Leviticus 12 · Verse 4

Leviticus 12:4

And she shall then continue in the blood of her purifying three and thirty days; she shall touch no hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying be fulfilled.
Leviticus 12:4, King James Version

Leviticus 12:4 in other translations

BSBThe woman shall continue in purification from her bleeding for thirty-three days. She must not touch anything sacred or go into the sanctuary until the days of her purification are complete.
WEBShe shall continue in the blood of purification thirty-three days. She shall not touch any holy thing, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying are completed.
ASVAnd she shall continue in the blood of her purifying three and thirty days; she shall touch no hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying be fulfilled.
YLTand thirty and three days she doth abide in the blood of her cleansing; against any holy thing she doth not come, and unto the sanctuary she doth not go in, till the fulness of the days of her cleansing.
DARBYAnd she shall continue thirty-three days in the blood of her cleansing; no holy thing shall she touch, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her cleansing are fulfilled.
BBEAnd 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.
WebsterAnd she shall then continue in the blood of her purifying three and thirty days: she shall touch no hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying be fulfilled.

What does Leviticus 12:4 mean?

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 4 The blood of her purifying - A few words will make this subject sufficiently plain. 1. God designs that the human female should bring forth children. 2. That children should derive, under his providence, their being, all their solids and all their fluids, in a word, the whole mass of their bodies, from the substance of the mother. 3. For this purpose he has given to the body of the female an extra quantity of blood and nutritious juices. 4. Before pregnancy this superabundance is evacuated at periodical times. 5. In pregnancy, that which was formerly evacuated is retained for the formation and growth of the fetus, or the general strengthening of the system during the time of pregnancy. 6. After the birth of the child, for seven or fourteen days, more or less according to certain circumstances, that superabundance, no longer necessary for the growth of the child as before, continues to be evacuated: this was called the time of the female's purification among the Jews. 7. When the lacerated vessels are rejoined, this superfluity of blood is returned into the general circulation, and, by a wise law of the Creator, becomes principally useful to the breasts, and helps in the production of milk for the nourishment of the new-born infant. 8. And thus it continues till the weaning of the child, or renewed pregnancy takes place. Here is a series of mercies and wise providential regulations which cannot be known without being admired, and which should be known that the great Creator and Preserver may have that praise from his creatures which his wonderful working demands. The term purifying here does not imply that there is any thing impure in the blood at this or the other times referred to above; on the contrary, the blood is pure, perfectly so, as to its quality, but is excessive in quantity for the reasons above assigned. The idle tales found in certain works relative to the infectious nature of this fluid, and of the female in such times are as impious as they are irrational and absurd.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Leviticus 12:4 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וּשְׁלֹשִׁ֥יםu.she.lo.Shimand thirtyH7970
יוֹם֙yOmday[s]H3117
וּשְׁלֹ֣שֶׁתu.she.Lo.shetand threeH7969
יָמִ֔יםya.MimdaysH3117
תֵּשֵׁ֖בte.Shevshe will remainH3427
בִּדְמֵ֣יbid.Meiin [the] blood<s> ofH1818
טָהֳרָ֑הto.ho.RahpurificationH2892
בְּכָל\־be.khol<in> anyH3605
קֹ֣דֶשׁKo.deshholy thingH6944
לֹֽא\־lo'-notH3808
תִגָּ֗עti.Ga'she will touchH5060
וְאֶל\־ve.'el-and intoH413
הַמִּקְדָּשׁ֙ha.mik.Dashthe sanctuaryH4720
לֹ֣אlo'notH3808
תָבֹ֔אta.Vo'she will goH935
עַד\־'ad-untilH5704
מְלֹ֖אתme.Lotare completedH4390
יְמֵ֥יye.Mei[the] days ofH3117
טָהֳרָֽהּ\׃to.ho.Rahpurification herH2892

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Leviticus 12:4

  • Haggai 2:13

    Then said Haggai, If one that is unclean by a dead body touch any of these, shall it be unclean? And the priests answered and said, It shall be unclean.

  • Leviticus 15:25-28

    And if a woman have an issue of her blood many days out of the time of her separation, or if it run beyond the time of her separation; all the days of the issue of her uncleanness shall be as the days of her separation: she shall be unclean. Every bed whereon she lieth all the days of her issue shall be unto her as the bed of her separation: and whatsoever she sitteth upon shall be unclean, as the uncleanness of her separation. And whosoever toucheth those things shall be unclean, and shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. But if she be cleansed of her issue, then she shall number to herself seven days, and after that she shall be clean.

  • Luke 2:22-23

    And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord; (As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;)

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
15:25-28; Hag 2:13; Lu 2:22,23

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Leviticus 12:3

    And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.

  • Leviticus 12:4

    And she shall then continue in the blood of her purifying three and thirty days; she shall touch no hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying be fulfilled.

  • Leviticus 12:5

    But if she bear a maid child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her separation: and she shall continue in the blood of her purifying threescore and six days.

Read all of Leviticus 12

Leviticus 12:4 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Mas ella permanecerá treinta y tres días en la sangre de su purgación: ninguna cosa santa tocará, ni vendrá al santuario, hasta que sean cumplidos los días de su purgación.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et elle demeurera 33 jours dans le sang de sa purification; elle ne touchera aucune chose sainte, et ne viendra pas au sanctuaire, jusqu’à ce que les jours de sa purification soient accomplis.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und sie soll 33 Tage im Blute der Reinigung bleiben; nichts Heiliges soll sie anrühren, und zum Heiligtum soll sie nicht kommen, bis die Tage ihrer Reinigung erfüllt sind.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		ipsa vero triginta tribus diebus manebit in sanguine purificationis suæ. Omne sanctum non tanget, nec ingredietur in sanctuarium, donec impleantur dies purificationis suæ.