30 Bible Verses about Defilement

Most Relevant Verses

Matthew 15:11

It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man.”

Matthew 15:18

But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man.

Mark 7:15

there is nothing outside the man which can defile him if it goes into him; but the things which proceed out of the man are what defile the man.

1 Corinthians 3:17

If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are.

Matthew 15:20

These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man.”

Leviticus 18:24

‘Do not defile yourselves by any of these things; for by all these the nations which I am casting out before you have become defiled.

Revelation 14:4

These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they have kept themselves chaste. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These have been purchased from among men as first fruits to God and to the Lamb.

Daniel 1:8

But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king’s choice food or with the wine which he drank; so he sought permission from the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself.

Ezekiel 5:11

So as I live,’ declares the Lord God, ‘surely, because you have defiled My sanctuary with all your detestable idols and with all your abominations, therefore I will also withdraw, and My eye will have no pity and I will not spare.

Mark 7:18

And He *said to them, “Are you so lacking in understanding also? Do you not understand that whatever goes into the man from outside cannot defile him,

Leviticus 18:25

For the land has become defiled, therefore I have brought its punishment upon it, so the land has spewed out its inhabitants.

Leviticus 18:28

so that the land will not spew you out, should you defile it, as it has spewed out the nation which has been before you.

Mark 7:23

All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.”

Isaiah 24:5

The earth is also polluted by its inhabitants, for they transgressed laws, violated statutes, broke the everlasting covenant.

1 Timothy 1:10

and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching,

2 Peter 2:20

For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first.

Numbers 35:34

You shall not defile the land in which you live, in the midst of which I dwell; for I the Lord am dwelling in the midst of the sons of Israel.’”

Micah 2:10

“Arise and go,
For this is no place of rest
Because of the uncleanness that brings on destruction,
A painful destruction.

Deuteronomy 24:4

then her former husband who sent her away is not allowed to take her again to be his wife, since she has been defiled; for that is an abomination before the Lord, and you shall not bring sin on the land which the Lord your God gives you as an inheritance.

From Thematic Bible


Defilement » Of sin

Ezekiel 22:4

You have become guilty by the blood which you have shed, and defiled by your idols which you have made. Thus you have brought your day near and have come to your years; therefore I have made you a reproach to the nations and a mocking to all the lands.

Isaiah 59:3

For your hands are defiled with blood
And your fingers with iniquity;
Your lips have spoken falsehood,
Your tongue mutters wickedness.

Isaiah 24:5

The earth is also polluted by its inhabitants, for they transgressed laws, violated statutes, broke the everlasting covenant.

Ezekiel 28:18

“By the multitude of your iniquities,
In the unrighteousness of your trade
You profaned your sanctuaries.
Therefore I have brought fire from the midst of you;
It has consumed you,
And I have turned you to ashes on the earth
In the eyes of all who see you.

Ezekiel 43:8

by setting their threshold by My threshold and their door post beside My door post, with only the wall between Me and them. And they have defiled My holy name by their abominations which they have committed. So I have consumed them in My anger.

Defilement » Who defiles the land

Isaiah 24:5

The earth is also polluted by its inhabitants, for they transgressed laws, violated statutes, broke the everlasting covenant.

Genesis 6:11-13

Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with violence. God looked on the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth. Then God said to Noah, "The end of all flesh has come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence because of them; and behold, I am about to destroy them with the earth.

Numbers 35:30-33

'If anyone kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death at the evidence of witnesses, but no person shall be put to death on the testimony of one witness. 'Moreover, you shall not take ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death, but he shall surely be put to death. 'You shall not take ransom for him who has fled to his city of refuge, that he may return to live in the land before the death of the priest. read more.
'So you shall not pollute the land in which you are; for blood pollutes the land and no expiation can be made for the land for the blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of him who shed it.

Psalm 106:37-39

They even sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons, And shed innocent blood, The blood of their sons and their daughters, Whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan; And the land was polluted with the blood. Thus they became unclean in their practices, And played the harlot in their deeds.

Jeremiah 16:16-21

"Behold, I am going to send for many fishermen," declares the LORD, "and they will fish for them; and afterwards I will send for many hunters, and they will hunt them from every mountain and every hill and from the clefts of the rocks. "For My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from My face, nor is their iniquity concealed from My eyes. "I will first doubly repay their iniquity and their sin, because they have polluted My land; they have filled My inheritance with the carcasses of their detestable idols and with their abominations." read more.
O LORD, my strength and my stronghold, And my refuge in the day of distress, To You the nations will come From the ends of the earth and say, "Our fathers have inherited nothing but falsehood, Futility and things of no profit." Can man make gods for himself? Yet they are not gods! "Therefore behold, I am going to make them know-- This time I will make them know My power and My might; And they shall know that My name is the LORD."

