Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Leviticus 15:13
And when he that hath an issue is cleansed of his issue; then he shall number to himself seven days for his cleansing, and wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in running water, and shall be clean.
13. When the man is physically cured, he has yet to observe the rules for ritual purification, and to offer sacrifices, a Sin-Offering and a Burnt-Offering.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The mere cessation of the issue does not make him clean: he must wait seven days, etc., preparatory to his offering sacrifice.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Is cleansed of his issue; when his issue is not only stopped in part, or for a season, but hath wholly ceased.
For his cleansing, to wit, for the use of the ceremonies prescribed in such cases. See Num 19:11,12. Shall be clean, i.e. admitted to converse with men, and with God in public ordinances.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
13, 14. then he shall number tohimself seven days for his cleansingLike a leprous person heunderwent a week’s probation, to make sure he was completely healed.Then with the sacrifices prescribed, the priest made an atonement forhim, that is, offered the oblations necessary for the removal of hisceremonial defilement, as well as the typical pardon of his sins.
Le15:19-33. UNCLEANNESS OFWOMEN.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And when he that hath an issue is cleansed of his issue,…. That is, it is ceased from him, as the Targum of Jonathan and Jarchi explain it; for otherwise, according to the ceremonial law, he was not yet cleansed, until he had done everything next prescribed; but when he perceived there was an entire stop put to his disorder:
then he shall number to himself seven days for his cleansing; by which time it would appear whether he was thoroughly rid of it or not; and these seven days, as Jarchi observes, must be seven pure days, quite free from pollution, and continued in a constant course, without interruption; for, as Gersom says, if he saw any impurity in anyone of these days it did not come into the account: nay, according to Maimonides b, he must begin to number again from the day of the last appearance:
and wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in running water; typical of the fountain opened in Christ to wash in for sin and uncleanness, even the fountain of his blood, which cleanses from all sin; and in which both the persons and garments of the saints are washed and made white:
and shall be clean; in a ceremonial sense; as all that are washed from their sins in the blood of Christ are clean in a spiritual and evangelical sense.
b Hilchot Mechosre Capharah, c. 3. sect. 1.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
When he was cleansed, i.e., recovered from his issue, he was to wait seven days with regard to his purification, and then wash his clothes and bathe his body in fresh water, and be clean. On the eighth day he was to bring two turtle-doves or young pigeons, in order that the priest might prepare one as a sin-offering and the other as a burnt-offering, and make an atonement for him before the Lord for his issue.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
Verses 13-15:
When the victim was cured of his “issue,” either by medication or by Divine intervention, he was to observe the prescribed ritual for his ceremonial cleansing:
1. He must mark seven days from the time of his cure, possibly to observe for a recurrence of the disease.
2. He must wash his clothes, and bathe himself in “running water.”
3. He must bring two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, to the priest, one as a Sin Offering, and the other as a Burnt offering.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(13) And when he . . . is cleansed of his issue.That is, recovered or healed of his infirmity (see Lev. 15:28), as the real purification was not accomplished till he had performed the ritual prescribed in this and in the two following verses. He is, however, not to perform these rites as soon as he finds that the issue has ceased, but has to wait seven clear days, so as to afford sufficient time to ascertain whether the infirmity had actually disappeared. If any vestige of it was seen during these seven days, or even at the end of the seventh day, and after he was baptized, he had again to count seven other days.
Bathe his flesh in running water.Or, more literally, living water. It will be seen that whilst all other defiled persons and things were to be immersed in a collection of water, the restored man who had suffered from the issue in question was ordered to bathe in a fountain or in spring water. For the phrase living water, see Lev. 14:5; Lev. 14:50. It is more than probable that the term flesh has here, too, the euphemistic sense in which it has hitherto been used in this section. (See Lev. 15:2-3; Lev. 15:7.) This derives support from the fact that whenever bathing of the body is ordered, the phrase for it throughout this section is uniformly bathe in water simply, which occurs no less than ten times (Lev. 15:5-8; Lev. 15:10-11; Lev. 15:18; Lev. 15:21-22; Lev. 15:27), and where the Authorised Version has in all cases inserted himself in italics. This, moreover, seems to be confirmed by the fact that in the only passage in this section where the expression flesh is used in its literal sense for body (see Lev. 15:16), the sacred writer designedly added (th kol) all, so that it might be distinguished from the euphemistic sense in which it is used in all the other passages in this section, This, however, would not exclude the bathing of the body as well, but, on the contrary, premises it.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
13-15. When he is cleansed When by any means his issue was healed and his physical purity was restored he was to pass through a ceremonial cleansing after seven days by washing his clothes and bathing his flesh in running, that is, living, water, and by presenting to the priest two turtle doves, or two young pigeons, one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. For the order see Introduction, (5.) The sin offering was required because all natural evil springs more or less directly from moral evil or sin.
An atonement for his issue The physical defilement needed to be covered from the eye of Infinite Purity, and its moral cause needed expiation, in addition to the satisfaction which should be rendered for duties omitted during the period of uncleanness. Jesus Christ “bare our sicknesses.” Mat 8:17, note. If we “are complete in him,” (Col 2:10,) both body and soul, diseased by sin, are to be ultimately restored by the great Physician.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Lev 15:13 And when he that hath an issue is cleansed of his issue; then he shall number to himself seven days for his cleansing, and wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in running water, and shall be clean.
Ver. 13. Bathe his flesh. ] This taught them to run to that open fountain, that kings’ bath. Zec 13:1 Eze 36:29
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
running. Hebrew living, not stagnant. See Lev 14:5.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
seven days: Lev 15:28, Lev 8:33, Lev 9:1, Lev 14:8, Lev 14:10, Exo 29:35, Exo 29:37, Num 12:14, Num 19:11, Num 19:12
wash: Lev 15:5, Lev 15:10, Lev 15:11, Jer 33:8, Eze 36:25-29, 2Co 7:1, Jam 4:8, Rev 1:5
Reciprocal: Lev 11:25 – and be unclean Lev 15:27 – General Lev 22:4 – until Num 31:24 – General Deu 23:11 – wash himself
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
15:13 And when he that hath an issue is {e} cleansed of his issue; then he shall number to himself seven days for his cleansing, and wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in running water, and shall be clean.
(e) That is, be restored to his old state, and be healed of it.