Let’s be fair, here. Leviticus 12 is one of those passages that make people question why Old Testament study is relevant anymore.
It’s a totally untrue accusation, but I get it. Leviticus 12 isn’t easy to just sit down and read, primarily because the regulations regarding ritual purity after birth aren’t necessary in today’s world. Circumcision is done in the hospital after birth, and a lot of women will be about their semi-regular life within a week or two.
But just because Leviticus 12 doesn’t speak to our regulations today doesn’t mean that it’s without value. There is still quite a bit in these eight verses that are worth studying.
Take the purification process, for example. Under the Old Law, a woman who gave birth to a male child was ritually unclean for seven days. Then, they were unclean for 33 more days, prohibiting them from partaking in the regular religious rituals.
It seems weird to say, but the “uncleanliness” talked about here is not the same as touching a dead carcass (which was talked about in Leviticus 11). The impurity here deals with menstruation; for a complete list of how to handle day to day life during that time, check Leviticus 15.
If a woman gave birth to a female child, the time of uncleanness was doubled from seven to fourteen days. The period of purification afterwards is also twice as long: 33 days for a male, and 66 for a female.
There is virtually no agreement as to why the timeline is different for boys than for girls, so any speculation on mine or others’ part is just that—speculation.
But what does need to be said about this section is that God does not view marriage or childbirth as an unholy thing. It goes against everything in Scripture to claim that giving birth is shameful. One of the first commands that God gave to Adam and Eve was to “go forth and multiply.” Why would He demand that if giving birth made you less of a human?
It can be really easy to read Leviticus 12 and think that giving birth is something to look down on, though. After all, if it wasn’t, why else would God use words like “impure” and “unclean”?
Instead, think of these periods of “impurity” as a sort-of maternity leave. Childbirth is traumatic no matter which culture you’re a part of, so it’s ideal to let the body rest and recover in a clean, hospitable environment. Not to mention the act of spending 1-2 months solely dedicated to bonding with your newborn.
God knows what’s best for His people. When a woman gives birth, she’s excluded from all sorts of religious activities and (most) normal activities until she becomes ritually clean. Not because she’s less of a person in God’s eyes, but because He knows what’s needed for that child and the mother to grow and prosper.
