What does a man or woman with a continuing discharge do when it has ceased?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

The man counts seven days after cleansing, washes his clothes and body in living water, and brings two turtledoves or two young pigeons on the eighth day. After a woman’s continuing blood flow stops, she counts seven days of purification and brings the same bird pair on the eighth day. The priest offers one for sin and one as a whole burnt offering and prays for the person.

Chapter breakdown

The Lord tells Moses and Aaron to teach Israel these rules. A man with what the edition calls an issue of seed is unclean. The condition is described as a foul discharge continually clinging to his flesh and gathering there. Every bed on which he sleeps and every place on which he sits are unclean. Challoner’s note says that these legal uncleannesses were instituted to give the people a horror of carnal impurities; this purpose is the commentator’s explanation.

Anyone touching his bed, sitting where he has sat or touching his flesh must wash their clothes and body with water and remain unclean until evening. If he spits on a clean person, that person must likewise wash clothes and body and remain unclean until evening. His saddle is unclean. Anything that has been under him is unclean until evening; anyone carrying such things must wash clothes and body and remain unclean until evening. If he touches someone without first washing his hands, the person touched must wash clothes and body and remain unclean until evening. An earthen vessel he touches must be broken; a wooden vessel is washed with water.

When the man is healed, he counts seven days after his cleansing, washes his clothes and his whole body in living water and is clean. On the eighth day he brings two turtledoves or two young pigeons before the Lord at the tabernacle door and gives them to the priest. The priest offers one for sin and the other as a holocaust, a whole burnt offering, and prays for him before the Lord so he may be cleansed of the issue of seed.

A man who emits semen washes his whole body with water and is unclean until evening. The garment or skin he wears is washed with water and is unclean until evening. The woman with whom he has intercourse is also washed with water and is unclean until evening.

A woman with her monthly blood flow is separated for seven days. Anyone touching her is unclean until evening. Everything on which she sleeps or sits during her separation is defiled. Anyone touching her bed or a vessel on which she sits must wash clothes and body and remain unclean until evening. If a man has intercourse with her during her menstrual period, he is unclean for seven days and every bed on which he sleeps is defiled.

If a woman’s blood flow lasts many days outside its ordinary time or continues after her monthly period, she is unclean throughout that condition in the same manner as during menstruation. Every bed on which she sleeps and vessel on which she sits is defiled. Anyone touching these must wash clothes and body and remain unclean until evening. If the blood stops and ceases to flow, she counts seven days of purification. On the eighth day she brings two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the priest at the tabernacle door. He offers one for sin and the other as a whole burnt offering, and prays for her before the Lord concerning the issue of her uncleanness.

Israel must be taught to take heed of uncleanness, so that they do not die in their filth by defiling the Lord’s tabernacle among them. The chapter closes by naming the law of the man with an issue of seed and the man defiled by intercourse, the woman separated during her monthly period or having a continuing blood flow, and the man who sleeps with her.

The story inside

The contact rules distinguish the action that brings uncleanness from the response required afterward (15:4–12). A bed, sitting place and saddle used by the man are unclean. Touching his bed or flesh, sitting where he sat or receiving his spittle as a clean person requires washing both clothes and body and waiting until evening. Carrying what has been under him has those requirements too. The rule also specifies contact made before he has washed his hands. Objects receive different treatment: the touched earthen vessel is broken, while the wooden vessel is washed. The instructions do not explain that difference through absorption or give a story of a household deciding what to do with its jars. Their distinct conditions and responses are the argument the law itself provides.

Lessons worth keeping

1
The evening limit must stay with the contact rules that state it. Washing clothes and body does not replace waiting until evening for the people described here, including the carrier of things that have been under the man. Keeping all three instructions preserves the rule.
2
The chapter separates continuing discharges from the other cases. It gives seven-day counts and eighth-day bird offerings after the continuing conditions have ceased, while the semen-and-intercourse rules state washing and uncleanness until evening. These requirements should not be merged into one procedure.
3
The closing warning names the tabernacle and the danger of death through defiling it. This is the source’s stated warning for teaching Israel to heed uncleanness. Challoner’s earlier explanation is separately attributed, and no additional health mechanism or moral judgment is supplied.

