoat outside the camp.

Leviticus 16:29-34, The Day of Atonement

"This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month you must deny yourselves and not do any work--whether native-born or an alien living among you-- because on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. Then, before the LORD, you will be clean from all your sins. It is a sabbath of rest, and you must deny yourselves; it is a lasting ordinance. The priest who is anointed and ordained to succeed his father as high priest is to make atonement. He is to put on the sacred linen garments and make atonement for the Most Holy Place, for the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and for the priests and all the people of the community. 

"This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: Atonement is to be made once a year for all the sins of the Israelites." 

And  it was done, as the LORD commanded Moses.   

A Day of Atonement is set up on the tenth day of the seventh month -- and this day is not just for the time of Aaron but is here described for all future high priests.

First published August 18, 2025; updated August 18, 2025

Leviticus 15, Bodily Emissions

Fluids, like blood, associated with life and other fluids associated with reproduction (such as menstrual blood or seminal fluid) were associated with uncleanness and required various acts to return the individual to a "clean" state.

Leviticus 15:1-6, Male bodily discharge

 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: `When any man has a bodily discharge, the discharge is unclean. Whether it continues flowing from his body or is blocked, it will make him unclean. This is how his discharge will bring about uncleanness: "`Any bed the man with a discharge lies on will be unclean, and anything he sits on will be unclean. Anyone who touches his bed must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean till evening. Whoever sits on anything that the man with a discharge sat on must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean till evening.  

Bodily discharges, attributes of mortality, are associated with "uncleanness". Here the discharge is unspecified. (As males are specifically mentioned, one could guess that a "wet dream" is one example of such a discharge. But an "emission of semen" is specifically mentioned later.)

Leviticus 15:7-15, Transmitting uncleaness

"`Whoever touches the man who has a discharge must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean till evening. 

"`If the man with the discharge spits on someone who is clean, that person must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean till evening.

"`Everything the man sits on when riding will be unclean, and whoever touches any of the things that were under him will be unclean till evening; whoever picks up those things must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean till evening.

"`Anyone the man with a discharge touches without rinsing his hands with water must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean till evening.  

"`A clay pot that the man touches must be broken, and any wooden article is to be rinsed with water. 

"`When a man is cleansed from his discharge, he is to count off seven days for his ceremonial cleansing; he must wash his clothes and bathe himself with fresh water, and he will be clean.  

On the eighth day he must take two doves or two young pigeons and come before the LORD to the entrance to the Tent  f Meeting and give them to the priest. The priest is to sacrifice them, the one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. In this way he will make atonement before the LORD for the man because of his discharge. 

The "bodily discharge", because it represents uncleanness, can affect other people or items. Uncleanness, in general, can be transmitted to clean objects.

Leviticus 15:16-18, Emission of semen

"`When a man has an emission of semen, he must bathe his whole body with water, and he will be unclean till evening. Any clothing or leather that has semen on it must be washed with water, and it will be unclean till evening. 

When a man lies with a woman and there is an emission of semen, both must bathe with water, and they will be unclean till evening.  

Here an emission of semen is specifically described. Such an emission could occur in a wet dream but also obviously during sexual intercourse.

Leviticus 15:19-24, Menstrual flow

"`When a woman has her regular flow of blood, the impurity of her monthly period will last seven days, and anyone who touches her will be unclean till evening.  

"`Anything she lies on during her period will be unclean, and anything she sits on will be unclean. Whoever touches her bed must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean till evening. Whoever touches anything she sits on must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean till evening. Whether it is the bed or anything she was sitting on, when anyone touches it, he will be unclean till evening.  

"`If a man lies with her and her monthly flow touches him, he will be unclean for seven days; any bed he lies on will be unclean.  

Another type of bodily fluid occurs during menstruation. Menstrual blood, like other bodily fluids, represents reproduction and mortality and is ceremonially unclean. If a man has sexual relations with a woman who has her period, and her menstrual blood touches him, the uncleaness is transmitted to him.

Leviticus 15:25-30, Unusual discharge of blod

"`When a woman has a discharge of blood for many days at a time other than her monthly period or has a discharge that continues beyond her period, she will be unclean as long as she has the discharge, just as in the days of her period. Any bed she lies on while her discharge continues will be unclean, as is her bed during her monthly period, and anything she sits on will be unclean, as during her period. Whoever touches them will be unclean; he must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean till  evening.

