Chapter commentary
Leviticus Chapter 12
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English original
After the laws concerning clean and unclean food come the laws concerning clean and unclean persons; and the first is in this chapter concerning the ceremonial uncleanness of women in child-birth, Le 12:1-5. And concerning their purification from that uncleanness, Le 12:6-8, etc.
1-8
Ceremonial Purification (1490 BC)
繁體中文
禮儀上的潔淨（主前1490年）
¹ 耶和華對摩西說：
² 「你曉諭以色列人說：婦人的生育，若生男孩，她就不潔淨七天，像在月經污穢的日子不潔淨一樣。
³ 第八天，要給嬰孩行割禮。
⁴ 婦人在產血不潔之中，要家居三十三天。她潔淨的日子未滿，不可摸聖物，也不可進聖所。
⁵ 她若生女孩，就不潔淨兩個七天，像污穢的時候一樣，要在產血不潔之中，家居六十六天。
這條律法宣布婦人在產後在禮儀上為不潔。猶太人說：「律法甚至適用於流產，只要胎兒已成形到可以辨別性別。」1. 生產之後隨即有一段嚴格分離的時期——生男孩七天，生女孩十四天，Le 12:2,5。在這些日子裡，她與丈夫和朋友分離，那些不得不照顧她的人在禮儀上也不潔淨——這也是男孩要等到第八天才受割禮的原因之一，因為在母親分離的日子裡，他們也分享了母親的污染。2. 此外還指定了更長的潔淨時間——若生男孩，再加三十三天（共四十天）；若生女孩，則加倍，Le 12:4,5。在這段期間，她們只是被隔離於聖所之外，不可吃逾越節或平安祭的祭物，若是祭司的妻子，也不可吃任何歸耶和華為聖之物。為何這兩段時間女孩都是男孩的雙倍？除了立法者的旨意之外，我提不出別的理由；但在基督耶穌裡，並不分男女，Ga 3:28, Col 3:11。然而律法使產婦在禮儀上不潔，是要表示我們所有人都受孕和出生於其中的罪污，Ps 51:5。因為根若不潔，枝也不潔——誰能使潔淨之物出於污穢之中呢？若罪沒有進入世界，那大福——要生養眾多——所帶來的一切，必只有純潔和尊榮相伴；但如今人性既然敗壞了，這本性的繁殖便被加上這些羞辱的記號，因為隨之而來的是罪和敗壞的傳遞，也是為紀念那首先犯罪的婦人所受的咒詛。她要在痛苦中（此處又加上羞恥）生產兒女。婦人被排除在聖所之外、不可分享聖物這麼多天，表示我們的原罪——我們帶到世上來的那犯罪的罪——若不是神恩典地為我們預備了潔淨之禮，就必永遠將我們排除在享受神和祂恩惠之外。
⁶ 「滿了潔淨的日子，無論為男孩為女孩，她要把一歲的羊羔為燔祭，一隻雛鴿或一隻斑鳩為贖罪祭，帶到會幕門口交給祭司。
⁷ 祭司要獻在耶和華面前，為她贖罪，她的血源就潔淨了。這條例是為生育的婦人，無論是生男生女。
⁸ 她的力量若不夠獻一隻羊羔，她就要取兩隻斑鳩或是兩隻雛鴿，一隻為燔祭，一隻為贖罪祭。祭司要為她贖罪，她就潔淨了。
產婦在指定的回歸聖所之期來到時，不可空手前來，而必須帶供物，Le 12:6。1. 一隻燔祭——她若力量充足就獻羊羔，若貧窮就獻鴿子。她獻這祭是為感謝神在她生產之痛和產褥的一切危險中，安全地帶領她經過的恩惠，並在對神繼續施恩於她和孩子的心願和盼望中獻上。孩子出生時，有喜樂也有盼望，因此獻這個一般性的祭是合宜的；因為我們歡喜的事就當感恩，我們盼望的事就當祈求。但除此之外：2. 她還必須獻一隻贖罪祭——窮人和富人一樣，都是斑鳩或雛鴿；因為在感恩的祭上，貧富或有差別，但在贖罪的祭上，兩者相同。這贖罪祭的目的或是：（1）使她從禮儀上的不潔得著完全的潔淨——這不潔本身雖不是罪，卻預表道德上的污染；或（2）為那確實是罪的贖罪——或許是對兒女之福的過度渴望，或是在生產之痛下的不滿或急躁。唯有藉著基督——那偉大的贖罪祭——我們本性的敗壞才得以消除；我們之所以不致永遠因此被排除在聖所和聖物之外，全靠此祭。按照這條律法，我們看到我們蒙福之主的母親——雖然祂不像別人是在罪中受孕——仍然滿了潔淨的日子，然後將她的長子獻給主，並獻上她自己的供物——一對斑鳩，Lu 2:22-24。基督的父母如此貧窮，甚至無力獻一隻羊羔為燔祭；基督也如此早就生在律法以下，為要贖出律法以下的人。這條律法的道德層面要求那些在生產上蒙了神恩惠的婦人，當以感恩的心承認神對她們的恩惠，承認自己不配得，並且（這是婦人在生產上得救的最好潔淨之法，1Ti 2:15）常存信心、愛心，又聖潔自守；因為這比斑鳩或雛鴿更蒙主喜悅。
English original
Ceremonial Purification (1490 BC)
¹ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
² Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a woman have conceived seed, and born a man child: then she shall be unclean seven days; according to the days of the separation for her infirmity shall she be unclean.
