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Leviticus Chapter 12 (JPS)

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Leviticus 12: A Mother's Purification
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1 And HaShem spoke unto Moses, saying:

2 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying: If a woman be delivered, and bear a man-child, then she shall be unclean seven days; as in the days of the impurity of her sickness shall she be unclean.

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

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

5 But if she bear a maid-child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her impurity; and she shall continue in the blood of purification threescore and six days.

6 And when the days of her purification are fulfilled, for a son, or for a daughter, she shall bring a lamb of the first year for a burnt-offering, and a young pigeon, or a turtle-dove, for a sin-offering, unto the door of the tent of meeting, unto the priest.

7 And he shall offer it before HaShem, and make atonement for her; and she shall be cleansed from the fountain of her blood. This is the law for her that beareth, whether a male or a female.

8 And if her means suffice not for a lamb, then she shall take two turtle-doves, or two young pigeons: the one for a burnt-offering, and the other for a sin-offering; and the priest shall make atonement for her, and she shall be clean.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Leviticus chapter 12 cover?
Leviticus 12 lays out the purification period for a woman after childbirth - seven days unclean plus thirty-three days of purifying for a son, doubled to two weeks plus sixty-six days for a daughter - ending with a burnt offering and a sin offering.
When were baby boys to be circumcised according to this chapter?
Verse 3 commands that a male child be circumcised on the eighth day, a rule later fulfilled for Jesus in Luke 2:21.
What if a woman couldn't afford a lamb for her offering?
Verse 8 allowed her to bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons instead, one for a burnt offering and one for a sin offering.

Today's Verse

So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest was sitting upon his seat by the door-post of the temple of Jehovah.

1-samuel 1:9 | ASV

Verse Of The Day

Verse 3's command to circumcise a son on the eighth day is the same law fulfilled centuries later in Luke 2:21. The next chapter, Leviticus 13, turns to a different kind of uncleanness: skin disease.