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Leviticus15:1–12

The Uncleanness of Men

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Leviticus 15:1–12 — The Uncleanness of Men. Each verse below carries the full apparatus: the Berean Standard Bible, the vocalized original (tap any word), and a parsed breakdown of every term transcribed from the interlinear. Synthesized commentary, canonical threads, and the reading of Christ gather at the end, over the whole unit.

1

And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron,

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

Yah·weh way·ḏab·bêr ’el- mō·šeh wə·’el- ’a·hă·rōn lê·mōr

Word by word7 · parsed
יְהוָ֔הYah·wehAnd the LORDH3068
√ Yᵉhôvâh — Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodNounpropermasculine singular
יְהוָה (H3068), the covenant name, stands first in the clause. The legislator of purity is not an abstract principle of hygiene but the personal LORD who has already filled the tabernacle (Lev 9).
וַיְדַבֵּ֣רway·ḏab·bêrsaidH1696
√ dâbar — perhaps properly, to arrangeConjunctive wawVerbPielConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular
Piel consecutive imperfect of דָּבַר — the waw-consecutive narrative verb that drives Hebrew prose. Here it carries the full juridical weight: this is statute-speech, the formula that opens Leviticus 1:1; 4:1; 11:1; 12:1.
אֶל־’el-toH413
√ ʼêl — near, with or amongPreposition
מֹשֶׁ֥הmō·šehMosesH4872
√ Môsheh — Mosheh, the Israelite lawgiverNounpropermasculine singular
וְאֶֽל־wə·’el-. . .H413
√ ʼêl — near, with or amongConjunctive wawPreposition
אַהֲרֹ֖ן’a·hă·rōnand AaronH175
√ ʼAhărôwn — Aharon, the brother of MosesNounpropermasculine singular
Aaron (H175) is addressed alongside Moses because, as Gill notes citing Gersonides, the adjudication of these issues "depended on the priest." Of the dozen statute-openings in Leviticus, only a handful name Aaron with Moses (cf. 11:1; 13:1; 14:33) — and they cluster precisely where the priest must inspect and pronounce clean or unclean. Purity law is not self-administered; it runs through the sanctuary and its ministers.
לֵאמֹֽר׃lê·mōr. . .H559
√ ʼâmar — to say (used with great latitude)Preposition-lVerbQalInfinitive construct
The infinitive לֵאמֹר simply hinges the narrative onto the quoted command that follows — a function word, untranslatable, but structurally the door into the law.
2

“Say to the Israelites, ‘When any man has a bodily discharge, the discharge is unclean.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

dab·bə·rū ’el- bə·nê yiś·rā·’êl wa·’ă·mar·tem ’ă·lê·hem kî ’îš ’îš yih·yeh mib·bə·śā·rōw zāḇ zō·w·ḇōw hū ṭā·mê

Word by word15 · parsed
דַּבְּרוּ֙dab·bə·rūSayH1696
√ dâbar — perhaps properly, to arrangeVerbPielImperativemasculine plural
אֶל־’el-toH413
√ ʼêl — near, with or amongPreposition
בְּנֵ֣יbə·nêthe IsraelitesH1121
√ bên — a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etcNounmasculine plural construct
בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל — "sons of Israel." The law is addressed to the covenant community; Gill observes from the rabbis that "these uncleannesses were only usual among the children of Israel" as a binding ordinance, not the nations.
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔לyiś·rā·’êl. . .H3478
√ Yisrâʼêl — Jisrael, a symbolical name of JacobNounpropermasculine singular
וַאֲמַרְתֶּ֖םwa·’ă·mar·temH559
√ ʼâmar — to say (used with great latitude)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectsecond person masculine plural
אֲלֵהֶ֑ם’ă·lê·hemH413
√ ʼêl — near, with or amongPrepositionthird person masculine plural
כִּ֤יWhenH3588
√ kîy — (by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below)Conjunction
אִ֣ישׁ’îšanyH376
√ ʼîysh — a man as an individual or a male personNounmasculine singular
אִ֗ישׁ’îšmanH376
√ ʼîysh — a man as an individual or a male personNounmasculine singular
יִהְיֶה֙yih·yehhasH1961
√ hâyâh — to exist, iVerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singular
מִבְּשָׂר֔וֹmib·bə·śā·rōwa bodilyH1320
√ bâsâr — flesh (from its freshness)Preposition-mNounmasculine singular constructthird person masculine singular
בָּשָׂר is the interpretive crux of the chapter. Most commentators read it as euphemism (the sexual member); Keil & Delitzsch argue from v. 13 ("bathe his flesh") that it means the body. The ambiguity is real and the parse cannot settle it.
זָ֣בzāḇdischargeH2100
√ zûwb — to flow freely (as water), iVerbQalParticiplemasculine singular
Participle of זוּב — to flow freely as water (the same root names the land "flowing with milk and honey," Ex 3:8). Used of disease it marks an unstanchable, defiling leakage of life.
זוֹב֖וֹzō·w·ḇōwthe dischargeH2101
√ zôwb — a seminal or menstrual fluxNounmasculine singular constructthird person masculine singular
זוֹב (H2101), the noun "flux," is a rare word (only 10 verses in the Hebrew Bible), nearly all clustered in this chapter and its parallels — its rarity makes the verbal links within Leviticus 15 unusually tight.
הֽוּא׃H1931
√ hûwʼ — he (she or it)Pronounthird person masculine singular
טָמֵ֥אṭā·mêis uncleanH2931
√ ṭâmêʼ — foul in a religious senseAdjectivemasculine singular
The clause inverts subject and predicate — "unclean it-is" — a verdict-form. Ceremonial impurity is a declared status, pronounced over the condition.
3

This uncleanness is from his discharge, whether his body allows the discharge to flow or blocks it. So his discharge will bring about uncleanness.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

wə·zōṯ ṭum·’ā·ṯōw tih·yeh bə·zō·w·ḇōw bə·śā·rōw ’eṯ- rār zō·w·ḇōw ’ōw- heḥ·tîm bə·śā·rōw miz·zō·w·ḇōw hî ṭum·’ā·ṯōw

Word by word14 · parsed
וְזֹ֛אתwə·zōṯThisH2063
√ zôʼth — this (often used adverb)Conjunctive wawPronounfeminine singular
טֻמְאָת֖וֹṭum·’ā·ṯōwuncleannessH2932
√ ṭumʼâh — religious impurityNounfeminine singular constructthird person masculine singular
טֻמְאָה (H2932), the abstract noun "impurity," is a comparatively rare term (31 verses) concentrated in the purity codes. The whole verse exists to clarify v. 2: the condition is unclean in both its phases.
תִּהְיֶ֥הtih·yehisH1961
√ hâyâh — to exist, iVerbQalImperfectthird person feminine singular
בְּזוֹב֑וֹbə·zō·w·ḇōwfrom his dischargeH2101
√ zôwb — a seminal or menstrual fluxPreposition-bNounmasculine singular constructthird person masculine singular
בְּשָׂר֞וֹbə·śā·rōwwhether his bodyH1320
√ bâsâr — flesh (from its freshness)Nounmasculine singular constructthird person masculine singular
אֶת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Preposition
רָ֣רrārallowsH7325
√ rûwr — to slaver (with spittle), iVerbQalPerfectthird person masculine singular
רָר appears only here and in Psalm 56:8-type imagery of dripping — a hapax-rare flow-verb whose very obscurity heightens the loathing the chapter means to convey.
זוֹב֗וֹzō·w·ḇōwthe discharge {to flow}H2101
√ zôwb — a seminal or menstrual fluxNounmasculine singular constructthird person masculine singular
אֽוֹ־’ōw-orH176
√ ʼôw — desire (and so probably in Proverbs 31:4)Conjunction
הֶחְתִּ֤יםheḥ·tîmblocks itH2856
√ châtham — to close upVerbHifilPerfectthird person masculine singular
The Hiphil חָתַם means the body actively "seals" against the flux. Keil reads this as merely "a temporary obstruction"; the law covers the latent as well as the active phase — uncleanness is not suspended just because the symptom pauses.
בְּשָׂרוֹ֙bə·śā·rōwH1320
√ bâsâr — flesh (from its freshness)Nounmasculine singular constructthird person masculine singular
מִזּוֹב֔וֹmiz·zō·w·ḇōwSo his dischargeH2101
√ zôwb — a seminal or menstrual fluxPreposition-mNounmasculine singular constructthird person masculine singular
הִֽוא׃will bring aboutH1931
√ hûwʼ — he (she or it)Pronounthird person feminine singular
Gill draws the typological line here: this discharge "was an emblem of the corruption and vitiosity of nature… all evil things that are in or flow out of the evil heart of man," pointing to Matthew 15:18 — a reading the ⚙ layer flags below as figural, not lexical.
טֻמְאָת֖וֹṭum·’ā·ṯōwuncleannessH2932
√ ṭumʼâh — religious impurityNounfeminine singular constructthird person masculine singular
4

Any bed on which the man with the discharge lies will be unclean, and any furniture on which he sits will be unclean.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

kāl- ham·miš·kāḇ ‘ā·lāw ’ă·šer haz·zāḇ yiš·kaḇ yiṭ·mā wə·ḵāl hak·kə·lî ‘ā·lāw ’ă·šer- yê·šêḇ yiṭ·mā

Word by word13 · parsed
כָּל־kāl-AnyH3605
√ kôl — properly, the wholeNounmasculine singular construct
הַמִּשְׁכָּ֗בham·miš·kāḇbedH4904
√ mishkâb — a bed (figuratively, a bier)ArticleNounmasculine singular
The מִשְׁכָּב is the first of the conductive objects. Impurity in Leviticus behaves almost physically — it travels by contact from person to bed to toucher, a chain the next verses trace link by link.
עָלָ֛יו‘ā·lāwonH5921
√ ʻal — above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applicationsPrepositionthird person masculine singular
אֲשֶׁ֨ר’ă·šerwhichH834
√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPronounrelative
הַזָּ֖בhaz·zāḇthe man with the dischargeH2100
√ zûwb — to flow freely (as water), iArticleVerbQalParticiplemasculine singular
יִשְׁכַּ֥בyiš·kaḇliesH7901
√ shâkab — to lie down (for rest, sexual connection, decease or any other purpose)VerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singular
The verb שָׁכַב (H7901, "lie down") shares the consonantal root of the noun "bed" just spoken — the law is built on a pun the English loses entirely.
יִטְמָ֑אyiṭ·māwill be uncleanH2930
√ ṭâmêʼ — to be foul, especially in a ceremial or moral sense (contaminated)VerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singular
וְכָֽל־wə·ḵāland anyH3605
√ kôl — properly, the wholeConjunctive wawNounmasculine singular construct
הַכְּלִ֛יhak·kə·lîfurnitureH3627
√ kᵉlîy — something prepared, iArticleNounmasculine singular
כְּלִי recurs as the master-category of "object" and reappears in v. 12 for the clay and wooden vessels that must be broken or rinsed. Ellicott records the rabbinic extension: the man defiled a bed five ways — standing, sitting, lying, hanging, leaning.
עָלָ֖יו‘ā·lāwonH5921
√ ʻal — above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applicationsPrepositionthird person masculine singular
אֲשֶׁר־’ă·šer-whichH834
√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPronounrelative
יֵשֵׁ֥בyê·šêḇhe sitsH3427
√ yâshab — properly, to sit down (specifically as judgeVerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singular
יִטְמָֽא׃yiṭ·māwill be uncleanH2930
√ ṭâmêʼ — to be foul, especially in a ceremial or moral sense (contaminated)VerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singular
5

Anyone who touches his bed must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

wə·’îš ’ă·šer yig·ga‘ bə·miš·kā·ḇōw yə·ḵab·bês bə·ḡā·ḏāw wə·rā·ḥaṣ bam·ma·yim wə·ṭā·mê ‘aḏ- hā·‘ā·reḇ

Word by word11 · parsed
וְאִ֕ישׁwə·’îšAnyoneH376
√ ʼîysh — a man as an individual or a male personConjunctive wawNounmasculine singular
אֲשֶׁ֥ר’ă·šerwhoH834
√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPronounrelative
יִגַּ֖עyig·ga‘touchesH5060
√ nâgaʻ — properly, to touch, iVerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singular
נָגַע (H5060), "to touch," is the load-bearing verb of contagion in this section. Mere contact with the bed — not the man — suffices to defile, showing how the impurity is conceived as transferable matter.
בְּמִשְׁכָּב֑וֹbə·miš·kā·ḇōwhis bedH4904
√ mishkâb — a bed (figuratively, a bier)Preposition-bNounmasculine singular constructthird person masculine singular
יְכַבֵּ֧סyə·ḵab·bêsmust washH3526
√ kâbaç — to trampleVerbPielImperfectthird person masculine singular
כָּבַס denotes fuller's work, treading cloth in water; it is the standard purification verb paired with bathing across Numbers 19 and Leviticus 11.
בְּגָדָ֛יוbə·ḡā·ḏāwhis clothesH899
√ beged — a covering, iNounmasculine plural constructthird person masculine singular
וְרָחַ֥ץwə·rā·ḥaṣand batheH7364
√ râchats — to lave (the whole or a part of a thing)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectthird person masculine singular
רָחַץ — to lave the whole body. Gill records the rabbinic measure: bathing "in forty seahs of water," i.e. full immersion, the conceptual ancestor of the mikveh and, the Christian reader will note, of baptismal washing.
בַּמַּ֖יִםbam·ma·yimwith waterH4325
√ mayim — waterPreposition-b, ArticleNounmasculine plural
וְטָמֵ֥אwə·ṭā·mêand he will be uncleanH2930
√ ṭâmêʼ — to be foul, especially in a ceremial or moral sense (contaminated)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectthird person masculine singular
עַד־‘aḏ-untilH5704
√ ʻad — as far (or long, or much) as, whether of space (even unto) or time (during, while, until) or degree (equally with)Preposition
הָעָֽרֶב׃hā·‘ā·reḇeveningH6153
√ ʻereb — duskArticleNounmasculine singular
The threefold cure — wash clothes, bathe, wait till evening — is the fixed liturgy of minor defilement, repeated verbatim in vv. 6, 7, 8, 10, 11. Its very monotony teaches that grace for contracted impurity is reliable and available.
6

Whoever sits on furniture on which the man with the discharge was sitting must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

wə·hay·yō·šêḇ ‘al- hak·kə·lî ‘ā·lāw ’ă·šer- haz·zāḇ yê·šêḇ yə·ḵab·bês bə·ḡā·ḏāw wə·rā·ḥaṣ bam·ma·yim wə·ṭā·mê ‘aḏ- hā·‘ā·reḇ

Word by word14 · parsed
וְהַיֹּשֵׁב֙wə·hay·yō·šêḇWhoever sitsH3427
√ yâshab — properly, to sit down (specifically as judgeConjunctive waw, ArticleVerbQalParticiplemasculine singular
יָשַׁב can mean "sit," "dwell," or "sit enthroned (as judge)" — here the mundane sense, but the breadth of the root underscores how ordinary domestic acts (sitting, lying) become vectors of impurity.
עַֽל־‘al-onH5921
√ ʻal — above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applicationsPreposition
הַכְּלִ֔יhak·kə·lîfurnitureH3627
√ kᵉlîy — something prepared, iArticleNounmasculine singular
כְּלִי again — the broad "object," here the seat. Gill notes the defilement passes "even though he does not touch it," by occupancy of the contaminated seat.
עָלָ֖יו‘ā·lāwonH5921
√ ʻal — above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applicationsPrepositionthird person masculine singular
אֲשֶׁר־’ă·šer-whichH834
√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPronounrelative
הַזָּ֑בhaz·zāḇthe man with the dischargeH2100
√ zûwb — to flow freely (as water), iArticleVerbQalParticiplemasculine singular
יֵשֵׁ֥בyê·šêḇwas sittingH3427
√ yâshab — properly, to sit down (specifically as judgeVerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singular
This verse adds the case of sitting where the second case (v.4) had only the bed; the law builds its catalogue cumulatively, each verse a new mode of transmissible contact.
יְכַבֵּ֧סyə·ḵab·bêsmust washH3526
√ kâbaç — to trampleVerbPielImperfectthird person masculine singular
בְּגָדָ֛יוbə·ḡā·ḏāwhis clothesH899
√ beged — a covering, iNounmasculine plural constructthird person masculine singular
וְרָחַ֥ץwə·rā·ḥaṣand batheH7364
√ râchats — to lave (the whole or a part of a thing)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectthird person masculine singular
בַּמַּ֖יִםbam·ma·yimwith waterH4325
√ mayim — waterPreposition-b, ArticleNounmasculine plural
וְטָמֵ֥אwə·ṭā·mêand he will be uncleanH2930
√ ṭâmêʼ — to be foul, especially in a ceremial or moral sense (contaminated)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectthird person masculine singular
עַד־‘aḏ-untilH5704
√ ʻad — as far (or long, or much) as, whether of space (even unto) or time (during, while, until) or degree (equally with)Preposition
הָעָֽרֶב׃hā·‘ā·reḇeveningH6153
√ ʻereb — duskArticleNounmasculine singular
7

Whoever touches the body of the man with a discharge must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

wə·han·nō·ḡê·a‘ biḇ·śar haz·zāḇ yə·ḵab·bês bə·ḡā·ḏāw wə·rā·ḥaṣ bam·ma·yim wə·ṭā·mê ‘aḏ- hā·‘ā·reḇ

Word by word10 · parsed
וְהַנֹּגֵ֖עַwə·han·nō·ḡê·a‘Whoever touchesH5060
√ nâgaʻ — properly, to touch, iConjunctive waw, ArticleVerbQalParticiplemasculine singular
נָגַע in participial form — "the toucher." Ellicott notes the severity: even the physician who must professionally examine the man is defiled for the day. No exemption for necessity; the impurity is not personal but cultic.
בִּבְשַׂ֣רbiḇ·śarthe bodyH1320
√ bâsâr — flesh (from its freshness)Preposition-bNounmasculine singular construct
The word-choice בָּשָׂר here is the linchpin of the whole exegetical debate (see v. 2 note): because "flesh" here unambiguously means the body, Keil argues it must mean body in v. 2 too. The lexeme is the same; the referent is contested.
הַזָּ֑בhaz·zāḇof the man with a dischargeH2100
√ zûwb — to flow freely (as water), iArticleVerbQalParticiplemasculine singular
יְכַבֵּ֧סyə·ḵab·bêsmust washH3526
√ kâbaç — to trampleVerbPielImperfectthird person masculine singular
בְּגָדָ֛יוbə·ḡā·ḏāwhis clothesH899
√ beged — a covering, iNounmasculine plural constructthird person masculine singular
וְרָחַ֥ץwə·rā·ḥaṣand batheH7364
√ râchats — to lave (the whole or a part of a thing)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectthird person masculine singular
בַּמַּ֖יִםbam·ma·yimwith waterH4325
√ mayim — waterPreposition-b, ArticleNounmasculine plural
וְטָמֵ֥אwə·ṭā·mêand he will be uncleanH2930
√ ṭâmêʼ — to be foul, especially in a ceremial or moral sense (contaminated)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectthird person masculine singular
עַד־‘aḏ-untilH5704
√ ʻad — as far (or long, or much) as, whether of space (even unto) or time (during, while, until) or degree (equally with)Preposition
הָעָֽרֶב׃hā·‘ā·reḇeveningH6153
√ ʻereb — duskArticleNounmasculine singular
8

If the man with the discharge spits on one who is clean, that person must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

wə·ḵî- haz·zāḇ yā·rōq baṭ·ṭā·hō·wr wə·ḵib·bes bə·ḡā·ḏāw wə·rā·ḥaṣ bam·ma·yim wə·ṭā·mê ‘aḏ- hā·‘ā·reḇ

Word by word11 · parsed
וְכִֽי־wə·ḵî-IfH3588
√ kîy — (by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below)Conjunction
הַזָּ֖בhaz·zāḇthe man with the dischargeH2100
√ zûwb — to flow freely (as water), iArticleVerbQalParticiplemasculine singular
יָרֹ֛קyā·rōqspitsH7556
√ râqaq — to spitVerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singular
רָקַק appears rarely; spitting on a person elsewhere signals contempt (Num 12:14; Deut 25:9). Gill widens it to "all corrupt communication which proceeds out of the mouth," reading the spittle as a figure of defiling speech — a moral application the ⚙ layer treats as figural, not lexical.
בַּטָּה֑וֹרbaṭ·ṭā·hō·wron one who is cleanH2889
√ ṭâhôwr — pure (in a physical, chemical, ceremonial or moral sense)Preposition-b, ArticleAdjectivemasculine singular
טָהוֹר (H2889) — "pure," the formal opposite of the chapter's keyword ṭāmê'. The asymmetry is the deep grammar of the whole purity system: contact moves uncleanness toward the clean, never cleanness toward the unclean. Only the sanctuary's rites reverse the flow.
וְכִבֶּ֧סwə·ḵib·bes[that person] must washH3526
√ kâbaç — to trampleConjunctive wawVerbPielConjunctive perfectthird person masculine singular
בְּגָדָ֛יוbə·ḡā·ḏāwhis clothesH899
√ beged — a covering, iNounmasculine plural constructthird person masculine singular
וְרָחַ֥ץwə·rā·ḥaṣand batheH7364
√ râchats — to lave (the whole or a part of a thing)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectthird person masculine singular
בַּמַּ֖יִםbam·ma·yimwith waterH4325
√ mayim — waterPreposition-b, ArticleNounmasculine plural
וְטָמֵ֥אwə·ṭā·mêand he will be uncleanH2930
√ ṭâmêʼ — to be foul, especially in a ceremial or moral sense (contaminated)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectthird person masculine singular
עַד־‘aḏ-untilH5704
√ ʻad — as far (or long, or much) as, whether of space (even unto) or time (during, while, until) or degree (equally with)Preposition
הָעָֽרֶב׃hā·‘ā·reḇeveningH6153
√ ʻereb — duskArticleNounmasculine singular
9

Any saddle on which the man with the discharge rides will be unclean.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

wə·ḵāl ham·mer·kāḇ ‘ā·lāw ’ă·šer haz·zāḇ yir·kaḇ yiṭ·mā

Word by word7 · parsed
וְכָל־wə·ḵālAnyH3605
√ kôl — properly, the wholeConjunctive wawNounmasculine singular construct
הַמֶּרְכָּ֗בham·mer·kāḇsaddleH4817
√ merkâb — a chariotArticleNounmasculine singular
מֶרְכָּב (H4817) is one of the rarest words in this unit (3 verses total) — its scarcity makes its two other occurrences (Solomon's chariot-horses, 1 Kings 4:26; the bridal palanquin of Song 3:10) genuine verbal links by the rare-lexeme rule, even though the contexts are wholly unrelated to purity.
עָלָ֛יו‘ā·lāwonH5921
√ ʻal — above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applicationsPrepositionthird person masculine singular
אֲשֶׁ֨ר’ă·šerwhichH834
√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPronounrelative
הַזָּ֖בhaz·zāḇthe man with the dischargeH2100
√ zûwb — to flow freely (as water), iArticleVerbQalParticiplemasculine singular
יִרְכַּ֥בyir·kaḇridesH7392
√ râkab — to ride (on an animal or in a vehicle)VerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singular
רָכַב — to ride an animal or vehicle. The law extends defilement from furniture to transport: nothing the flowing man's body presses upon escapes the contagion.
יִטְמָֽא׃yiṭ·māwill be uncleanH2930
√ ṭâmêʼ — to be foul, especially in a ceremial or moral sense (contaminated)VerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singular
Ellicott observes the Hebrew here omits the usual "until evening" closing the defilement-term, and argues the LXX's "until evening" preserves the original reading dropped from the Masoretic text — a textual-critical note the apparatus carries below.
10

Whoever touches anything that was under him will be unclean until evening, and whoever carries such things must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

wə·ḵāl han·nō·ḡê·a‘ bə·ḵōl ’ă·šer yih·yeh ṯaḥ·tāw yiṭ·mā ‘aḏ- hā·‘ā·reḇ wə·han·nō·w·śê ’ō·w·ṯām yə·ḵab·bês bə·ḡā·ḏāw wə·rā·ḥaṣ bam·ma·yim wə·ṭā·mê ‘aḏ- hā·‘ā·reḇ

