Leviticus 12:2

2 Speak thou to the sons of Israel, and thou shalt say to them, If a woman, when she hath received seed, childeth a knave child, she shall be unclean by seven days, by the days of her separating of corruptible blood, that runneth from her by months; (Speak thou to the Israelites, and thou shalt say to them, If a woman, when she hath received seed, beareth a boy, she shall be unclean for seven days, as she is in the days of her separation for the corrupt blood that runneth from her every month;)

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 ) .


FOOTNOTES:

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

Leviticus 12:2 In-Context

1 And the Lord spake to Moses, and said,
2 Speak thou to the sons of Israel, and thou shalt say to them, If a woman, when she hath received seed, childeth a knave child, she shall be unclean by seven days, by the days of her separating of corruptible blood, that runneth from her by months; (Speak thou to the Israelites, and thou shalt say to them, If a woman, when she hath received seed, beareth a boy, she shall be unclean for seven days, as she is in the days of her separation for the corrupt blood that runneth from her every month;)
3 and the young child shall be circumcised in the eighth day. (and the young boy shall be circumcised on the eighth day.)
4 Soothly she shall dwell three and thirty days in the blood of her purifying; she shall not touch any holy thing, neither she shall enter into the saintuary, till the days of her cleansing be [ful]filled.
5 Soothly if she childeth a female, she shall be unclean (for) two weeks, (as she is) by the custom of [the] flowing (out) of unclean blood, and threescore and six days she shall dwell in the blood of her cleansing.
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.