Leviticus 15:16
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
16 [a]When a man has an emission of semen, he shall bathe his whole body in water and be unclean until evening.(A)
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- 15:16–18 Menstrual blood, semen, and other impurities in Lv 11–15 are considered “impure” either because they are force of life whose “loss” represents death or because, as uniquely human conditions, they are symbolically incompatible with the deity and the divine abode, the sanctuary. Lv 15:16 refers to a spontaneous nocturnal emission, and either because this marks life and death boundaries or because of its uniquely human (versus divine) character, any contact with it renders the object or person ritually unclean. Thus, in 15:18 it is not the marital act itself that is polluting, but only semen.
Leviticus 15:16
New International Version
16 “‘When a man has an emission of semen,(A) he must bathe his whole body with water, and he will be unclean till evening.(B)
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