"`When she is cleansed from her discharge, she must count off seven days, and after that she will be ceremonially clean.  

On the eighth day she must take two doves or two young  pigeons and bring them to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. The priest is to sacrifice one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. In this way he will make atonement for her before the LORD for the uncleanness of her discharge.  

A bloody discharge that it not part of a woman's regular menstrual cycle is treated much like her menstrual cycle. (In the New Testament, the gospels, eg. Luke 8:43-48, report on a a woman who had a persistent bloody discharge lasting twelve years, and her desire to be healed by Jesus. The woman lived in a culture in which she would have been viewed as unclean throughout all of that time.)

Leviticus 15:31-33, Keep up with clean/unclean

"`You must keep the Israelites separate from things that make them unclean, so they will not die in their uncleanness for defiling my dwelling place, which is among them.'"

These are the regulations for a man with a discharge, for anyone made unclean by an emission of semen, for a woman in her monthly period, for a man or a woman with a discharge, and for a man who lies with a woman who is ceremonially unclean.   

The Israelites are to take ceremonial cleanliness seriously.

First published August 16, 2025; updated August 16, 2025

Leviticus 14, More on "Leprosy" and "Mildew"

We continue regulations about physical disfigurations caused by diseases or mildew on fabrics.

Leviticus 14:1-7, After healing

The LORD said to Moses, "These are the regulations for the diseased person at the time of his ceremonial cleansing, when he is brought to the  priest: The priest is to go outside the camp and examine him. If the  person has been healed of his infectious skin disease, the priest shall order that two live clean birds and some cedar wood, scarlet yarn and hyssop be brought for the one to be cleansed. Then the priest shall order that one of the birds be killed over fresh water in a clay pot. He is then to take the live bird and dip it, together with the cedar wood, the scarlet yarn and the hyssop, into the blood of the bird that was killed over the fresh water. Seven times he shall sprinkle the one to be cleansed of the infectious disease and pronounce him clean. Then he is to release the live bird in the open fields. 

What a strange little ceremony! This ceremony pronounces the healed man clean and prepares the healed individual to return to a cleansed population.

Leviticus 14:8-11, Seven day path to cleanliness

"The person to be cleansed must wash his clothes, shave off all his hair and bathe with water; then he will be ceremonially clean. After this he may come into the camp, but he must stay outside his tent for seven days. On the seventh day he must shave off all his hair; he must shave his head, his beard, his eyebrows and the rest of his hair. He must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water, and he will be clean.

"On the eighth day he must bring two male lambs and one ewe lamb a year old, each without defect, along with three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering, and one log of oil. The priest who pronounces him clean shall present both the one to be cleansed and his offerings before the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.  

The ceremony of healing involves complete shaving of all body hair.

Leviticus 14:12-20, Guilt offering, ear, thumb, toe

"Then the priest is to take one of the male lambs and offer it as a guilt offering, along with the log of oil; he shall wave them before the LORD as a wave offering. He is to slaughter the lamb in the holy place where the sin offering and the burnt offering are slaughtered. Like the sin offering, the guilt offering belongs to the priest; it is most holy. The priest is to take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. The priest shall then take some of the log of oil, pour it in the palm of his own left hand, dip his right forefinger into the oil in his palm, and with his finger sprinkle some of it before the LORD seven times. The priest is to put some of the oil remaining in his palm on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot, on top of the blood of the guilt offering. The rest of the oil in his palm the priest shall put on the head of the one to be cleansed and make atonement for him before the LORD.  

"Then the priest is to sacrifice the sin offering and make atonement for the one to be cleansed from his uncleanness. After that, the priest shall slaughter the burnt offering and offer it on the altar, together with the grain offering, and make atonement for him, and he will be clean.

The process of cleansing and atonement involves putting blood from the guilt offering on the right ear, thumb of the right hand and the big toe of the right foot. This is followed by placing oil on those same locations.

Leviticus 14:21-22, Alternatives for the poor

"If, however, he is poor and cannot afford these, he must take one male lamb as a guilt offering to be waved to make atonement for him, together with a tenth of an ephah of  fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering, a log of oil, and two doves or two young pigeons, which he can afford, one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. 

