Leviticus 15 · Verse 31

Leviticus 15:31

Thus shall ye separate the children of Israel from their uncleanness; that they die not in their uncleanness, when they defile my tabernacle that is among them.
Leviticus 15:31, King James Version

Leviticus 15:31 in other translations

BSBYou must keep the children of Israel separate from their uncleanness, so that they do not die by defiling My tabernacle, which is among them.
WEB“‘Thus you shall separate the children of Israel from their uncleanness, so they will not die in their uncleanness when they defile my tabernacle that is among them.’”
ASVThus shall ye separate the children of Israel from their uncleanness, that they die not in their uncleanness, when they defile my tabernacle that is in the midst of them.
YLT‘And ye have separated the sons of Israel from their uncleanness, and they die not in their uncleanness, in their defiling My tabernacle which is in their midst.
DARBYAnd ye shall separate the children of Israel from their uncleanness, that they die not in their uncleanness, when they defile my tabernacle that is in their midst.
BBEIn this way may the children of Israel be made free from all sorts of unclean conditions, so that death may not overtake them when they are unclean and when they make unclean my holy place which is among them.
WebsterThus shall ye separate the children of Israel from their uncleanness: that they die not in their uncleanness, when they defile my tabernacle that is among them.

What does Leviticus 15:31 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Leviticus 15:31-33
31-33. Thus shall ye separate the children of Israel from their uncleanness--The divine wisdom was manifested in inspiring the Israelites with a profound reverence for holy things; and nothing was more suited to this purpose than to debar from the tabernacle all who were polluted by any kind of uncleanness, ceremonial as well as natural, mental as well as physical. The better to mark out that people as His family, His servants and priests, dwelling in the camp as in a holy place, consecrated by His presence and His tabernacle, He required of them complete purity, and did not allow them to come before Him when defiled, even by involuntary or secret impurities, as a want of respect due to His majesty. And when we bear in mind that God was training a people to live in His presence in some measure as priests devoted to His service, we shall not consider these rules for the maintenance of personal purity either too stringent or too minute (1Th 4:4).

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 31 Thus shall ye separate the children of Israel from their uncleanness - By this separation the cause became less frequent, and the contagion, if it did exist, was prevented from spreading. So pest-houses and fever-wards are constructed for the purpose of separating the infected from the sound; and thus contagion is lessened, and its diffusion prevented. That they die not - That life may be prolonged by these prudential cares; and that he who is morally and legally unclean, may not presume to enter into the tabernacle of God till purified, lest he provoke Divine justice to consume him, while attempting to worship with a polluted mind and impure hands. 1. How unpromising and how forbidding, at the first view, is this chapter! and yet how full of wise, humane, and moral regulations, manifesting at once the wisdom and kindness of the great Legislator! Every word of God is pure in itself, and of great importance to us. He who cannot derive instruction from the chapter before him, and be led by a proper consideration of its contents to adore the wisdom and goodness of God, must have either a very stupid or a very vitiated mind. 2. In all these ordinances we may plainly see that God has purity of heart continually in view - that the soul may be holy, he cuts off the occasions of sin; and that men may be obliged to keep within due bounds, and possess their vessels in sanctification and honor, he hedges up their way with briars and thorns, and renders transgression painful, shameful, and expensive. 3. Preventing grace is not less necessary than that which saves and which preserves. These three chapters, avoided and neglected by most, contain lessons of instruction for all; and though many things contained in them belong exclusively to the Jewish people as to the letter, yet in their spirit and gracious design they form a part of those revealed things which are for us and for our children; and although they cannot be made the subject of public oral instruction, yet they are highly necessary to be known, and hence the advantage of reading the Scriptures in regular order in private. May we read so as to understand, and practice what we know, that, being wise unto salvation, we may walk as children of the light and of the day, in whom there shall be no occasion of stumbling!

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Leviticus 15:31 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.