Test your recall

How do the instructions after a continuing discharge has ceased differ from the washing-and-evening rules following semen or intercourse?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 12259–12275
Leviticus Chapter 15 Other legal uncleannesses. 15:1. And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying: 15:2. Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: The man that hath an issue of seed, shall be unclean. Issue of seed shall be unclean.... These legal uncleannesses were instituted in order to give the people a horror of carnal impurities. 15:3. And then shall he be judged subject to this evil, when a filthy humour, at every moment, cleaveth to his flesh, and gathereth there. 15:4. Every bed on which he sleepeth, shall be unclean, and every place on which he sitteth.
Lines 12277–12303
15:5. If any man touch his bed, he shall wash his clothes and being washed with water, he shall be unclean until the evening. 15:6. If a man sit where that man hath sitten, he also shall wash his clothes: and being washed with water, shall be unclean until the evening. 15:7. He that toucheth his flesh, shall wash his clothes: and being himself washed with water shall be unclean until the evening. 15:8. If such a man cast his spittle upon him that is clean, he shall wash his clothes: and being washed with water, he shall be unclean until the evening. 15:9. The saddle on which he hath sitten shall be unclean. 15:10. And whatsoever has been under him that hath the issue of seed, shall be unclean until the evening. He that carrieth any of these things, shall wash his clothes: and being washed with water, he shall be unclean until the evening. 15:11. Every person whom such a one shall touch, not having washed his hands before, shall wash his clothes: and being washed with water, shall be unclean until the evening. 15:12. If he touch a vessel of earth, it shall be broken: but if a vessel of wood, it shall be washed with water.
Lines 12305–12315
15:13. If he who suffereth this disease be healed, he shall number seven days after his cleansing: and having washed his clothes, and all his body in living water, he shall be clean. 15:14. And on the eighth day he shall take two turtles, or two young pigeons, and he shall come before the Lord, to the door of the tabernacle of the testimony, and shall give them to the priest. 15:15. Who shall offer one for sin, and the other for a holocaust: and he shall pray for him before the Lord, that he may be cleansed of the issue of his seed.
Lines 12317–12324
15:16. The man from whom the seed of copulation goeth out, shall wash all his body with water: and he shall be unclean until the evening. 15:17. The garment or skin that he weareth, he shall wash with water: and it shall be unclean until the evening. 15:18. The woman, with whom he copulateth, shall be washed with water: and shall be unclean until the evening.
Lines 12326–12343
15:19. The woman, who at the return of the month, hath her issue of blood, shall be separated seven days. 15:20. Every one that toucheth her, shall be unclean until the evening. 15:21. And every thing that she sleepeth on, or that she sitteth on in the days of her separation, shall be defiled. 15:22. He that toucheth her bed shall wash his clothes: and being himself washed with water, shall be unclean until the evening. 15:23. Whosoever shall touch any vessel on which she sitteth, shall wash his clothes: and himself being washed with water, shall be defiled until the evening. 15:24. If a man copulateth with her in the time of her flowers, he shall be unclean seven days: and every bed on which he shall sleep, shall be defiled.
Lines 12345–12365
15:25. The woman that hath still issue of blood many days out of her ordinary time, or that ceaseth not to flow after the monthly courses, as long as she is subject to this disease, shall be unclean, in the same manner as if she were in her flowers. 15:26. Every bed on which she sleepeth, and every vessel on which she sitteth, shall be defiled. 15:27. Whosoever toucheth them shall wash his clothes: and himself being washed with water, shall be unclean until the evening. 15:28. If the blood stop and cease to run, she shall count seven days of her purification: 15:29. And on the eighth day she shall offer for herself to the priest, two turtles, or two young pigeons, at the door of the tabernacle of the testimony: 15:30. And he shall offer one for sin, and the other for a holocaust, and he shall pray for her before the Lord, and for the issue of her uncleanness.
Lines 12367–12375
15:31. You shall teach therefore the children of Israel to take heed of uncleanness, that they may not die in their filth, when they shall have defiled my tabernacle that is among them. 15:32. This is the law of him that hath the issue of seed, and that is defiled by copulation. 15:33. And of the woman that is separated in her monthly times, or that hath a continual issue of blood, and of the man that sleepeth with her.