As in other situations, the poor might not be able to offer the required animals (two male ewe lambs and one younger ewe lamb) and so there is an alternative.

Leviticus 14:23-32, Wave offering

On the eighth day he must bring them for his cleansing to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, before the LORD. The priest is to take the lamb for the guilt offering, together with the log of oil, and wave them before the LORD as a wave offering. He shall slaughter the lamb for the guilt offering and take some of its blood and put it on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. The priest is to pour some of the oil into the palm of his own left hand, and with his right forefinger sprinkle some of the oil from his palm seven times before the LORD. Some of the oil in his palm he is to put on the same places he put the blood of the guilt offering--on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. The rest of the oil in his palm the priest shall put on the head of the one to be cleansed, to make atonement for him before the LORD. Then he shall sacrifice the doves or the young pigeons, which the person can afford, one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, together with the grain offering. In this way the priest will make atonement before the LORD on behalf of the one to be cleansed."

These are the regulations for anyone who has an infectious skin disease and who cannot afford the regular offerings for  his cleansing.  

The wave offering concludes the final spiritual cleansing of a person healed of a skin disease.

Leviticus 14:33-45, A spreading mildew

The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "When you enter the land of Canaan, which I am giving you as your possession, and I put a spreading mildew in a house in that land, the owner of the house must go and tell the priest, `I have seen something that looks like mildew in my house.' The priest is to order the house to be emptied before he goes in to examine the mildew, so that nothing in the house will be pronounced unclean. After this the priest is to go in and inspect the house. He is to examine the mildew on the walls, and if it has greenish or reddish depressions that appear to be deeper than the surface of the wall, the priest shall go out the doorway of the house and close it up for seven days. On the seventh day the priest shall return to inspect the house. If the mildew has spread on the walls, he is to order that the contaminated stones be torn out and thrown into an unclean place outside the town. He must have all the inside walls of the house scraped and the material that is scraped off dumped into an unclean place outside the town. Then they are to take other stones to replace these and take new clay and plaster the house. "If the mildew reappears in the house after the stones have been torn out and the house scraped and plastered, the priest is to go and examine it and, if the mildew has spread in the house, it is a destructive mildew; the house is unclean. It must be torn down--its stones, timbers and all the plaster--and taken out of the town to an unclean place.  

A "spreading mildew" makes a house unclean.

Leviticus 14:46-57, Atonement for mildew in a house

"Anyone who goes into the house while it is closed up will be unclean till evening. Anyone who sleeps or eats in the house must wash his clothes. "But if the priest comes to examine it and the mildew has not spread after the house has been plastered, he shall pronounce the house clean, because the mildew is gone. To purify the house he is to take two birds and some cedar wood, scarlet yarn and hyssop. He shall kill one of the birds over fresh water in a clay pot. Then he is to take the cedar wood, the hyssop, the scarlet yarn and the live bird, dip them into the blood of the dead bird and the fresh water, and sprinkle the house seven  times. He shall purify the house with the bird's blood, the fresh water, the live bird, the cedar wood, the hyssop and the scarlet yarn. Then he is to release the live bird in the open fields outside the town. In this way he will make atonement for the house, and it will be clean."

These are the regulations for any infectious skin disease, for an itch, for mildew in clothing or in a house, and for a swelling, a rash or a bright spot, to determine when something is clean or unclean. These are  the regulations for infectious skin diseases and mildew.   

Houses also need to become ceremonially clean.

First published August 15, 2025; updated August 15, 2025

Leviticus 13, Skin Diseases

The next set of regulations deals with skin diseases. These skin diseases, once translated as leprosy, probably represented a much broader collection of communicable diseases such as measles, small pox and scarlet fever.

Leviticus 13:1-8, A rash or swelling

The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "When anyone has a swelling or a rash or a bright spot on his skin that may become an infectious skin disease, he must be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons who is a priest. The priest is to examine the sore on his skin, and if the hair in the sore has turned white and the sore appears to be more than skin deep, it is an infectious skin disease. When the priest examines him, he shall pronounce him ceremonially unclean.  

If the spot on his skin is white but does not appear to be more than skin deep and the hair in it has not turned white, the priest is to put the infected person in isolation for seven days. On the seventh day the priest is to examine him, and if he sees that the sore is unchanged and has not spread in the skin, he is to keep him in isolation another seven days. On the seventh day the priest is to examine him again, and if the sore has faded and has not spread in the skin, the priest shall pronounce him clean; it is only a rash. The man must wash his clothes, and he will be clean.  

