Leviticus 12:2

2 Say to the children of Israel, If a woman is with child and gives birth to a male child, she will be unclean for seven days, as when she is unwell.

Leviticus 12:2 Meaning and Commentary

Leviticus 12:2

Speak unto the children of Israel
For this law only concerned them, and not other nations of the world:

if a woman have conceived seed;
by lying with a man, and so becomes pregnant, and goes on with her pregnancy until she brings forth a child. The Jews from hence gather, that this law respects abortions; that if a woman has conceived and miscarries, eighty one days after the birth of a female, and forty one after a male, she must bring her offering ^F13; but the law seems only to regard such as are with child, and proceed to the due time of childbirth, whether then the child is born alive or dead:

and born a man child;
which is, generally speaking, not only matter of joy to the mother, but to the whole family, see ( John 16:21 ) : then she shall be unclean seven days; be separate from all company, except those whose presence is necessary to take care of her in her circumstances, and do what is proper for her, and even these became ceremonially unclean thereby; yea, her husband was not permitted to sit near her, nor to eat and drink with her:

according to the days of the separation for her infirmity shall she
be unclean;
the same number of days, even seven, she was unclean on account of childbirth, as she was for her monthly courses, called here an infirmity or sickness, incident to all females when grown up, at which time they were separate from all persons; and the case was the same with a new mother; see ( Leviticus 15:14-29 ) .

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FOOTNOTES:

F13 Misn. Ceritot, c. 1. sect. 6. Maimon. & Bartenora, in ib.

Leviticus 12:2 In-Context

1 And the Lord said to Moses,

2 Say to the children of Israel, If a woman is with child and gives birth to a male child, she will be unclean for seven days, as when she is unwell.

3 And on the eighth day let him be given circumcision.

4 And she will be unclean for thirty-three days till the flow of her blood is stopped; no holy thing may be touched by her, and she may not come into the holy place, till the days for making her clean are ended.

5 But if she gives birth to a female child, then she will be unclean for two weeks, as when she is unwell; and she will not be completely clean for sixty-six days.