Topical Encyclopedia
In the biblical context, the concept of being "unclean" is primarily associated with the laws and regulations found in the Old Testament, particularly within the books of Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. These laws were given to the Israelites to maintain ritual purity and to distinguish them from other nations. Being unclean could result from a variety of circumstances, including certain physical conditions, moral transgressions, and contact with specific objects or substances.
Ritual and Ceremonial UncleanlinessThe book of Leviticus provides detailed instructions on what constitutes ritual uncleanliness and the procedures for purification.
Leviticus 11 outlines dietary laws, declaring certain animals unclean and unfit for consumption. For example,
Leviticus 11:7-8 states, "And the pig, though it has a divided hoof, does not chew the cud; it is unclean for you. You must not eat their meat or touch their carcasses; they are unclean for you."
Leviticus 12 addresses the uncleanness associated with childbirth, specifying a period of purification for the mother.
Leviticus 13 and 14 deal with skin diseases, often translated as "leprosy," and mold or mildew in garments and houses, providing guidelines for diagnosis and cleansing.
Moral and Ethical UncleanlinessUncleanliness is not limited to physical or ritual states but extends to moral and ethical behavior. Sinful actions, such as idolatry, sexual immorality, and injustice, are considered forms of moral impurity. In the prophetic literature, the prophets often rebuke Israel for their spiritual uncleanliness, equating their idolatry and disobedience to ritual impurity.
Isaiah 64:6 laments, "All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags."
Purification and RestorationThe process of purification from uncleanness often involved washing, sacrifices, and a period of waiting.
Leviticus 15 provides instructions for cleansing after bodily discharges, emphasizing the importance of washing and offering sacrifices.
Numbers 19 describes the use of the ashes of a red heifer mixed with water for purification from contact with a dead body.
The Day of Atonement, as described in
Leviticus 16, served as an annual purification for the people of Israel, cleansing them from all their sins and impurities. This day involved specific sacrifices and rituals performed by the high priest to atone for the sins of the nation.
New Testament PerspectiveIn the New Testament, Jesus challenges the traditional understanding of cleanliness, emphasizing the importance of inner purity over external rituals. In
Mark 7:15, Jesus declares, "Nothing that enters a man from the outside can defile him, but what comes out of a man, that is what defiles him." This teaching highlights the shift from ritual purity to moral and spiritual integrity.
The apostle Paul further develops this theme, teaching that believers are cleansed through faith in Christ. In
1 Corinthians 6:11, Paul writes, "And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."
ConclusionThe concept of being unclean in the Bible encompasses a wide range of physical, ritual, and moral conditions. While the Old Testament provides detailed laws for maintaining ritual purity, the New Testament emphasizes the importance of inner purity and the cleansing power of faith in Jesus Christ.
Topical Bible Verses
Romans 14:14I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteems any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean.
Topicalbible.orgPsalm 106:39
Thus were they defiled with their own works, and went a whoring with their own inventions.
Topicalbible.org
Isaiah 6:5
Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the middle of a people of unclean lips: for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.
Topicalbible.org
2 Corinthians 6:17
Why come out from among them, and be you separate, said the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.
Topicalbible.org
Greek
564. aperitmetos -- uncircumcised... ap-er-eet'-may-tos) Short Definition: uncircumcised,
unclean Definition: uncircumcised.
... refers to an uncircumcised foreskin, which stands for "
being of God's
...Library
The True Gnostic Exercises Patience and Self-Restraint.
... others. So fares it with the heart as long as there is no thought taken
for it,being unclean, and the abode of many demons. But...
Jairus' Daughter and the Invalid Woman.
... c 47 And { ^b 33 But} ^c when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came ^b fearing
and trembling [becausebeing unclean, any rabbi would have rebuked her...
Prayers and Praise from a Pure Mind, Ceaselessly Offered, Far...
... So also, in particular, the Jews abstain from swine's flesh on the ground of this
animalbeing unclean; since more than the other animals it roots up, and...
TheUnclean Spirits.
... From these three, then, emerge the "unclean spirits." Diverse as their origin appears,
they have no marked individual peculiarities.Being alike in their...
Argument. --And ThusUnclean Animals are not to be Reproached...
... part of the hoofbeing sustained by the firmness of the other, and so retained in
the substantial footstep. Thus they who do neither areunclean, whose walk is...
Of Meditation --The First Degree of Prayer or Mystical Theology.
... Meditation is the mystical rumination [275] required for notbeing unclean, to which
one of the devout shepherdesses who followed the sacred Sulamitess invites...
The Clean and theUnclean
... render him ceremoniallyunclean, and it were impossible for him, unless he were
brutish, to remain even for ten minutes abroad withoutbeing reminded that this...
Moreover, if Sorcerers Call Forth Ghosts, and Even Make what Seem...
... They disclaimbeing unclean spirits, which yet we must hold as indubitably proved
by their relish for the blood and fumes and foetid carcasses of sacrificial...
Comparison of Christ's Power Over Winds and Waves with Moses'...
... Christ's Power OverUnclean Spirits... Nor can I overlook the fact that His garment,
bybeing touched, demonstrated also the truth of His body; for of course" [4253...
From Apostolic Teaching Tertullian Turns to that of Companions of...
... and is wholly made new, to be understood to be "clean;" asbeing no longer... be thought
utterly dead to sin in his flesh must again be judgedunclean, and must...
Resources
What does the Bible say about being nosey? | GotQuestions.orgIs being gay a sin? Is it a sin to be gay? | GotQuestions.orgWhat are the implications of God being infinite, unlimited, and unmeasurable? | GotQuestions.orgBeing: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
Bible Dictionary •
Bible Encyclopedia •
Topical Bible •
Bible Thesuarus
