And whosoever toucheth his bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.
Parallel translations
- WEB Whoever touches his bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening.
- BSB Anyone who touches his bed must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening.
- ESV And anyone who touches his bed shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening.
- NKJV And whoever touches his bed shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening.
- NASB Anyone, moreover, who touches his bed shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening;
- NLT So if you touch the man’s bed, you must wash your clothes and bathe yourself in water, and you will remain unclean until evening.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Anyone touching the unclean man's bed must wash, bathe, and remain unclean until evening. Contact with defilement requires cleansing and a waiting period.
Overview
The remedy for secondary contact involves washing clothes, bathing, and waiting until evening. These repeated rituals kept Israel mindful that approaching God required purity and could not be taken lightly. The recurring need for water and waiting points toward the deeper washing of regeneration and the cleansing accomplished by Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 25
- Lev 11:25And whosoever beareth ought of the carcase of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even.
- Lev 16:26And he that let go the goat for the scapegoat shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward come into the camp.
- Lev 17:15And every soul that eateth that which died of itself, or that which was torn with beasts, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger, he shall both wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even: then shall he be clean.
- Lev 16:28And he that burneth them shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp.
- Num 19:10And he that gathereth the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: and it shall be unto the children of Israel, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among them, for a statute for ever.
- Lev 14:27And the priest shall sprinkle with his right finger some of the oil that is in his left hand seven times before the LORD:
- Ezek 36:25Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.
- Ezek 36:29I will also save you from all your uncleannesses: and I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you.
- Lev 11:32And upon whatsoever any of them, when they are dead, doth fall, it shall be unclean; whether it be any vessel of wood, or raiment, or skin, or sack, whatsoever vessel it be, wherein any work is done, it must be put into water, and it shall be unclean until the even; so it shall be cleansed.
- Isa 22:14And it was revealed in mine ears by the LORD of hosts, Surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye die, saith the Lord GOD of hosts.
- Lev 14:46–47Moreover he that goeth into the house all the while that it is shut up shall be unclean until the even.
- Num 19:22And whatsoever the unclean person toucheth shall be unclean; and the soul that toucheth it shall be unclean until even.
- Heb 9:26For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
- Ps 51:2Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
- Lev 14:8–9And he that is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, and shave off all his hair, and wash himself in water, that he may be clean: and after that he shall come into the camp, and shall tarry abroad out of his tent seven days.
- Ps 26:6I will wash mine hands in innocency: so will I compass thine altar, O LORD:
- Heb 10:22Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
- Ps 51:7Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
- Lev 11:28And he that beareth the carcase of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: they are unclean unto you.
- Rev 7:14And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
- Isa 1:16Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;
- Lev 13:6And the priest shall look on him again the seventh day: and, behold, if the plague be somewhat dark, and the plague spread not in the skin, the priest shall pronounce him clean: it is but a scab: and he shall wash his clothes, and be clean.
- Heb 9:14How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
- Lev 13:34And in the seventh day the priest shall look on the scall: and, behold, if the scall be not spread in the skin, nor be in sight deeper than the skin; then the priest shall pronounce him clean: and he shall wash his clothes, and be clean.
- Jas 4:8Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Every sacrifice, every priest, and every day of atonement points beyond itself to the one perfect offering and the great High Priest who, by his own blood, makes the unclean holy once for all.
How Leviticus 15:5 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.