Leviticus 12:1-8

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: “Speak to the people of Israel, saying: 'If a woman conceives and bears a male child, she shall be ceremonially unclean seven days;¹ as at the time of her menstruation,² she shall be unclean. On the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. Her time of blood purification³ shall be thirty-three days; she shall not touch any holy thing, or come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purification are completed.⁴ If she bears a female child, she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her menstruation; her time of blood purification shall be sixty-six days.⁵

When the days of her purification are completed, whether for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting a lamb in its first year for a burnt offering,⁶ and a pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering. He shall offer it before the Lord, and make atonement on her behalf; then she shall be clean from her flow of blood. This is the law for her who bears a child, male or female. If she cannot afford a sheep, she shall take two turtledoves or two pigeons,⁷ one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement on her behalf, and she shall be clean.

1 The idea that childbirth makes one unclean seems rather backwards. Is there a positive message here?

2 Why should menstruation make one unclean in the first place?

3 What is “blood purification”? The fact that she had shed so much blood is a potential reason to have concern for her contaminating other things, but the time periods involved seem unnecessary for that concern.

4 Again, treating a woman as unholy for over a month simply because she has given birth is difficult to defend.

5 Uncleanliness is doubled for giving birth to a female child. This seems to send a terrible message about girls.

6 I believe this is the first time that a woman is specifically described as giving a sacrifice.

7 Once again an allowance is made for those in poverty.


Take-home: Rule are laid down regarding uncleanliness at childbirth, a time where a great deal of blood and potential contamination occurs. The degree to which such constraints oppress a woman, especially in the greater uncleanliness apparently associated with producing a female child, seem not to be taken into account.