Bible Strands
Leviticus 12:4
The woman shall continue in purification from her bleeding for thirty-three days. She must not touch anything sacred or go into the sanctuary until the days of her purification are complete.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — God instructs Moses on the postpartum ritual timeline immediately after mandating the infant’s circumcision on the eighth day. The words — תֵּשֵׁב (te.Shev) translates literally as "she will remain," and בִּדְמֵי טָהֳרָה (bi/d.Mei to.ho.Rah) means "in the bloods of purification," a phrase that describes the state rather than the duration. The thread — The purification period connects to later blood discharge laws in Leviticus 15:25 and the completion of this timeline in Luke 2:22. Why it lands — The text mandates a fixed separation period during which the woman must avoid contact with sacred items and the sanctuary until her ritual days conclude.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And she shall then continue in the blood of her purifying three and thirty days; she shall touch no hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying be fulfilled.
Cross-references
- Leviticus 15:25 When a woman has a discharge of her blood for many days at a time other than her menstrual period, or if it continues beyond her period, she will be unclean all the days of her unclean discharge, just as she is during the days of her menstruation.
- Haggai 2:13 So Haggai asked, “If one who is defiled by contact with a corpse touches any of these, does it become defiled?” “Yes, it becomes defiled,” the priests answered.
- Luke 2:22 And when the time of purification according to the Law of Moses was complete, His parents brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord