Leviticus 15:12

12 But a clay vessel that the person who discharges touches must be broken, and any {wood object} must be rinsed with water.

Leviticus 15:12 Meaning and Commentary

Leviticus 15:12

And the vessel of earth that he toucheth which hath an issue
shall be broken
That it might not be made use of afterwards; which was ordered, that they might be careful what they touched who were in such circumstances: according to Gersom an earthen vessel received no uncleanness but from the middle, though he owns the law does not distinguish between the middle and the outside; wherefore Jarchi is of opinion, that if the back or outside of it was touched, it was unclean, and to be broken: and every vessel of wood shall be rinsed in water;
and after that be used: what should be the reason why an earthen vessel defiled by touching should be broken, and a wooden vessel defiled in the same way should not, but be rinsed and cleansed, when an earthen vessel might as well be rinsed and fit for use as that, is not easy to say; it depended upon the will of the lawgiver: according to Ainsworth, the one may signify the destruction of reprobate persons, the other the cleansing of penitent sinners.

Leviticus 15:12 In-Context

10 And any person who touches anything that happened to be under him becomes unclean until the evening, and the person who carries them must wash his garments, and he shall wash [himself] with water, and he shall be unclean until the evening.

11 And anyone whom the person who discharges might touch {without} rinsing off his hands with water shall wash his garments, and he shall wash [himself] with water, and he shall be unclean until the evening.

12 But a clay vessel that the person who discharges touches must be broken, and any {wood object} must be rinsed with water.

13 " 'And when the person who discharges becomes clean from his body fluid discharge, he shall count for himself seven days for his cleansing; then he shall wash his garments, and he shall wash his body with {fresh} water, and he shall be clean.

14 Then on the eighth day he shall take for himself two turtledoves or two {young doves}, and he shall come {before} Yahweh at [the] tent of assembly's entrance, and he shall give them to the priest.

Footnotes

• [a]. Or "And"
• [b]. Literally "object of wood"