All throughout Scripture, there’s been a steady rhythm slowly keeping time. Have you noticed it?
In Leviticus 22:6, God makes an off-handed statement that when someone is unclean, they’re unclean “until evening.” This isn’t the first time He says that, nor will it be the last. At least 18 times in Leviticus alone, Moses makes mention of night as a reset of sorts on ritual purity.
Sometimes, obviously, it’s longer. Depending on the gender of the child, giving birth renders a woman unclean for either one or two weeks (Leviticus 12:1-8). Skin diseases last as long as the disease itself remains (Leviticus 13). Mold in the house also makes the home unclean for seven days after it’s cleaned (Leviticus 14:33-53).
What was so special about the evening time? Despite all the symbolism that may come about due to darkness, evening and morning boundaries represent a natural clock that everyone understands. You don’t have to be able to tell the time; just stay isolated until the sun goes down.
There’s also a possible link to creation. God Himself used day and night as boundaries for His own work in the world (Genesis 1), so why shouldn’t we?
But think about this in a more practical setting. If someone was unclean “until evening,” and evening for most Jews technically started at 6PM, then wouldn’t it follow that some activities could be resumed after that time?
For instance, if someone touched a dead carcass in the morning—for whatever reason—they could still rejoin the family and engage in evening activities, such as prayers and meals. If they were unclean for the entire day, as we are accustomed to think about it, rejoining the family would have to wait until the next morning.
Moreover, some of the holy days were instructed to begin after the sun went down. The Passover lamb was sacrificed right at the end of every day, but the actual meal didn’t begin until the night. Someone who was unclean during the day would get to participate in the service, since they became clean at evening.
It’s a subtle shift, but one that shows just a little bit more of the compassion of God. With our obsession with time in the western culture, we’re accustomed to doing things on a set schedule. Days are lumped in with nights; any reset happens with a new day—usually, in the morning.
But God’s design for the Israelites allowed someone to rejoin their family before bedtime, when they were able to be with the people they love. And honestly, depending on the time of year, I would rather track my days with the sunrise and sunset anyways. It seems like it would be less stressful.
