Bible Strands
Leviticus 15:7
Whoever touches the body of the man with a discharge must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The passage addresses the Israelites through Moses, prescribing ritual protocols immediately after regulating contact with furniture used by a person with a discharge. It functions as the next procedural step in a sequence of contact-based defilement laws.
The words — נֹגֵעַ (no.ge.a') translates literally to "touches," establishing direct physical contact as the defilement trigger. טָמֵא (ta.me') means "unclean," defining the resulting ritual state that remains fixed until evening.
The thread — This structural formula repeats in Leviticus 15:6 for sitting and Leviticus 15:8 for spitting. Each instance pairs a specific mode of contact with the identical requirement of washing garments, bathing in water, and remaining unclean until evening.
Why it lands — The text requires the reader to recognize that ritual purity operates through measurable physical boundaries rather than internal states. It demands strict adherence to a defined process of cleansing before reentry into communal worship.
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 he that toucheth the flesh of him that hath the issue shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.