Bible Strands
Numbers 19:15
and any open container without a lid fastened on it is unclean.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The directive is issued to the Israelites as part of the purification regulations following contact with a corpse. It specifies the physical conditions that render containers unclean when a person dies in a tent or field.
The words — פָת֔וּחַ (pa.Tu.ach) means open, and צָמִ֥יד (tza.Mid) denotes a cover or fastening. The text states that any vessel left open without a secured lid is unclean.
The thread — This rule operates alongside Leviticus 11:32, which declares articles unclean when a dead animal falls upon them, and Leviticus 14:36, which mandates clearing a house before examining mildew. It also corresponds to Numbers 31:20, which requires purifying wooden and leather items.
Why it lands — The text demands that open containers be covered to prevent ritual contamination. It establishes a concrete standard where physical exposure to death renders an object unclean.
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 every open vessel, which hath no covering bound upon it, is unclean.
Cross-references
- 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.
- Leviticus 14:36 The priest must order that the house be cleared before he enters it to examine the mildew, so that nothing in the house will become unclean. After this, the priest shall go in to inspect the house.
- Numbers 31:20 And purify every garment and leather good, everything made of goat’s hair, and every article of wood.”