Leviticus 15

The idea of normal and abnormal, along with the created order, helps interpret these rules (see “Clean, Unclean, and Holy” Theme Note). Bodily discharges, like infections (see study note on Leviticus 13:1–46), were not considered "normal" because they weakened a person's health. This made the person seem incomplete. Whether male (15:1–18) or female (15:19–33), such a person became unclean.

bodily discharge (literally a flowing from his flesh): Most scholars think the word flesh refers to sexual organs, suggesting an infection like gonorrhea. Others believe it might mean a discharge of semen or even diarrhea. But a discharge of semen is improbable because it is specifically mentioned in Leviticus 15:16–17 and only requires washing with water. It is clear that this bodily discharge came from "under him" (15:10). It contaminated anything he sat on or lay upon (15:4, 6, 9).

Unlike the man with a skin disease, a man with a bodily discharge could stay at home (see Leviticus 13:46). He did not need the detailed cleansing ceremony described in chapter 14. He only had to wait seven days after the discharge stopped, wash (15:13), and offer two birds as sacrifices. One was a sin offering and the other was a whole burnt offering.

In the case of an emission of semen, the discharge was not a sign of illness (see study note on Leviticus 15:1–33). But the same rule applied. The man had to wash and was ceremonially unclean until the next evening.

If a man had a seminal emission during sexual intercourse, both he and the woman became unclean. They had to wash and remain unclean until evening. This was because of a natural bodily emission, not because of infection or disease, and no sacrifice was required.

A woman's menstrual period is natural and not a disease. But because it involved a bloody discharge, she became ceremonially unclean (see Leviticus 15:32–33). The rules were similar to those for a man with a bodily discharge (15:2–12). She could stay at home, but anything she sat on became unclean. Anyone who touched her had to wash, and she probably did the same after the seven-day quarantine. There was no animal sacrifice needed.

Sexual intercourse with a woman during her menstrual period will later be forbidden and will have a harsh penalty (Leviticus 8:19). This verse probably describes a situation where the woman's menstrual flow went unnoticed when the sexual activity started. Or it could be when her period began during intercourse. The rules required the man who came into contact with her blood to share the woman's seven-day quarantine.

Normal menstruation did not require any offering from the woman (Leviticus 15:19–24). If a woman had a discharge of blood lasting more than seven days, she needed a cleansing ceremony. This was similar to the one for a man cleansed of a bodily discharge (15:13–15; see also Matthew 9:20–22).

This is a summary of the principles in Leviticus 15:1–31. Bodily discharges made a person ceremonially unclean. This included pus, semen, menstrual fluid, or blood.