Bible Strands
Leviticus 18:19
You must not approach a woman to have sexual relations with her during her menstrual period.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — God addresses Israel through Moses within a legal code outlining prohibited sexual relationships. The verse functions as a specific boundary within a broader list of marital and familial restrictions.
The words — The phrase בְּנִדַּת טֻמְאָתָהּ (bə-niddat ṭumʾātāh) literally translates to "in the menstruous impurity of her," while תִקְרַב לְגַלּוֹת עֶרְוָתָהּ (tiqraḇ lə-gallōt ʿerwātāh) means "you will draw near to uncover her nakedness." These terms establish the specific temporal and physical boundaries of the prohibition.
The thread — Leviticus 20:18 explicitly states the penalty for violating this boundary, while Ezekiel 22:10 uses the same phrasing to indict Israel's leaders for breaking the law. Leviticus 15:24 details the ritual uncleanness that results from such contact but does not reiterate the prohibition.
Why it lands — The text demands strict adherence to sexual boundaries during a specific biological state, treating the act as a defilement rather than a matter of personal preference. It requires readers to recognize the law as a fixed boundary that separates Israelite practice from surrounding customs.
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
Also thou shalt not approach unto a woman to uncover her nakedness, as long as she is put apart for her uncleanness.
Cross-references
- Leviticus 15:24 If a man lies with her and her menstrual flow touches him, he will be unclean for seven days, and any bed on which he lies will become unclean.
- Leviticus 20:18 If a man lies with a menstruating woman and has sexual relations with her, he has exposed the source of her flow, and she has uncovered the source of her blood. Both of them must be cut off from among their people.
- Ezekiel 22:10 In you they have uncovered the nakedness of their fathers; in you they violate women during their menstrual impurity.
- Leviticus 15:19 When a woman has a discharge consisting of blood from her body, she will be unclean due to her menstruation for seven days, and anyone who touches her will be unclean until evening.
- Ezekiel 18:6 He does not eat at the mountain or look to the idols of the house of Israel. He does not defile his neighbor’s wife or approach a woman during her period.
- Leviticus 12:2 “Say to the Israelites, ‘A woman who becomes pregnant and gives birth to a son will be unclean for seven days, as she is during the days of her menstruation.