More verses: Ezekiel 36:16-18

Defilement » What defiles a man

James 3:6

And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell.

Matthew 15:10-11

After Jesus called the crowd to Him, He said to them, "Hear and understand. "It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man."

Mark 7:14-23

After He called the crowd to Him again, He began saying to them, "Listen to Me, all of you, and understand: there is nothing outside the man which can defile him if it goes into him; but the things which proceed out of the man are what defile the man. ["If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear."] read more.
When he had left the crowd and entered the house, His disciples questioned Him about the parable. And He said to them, "Are you so lacking in understanding also? Do you not understand that whatever goes into the man from outside cannot defile him, because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and is eliminated?" (Thus He declared all foods clean.) And He was saying, "That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man. "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. "All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man."

Defilement » Caused by » Touching carcass of an unclean thing

Leviticus 5:2-13

'Or if a person touches any unclean thing, whether a carcass of an unclean beast or the carcass of unclean cattle or a carcass of unclean swarming things, though it is hidden from him and he is unclean, then he will be guilty. 'Or if he touches human uncleanness, of whatever sort his uncleanness may be with which he becomes unclean, and it is hidden from him, and then he comes to know it, he will be guilty. 'Or if a person swears thoughtlessly with his lips to do evil or to do good, in whatever matter a man may speak thoughtlessly with an oath, and it is hidden from him, and then he comes to know it, he will be guilty in one of these. read more.
'So it shall be when he becomes guilty in one of these, that he shall confess that in which he has sinned. 'He shall also bring his guilt offering to the LORD for his sin which he has committed, a female from the flock, a lamb or a goat as a sin offering. So the priest shall make atonement on his behalf for his sin. 'But if he cannot afford a lamb, then he shall bring to the LORD his guilt offering for that in which he has sinned, two turtledoves or two young pigeons, one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. 'He shall bring them to the priest, who shall offer first that which is for the sin offering and shall nip its head at the front of its neck, but he shall not sever it. 'He shall also sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering on the side of the altar, while the rest of the blood shall be drained out at the base of the altar: it is a sin offering. 'The second he shall then prepare as a burnt offering according to the ordinance So the priest shall make atonement on his behalf for his sin which he has committed, and it will be forgiven him. 'But if his means are insufficient for two turtledoves or two young pigeons, then for his offering for that which he has sinned, he shall bring the tenth of an ephah of fine flour for a sin offering; he shall not put oil on it or place incense on it, for it is a sin offering. 'He shall bring it to the priest, and the priest shall take his handful of it as its memorial portion and offer it up in smoke on the altar, with the offerings of the LORD by fire: it is a sin offering. 'So the priest shall make atonement for him concerning his sin which he has committed from one of these, and it will be forgiven him; then the rest shall become the priest's, like the grain offering.'"

Leviticus 11:8

You shall not eat of their flesh nor touch their carcasses; they are unclean to you.

Leviticus 11:24-28

'By these, moreover, you will be made unclean: whoever touches their carcasses becomes unclean until evening, and whoever picks up any of their carcasses shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. 'Concerning all the animals which divide the hoof but do not make a split hoof, or which do not chew cud, they are unclean to you: whoever touches them becomes unclean. read more.
'Also whatever walks on its paws, among all the creatures that walk on all fours, are unclean to you; whoever touches their carcasses becomes unclean until evening, and the one who picks up their carcasses shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening; they are unclean to you.

Leviticus 11:31-38

'These are to you the unclean among all the swarming things; whoever touches them when they are dead becomes unclean until evening. 'Also anything on which one of them may fall when they are dead becomes unclean, including any wooden article, or clothing, or a skin, or a sack--any article of which use is made--it shall be put in the water and be unclean until evening, then it becomes clean. 'As for any earthenware vessel into which one of them may fall, whatever is in it becomes unclean and you shall break the vessel. read more.
'Any of the food which may be eaten, on which water comes, shall become unclean, and any liquid which may be drunk in every vessel shall become unclean. 'Everything, moreover, on which part of their carcass may fall becomes unclean; an oven or a stove shall be smashed; they are unclean and shall continue as unclean to you. 'Nevertheless a spring or a cistern collecting water shall be clean, though the one who touches their carcass shall be unclean. 'If a part of their carcass falls on any seed for sowing which is to be sown, it is clean. 'Though if water is put on the seed and a part of their carcass falls on it, it is unclean to you.

