or whoever touches a crawling creature or a person that makes him unclean, whatever the uncleanness may be—
Parallel translations
- WEB or whoever touches any creeping thing, whereby he may be made unclean, or a man of whom he may take uncleanness, whatever uncleanness he has;
- KJV Or whosoever toucheth any creeping thing, whereby he may be made unclean, or a man of whom he may take uncleanness, whatsoever uncleanness he hath;
- ESV and whoever touches a swarming thing by which he may be made unclean or a person from whom he may take uncleanness, whatever his uncleanness may be—
- NKJV or whoever touches any creeping thing by which he would be made unclean, or any person by whom he would become unclean, whatever his uncleanness may be—
- NASB or a man who touches any swarming things by which he is made unclean, or touches any person by whom he is made unclean, whatever his uncleanness;
- NLT or by touching a small animal that is unclean, or by touching someone who is ceremonially unclean for any reason.
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
Contact with unclean creatures or persons rendered a priest unclean. Even ordinary touch could disqualify him temporarily from the holy things.
Overview
Touching a creeping thing or a defiled person transmitted ritual impurity to the priest. The detailed concern shows how pervasive the awareness of holiness was to be in daily life. Such laws cultivated reverence and pointed forward to Christ, whose holiness, rather than being defiled by contact, cleanses those He touches (Mark 1:41-42).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Lev 15:7Whoever touches the body of the man with a discharge must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening.
- Lev 11:43–44Do not defile yourselves by any crawling creature; do not become unclean or defiled by them.
- Lev 15:19When a woman has a discharge consisting of blood from her body, she will be unclean due to her menstruation for seven days, and anyone who touches her will be unclean until evening.
- Lev 11:24–28These creatures will make you unclean. Whoever touches their carcasses will be unclean until evening,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 22:5 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.