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英文原文
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)
礼仪上的洁净（主前 1490 年）
¹ 耶和华对摩西说，
² "你晓谕以色列人说：妇人有孕生子，就要不洁净七天；像在月经污秽的日子不洁净一样。
³ 第八天要给婴孩行割礼。
⁴ 妇人在产血不洁之中，要家居三十三天；她洁净的日子未满，不可摸圣物，也不可进入圣所。
⁵ 她若生女孩，就要不洁净两个七天，像污秽的时候一样；要在产血不洁之中家居六十六天。" \
这律法规定产妇在礼仪上算为不洁。犹太人说："这律法甚至适用于流产，只要胎儿已成形成足以辨认性别。" 1. 产后随即有一段严格隔离的时间，生男为七天，生女为十四天（利 12:2、5）。这些日子中她与丈夫和朋友隔离，而那些不得不伺候她的人在礼仪上也算为不洁；这是男婴为何要到第八天才受割礼的原因之一，因为他们在母亲隔离的日子中有分于母亲的污秽。2. 还为他们洁净的时期定了更长的时间；若是生男，另加三十三天（共计四十天），若是生女则加倍（利 12:4、5）。在此期间，她们只是与圣所隔离，被禁止吃逾越节的祭牲、平安祭，若是祭司的妻子，则不可吃任何归耶和华为圣之物。为何这两段时间中生女比生男加倍，我无法给出别的理由，只能说这是立法者的旨意；在基督耶稣里并不分男女（加 3:28，西 3:11）。但律法使产妇所处的这种礼仪上的不洁，是要表明我们众人都是如此受孕、如此出生之罪的污秽（诗 51:5）。因为，根若不洁，枝也如此，谁能使洁净之物出于不洁之中呢？ 若罪未曾进入，只有纯洁与尊荣会随着那大福——"要生养众多"——的一切果实而来；但如今人性既已败坏，人性的繁衍便被加上这些羞辱的记号，因为其中传带着罪与败坏，也是为记念那首先犯罪的妇人所受的咒诅。她要*"在痛苦中"（此处又加上"在羞耻中"*）生育儿女。 而妇人这么多日子被拒于圣所之外、不得有分于圣物，便表明我们原有的败坏（就是那我们带入世界的、能犯罪的罪）本会永远将我们拒于享受神和他恩惠的门外——若不是他怜悯地为我们预备了洁净之法。
⁶ "满了洁净的日子，无论是为男孩，是为女孩，她要把一岁的羊羔为燔祭，一只雏鸽或一只斑鸠为赎罪祭，带到会幕门口，交给祭司；
⁷ 祭司要在耶和华面前为她献上，为她赎罪；她的血源就洁净了。这是那生男或生女之妇人的律法。
⁸ 她的力量若不够献一只羊羔，就要取两只斑鸠或两只雏鸽，一只为燔祭，一只为赎罪祭；祭司要为她赎罪，她就洁净了。" \
产妇在所定归回圣所的日子来到时，不可空手而去，必须带着她的供物（利 12:6）。1. 燔祭；她若力量够，就献一只羊羔；若贫穷，就献一只鸽子。她献这祭是为感谢神怜悯她，使她平安渡过生产的痛苦和产褥的一切危险，并怀着对神进一步施恩于她和孩子的渴望与盼望。孩子出生时既有喜乐又有盼望，所以献这祭是合宜的——这祭具有普遍的性质；因为我们所欢喜的事，就当为此感谢；我们所盼望的事，就当为此祷告。但除此之外，2. 她还当献一只赎罪祭，无论贫富都一样——一只斑鸠或一只雏鸽；因为感恩的祭在贫富之间容或不同，赎罪的祭对二者却是一样的。这赎罪祭的用意是：(1.) 或为使她从那礼仪上的不洁中得着完全的洁净——这礼仪上的不洁本身虽不是罪，却是道德上污秽的预表；或(2.) 为那实在是罪的事赎罪——或是对儿女之福分的过分贪求，或是在生产痛苦中的不满和不耐。唯有藉着基督——那伟大的赎罪祭——我们本性的败坏才得以除掉；我们之所以不因此永远被拒于圣所之外、不得吃圣物，正是因他的缘故。照这律法，我们发现我们蒙福之主的母亲，虽然他不像别人那样在罪中受孕，却仍*"满了洁净的日子"，然后才将她的儿子——既是长子——献给主，并献上她自己的供物——"一对斑鸠"（路 2:22-24）。基督的父母如此贫穷，竟无力献一只羊羔作燔祭；而基督如此早就生在律法以下，为要赎出律法以下的人。* 这律法的道德意义，要求那些在生产上蒙了神怜悯的妇人，当以全然感谢承认神对她们的恩待，承认自己不配；而（这是那在生产上得救之妇人最好的洁净之法，提前 2:15）当*"常存信心、爱心，又圣洁自守"*；这样比献斑鸠或雏鸽更能讨主喜悦。
英文原文
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.
论过有关洁净与不洁净食物的律例之后，接下来便是有关洁净与不洁净之人的律例；本章首先论及妇人生子时礼仪上的不洁（利12:1-5），以及她们如何从这种不洁中得洁净（利12:6-8等）。