Word by word18 · parsed
וְכָל־wə·ḵālWhoeverH3605
√ kôl — properly, the wholeConjunctive wawNounmasculine singular construct
הַנֹּגֵ֗עַhan·nō·ḡê·a‘touchesH5060
√ nâgaʻ — properly, to touch, iArticleVerbQalParticiplemasculine singular
נָגַע (touch) and נָשָׂא (bear) are carefully distinguished: touching what was under him defiles till evening only; carrying those things adds the obligation to launder and bathe. Degree of contact governs degree of cleansing.
בְּכֹל֙bə·ḵōlanythingH3605
√ kôl — properly, the wholePreposition-bNounmasculine singular
אֲשֶׁ֣ר’ă·šerthatH834
√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPronounrelative
יִהְיֶ֣הyih·yehwasH1961
√ hâyâh — to exist, iVerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singular
תַחְתָּ֔יוṯaḥ·tāwunder himH8478
√ tachath — the bottom (as depressed)Prepositionthird person masculine singular
תַּחַת — the spatial "underneath." Ellicott reads the objects as the palanquin-seat the passenger sits on; the carriers of the litter are defiled by bearing it.
יִטְמָ֖אyiṭ·māwill be uncleanH2930
√ ṭâmêʼ — to be foul, especially in a ceremial or moral sense (contaminated)VerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singular
עַד־‘aḏ-untilH5704
√ ʻad — as far (or long, or much) as, whether of space (even unto) or time (during, while, until) or degree (equally with)Preposition
הָעָ֑רֶבhā·‘ā·reḇeveningH6153
√ ʻereb — duskArticleNounmasculine singular
וְהַנּוֹשֵׂ֣אwə·han·nō·w·śêand whoever carriesH5375
√ nâsâʼ — to lift, in a great variety of applications, literal and figurative, absolute and relativeConjunctive waw, ArticleVerbQalParticiplemasculine singular
נָשָׂא is an enormously broad verb ("lift" in every sense, even "forgive / bear sin"); here its concrete sense (carry a load) carries the legal weight, but the same root will bear away guilt in Leviticus 16:22.
אוֹתָ֔ם’ō·w·ṯāmsuch thingsH853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object markerthird person masculine plural
יְכַבֵּ֧סyə·ḵab·bêsmust washH3526
√ kâbaç — to trampleVerbPielImperfectthird person masculine singular
בְּגָדָ֛יוbə·ḡā·ḏāwhis clothesH899
√ beged — a covering, iNounmasculine plural constructthird person masculine singular
וְרָחַ֥ץwə·rā·ḥaṣand batheH7364
√ râchats — to lave (the whole or a part of a thing)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectthird person masculine singular
בַּמַּ֖יִםbam·ma·yimwith waterH4325
√ mayim — waterPreposition-b, ArticleNounmasculine plural
וְטָמֵ֥אwə·ṭā·mêand he will be uncleanH2930
√ ṭâmêʼ — to be foul, especially in a ceremial or moral sense (contaminated)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectthird person masculine singular
עַד־‘aḏ-untilH5704
√ ʻad — as far (or long, or much) as, whether of space (even unto) or time (during, while, until) or degree (equally with)Preposition
הָעָֽרֶב׃hā·‘ā·reḇeveningH6153
√ ʻereb — duskArticleNounmasculine singular
11

If the man with the discharge touches anyone without first rinsing his hands with water, the one who was touched must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

haz·zāḇ yig·ga‘- bōw wə·ḵōl ’ă·šer lō- šā·ṭap̄ wə·yā·ḏāw bam·mā·yim wə·ḵib·bes bə·ḡā·ḏāw wə·rā·ḥaṣ bam·ma·yim wə·ṭā·mê ‘aḏ- hā·‘ā·reḇ

Word by word16 · parsed
הַזָּ֔בhaz·zāḇIf the man with the dischargeH2100
√ zûwb — to flow freely (as water), iArticleVerbQalParticiplemasculine singular
יִגַּע־yig·ga‘-touchesH5060
√ nâgaʻ — properly, to touch, iVerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singular
נָגַע — the flowing man here is the toucher, reversing the usual direction. The verse is the chapter's one mitigation: a rinsed hand can interrupt the contagion.
בּוֹ֙bōw
Prepositionthird person masculine singular
וְכֹ֨לwə·ḵōlanyoneH3605
√ kôl — properly, the wholeConjunctive wawNounmasculine singular
אֲשֶׁ֤ר’ă·šerH834
√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPronounrelative
לֹא־lō-withoutH3808
√ lôʼ — not (the simple or absAdverbNegative particle
שָׁטַ֣ףšā·ṭap̄first rinsingH7857
√ shâṭaph — to gushVerbQalPerfectthird person masculine singular
שָׁטַף (H7857) flags forward to v. 12: the same flushing verb that here spares the touched person also cleanses the wooden vessel. The rare deliberate reuse binds the two verses lexically (see thread below).
וְיָדָ֖יוwə·yā·ḏāwhis handsH3027
√ yâd — a hand (the open one (indicating power, means, direction, etcConjunctive wawNounfeminine dual constructthird person masculine singular
Poole records the live exegetical dispute — whose hands? The flowing man's (if he rinses, he conveys no impurity) or the touched man's (rinsing as the quick remedy). The grammar permits both; the verse withholds certainty.
בַּמָּ֑יִםbam·mā·yimwith waterH4325
√ mayim — waterPreposition-b, ArticleNounmasculine plural
וְכִבֶּ֧סwə·ḵib·besthe one who was touched must washH3526
√ kâbaç — to trampleConjunctive wawVerbPielConjunctive perfectthird person masculine singular
בְּגָדָ֛יוbə·ḡā·ḏāwhis clothesH899
√ beged — a covering, iNounmasculine plural constructthird person masculine singular
וְרָחַ֥ץwə·rā·ḥaṣand batheH7364
√ râchats — to lave (the whole or a part of a thing)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectthird person masculine singular
בַּמַּ֖יִםbam·ma·yimwith waterH4325
√ mayim — waterPreposition-b, ArticleNounmasculine plural
וְטָמֵ֥אwə·ṭā·mêand he will be uncleanH2930
√ ṭâmêʼ — to be foul, especially in a ceremial or moral sense (contaminated)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectthird person masculine singular
עַד־‘aḏ-untilH5704
√ ʻad — as far (or long, or much) as, whether of space (even unto) or time (during, while, until) or degree (equally with)Preposition
הָעָֽרֶב׃hā·‘ā·reḇeveningH6153
√ ʻereb — duskArticleNounmasculine singular
12

Any clay pot that the man with the discharge touches must be broken, and any wooden utensil must be rinsed with water.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

ḥe·reś ū·ḵə·lî- ’ă·šer- haz·zāḇ yig·ga‘- bōw yiš·šā·ḇêr wə·ḵāl ‘êṣ kə·lî- yiš·šā·ṭêp̄ bam·mā·yim

