βSpeak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When any man hath a running issue out of his flesh, because of his issue he is unclean. running: or, running of the reinsβ
Issue of seed, shall be unclean. These legal uncleannesses were instituted in order to give the people a horror of carnal impurities. (Challoner) β If the gonorrhΕa, and the lawful act of marriage, (ver. 16,) and nocturnal delusions, (Deuteronomy xxiii. 10,) induce a kind of uncleannessβsurely to imitate Onan is most detestable, Genesis xxviii. 9. (Tirinus) β The Jews rank the latter crime with murder, and so does Tertullian. See Exodus xxi. 22.
βAnd this shall be his uncleanness in his issue: whether his flesh run with his issue, or his flesh be stopped from his issue, it is his uncleanness.β
At every moment, is not in Hebrew, but something like it occurs in the Samaritan and Septuagint. According to the Hebrew, the uncleanness subsists for some time after the issue has ceased. Grotius pretends that these disorders were contagious; but the reason why God requires such purity in his people, is given [in] ver. 31. He dwelt among them, and would not allow of any disrespectful behaviour. There were to live like priests in his temple. The pagans in Egypt, Greece, and Italy, required the like attention to cleanliness in their priests. (Herod., ii.) β Noctem flumine purgas. (Persius ii.) (Calmet)
βAnd whomsoever he toucheth that hath the issue, and hath not rinsed his hands in water, he shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.β
Such a one; the person under the disorder, unless he have washed his hands.
βAnd the vessel of earth, that he toucheth which hath the issue, shall be broken: and every vessel of wood shall be rinsed in water.β
Broken, after he is perfectly healed. (Calmet)
βAnd the priest shall offer them, the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering; and the priest shall make an atonement for him before the LORD for his issue.β
Offer, (faciet) βshall sacrifice.β (Du Hamel) β For sin. Legal, or any other that he may have incurred.
βAnd 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.β
Evening, whether the action were lawful or not. (Menochius) β Some explain this verse, of nocturnal inconveniences; and ver. 18, of the act of marriage. The latter rendered unclean only in as much as it hindered a person from partaking of any thing sacred, though he might perform the duties of life. (Calmet) β This law was to lay some restraint on the too frequent use of marriage. (Theodoret) (Du Hamel)
βAnd if a woman have an issue, and her issue in her flesh be blood, she shall be put apart seven days: and whosoever toucheth her shall be unclean until the even. put: Heb. in her separationβ
Atβ¦.month. The Hebrew and other versions omit this. (Calmet) β But βher issue in her flesh,β implies as much. (Haydock) β Days, not out of the camp, but from the company of men.
βAnd every thing that she lieth upon in her separation shall be unclean: every thing also that she sitteth upon shall be unclean.β
One, except infants, &c.
βAnd if any man lie with her at all, and her flowers be upon him, he shall be unclean seven days; and all the bed whereon he lieth shall be unclean.β
Days, supposing the case was not brought before the judge, and the man did it through ignorance: otherwise it was death, chap. xx. 18.
βBut if she be cleansed of her issue, then she shall number to herself seven days, and after that she shall be clean.β
Run. Then she might act as usual, without defiling what she touched. It seems from ver. 13, that this law regarded only the time while the tabernacle was in the camp. It would have been very difficult to observe it, when the people were dispersed throughout the land of Chanaan. (Calmet)
βThus shall ye separate the children of Israel from their uncleanness; that they die not in their uncleanness, when they defile my tabernacle that is among them.β
Teach. So the Septuagint also read. Hebrew, βThus you shall removeβ¦.from their filth.β (Houbigant) β Filth. God threatens to kill them, if they approach unclean. (Menochius) β St. Jerome (in Gal. v.) understands this of those abominable sins, which ought not to be mentioned. (Worthington)