But if the rash does spread in his skin after he has shown himself to the priest to be pronounced clean, he must appear before the priest again. The priest is to examine him, and if the rash has spread in the skin, he shall pronounce him unclean; it is an infectious disease.  

Harris says that the translation of Hebrew words to English words like "rash", "swelling", or "bright spot" is a bit uncertain. We don't have enough examples of those Hebrew words in the ancient culture. Certainly one of the effects of the regulations above was to islolate someone with a strange skin disease.

Leviticus 13:9-17, Infectious skin disease

"When anyone has an infectious skin disease, he must be brought to the priest. The priest is to examine him, and if there is a white swelling in the skin that has turned the hair white and if there is raw flesh in the swelling, it is a chronic skin disease and the priest shall pronounce him unclean. He is not to put him in isolation, because he is already unclean.  

"If the disease breaks out all over his skin and, so far as the priest can see, it covers all the skin of the infected  person from head to foot, the priest is to examine him, and if the disease has covered his whole body, he shall pronounce that person clean. Since it has all turned white, he is clean. 

But whenever raw flesh appears on him, he will be unclean. When the priest sees the raw flesh, he shall pronounce him unclean. The raw flesh is unclean; he has an infectious  disease. 

Should the raw flesh change and turn white, he must go to  the priest. The priest is to examine him, and if the sores have turned white, the priest shall pronounce the infected person clean; then he will be clean. 

The priest is also to act, in some sense, as a physician, examining the skin disease and deciding if isolation is required.

Leviticus 13:18-23, Boils

"When someone has a boil on his skin and it heals, and in the place where the boil was, a white swelling or reddish-white spot appears, he must present himself to the  priest. The priest is to examine it, and if it appears to be more than skin deep and the hair in it has turned white, the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is an infectious skin disease that has broken out where the boil was.

But if, when the priest examines it, there is no white hair in it and it is not more than skin deep and has faded, then the priest is to put him in isolation for seven days. If it is spreading in the skin, the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is infectious. But if the spot is unchanged and has not spread, it is only  a scar from the boil, and the priest shall pronounce him clean.  

A boil would involve a swelling of the skin. The swelling might be caused by pus, formed as white blood cell mix with some type of bacteria. 

Leviticus 13:24-28,

"When someone has a burn on his skin and a reddish-white or white spot appears in the raw flesh of the burn, the priest is to examine the spot, and if the hair in it has turned white, and it appears to be more than skin deep, it is an infectious disease that has broken out in the burn. The priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is an infectious skin disease.

But if the priest examines it and there is no white hair in the spot and if it is not more than skin deep and has faded, then the priest is to put him in isolation for seven days. On the seventh day the priest is to examine him, and if it is spreading in the skin, the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is an infectious skin disease. If, however, the spot is unchanged and has not spread in the skin but has faded, it is a swelling from the burn, and the priest shall pronounce him clean; it is only a scar from the burn. 

A burn would have caused a blisster, which would recede after a time. This would generally not be contagious unless it became infected. Other blisters might represent some type of infection.

Leviticus 13:29-37, Scabs

"If a man or woman has a sore on the head or on the chin, the priest is to examine the sore, and if it appears to be more than skin deep and the hair in it is yellow and thin, the priest shall pronounce that person unclean; it is an itch, an infectious disease of the head or chin. But if, when the priest examines this kind of sore, it does not seem to be more than skin deep and there is no black hair in it, then the priest is to put the infected person in isolation for seven days. On the seventh day the priest is to examine the sore, and if the itch has not spread and there is no yellow hair in it and it does not appear to be more than skin deep, he must be shaved except for the diseased area, and the priest is to keep him in isolation another seven days. 

On the seventh day the priest is to examine the itch, and if it has not spread in the skin and appears to be no more than skin deep, the priest shall pronounce him clean. He must wash his clothes, and he will be clean. But if the itch does spread in the skin after he is pronounced clean, the priest is to examine him, and if the itch has spread in the skin, the priest does not need to look for yellow hair; the person is unclean. If, however, in his judgment it is unchanged and black hair has grown in it, the itch is healed. He is clean, and the priest shall pronounce him clean. 