Word by word12 · parsed
חֶ֛רֶשׂḥe·reśAny clayH2789
√ cheres — a piece of potteryNounmasculine singular
חֶרֶשׂ (H2789), porous earthenware, absorbs impurity into its substance; the same principle governs Leviticus 6:28 and 11:33. What cannot be purged must be destroyed.
וּכְלִי־ū·ḵə·lî-potH3627
√ kᵉlîy — something prepared, iConjunctive wawNounmasculine singular construct
אֲשֶׁר־’ă·šer-thatH834
√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPronounrelative
הַזָּ֖בhaz·zāḇthe man with the dischargeH2100
√ zûwb — to flow freely (as water), iArticleVerbQalParticiplemasculine singular
יִגַּע־yig·ga‘-touchesH5060
√ nâgaʻ — properly, to touch, iVerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singular
בּ֥וֹbōw
Prepositionthird person masculine singular
יִשָּׁבֵ֑רyiš·šā·ḇêrmust be brokenH7665
√ shâbar — to burst (literally or figuratively)VerbNifalImperfectthird person masculine singular
The Niphal שָׁבַר ("be broken") versus the Niphal שָׁטַף ("be rinsed") sets the verse's antithesis: shattering for clay, washing for wood. Gill admits the underlying reason "is not easy to say; it depended upon the will of the lawgiver."
וְכָל־wə·ḵāland anyH3605
√ kôl — properly, the wholeConjunctive wawNounmasculine singular construct
עֵ֔ץ‘êṣwoodenH6086
√ ʻêts — a tree (from its firmness)Nounmasculine singular
כְּלִי־kə·lî-utensilH3627
√ kᵉlîy — something prepared, iNounmasculine singular construct
יִשָּׁטֵ֖ףyiš·šā·ṭêp̄must be rinsedH7857
√ shâṭaph — to gushVerbNifalImperfectthird person masculine singular
שָׁטַף recurs from v. 11 — the lexical hinge of the unit's close. Ellicott connects this rinsing-law to the rabbinic baptism of new vessels, and thence to the "washing of cups… and tables" of Mark 7:4 — a connection examined and flagged in the threads below, since it crosses into Greek.
בַּמָּֽיִם׃bam·mā·yimwith waterH4325
√ mayim — waterPreposition-b, ArticleNounmasculine plural

The verse-by-verse work is done. What follows gathers the whole unit. All three layers below are machine-generated (⚙). Weigh them; they have no authority.

Grand Commentary — the unit, read whole

synthesis · verify

AI synthesis — woven from the public-domain voices above and the original text; generated and fallible.

i. The LORD legislates the body (v. 1–2) — 1–2

The statute opens with the full legislative formula — וַיְדַבֵּר יְהוָה, "and Yahweh spoke" (H1696 in the juridical Piel) — and, unusually, addresses Aaron alongside Moses. Gill, following Gersonides, gives the reason: "some of these purifications, after mentioned, depended on the priest." Purity is not private hygiene but sanctuary business. The case itself — אִישׁ אִישׁ, "a man, a man," i.e. any man whatsoever, with a זוֹב (H2101, a word of just ten occurrences) flowing מִבְּשָׂרוֹ, "from his flesh" — turns at once on a word the commentators cannot agree on. Ellicott reads "flesh" as euphemism for the genitals ("as is frequently the case"); Keil & Delitzsch reply that "the term flesh is not a euphemism for the organ of generation, as is frequently assumed," but "the body." The ⚙ layer does not adjudicate; it records that the parse ("flesh," H1320) is fixed while the referent is genuinely disputed among the sources.

ii. The arithmetic of contagion (v. 3–10) — 3–10

Verses 3–10 build a careful arithmetic of defilement, and the Hebrew verbs do the counting. The discharge defiles whether the flesh רָר (H7325, a rare verb, "slavers/runs") or חָתַם (H2856, "seals itself shut"); either way, Keil notes, "it is uncleanness to him." From the man the impurity travels — to the מִשְׁכָּב he lies on, the כְּלִי (any "vessel," which Poole says the Hebrews took for "all sorts of household stuff") he sits on, the מֶרְכָּב (H4817, a three-verse word) he rides. Ellicott preserves the rabbinic geometry: the man defiles a bed five ways, and the bed defiles a person seven. The cleansing is graded by contact: the mere toucher waits till הָעֶרֶב (evening); the bearer (H5375 נָשָׂא) must also כָּבַס (tread-wash) his clothes and רָחַץ (lave) his body — what Gill reports the rabbis measured at "forty seahs of water," full immersion. Benson reads the social effect plainly: "such persons were cut off from all communications with mankind… as an abomination."

iii. Spittle, seal, and shattered clay (v. 8, 11–12) — 8, 11–12

Three verses sharpen the logic to a point. In v. 8 the flowing man יָרֹק (H7556, "spits") upon הַטָּהוֹר (H2889) — the unclean upon the clean, and cleanness gives way: impurity is communicable, purity is not. Gill moralizes the spittle as "all corrupt communication which proceeds out of the mouth." In v. 11 comes the law's single mitigation — if the man has שָׁטַף (H7857, "rinsed/flushed") his hands, the contagion is arrested; Cambridge notes it is "the only case mentioned in the law" where hand-washing alone halts the spread, though Poole records that whose hands is debated. The same flushing verb returns in v. 12, where porous חֶרֶשׂ (earthenware, which JFB explains was "unglazed and consequently porous") must be שָׁבַר — shattered, beyond cleansing — while wood is merely שָׁטַף, rinsed. Gill, citing Ainsworth, hears in the broken pot and the rinsed wood "the destruction of reprobate persons" and "the cleansing of penitent sinners" — a figural reading, offered as such.

Read under Sola Scriptura — this tool’s own fallible reading (⚙)

Read under Sola Scriptura, the chapter is not finally about disease but about a holy God dwelling in the midst of a leaking, mortal people. Life itself — what flows from the human body — has gone wrong; the very fluids of generation now signal not vitality but death-ward corruption, and they spread. The law's relentless catalogue (bed, seat, saddle, anything-underneath, spittle, hands, clay, wood) is not fussiness; it is mercy teaching Israel that uncleanness is real, that it travels by contact, and that it cannot be ignored into harmlessness. Yet every verse but one ends the same way — and he shall be unclean until evening. The defilement is bounded. Water and the turning of the day undo it. Built into the severity is a promise: contracted impurity is curable, and the means is washing. The single exception is the porous clay vessel, which can only be broken — a sober note that some defilement runs too deep for rinsing, and must instead be destroyed and remade. The whole system, the ⚙ layer suggests (to be tested), is a parable in advance: a God who will not pretend the body's corruption away, who provides cleansing by water until evening, and who, in the broken vessel, hints that the deepest uncleanness will require not rinsing but a death.

