Leviticus 15:16
in Leviticus 15When a man has an emission of semen, he must bathe his whole body with water, and he will be unclean until evening.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And if any man’s seed of copulation go out from him, then he shall bathe all his flesh in water, and be unclean until the even.
KJV
And if any man’s seed of copulation go out from him, then he shall wash all his flesh in water, and be unclean until the even.
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This verse in Leviticus 15
Commentary
3 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
he shall number to himself seven days
on Leviticus 15:13-18
The stopping of the issue leaves the uncleanness standing. He counts seven days from the day it stops, bathes in running water, and on the eighth day brings two turtledoves or two young pigeons, one for a sin offering and one for a burnt offering, which is the offering Leviticus 5:7 and 12:8 allow the man who cannot afford a lamb. Verses 16 to 18 dispose of the ordinary case in three verses with water and the fall of evening and no offering, and verse 18 puts a married couple under the same one day rule. Exodus 19:15 and 1 Samuel 21:4-5 both stand on this, Israel told to come not at your wives before Sinai and David's men required to be clear of it before they may eat the hallowed bread.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
And if any man's seed of copulation go out from him,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Most of the ancient religions made a similar recognition of impurity and of the need of purfication. Lev 15:17 Every garment - Compare Jud 1:23.
The words behind it
14 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְאִ֕ישׁ | veish | and a man | H376 → | 1663 times |
| כִּֽי־ | ki- | if | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| תֵצֵ֥א | tetze' | it will go out | H3318 → | 1067 times |
| מִמֶּ֖נּוּ | mimenu | from him | H4480 → | 1188 times |
| שִׁכְבַת־ | shikhvat- | a laying of | H7902 → | 9 times |
| זָ֑רַע | zara' | seed | H2233 → | 229 times |
| וְרָחַ֥ץ | verachatz | and he will wash | H7364 → | 72 times |
| בַּמַּ֛יִם | bamayim | with <the> water | H4325 → | 581 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| בְּשָׂר֖וֹ | besaro | body his | H1320 → | 270 times |
| וְטָמֵ֥א | vetame' | and he will be unclean | H2930 → | 162 times |
| עַד־ | ʾad- | until | H5704 → | 1261 times |
| הָעָֽרֶב׃ | haarev | the evening | H6153 → | 134 times |
וְאִ֕ישׁand a man
veishH376 →1663 times
כִּֽי־if
ki-H3588 →4482 times
תֵצֵ֥אit will go out
tetze'H3318 →1067 times
מִמֶּ֖נּוּfrom him
mimenuH4480 →1188 times
שִׁכְבַת־a laying of
shikhvat-H7902 →9 times
זָ֑רַעseed
zara'H2233 →229 times
וְרָחַ֥ץand he will wash
verachatzH7364 →72 times
בַּמַּ֛יִםwith <the> water
bamayimH4325 →581 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
כָּל־all
kol-H3605 →5413 times
בְּשָׂר֖וֹbody his
besaroH1320 →270 times
וְטָמֵ֥אand he will be unclean
vetame'H2930 →162 times
עַד־until
ʾad-H5704 →1261 times
הָעָֽרֶב׃the evening
haarevH6153 →134 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
1 John 1:7But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
it leads to
- Ephesians 5:8
For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light,
- Romans 13:12
The night is nearly over; the day has drawn near. So let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.
- Revelation 1:5
and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and has released us from our sins by…
- Ephesians 1:7
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace
- Revelation 7:14
“Sir,” I answered, “you know.” So he replied, “These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the…
- Ephesians 5:8
Through
1 Peter 2:11Beloved, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from the desires of the flesh, which war against your soul.
it leads to
- 1 John 2:15–17
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
- Galatians 5:24
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
- 1 Peter 4:2
Consequently, he does not live out his remaining time on earth for human passions, but for the will of God.
- 1 John 2:15–17
About Leviticus

This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.
