Bible Strands

Leviticus 5:3

Or if he touches human uncleanness—anything by which one becomes unclean—even if he is unaware of it, when he realizes it, he is guilty.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — The text opens as a conditional directive to the Israelite community regarding ritual purity, beginning immediately with legal stipulations rather than a narrative introduction of God speaking to Moses or Aaron.

The words — יִגַּע (yi.Ga') translates literally to "he will touch," and טֻמְאַת אָדָם (tum'at adam) means "the uncleanness of a human."

The thread — The mechanism of guilt from unwitting defilement connects to the carcass contamination in Leviticus 5:2 and the corpse impurity regulations in Numbers 19:11.

Why it lands — The passage requires immediate recognition of ritual impurity once awareness occurs, establishing that ignorance does not negate the resulting guilt.

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

א֣וֹ'oorכִ֤יkhiifיִגַּע֙yi.Ga'he will touchבְּטֻמְאַ֣תbe./tum.'At<in>/ [the] uncleanness ofאָדָ֔ם'a.Dama humanלְכֹל֙le./Kholto/ allטֻמְאָת֔וֹtum.'a.T/ouncleanness/ hisאֲשֶׁ֥ר'a.Sherwhichיִטְמָ֖אyit.Ma'he will be uncleanבָּ֑הּBa/hby <the>/ itוְנֶעְלַ֣םve./ne'.Lamand/ it will be hiddenמִמֶּ֔נּוּmi.Me./nufrom/ himוְה֥וּאve./Hu'and/ heיָדַ֖עya.Da'he knewוְאָשֵֽׁם׃ve./'a.Shemand/ he will be guilty

King James Version

Or if he touch the uncleanness of man, whatsoever uncleanness it be that a man shall be defiled withal, and it be hid from him; when he knoweth of it, then he shall be guilty.

Cross-references