Uncleanness travels by touch; cleanness must be given — and even then, some vessels can only be broken. (a reading, not a verse)

Canonical Threads — out to the whole of Scripture

cross-refs · verify

AI-generated connections. Each carries a verification badge with a recorded basis; contested links are flagged.

The man's issue and the woman's issue (v. 2 → 15:19, 25) verbal / quotation — confirmed

The law for the man (vv. 2–15) is deliberately twinned with the law for the woman (vv. 19–24, 25–30). The Hebrew binds them with the rare noun זוֹב (H2101, only ten verses in the whole Bible) and the participle זָב (H2100, "flowing"), shared verbatim across both halves of the chapter. Keil & Delitzsch use exactly this lexical agreement — "the agreement between the law relating to the man… and that concerning the woman with an issue (Leviticus 15:19, 'her issue in her flesh')" — to argue both refer to "a secretion from the sexual organs." The link is verbal in the strict sense: a low-frequency lexeme repeated across the unit.

Leviticus 15:19 · Leviticus 15:25

basis: rare shared lexeme H2101 zôwb (in only 10 verses) plus H2100 zûwb (41 vv) and H1320 bâsâr; Verifier-confirmed between Lev 15:2 and 15:19/15:25

The man's cleansing law and his completion (v. 2 → 15:13) verbal / quotation — confirmed

The opening case finds its resolution in v. 13, where the man, once his issue ceases, counts seven days, washes his clothes, and bathes his flesh in running water. The bridge is again the rare זוֹב (H2101) together with בָּשָׂר (H1320, "flesh"). Keil appeals to v. 13's "bathe his flesh in water" as his decisive proof that "flesh" means the body, not the organ — so the thread is not only verbal but exegetically load-bearing: v. 13 is read back into v. 2 to settle the meaning of בָּשָׂר.

Leviticus 15:13

basis: rare shared lexeme H2101 zôwb (10 vv) + H2100 zûwb + H1320 bâsâr; Verifier-confirmed Lev 15:2 ↔ 15:13

The saddle of the unclean and the chariot of the king (v. 9 → 1 Kings 4:26; Song 3:10) verbal / quotation — confirmed

The "saddle" of v. 9 is named by a word that occurs only three times in all Scripture: מֶרְכָּב (H4817). The other two are wholly unrelated in subject — Solomon's chariot-stalls (1 Kings 4:26) and the bridal seat of Solomon's palanquin (Song 3:10), the very passages Ellicott cites to fix the word's range ("the seat inside the palanquin"). By the rare-lexeme rule a three-verse word is a genuine verbal link; held honestly, it is a link of vocabulary only — the contexts (impurity, royal stables, royal wedding) share nothing thematically. The thread is recorded for what it is: a lexical thread, not a theological one.

1 Kings 4:26 · Song of Solomon 3:10

basis: rare shared lexeme H4817 merkâb (in only 3 verses total); Verifier-confirmed. Note: verbal only — contexts are unrelated

Wash-clothes, bathe, unclean-till-evening: the shared purification formula (v. 5 → Numbers 19:19, 21) structural / thematic — confirmed

The recurring cure of vv. 5–11 — כָּבַס the clothes (H3526), רָחַץ the body, unclean עַד־הָעֶרֶב (until evening) — is the standard purification idiom shared with the red-heifer law of Numbers 19. The Verifier finds the cluster כָּבַס (H3526, 48 vv), עֶרֶב (H6153), נָגַע (H5060), טָמֵא (H2930) held in common — common, well-distributed purity vocabulary, not a rare quotation. The connection is real but structural: a shared ritual pattern, the same liturgy of laundering, bathing, and waiting for sundown, not a verbal citation.

Numbers 19:19 · Numbers 19:21

basis: shared purification-formula lexemes H3526 kâbaç, H6153 ʻereb, H5060 nâgaʻ, H2930 ṭâmêʼ — all common (≥48 vv); pattern, not rare-word quotation; Verifier-confirmed structural

Broken clay and rinsed wood: the porous-vessel rule (v. 12 → Leviticus 11:33; 6:28) structural / thematic — confirmed

That earthenware touched by impurity must be שָׁבַר (broken, H7665) while other vessels are washed is the same principle stated in the food-laws (Leviticus 11:33) and the sin-offering law (Leviticus 6:28). The verbal overlap is tighter than vessel-vocabulary alone: the Verifier finds the distinctive word for fired clay, חֶרֶשׂ (H2789, earthenware, only 16 vv), shared across all three, together with שָׁבַר (break) — and with 6:28 the rinsing verb שָׁטַף (H7857) as well. Keil makes the cross-reference explicit: vessels "were to be broken to pieces if they were of earthenware, and rinsed with water if they were of wood, for the reasons explained in Leviticus 11:33 and Leviticus 6:21." Held honestly, this is a recurring legal formula stamped from one mould rather than one verse quoting another — so it is tiered structural, but the shared rare-ish חֶרֶשׂ is named so the link is not under-sold as mere common vocabulary.

Leviticus 11:33 · Leviticus 6:28

basis: recurring legal formula (porous earthenware broken, other vessels rinsed), shared by Lev 6:28 / 11:33; distinctive shared lexeme H2789 cheres (16 vv) + H7665 shâbar (+ H7857 shâṭaph with 6:28); Verifier-confirmed. Pattern from a common mould, not a quotation — held structural

“The washing of cups and pots” (v. 12 → Mark 7:4) flagged — verify source

Ellicott and Cambridge both connect the vessel-rinsing of v. 12 to Jesus' reference to the Pharisees' washing "of cups, and pots, brazen vessels, and of tables" (Mark 7:4) — the rabbinic extension of this law to metal and to newly purchased vessels. Held honestly: this is a cross-Testament link, Hebrew to Greek, so it cannot rest on a shared Strong's number — the Verifier finds no common original-language lexeme and returns "no shared lexeme." The connection is real as a history of interpretation (Second-Temple halakhah elaborating Leviticus 15:12), but the provenance of Mark's specific list is a report of Pharisaic custom, not a citation of this verse. Flagged so the seam shows.