Harris suggests that the word translated "itch" here probably represents a scab that would itch and tempt one to scratch the skin. The patient is to be watched to see if there is an infection which might spread.

Leviticus 13:38-39, White spots on the skin

"When a man or woman has white spots on the skin, the priest is to examine them, and if the spots are dull white, it is a harmless rash that has broken out on the skin; that person is clean.

A dull white spot on the darker skin is most likely a mere rash.

Leviticus 13:40-44, Sore on the head

"When a man has lost his hair and is bald, he is clean. If he has lost his hair from the front of his scalp and has a bald forehead, he is clean. But if he has a reddish-white sore on his bald head or forehead, it is an infectious disease breaking out on his head or forehead. The priest is to examine him, and if the swollen sore on his head or forehead is reddish-white like an infectious skin disease, the man is diseased and is unclean. The priest shall pronounce him unclean because of the sore on his head.  

Baldness is not a disease. But a reddish-white sore on a bald head or forehead may be. 

Leviticus 13:45-46, On the forehead

"The person with such an infectious disease must wear torn clothes, let his hair be unkempt, cover the lower part of his face and cry out, `Unclean! Unclean!' As long as he has the infection he remains unclean. He must live alone; he must live outside the camp. 

One who has an infectious disease is to be isolated and kept from contact with others. He is to live outside the desert camp.

Leviticus 13:47-52, Mildew in clothing

"If any clothing is contaminated with mildew--any woolen or linen clothing, any woven or knitted material of linen or wool, any leather or anything made of leather-- and if the contamination in the clothing, or leather, or woven or knitted material, or any leather article, is greenish or reddish, it is a spreading mildew and must be shown to the priest. The priest is to examine the mildew and isolate the affected  article for seven days. On the seventh day he is to examine it, and if the mildew has spread in the clothing, or the woven or knitted  material, or the leather, whatever its use, it is a destructive mildew; the article is unclean. He must burn up the clothing, or the woven or knitted  material of wool or linen, or any leather article that has the contamination in it, because the mildew is destructive; the article must be burned up.  

Now we are concerned about contaminated clothing. Presumably this deals with some type of rot or fungus (Harris, p. 579.) A wet winter might allow mildew to occur.

If the fungus did not spread after a dry week, the cloth could be washed and reused. Otherwise it was to be destroyed.

Leviticus 13:53-59, Wash and check

"But if, when the priest examines it, the mildew has not spread in the clothing, or the woven or knitted material, or the leather article, he shall order that the contaminated article be washed. Then he is to isolate it for another seven days. After the affected article has been washed, the priest is to examine it, and if the mildew has not changed its appearance, even though it has not spread, it is unclean. Burn it with fire, whether the mildew has affected one side or the other. If, when the priest examines it, the mildew has faded after the article has been washed, he is to tear the contaminated part out of the clothing, or the leather, or the woven or knitted material. But if it reappears in the clothing, or in the woven or knitted material, or in the leather article, it is spreading, and whatever has the mildew must be burned with  fire. The clothing, or the woven or knitted material, or any leather article that has been washed and is rid of the mildew, must be washed again, and it will be clean."  

These are the regulations concerning contamination by mildew in woolen or linen clothing, woven or knitted material, or any leather article, for pronouncing them clean or unclean.   

The clothing and fabrics were to be kept clean. It is not clear here what brought the uncleanness, but some disfiguration in the fabric that continued to grow was a threat and the fabric was to be burned.

First published August 14, 2025; updated August 14, 2025

Leviticus 12, On Childbirth

Five chapters of Leviticus, chapters 11 through 15, cover various issues of cleanness and uncleaness. Generally fluids associated with life that is, blood or fluid associated with reproduction, are viewed as unclean in the Levitical law.

Leviticus 12:1-5, Birth of a son

The LORD said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites: `A woman who becomes pregnant and gives birth to a son will be ceremonially unclean for seven days, just as she is unclean during her monthly period. On the eighth day the boy is to be circumcised. 

Then the woman must wait thirty-three days to be purified from her bleeding. She must not touch anything sacred or go to the sanctuary until the days of her purification are over. 

If she gives birth to a daughter,  for two weeks the woman will be unclean, as during her period. Then she must wait sixty-six days to be purified from her bleeding.  