³ And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.
⁴ And she shall then continue in the blood of her purifying three and thirty days; she shall touch no hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying be fulfilled.
⁵ But if she bear a maid child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her separation: and she shall continue in the blood of her purifying threescore and six days.
The law here pronounces women lying-in ceremonially unclean. The Jews say, "The law extended even to an abortion, if the child was so formed as that the sex was distinguishable." 1. There was some time of strict separation immediately after the birth, which continued seven days for a son and fourteen for a daughter, Le 12:2,5. During these days she was separated from her husband and friends, and those that necessarily attended her were ceremonially unclean, which was one reason why the males were not circumcised till the eighth day, because they participated in the mother's pollution during the days of her separation. 2. There was also a longer time appointed for their purifying; thirty-three days more (forty in all) if the birth were a male, and double that time if a female, Le 12:4,5. During this time they were only separated from the sanctuary and forbidden to eat of the passover, or peace-offerings, or, if a priest's wife, to eat of any thing that was holy to the Lord. Why the time of both those was double for a female to what it was for a male I can assign no reason but the will of the Law-maker; in Christ Jesus no difference is made of male and female, Ga 3:28, Col 3:11. But this ceremonial uncleanness which the law laid women in child-bed under was to signify the pollution of sin which we are all conceived and born in, Ps 51:5. For, if the root be impure, so is the branch, Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? If sin had not entered, nothing but purity and honour had attended all the productions of that great blessing, Be fruitful and multiply; but now that the nature of man is degenerated the propagation of that nature is laid under these marks of disgrace, because of the sin and corruption that are propagated with it, and in remembrance of the curse upon the woman that was first in the transgression. That in sorrow (to which it is here further added in shame) she should bring forth children. And the exclusion of the woman for so many days from the sanctuary, and all participation of the holy things, signified that our original corruption (that sinning sin which we brought into the world with us) would have excluded us for ever from the enjoyment of God and his favours if he had not graciously provided for our purifying.
⁶ And when the days of her purifying are fulfilled, for a son, or for a daughter, she shall bring a lamb of the first year for a burnt offering, and a young pigeon, or a turtledove, for a sin offering, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, unto the priest:
⁷ Who shall offer it before the LORD, and make an atonement for her; and she shall be cleansed from the issue of her blood. This is the law for her that hath born a male or a female.
⁸ And if she be not able to bring a lamb, then she shall bring two turtles, or two young pigeons; the one for the burnt offering, and the other for a sin offering: and the priest shall make an atonement for her, and she shall be clean.
A woman that had lain in, when the time set for her return to the sanctuary had come, was not to attend there empty, but must bring her offerings, Le 12:6. 1. A burnt-offering; a lamb if she was able, if poor, a pigeon. This she was to offer in thankfulness to God for his mercy to her, in bringing her safely through the pains of child-bearing and all the perils of child-bed, and in desire and hopes of God's further favour both to her and to the child. When a child is born there is joy and there is hope, and therefore it was proper to bring this offering, which was of a general nature; for what we rejoice in we must give thanks for, and what we are in hopes of we must pray for. But, besides this, 2. She must offer a sin-offering, which must be the same for poor and rich, a turtle-dove or a young pigeon; for, whatever difference there may be between rich and poor in the sacrifices of acknowledgment, that of atonement is the same for both. This sin-offering was intended either, (1.) To complete her purification from that ceremonial uncleanness which, though it was not in itself sinful, yet was typical of moral pollution; or, (2.) To make atonement for that which was really sin, either an inordinate desire of the blessing of children or discontent or impatience under the pains of child-bearing. It is only by Christ, the great sin-offering, that the corruption of our nature is done away, and to that it is owing that we are not for ever excluded by it from the sanctuary, and from eating of the holy things. According to this law, we find that the mother of our blessed Lord, though he was not conceived in sin as others, yet accomplished the days of purification, and then presented her son to the Lord, being a first-born, and brought her own offering, a pair of turtle-doves, Lu 2:22-24. So poor were Christ's parents that they were not able to bring a lamb for a burnt-offering; and so early was Christ made under the law, to redeem those that were under it. The morality of this law obliges those women that have received mercy from God in child-bearing with all thankfulness to own God's goodness to them, acknowledging themselves unworthy of it, and (which is the best purification of women that have been saved in child-bearing, 1Ti 2:15) to continue in faith, and charity, and holiness, with sobriety; for this shall please the Lord better than the turtle-doves or the young pigeons.
在論及潔淨和不潔淨食物的律法之後，接著便是論及潔淨和不潔淨之人的律法。本章首先論及婦人生產時禮儀上的不潔，Le 12:1-5；其次論及如何從這不潔中得潔淨，Le 12:6-8等。