Leviticus 12

¹ The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

² “Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘If a woman conceives, and bears a male child, then she shall be unclean seven days; as in the days of her monthly period she shall be unclean.

³ In the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.

⁴ She shall continue in the blood of purification thirty-three days. She shall not touch any holy thing, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying are completed.

⁵ But if she bears a female child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her period; and she shall continue in the blood of purification sixty-six days.

⁶ “‘When the days of her purification are completed for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the door of the Tent of Meeting, a year old lamb for a burnt offering, and a young pigeon or a turtledove, for a sin offering.

⁷ He shall offer it before the LORD, and make atonement for her; then she shall be cleansed from the fountain of her blood. “‘This is the law for her who bears, whether a male or a female.

⁸ If she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take two turtledoves or two young pigeons: the one for a burnt offering, and the other for a sin offering. The priest shall make atonement for her, and she shall be clean.’”

Around Leviticus 12

Context

Context for this book is being written. A note appears here only once it names its sources.

AI explanation

Leviticus 12 · Written by an AI model · Not reviewed by a theological reader

This explanation was written by an AI model to help you get started. It names no sources and can contain mistakes. Scripture comes first, and context with sources is shown separately on this page.

What this chapter says

A short chapter, and it concerns birth. When a woman bears a son, she is unclean for seven days, as in the days of her period, and on the eighth day the boy is circumcised. She then continues in the blood of purification for thirty-three days, during which she may not touch any holy thing or come into the sanctuary. If she bears a daughter, the times are doubled: two weeks of uncleanness and sixty-six days of purification. When the days are completed, she brings a year-old lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or turtledove for a sin offering. The priest offers it, makes atonement, and she is clean from the flow of her blood. If she cannot afford a lamb, two turtledoves or two young pigeons will do, one for each offering, and she shall be clean.

Background

The uncleanness in this chapter is ritual. It marks a time when a woman keeps apart from the sanctuary and does not say that birth is sinful. Readers differ on why a sin offering is named, and why the time doubles for a daughter; the text does not explain either. The provision for the poor appears again, and Luke 2:22 to 24 records Mary bringing the offering for those who could not afford a lamb. The chapter should be read with care, and it gives no medical advice.

About this explanation

Written by Claude Sonnet 5.5, an AI model, on 23 October 2026. It draws on the WEB text and general knowledge and was not checked against sources by a person. Every quotation from Scripture is checked automatically against the WEB text.

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World English Bible. Public-domain source and edition notes