Birth (and the fluids associated with it, particular blood) left the mother unclean for a time. If the child was a daughter, the uncleaness was for twice as long as when the child was a son. (No explanation was given for this difference.) A male child was to be circumcised on the eighth day, as part of the covenant.

Leviticus 12:6-8, An offering for her child

"`When the days of her purification for a son or daughter are over, she is to bring to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting a year-old lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a dove for a sin offering. He shall offer them before the LORD to make atonement for her, and then she will be ceremonially clean from her flow of blood. 

"`These are the regulations for the woman who gives birth to a boy or a girl. If she cannot afford a lamb, she is to bring two doves or two young pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. In this way the priest will make  atonement for her, and she will be clean.'"   

At the end of her time of uncleanness, the mother is to bring a sacrifice, both a burnt offering and a sin offering. An alternative option is given for the mother who cannot afford a lamb. (The parents of Jesus perform this sacrifice in Luke 2:22-24.)

First published August 13, 2025; updated August 13, 2025

Leviticus 11, Clean and Unclean Animals

After the descriptions of the sacrifices, we have (as in Deuteronomy 14, see below), regulations about what the Israelites can and cannot eat.

Leviticus 11:1-8,

The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Say to the Israelites: `Of all the animals that live on land, these are the ones you may eat: You may eat any animal that has a split hoof completely divided and that chews the cud.  

"`There are some that only chew the cud or only have a split hoof, but you must not eat them. The camel, though it chews the cud, does not have a split hoof; it is ceremonially unclean for you. The coney, though it chews the cud, does not have a split hoof; it is unclean for you. The rabbit, though it chews the cud, does not have a split  hoof; it is unclean for you. And the pig, though it has a split hoof completely divided, does not chew the cud; it is unclean for you. 

You must not eat their meat or touch their carcasses; they  are unclean for you.  

Animals that are acceptable must have both a split hoof and also chew their cud. It is possible (suggests Harris) that this may reflect a distinction in the ANE between animals that might carry diseases as against animals that were likely to do so.

Leviticus 11:9-12, Only if they have fins

"`Of all the creatures living in the water of the seas and  the streams, you may eat any that have fins and scales. But all creatures in the seas or streams that do not have fins and scales--whether among all the swarming things or among all the other living creatures in the water--you are  to detest. And since you are to detest them, you must not eat their meat and you must detest their carcasses.  

Anything living in the water that does not have fins and  scales is to be detestable to you.

Fish are acceptable food, but other water animals, such as mollusks, are not acceptable. Harris suggests that fish, whichswim freely, would not have the parasites found in creatures that burrowed in the mud.

Leviticus 11:13-19, Detestable birds

"`These are the birds you are to detest and not eat because they are detestable: the eagle, the vulture, the black vulture,  the red kite, any kind of black kite, any kind of raven, the horned owl, the screech owl, the gull, any kind of hawk,  the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl, the white owl, the desert owl, the osprey, the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe and the bat.

Certain birds, especially birds of prey and scavengers such as vultures, are unacceptable. As the NIV footnotes say in a parallel passage, "The precise identification of some of the birds and animals in this chapter is uncertain." It is difficult to identify some Hebrew words that are rarely used elsewhere.

Leviticus 11:20-23, No insects but ...

`All flying insects that walk on all fours are to be  detestable to you. There are, however, some winged creatures that walk on all fours that you may eat: those that have jointed legs for hopping on the ground. Of these you may eat any kind of locust, katydid, cricket or grasshopper. But all other winged creatures that have four legs you are to detest.

Some insects are unacceptable. But grasshoppers, locusts and similar creatures are acceptable.

Leviticus 11:3-20 is almost identifical to Deuteronomy 14:6-19.

Leviticus 11:24-28, Do not touch unclean animals

"`You will make yourselves unclean by these; whoever touches their carcasses will be unclean till evening. Whoever picks up one of their carcasses must wash his clothes, and he will be unclean till evening.

"`Every animal that has a split hoof not completely divided or that does not chew the cud is unclean for you; whoever touches [the carcass of] any of them will be unclean. 

Of all the animals that walk on all fours, those that walk on their paws are unclean for you; whoever touches their carcasses will be unclean till evening. Anyone who picks up their carcasses must wash his clothes, and he will be unclean till evening. They are unclean for  you.  

