Leviticus 15:12

Any clay pot that the man with the discharge touches must be broken, and any wooden utensil must be rinsed with water.

Berean Standard Bible

Study note

Setting — God commands Moses to instruct the Israelites on maintaining ritual purity during their wilderness journey, specifically addressing the contamination caused by a man with a chronic discharge.

The words — The Hebrew יִשָּׁבֵ֑ר (yi.sha.Ver) translates literally as "it will be broken," and חֶ֛רֶשׂ (Che.res) means "earthenware" or fired clay.

The thread — The instruction to destroy porous clay vessels parallels Leviticus 6:28 regarding sin offerings, while the washing of wooden items corresponds to Leviticus 11:32.

Why it lands — The text requires the immediate destruction of clay objects that contacted impurity to prevent its spread, while permitting wooden tools to be purified through rinsing.

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

וּכְלִי־u./khe.li-and/ a vessel of חֶ֛רֶשׂChe.researthenware אֲשֶׁר־'a.Sher-which יִגַּע־yi.ga'-he will touchבּ֥וֹb/o<in> <the>/ itהַזָּ֖בha./Zavthe/ [one] discharging יִשָּׁבֵ֑רyi.sha.Verit will be broken וְכָל־ve./kholand/ every כְּלִי־ke.li-vessel of עֵ֔ץ'Etzwood יִשָּׁטֵ֖ףyi.sha.Tefit will be rinsed בַּמָּֽיִם׃ba./Ma.yimwith <the>/ water

King James Version

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.

Cross-references

Leviticus 6:28 The clay pot in which the sin offering is boiled must be broken; if it is boiled in a bronze pot, the pot must be scoured and rinsed with water.
Leviticus 11:32 When one of them dies and falls on something, that article becomes unclean; any article of wood, clothing, leather, sackcloth, or any implement used for work must be rinsed with water and will remain unclean until evening; then it will be clean.
Psalms 2:9 You will break them with an iron scepter; You will shatter them like pottery.”
Proverbs 1:21 in the main concourse she cries aloud, at the city gates she makes her speech:
Proverbs 1:23 If you had repented at my rebuke, then surely I would have poured out my spirit on you; I would have made my words known to you.
Proverbs 3:21 My son, do not lose sight of this: Preserve sound judgment and discernment.
2 Corinthians 5:1 For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is dismantled, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.
Philippians 3:21 who, by the power that enables Him to subject all things to Himself, will transform our lowly bodies to be like His glorious body.