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Chapter 12

Uncleanness of Childbirth. The Lord said to Moses: Tell the Israelites: When a woman has a child, giving birth to a boy, she shall be unclean[a] for seven days, with the same uncleanness as during her menstrual period.(A)

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Footnotes

  1. 12:2–5 The mother has two stages of uncleanness or impurity: the first where her uncleanness is as severe as during her menstrual period and is contagious to profane persons and objects (cf. 15:19–24), and the second where she does not contaminate persons and objects but is still impure to what is holy, such as the sanctuary (12:4) or sacrifices. The implication is that in the second stage she may resume sexual relations with her husband (which would be prohibited in the first stage according to 18:19).