Leviticus 14:46-57

"Moreover, whoever goes into the house during the time that he has quarantined it, becomes unclean until evening. "Likewise, whoever lies down in the house shall wash his clothes, and whoever eats in the house shall wash his clothes. "If, on the other hand, the priest comes in and makes an inspection and the mark has not indeed spread in the house after the house has been replastered, then the priest shall pronounce the house clean because the mark has not reappeared. read more.
"To cleanse the house then, he shall take two birds and cedar wood and a scarlet string and hyssop, and he shall slaughter the one bird in an earthenware vessel over running water. "Then he shall take the cedar wood and the hyssop and the scarlet string, with the live bird, and dip them in the blood of the slain bird as well as in the running water, and sprinkle the house seven times. "He shall thus cleanse the house with the blood of the bird and with the running water, along with the live bird and with the cedar wood and with the hyssop and with the scarlet string. "However, he shall let the live bird go free outside the city into the open field. So he shall make atonement for the house, and it will be clean." This is the law for any mark of leprosy--even for a scale, and for the leprous garment or house, and for a swelling, and for a scab, and for a bright spot-- to teach when they are unclean and when they are clean. This is the law of leprosy.

Defilement » Ceremonial, abolished under the gospel

Acts 10:15

Again a voice came to him a second time, “What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.”

Colossians 2:20-22

If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, "Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!" (which all refer to things destined to perish with use)--in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men?

Defilement » Ceremonial

John 18:28

Then they *led Jesus from Caiaphas into the Praetorium, and it was early; and they themselves did not enter into the Praetorium so that they would not be defiled, but might eat the Passover.

Leviticus 11:43

Do not render yourselves detestable through any of the swarming things that swarm; and you shall not make yourselves unclean with them so that you become unclean.

Leviticus 15:2

“Speak to the sons of Israel, and say to them, ‘When any man has a discharge from his body, his discharge is unclean.

Defilement » Ceremonial caused by » Touching a dead body or a bone

Numbers 9:6

But there were some men who were unclean because of the dead person, so that they could not observe Passover on that day; so they came before Moses and Aaron on that day.

Numbers 19:16

Also, anyone who in the open field touches one who has been slain with a sword or who has died naturally, or a human bone or a grave, shall be unclean for seven days.

Defilement » Moral, caused by » Making and serving idols

Ezekiel 20:17

Yet My eye spared them rather than destroying them, and I did not cause their annihilation in the wilderness.

Ezekiel 22:3

You shall say, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “A city shedding blood in her midst, so that her time will come, and that makes idols, contrary to her interest, for defilement!

Ezekiel 23:7

She bestowed her harlotries on them, all of whom were the choicest men of Assyria; and with all whom she lusted after, with all their idols she defiled herself.

Defilement » Ceremonial caused by » Eating unclean things

Leviticus 11:8

You shall not eat of their flesh nor touch their carcasses; they are unclean to you.

Acts 10:11

and he *saw the sky opened up, and an object like a great sheet coming down, lowered by four corners to the ground,

Defilement » of priests

Leviticus 16:26

The one who released the goat as the scapegoat shall wash his clothes and bathe his body with water; then afterward he shall come into the camp.

Leviticus 16:28

Then the one who burns them shall wash his clothes and bathe his body with water, then afterward he shall come into the camp.

Numbers 19:7-10

'The priest shall then wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward come into the camp, but the priest shall be unclean until evening. 'The one who burns it shall also wash his clothes in water and bathe his body in water, and shall be unclean until evening. 'Now a man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer and deposit them outside the camp in a clean place, and the congregation of the sons of Israel shall keep it as water to remove impurity; it is purification from sin. read more.
'The one who gathers the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening; and it shall be a perpetual statute to the sons of Israel and to the alien who sojourns among them.

Ezekiel 44:25-26

"They shall not go to a dead person to defile themselves; however, for father, for mother, for son, for daughter, for brother, or for a sister who has not had a husband, they may defile themselves. "After he is cleansed, seven days shall elapse for him.

Defilement » priests » Specially required to avoid

Leviticus 21:1-6

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them: 'No one shall defile himself for a dead person among his people, except for his relatives who are nearest to him, his mother and his father and his son and his daughter and his brother, also for his virgin sister, who is near to him because she has had no husband; for her he may defile himself. read more.
'He shall not defile himself as a relative by marriage among his people, and so profane himself. 'They shall not make any baldness on their heads, nor shave off the edges of their beards, nor make any cuts in their flesh. 'They shall be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God, for they present the offerings by fire to the LORD, the food of their God; so they shall be holy.

