Home/Biblical Encyclopedia/P/Purification from uncleanness and defilement

Purification from uncleanness and defilement

Archimandrite Nikifor’s Biblical Encyclopedia

. Under the Mosaic Law the unclean included lepers, those with discharges, women after childbirth, newborn children, and everything dead; uncleanness passed by contact from them to other persons and objects (Lev. 12:2–6; 15:2; Num. 5:2–3). As a chosen and holy people, the Israelites were to remain apart from all such uncleanness. Various regulations and purification sacrifices were established in the Law for cleansing from them. See Baths, Bathing, and the separate entries Water of purification, Water of jealousy, and others.

Scripture cited

Leviticus 12:2 Numbers 5:2

Related entries

Circumcision (Gen. 17:10-12, John 7:22) was a notable rite of the Jewish religion, which consisted in the cutting off of…
The sin offering. Belonging to the category of propitiatory sacrifices, this offering and the trespass offering were closely…
Young Pigeons (Lev. 1:14; Luke 2:24)—birds accepted for certain offerings. A person unable to afford a lamb after…
Barley (Exod. 9:31; Lev. 27:16; Num. 5:15; Judg. 7:13; Job 31:40; Ruth 1:22; 2:17; John 6:9, 13, and elsewhere)—a…
Head coverings among the Hebrews. To determine precisely what form of head covering the Hebrews had is very difficult, for on the one hand the…
The Ram (Gen. 31:38, Ex. 29:15-20, Lev. 5:15, Num. 5:8, Deut. 32:14 and others). Rams, from among the small…
The water of jealousy (Num. 5:11–31) — the bitter water used in the testing of guilt or innocence, which a woman suspected of…
The wave offering and heave offering before the Lord (Exod. 29:24–28, and elsewhere) — ritual acts of the offering and consecration of a sacrifice to God; with…

Search the whole Encyclopedia All 4,575 entries, searchable, with every entry linked to the verses it explains.