Leviticus12chapter 12

Leviticus 12:1-4

Chapter 11 was spoken to Moses and Aaron together, and this one is spoken to Moses alone. The mother's seven days of uncleanness and her three and thirty days of purifying make forty in total. The one instruction here addressed to anyone but her is the circumcision of her son at verse 3, and John Gill ties that eighth day to the morning after her first seven end. Luke 2:21 records the eighth day kept for Jesus.

Leviticus 12:5-7

Every number doubles for a daughter, two weeks against one and threescore and six days against three and thirty, and the text gives no reason for it. Matthew Henry wrote that he could assign no reason but the will of the Law-maker, and Adam Clarke called the difference difficult to account for. What is asked at verse 6 is the same either way, a lamb for a burnt offering and a bird for a sin offering, so the doubling falls on the waiting rather than on the sacrifice. A sin offering is required and no sin is named anywhere in the chapter, which is why Henry offers two readings of it and settles on neither.

Leviticus 12:8

The last verse lowers the price. A woman who cannot afford a lamb brings two turtledoves or two young pigeons, and one bird then does the work the lamb would have done. Luke 2:22-24 has Mary and Joseph at the temple bringing exactly that pair, which places the household Jesus was born into on the lower line of this verse. Adam Clarke said it plainly, that the heir to the throne of David was not able to bring a lamb.