Touching unclean animals makes the human unclean until evening.

Leviticus 11:29-35, Lizardlike animals

"`Of the animals that move about on the ground, these are unclean for you: the weasel, the rat, any kind of great lizard, the gecko, the monitor lizard, the wall lizard, the skink and the chameleon. Of all those that move along the ground, these are unclean for you. Whoever touches them when they are dead will be unclean till evening. 

When one of them dies and falls on something, that article, whatever its use, will be unclean, whether it is made of wood, cloth, hide or sackcloth. Put it in water; it will be unclean till evening, and then it will be clean. If one of them falls into a clay pot, everything in it will be unclean, and you must break the pot. Any food that could be eaten but has water on it from such a pot is unclean, and any liquid that could be drunk from it  is unclean. Anything that one of their carcasses falls on becomes unclean; an oven or cooking pot must be broken up. They are unclean, and you are to regard them as unclean. 

Certain unclean animals, if they fall onto clothing or cooking utensils, make that item unclean. Clothing can be washed but unclean clay pots must be destroyed.

Leviticus 11:36-38, Spring, cistern, seeds

A spring, however, or a cistern for collecting water remains clean, but anyone who touches one of these carcasses is unclean.  

If a carcass falls on any seeds that are to be planted, they remain clean. But if water has been put on the seed and a carcass falls on it, it is unclean for you. 

A spring of water is not made unclean by these actions. Nor are dry seeds.

Leviticus 11:39-40, Avoid carcasses

"`If an animal that you are allowed to eat dies, anyone who touches the carcass will be unclean till evening.  Anyone who eats some of the carcass must wash his clothes, and he will be unclean till evening. Anyone who picks up the carcass must wash his clothes, and he will be unclean till evening.  

An animal carcass is unclean. (Death is unclean.)

Leviticus 11:41-43, Animals that crawl or slither....

"`Every creature that moves about on the ground is detestable; it is not to be eaten. You are not to eat any creature that moves about on the ground, whether it moves on its belly or walks on all fours or on many feet; it is detestable. Do not defile yourselves by any of these creatures. Do not make yourselves unclean by means of them or be made unclean by them. 

Animals that crawl along the ground are unclean.

Leviticus 11:44-45, Be holy

I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy,  because I am holy. Do not make yourselves unclean by any creature that moves about on the ground. 

I am the LORD who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy. 

The people of Israel are a special people and are to reflect the distinctiveness of being a nation of a holy God, One who brought them out of Egypt.

Leviticus 11:46-47, On eating animals

"`These are the regulations concerning animals, birds, every living thing that moves in the water and every creature that moves about on the ground. You must distinguish between the unclean and the clean, between living creatures that may be eaten and those that may not be eaten.'"   

This passage on clean and unclean animals overlaps somewhat with Deuteronomy 14, From the viewpoint of our modern culture, these dietary laws appear strange and arbitrary. Among commentators, there appears to be no agreed upon explanation for these rules. Currid, in his commentary on Deuteronomy, lists some suggested explanations for the distinctions between "clean" and "unclean" animals.  No one answer seems to explain all of the divisions. I will list four of the possibilities suggested by Currid, beginning with the explanations I find most convincing. 

1. The unclean animals were part of various cultic practices in Canaan and around the region.
2. The unclean animals are related, in some way, to other issues of cleanliness in the Torah, such as anything dealing with death or reproduction.
3. The divisions are symbolic: clean animals represented completion and unclean animals were incomplete in some way.
4. The dietary distinction are for hygienic reasons; unclean animals will make the people sick or carry diseases.

It is likely that the real reasons involved combinations of these. (See a Sunday essay of April 30, 2023.)

First published August 12, 2025; updated August 12, 2025

Leviticus 10, Disaster

After the first sacrifices are done for the people, we have an event that displays the dangers of approaching YHWH without sufficient care.

Leviticus 10:1-2, Death of Nadab and Abihu

Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense; and they offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, contrary to his command. So fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD.