וְהִזַּרְתֶּ֥םve.hi.zar.Temand you will keep separateH5144
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
בְּנֵי\־be.nei-[the] people ofH1121
יִשְׂרָאֵ֖לYis.ra.'ElIsraelH3478
מִטֻּמְאָתָ֑םmi.tum.'a.Tamfrom uncleanness theirH2932
וְלֹ֤אve.Lo'and notH3808
יָמֻ֙תוּ֙ya.Mu.tuthey will dieH4191
בְּטֻמְאָתָ֔םbe.tum.'a.Tamin uncleanness theirH2932
בְּטַמְּאָ֥םbe.ta.me.'Ambecause make unclean theyH2930
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
מִשְׁכָּנִ֖יmish.ka.Nidwelling place myH4908
אֲשֶׁ֥ר'a.SherwhichH834
בְּתוֹכָֽם\׃be.to.Kham[is] among midst of themH8432

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

Cross references for Leviticus 15:31

  • Numbers 19:20

    But the man that shall be unclean, and shall not purify himself, that soul shall be cut off from among the congregation, because he hath defiled the sanctuary of the Lord: the water of separation hath not been sprinkled upon him; he is unclean.

  • Ezekiel 5:11

    Wherefore, as I live, saith the Lord God; Surely, because thou hast defiled my sanctuary with all thy detestable things, and with all thine abominations, therefore will I also diminish thee; neither shall mine eye spare, neither will I have any pity.

  • Numbers 19:13

    Whosoever toucheth the dead body of any man that is dead, and purifieth not himself, defileth the tabernacle of the Lord; and that soul shall be cut off from Israel: because the water of separation was not sprinkled upon him, he shall be unclean; his uncleanness is yet upon him.

  • Numbers 5:3

    Both male and female shall ye put out, without the camp shall ye put them; that they defile not their camps, in the midst whereof I dwell.

  • Ezekiel 23:38

    Moreover this they have done unto me: they have defiled my sanctuary in the same day, and have profaned my sabbaths.

  • 1 Corinthians 3:17

    If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

  • Ezekiel 44:23

    And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.

  • Jude 1:4

    For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

  • Hebrews 10:29

    Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?

  • Hebrews 12:14-15

    Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;

  • Daniel 9:27

    And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

  • Leviticus 21:23

    Only he shall not go in unto the vail, nor come nigh unto the altar, because he hath a blemish; that he profane not my sanctuaries: for I the Lord do sanctify them.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Thus shall.
11:47; 13:59; Nu 5:3; De 24:8; Ps 66:18; Eze 44:23; Heb 10:29
Heb 12:14,15; Jude 1:4
that they.
19:30; 21:23; Nu 5:3; 19:13,20; Eze 5:11; 23:38; 44:5-7; Da 9:27
1Co 3:17These laws were principally intended to impress the minds of the Israelites with reverence for the sanctuary; and, on the one hand, to shew them what need they had of circumspection, and purity of heart and life, in order to worship the holy God with acceptance; and, on the other hand, that being sinners in a world full of temptations and defilements, they would continually need forgiveness, through the great atonement typified by all the sacrifices, and the sanctification of the Spirit, showed forth by all the purifications. While they were encamped in the desert, it would not be very burdensome to bring the prescribed oblations; but after they were settled in Canaan, many of them at a great distance from the tabernacle, this would become much more difficult. We may, however, observe, continues Mr. Scott, that many of the cases stated only required such washings as might any where be performed, and that those, respecting which sacrifices were appointed, would more rarely occur. We may also suppose, that provided these were brought, when the person who had been unclean first came to the sanctuary, it would suffice: though distance or other hindrances prevented its being done immediately, at the expiration of the seven days.

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

Context

  • Leviticus 15:30

    And the priest shall offer the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering; and the priest shall make an atonement for her before the Lord for the issue of her uncleanness.

  • Leviticus 15:31

    Thus shall ye separate the children of Israel from their uncleanness; that they die not in their uncleanness, when they defile my tabernacle that is among them.

  • Leviticus 15:32

    This is the law of him that hath an issue, and of him whose seed goeth from him, and is defiled therewith;

Read all of Leviticus 15

Leviticus 15:31 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Así apartaréis los hijos de Israel de sus inmundicias, á fin de que no mueran por sus inmundicias, ensuciando mi tabernáculo que está entre ellos.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et vous séparerez les fils d’Israël de leurs impuretés, et ils ne mourront pas dans leurs impuretés, en souillant mon tabernacle qui est au milieu d’eux.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und ihr sollt die Kinder Israel absondern von ihrer Unreinigkeit, daß sie nicht in ihrer Unreinigkeit sterben, indem sie meine Wohnung verunreinigen, die in ihrer Mitte ist.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Docebitis ergo filios Israël ut caveant immunditiam, et non moriantur in sordibus suis, cum polluerint tabernaculum meum quod est inter eos.