Bible Strands
Leviticus 15:9
Any saddle on which the man with the discharge rides will be unclean.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The text records divine instructions delivered to Moses and Aaron concerning ritual purity regulations for the Israelite community. It addresses the specific moment when a man suffering a bodily discharge interacts with riding equipment.
The words — The Hebrew term מֶרְכָּב (mer.Kav) denotes a saddle, while זָב (Zav) identifies the discharging individual. The verb יִטְמָא (yit.Ma') states that the saddle will become unclean upon contact.
The thread — This regulation runs parallel to Leviticus 15:8 and 15:10, which establish that contact with discharge-contaminated items transfers ritual impurity until evening. The mechanism of objects becoming unclean through contact is echoed in Genesis 31:34, where Rachel sits on a saddlebag containing household idols.
Why it lands — The passage requires the reader to acknowledge that physical contact with a discharge source transfers ceremonial impurity to inanimate objects. It demands strict compliance with washing and waiting periods to restore ritual cleanliness.
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 what saddle soever he rideth upon that hath the issue shall be unclean.
Cross-references
- Genesis 31:34 Now Rachel had taken Laban’s household idols, put them in the saddlebag of her camel, and was sitting on them. And Laban searched everything in the tent but found nothing.