Two of Aaron's sons offer "unauthorized fire," violating in some way, the requirements previously described. Harris (p. 566) suggests that instead of lighting their censers from the great altar in the courtyard, they might have taken coals from a more convenient location, to use in the Most Holy Place. This would have been an act of disrespect or disregard for the ceremony. Harris wonders, also, if the actions of these two priests is related to prohibitions against alcohol that appear at verse 8. Morales suggests that Nadab and Abihu attempted to go all the way into the Holy of Holies, and in fact, the sin of the two men might have been a combination of all three: drunk priests, careless with the appropriate use of fire, pushing all the way into the Holy of Holies. Morales's suggestion is fortified by the followup statement in 16:1, that the two men died "when they approached the LORD."

Morales argues that the regulations in chapters 11 through 15 are a reaction to the abuse and disrespect of these two priests. These regulations will emphasize the difference between the sacred and secular, between clean and unclean elements.

Leviticus 10:3-5, Do not mourn

Moses then said to Aaron, "This is what the LORD spoke of when he said: "`Among those who approach me I will show myself holy; in the sight of all the people I will be honored.'" 

Aaron remained silent.  

Moses summoned Mishael and Elzaphan, sons of Aaron's uncle Uzziel, and said to them, "Come here; carry your cousins outside the camp, away from the front of the sanctuary." So they came and carried them, still in their tunics, outside the camp, as Moses ordered.  

Moses warns Aaron about the importance of the holiness of God and, wisely, Aaron responds in silence. Then two of Aaron's cousins carry the bodies of Aaron's sons outside the camp.

Leviticus 10:6-7, Do not mourn

Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar,  "Do not let your hair become unkempt, and do not tear your clothes, or you will die and the LORD will be angry with the whole community. But your relatives, all the house of Israel, may mourn for those the LORD has destroyed by fire. Do not leave the entrance to the Tent of Meeting or you will die, because the LORD's anointing oil is on you." 

So they  did as Moses said.  

Aaron, the high priest, is not to mourn. High priests do not mourn; others of lower rank may. There are especially rigid requirements for the high priest. (See Leviticus 21:1-12.) Later, Ezekiel will be given similar instructions (Ezekiel 24:15-18) when his wife dies.

Leviticus 10:8-11, No alcohol

Then the LORD said to Aaron, "You and your sons are not to drink wine or other fermented drink whenever you go into the Tent of Meeting, or you will  die. This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to  come. You must distinguish between the holy and the common, between the unclean and the clean, and you must teach the Israelites all the decrees the LORD has given them through Moses."  

Entering the Tent of Meeting while drinking alcohol is prohibited. Harris suggests that part of the problems with Nadab and Abihu, in verse 1, were that they were drunk.

Leviticus 10:12-15, You may eat...

Moses said to Aaron and his remaining sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, "Take the grain offering left over from the offerings made to the LORD by fire and eat it prepared without yeast beside the altar, for it is most holy. Eat it in a holy place, because it is your share and your sons' share of the offerings made to the LORD by fire; for so I have been commanded. But you and your sons and your daughters may eat the breast that was waved and the thigh that was presented. Eat them in a ceremonially clean place; they have been given to you and your children as your share of the Israelites' fellowship offerings.  

The thigh that was presented and the breast that was waved must be brought with the fat portions of the offerings made by fire, to be waved before the LORD as a wave offering. This will be the regular share for you and your children, as the LORD has commanded." 

The fellowship offering includes a communal meal. Here the priests, and their families, are allowed to eat the breast and thight of the sacrificed animal.

Leviticus 10:16-20, Anger and grief

When Moses inquired about the goat of the sin offering and found that it had been burned up, he was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron's remaining sons, and asked, "Why didn't you eat the sin offering in the sanctuary area?  It is most holy; it was given to you to take away the guilt of the community by making atonement for them before the  LORD. Since its blood was not taken into the Holy Place, you should have eaten the goat in the sanctuary area, as I commanded."  

Aaron replied to Moses, "Today they sacrificed their sin offering and their burnt offering before the LORD, but such things as this have happened to me. Would the LORD have been pleased if I had eaten the sin offering today?"  

When Moses heard this, he was satisfied.  

Moses is upset to hear that Aaron's remaining sons did not east the sin offering, as expected. Aaron replies that they have done what they were required to do, but the two sons did not eat because they were distressed at the death of their brothers. Moses agrees that this is an acceptable reason for not eating.

The importance of priestly purity is made clear by the deaths of Aaron's sons.

First published August 11, 2025; updated August 11, 2025