Leviticus 22:4

Lev 22:4 What man soever of the seed of Aaron [is] a leper, or hath a running issue; he shall not eat of the holy things, until he be clean. And whoso toucheth any thing [that is] unclean [by] the dead, or a man whose seed goeth from him;

Ver. 4. Or hath a running issue.] Seminifluus: especially if it come by contemning that counsel of the wise man. {Pro 31:3}

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

By touching any dead thing, or being at burial of the dead.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

wash his flesh with water--Any Israelite who had contracted a defilement of such a nature as debarred him from the enjoyment of his wonted privileges, and had been legally cleansed from the disqualifying impurity, was bound to indicate his state of recovery by the immersion of his whole person in water. Although all ceremonial impurity formed a ground of exclusion, there were degrees of impurity which entailed a longer or shorter period of excommunication, and for the removal of which different rites required to be observed according to the trivial or the malignant nature of the case. A person who came inadvertently into contact with an unclean animal was rendered unclean for a specified period; and then, at the expiry of that term, he washed, in token of his recovered purity. But a leper was unclean so long as he remained subject to that disease, and on his convalescence, he also washed, not to cleanse himself, for the water was ineffectual for that purpose, but to signify that he was clean. Not a single case is recorded of a leper being restored to communion by the use of water; it served only as an outward and visible sign that such a restoration was to be made. The Book of Leviticus abounds with examples which show that in all the ceremonial washings, as uncleanness meant loss of privileges, so baptism with water indicated a restoration to those privileges. There was no exemption; for as the unclean Israelite was exiled from the congregation, so the unclean priest was disqualified from executing his sacred functions in the sanctuary; and in the case of both, the same observance was required--a formal intimation of their being readmitted to forfeited privileges was intimated by the appointed rite of baptism. If any one neglected or refused to perform the washing, he disobeyed a positive precept, and he remained in his uncleanness; he forbore to avail himself of this privilege, and was therefore said to be "cut off" from the presence of the Lord.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 4. Is a leper, or hath a running issue] See the case of the leper treated at large in the notes on Le 13:1-14:57; and for other uncleannesses, see the notes on Le 15:1-30.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(4) Is a leper.—The different forms of uncleanness are now specified. (For the leper, see Lev_13:3.)

Or hath a running issue.—See Lev_15:2.

Whoso toucheth any thing that is unclean by the dead.—That is, if he touches any person or anything that had been defiled through contact with a corpse. (See Num_19:11-14.)

Whose seed goeth from him.—This is the same case mentioned in Lev_15:16. The two passages ought therefore to be uniform in the translation.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

What man soever of the seed of Aaron is a leper,.... A young, or an old man, as the Targum of Jonathan, and indeed man or woman; for the wives and daughters of the priests, if in this, and other circumstances following, might not eat of the holy things until cleansed, who otherwise might, see Lev 13:2,

or hath a running issue; a gonorrhoea, whether man or woman, Lev 15:2,

he shall not eat of the holy things until he be clean; he might eat of the tithes, but not of the wave breast, or heave shoulder:

and whoso toucheth any that is unclean by the dead; not only that touched the dead, which made unclean, but that touched any person or thing that was made unclean by it:

or a man whose seed goeth from him; involuntarily when asleep, in a dream, and through a lustful imagination; see Lev 15:16.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

See Lev 15:13-16.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

And he, &c. Hence it is plain, even the Jewish priests were bound to observe continence during the time of their ministry. (Calmet) --- For the same reason, the priests of the new law, who may be called at any time to perform their more sacred functions, engage voluntarily in the state of perpetual celibacy. (Haydock)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

What man soever, i.e. or woman, of Aaron’s seed; for they were under the same law.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

4. A leper — Leprosy was a ceremonial defilement which excluded even the laymen from the camp; much more would it disqualify a priest for the tabernacle. See chaps. 13 and 14, notes.

A running issue — This was probably limited to the gonorrhea. See Lev_15:2, note.

Unclean by the dead — See Lev_21:1, note.

Seed goeth from him — See Lev_15:16, note.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

infectious skin disease

a disease on the skin easily spread from one person to another

an infection flowing from his body

"a bodily discharge"

from his body

This is a polite way of referring to a man's private parts. See how you translated a similar phrase in Leviticus 15:1. AT: "from his private parts" (See: Euphemism)

until he is clean

A person who is acceptable for God's purposes is spoken of as if the person were physically clean. (See: Metaphor)

Whoever touches anything unclean

Something that Yahweh has said is unfit to touch or eat is spoken of as if it were physically unclean. (See: Metaphor)

through contact with the dead

"by touching a dead body"

the sacrifices made to Yahweh

This can be stated in active form. AT: "the sacrifices that someone has offered to Yahweh" (See: Active or Passive)

or whoever touches any creeping animal that makes him unclean, or any person who makes him unclean

This can be made explicit. AT: "or whoever is unclean from touching a creeping animal or from touching another unclean person" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

the priest ... will be unclean

A person who is not acceptable for God's purposes is spoken of as if the person were physically unclean. (See: Metaphor)

until evening

"until sunset"

translationWords

body

sacrifice

clean

clean

die

seed

priest

holy

water

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

בכל טמא נפש [AND WHOSO TOUCHETH] ANY טמא נפש — This means: who touches a person who has become defiled by a corpse.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.