Mark 7:4

basis: cross-Testament (Hebrew↔Greek): no shared Strong's lexeme possible; Verifier returns no shared lexeme. Link is interpretive-historical (Second-Temple practice), asserted by Ellicott/Cambridge, not a verbal quotation — left flagged

Christ in the Unittypology · verify

AI-generated reading; weigh it against the text.

Cleansing by water until evening — the gospel signified widely-held

Every minor defilement in the chapter is undone the same way: wash, bathe, and wait — and he shall be unclean until evening. The cleansing is by water, and it is bounded by time. The historic Christian reading hears in this washing-rite a shadow cast forward. Matthew Henry states it plainly and traditionally — in these laws, he says, "The great gospel duties of faith and repentance are here signified, and the great gospel privileges of the application of Christ's blood to our souls for our justification, and his grace for our sanctification." The water that cleanses till evening is read as a parable of a greater washing: where Hebrews sets the ashes of a heifer that sanctify the flesh against the blood of Christ that purges the conscience (Heb 9:13-14). Held honestly: this is a typological reading, not a verbal link — no Hebrew↔Greek lexeme is shared — but it is an ancient and widely-held one, voiced here by a PD source, not a novelty of the ⚙ layer; the figure (water-cleansing now, blood-cleansing fulfilled) is offered as the traditional sense, to be weighed against the text.

Leviticus 15:5 · Hebrews 9:13

The unclean made clean by touch reversed widely-held

The deep grammar of Leviticus 15 is that uncleanness flows outward by contact and purity never does: the unclean man defiles the clean (v. 8), and even his rinsed hand can only withhold defilement, never impart cleanness. The Gospels deliberately invert this. When a woman with a twelve-year flow of blood — the very condition of Leviticus 15:25-30, the woman's counterpart to this man's issue — touches Jesus, the current runs backward: she is not made unclean by Him; He is not defiled by her; instead virtue goes out and she is healed (Mark 5:25-34). Held honestly: this is a cross-Testament, thematic-typological reading, not a verbal link — the Verifier finds no shared original-language lexeme between Hebrew Leviticus and Greek Mark, and the connection rests on the parallel condition (a chronic discharge rendering one unclean) and its reversal in Christ, who touches the unclean and cleanses rather than contracting their impurity.

Leviticus 15:25 · Mark 5:25

The broken vessel and the body given novel

The chapter's one irreversible verdict is the porous clay vessel of v. 12: what has absorbed impurity too deeply to rinse must be שָׁבַר — broken. Gill, citing Ainsworth, already heard in it "the destruction of reprobate persons" set against "the cleansing of penitent sinners." The ⚙ layer offers a further, frankly figural reading to be tested: where impurity cannot be washed away, it can only be borne in a vessel that is broken — and the New Testament names a body that is a "vessel" (2 Cor 4:7) and a body "broken for you" (1 Cor 11:24) precisely so that what no rinsing could cleanse might be carried away in death. Held honestly: this is a novel typological suggestion, not an ancient consensus reading and not a verbal link — it leans on the figure of the broken clay vessel, offered for the reader to weigh against the text, not asserted as the verse's plain sense.

Leviticus 15:12 · 1 Corinthians 11:24

Apparatus & Provenance

The biblical text is the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain (CC0). Hebrew/Greek text, transliteration, morphology and Strong’s are transcribed from the Berean interlinear (CC0) + Strong’s lexicons (PD); the literal renderings, divergence notes, word notes and all synthesis are this tool’s own work (⚙) — fallible; verify them.

Named voices, quoted verbatim from public-domain works:

  • Albert Barnes, Notes on the Bible (1834)
  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges, (1880s)
  • Charles Ellicott, Commentary for English Readers (1878)
  • Geneva Study Bible, Marginal Notes (1599)
  • Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory (1871)
  • John Gill, Exposition of the Entire Bible (1746–63)
  • Joseph Benson, Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1810s)
  • Keil & Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1860s)
  • Matthew Henry, Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible (1706)
  • Matthew Poole, Annotations upon the Holy Bible (1685)
  • The Pulpit Commentary, Spence & Exell, eds. (1880s)

The Hebrew is the Masoretic text; transliterations, parsings, literal renderings, and the "where the English smooths the Hebrew" notes are this tool's own work (⚙) — careful but fallible; check them against BDB/HALOT. Two genuine ambiguities are left open, not resolved: (1) the meaning of בָּשָׂר ("flesh") in v. 2 — euphemism for the organ (Ellicott, Cambridge, Poole) or the body (Keil & Delitzsch) — the parse fixes the lemma, not the referent; (2) whose hands are rinsed in v. 11 — the flowing man's or the touched man's (Poole sets out both). A textual-critical note: v. 9 alone omits the "until evening" clause that closes every parallel verse; Ellicott argues the LXX's "until evening" preserves the original reading dropped from the Hebrew — recorded, not silently emended. On the cross-references: within Leviticus 15 the links rest on genuinely rare lexemes — זוֹב (H2101, 10 vv) and מֶרְכָּב (H4817, 3 vv) — and are tiered "verbal"; the merkâb link to 1 Kings 4:26 and Song 3:10 is verbal in vocabulary only, the contexts being unrelated, and is labeled as such. The Numbers 19 link is structural (shared ritual pattern, common purity vocabulary), not a quotation; the Leviticus 11:33 / 6:28 link is structural too — a recurring legal formula — but it carries the distinctive earthenware word חֶרֶשׂ (H2789, 16 vv) and the verbs שָׁבַר / שָׁטַף, which the Verifier confirms and which lift it above mere shared vocabulary, though still short of a one-verse-quotes-another citation. Every link reaching into the Greek New Testament (Mark 7:4, Mark 5:25, 1 Cor 11:24, Heb 9:13) is necessarily not verbal — a Hebrew↔Greek pair cannot share a Strong's number, and the Verifier returns no shared lexeme for each — and is tiered structural, typological, or flagged accordingly; the Mark 7:4 connection is left flagged because it reports Second-Temple practice rather than citing this verse. = human public-domain source, quoted and named. = machine synthesis, to be verified. "Search the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so." (Acts 17:11)

= human, public-domain source, quoted and named. = machine synthesis, to be verified. Flagged cross-references are left visible on purpose — the verifier working in the open. “Search the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:11)