Imamat 15:19

Female Bodily Discharges

15:19 “‘When a woman has a discharge ¹  and her discharge is blood from her body, ²  she is to be in her menstruation ³  seven days, and anyone who touches her will be unclean until evening.

Imamat 15:24

15:24 and if a man actually has sexual intercourse with her so that her menstrual impurity touches him, ⁴  then he will be unclean seven days and any bed he lies on will be unclean.

Imamat 20:18

20:18 If a man has sexual intercourse with a menstruating woman and uncovers her nakedness, he has laid bare her fountain of blood and she has exposed the fountain of her blood, so both of them ⁵  must be cut off from the midst of their people.

Yehezkiel 18:6

18:6 does not eat pagan sacrifices on the mountains ⁶  or pray to the idols ⁷  of the house of Israel, does not defile his neighbor’s wife, does not have sexual relations with a ⁸  woman during her period,

Yehezkiel 22:10

22:10 They have sex with their father’s wife within you; ⁹  they violate women during their menstrual period within you. ¹⁰ 

[15:19]  ¹ tn See the note on Lev 15:2 above.

[15:19]  ² tn Heb “blood shall be her discharge in her flesh.” The term “flesh” here refers euphemistically to the female sexual area (cf. the note on v. 2 above).

[15:19]  ³ tn See the note on Lev 12:2 and R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 1:925-27.

[15:24]  ⁴ tn Heb “and if a man indeed lies with her and her menstrual impurity is on him.”

[20:18]  ⁵ tn Heb “and the two of them.”

[18:6]  ⁶ tn Heb, “on the mountains he does not eat.” The mountains are often mentioned as the place where idolatrous sacrifices were eaten (Ezek 20:28; 22:9; 34:6).

[18:6]  ⁷ tn Heb, “does not lift up his eyes.” This refers to looking to idols for help.

[18:6]  ⁸ tn Heb, “does not draw near to.” “Draw near” is a euphemism for sexual intercourse (Lev 18:14; Deut 22:14; Isa 8:3).

[22:10]  ⁹ tn Heb “the nakedness of a father one uncovers within you.” The ancient versions read the verb as plural (“they uncover”). If the singular is retained, it must be taken as indefinite and representative of the entire group. The idiomatic expression “uncover the nakedness” refers here to sexual intercourse (cf. Lev 18:6). To uncover a father’s nakedness could include sexual relations with one’s own mother (Lev 18:7), but more likely it refers to having intercourse with another wife of one’s father, such as a stepmother (Lev 18:8; cf. Gen 35:22; 49:4).

[22:10]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “(one who is) unclean due to the impurity they humble within you.” The use of the verb “to humble” suggests that these men forced themselves upon women during menstruation. Having sexual relations with a woman during her period was forbidden by the Law (Lev 18:19; 20:18).