Leviticus 21:11-12

nor shall he approach any dead person, nor defile himself even for his father or his mother; nor shall he go out of the sanctuary nor profane the sanctuary of his God, for the consecration of the anointing oil of his God is on him; I am the LORD.

Defilement » Not defiling

Leviticus 18:24-30

'Do not defile yourselves by any of these things; for by all these the nations which I am casting out before you have become defiled. 'For the land has become defiled, therefore I have brought its punishment upon it, so the land has spewed out its inhabitants. 'But as for you, you are to keep My statutes and My judgments and shall not do any of these abominations, neither the native, nor the alien who sojourns among you read more.
(for the men of the land who have been before you have done all these abominations, and the land has become defiled); so that the land will not spew you out, should you defile it, as it has spewed out the nation which has been before you. 'For whoever does any of these abominations, those persons who do so shall be cut off from among their people. 'Thus you are to keep My charge, that you do not practice any of the abominable customs which have been practiced before you, so as not to defile yourselves with them; I am the LORD your God.'"

Numbers 35:33-34

'So you shall not pollute the land in which you are; for blood pollutes the land and no expiation can be made for the land for the blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of him who shed it. 'You shall not defile the land in which you live, in the midst of which I dwell; for I the LORD am dwelling in the midst of the sons of Israel.'"

Defilement » Things liable to ceremonial » The land

Deuteronomy 21:23

his corpse shall not hang all night on the tree, but you shall surely bury him on the same day (for he who is hanged is accursed of God), so that you do not defile your land which the Lord your God gives you as an inheritance.

Leviticus 18:25

For the land has become defiled, therefore I have brought its punishment upon it, so the land has spewed out its inhabitants.

Defilement » Ceremonial caused by » Touching a dead beast

Leviticus 5:2

Or if a person touches any unclean thing, whether a carcass of an unclean beast or the carcass of unclean cattle or a carcass of unclean swarming things, though it is hidden from him and he is unclean, then he will be guilty.

Leviticus 11:24-28

'By these, moreover, you will be made unclean: whoever touches their carcasses becomes unclean until evening, and whoever picks up any of their carcasses shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. 'Concerning all the animals which divide the hoof but do not make a split hoof, or which do not chew cud, they are unclean to you: whoever touches them becomes unclean. read more.
'Also whatever walks on its paws, among all the creatures that walk on all fours, are unclean to you; whoever touches their carcasses becomes unclean until evening, and the one who picks up their carcasses shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening; they are unclean to you.

Defilement » priests » Not to eat holy things while under

Leviticus 22:2

“Tell Aaron and his sons to be careful with the holy gifts of the sons of Israel, which they dedicate to Me, so as not to profane My holy name; I am the Lord.

Leviticus 22:4-6

'No man of the descendants of Aaron, who is a leper or who has a discharge, may eat of the holy gifts until he is clean And if one touches anything made unclean by a corpse or if a man has a seminal emission, or if a man touches any teeming things by which he is made unclean, or any man by whom he is made unclean, whatever his uncleanness; a person who touches any such shall be unclean until evening, and shall not eat of the holy gifts unless he has bathed his body in water.

Defilement » Ceremonial caused by » Having a leprosy

Leviticus 13:3

The priest shall look at the mark on the skin of the body, and if the hair in the infection has turned white and the infection appears to be deeper than the skin of his body, it is an infection of leprosy; when the priest has looked at him, he shall pronounce him unclean.

Leviticus 13:11

it is a chronic leprosy on the skin of his body, and the priest shall pronounce him unclean; he shall not isolate him, for he is unclean.

Defilement » priests » To decide in all cases of

Leviticus 13:3

The priest shall look at the mark on the skin of the body, and if the hair in the infection has turned white and the infection appears to be deeper than the skin of his body, it is an infection of leprosy; when the priest has looked at him, he shall pronounce him unclean.

Leviticus 10:10

and so as to make a distinction between the holy and the profane, and between the unclean and the clean,

Defilement » Things liable to ceremonial » The sanctuary

Leviticus 20:3

I will also set My face against that man and will cut him off from among his people, because he has given some of his offspring to Molech, so as to defile My sanctuary and to profane My holy name.

Zephaniah 3:4

Her prophets are reckless, treacherous men;
Her priests have profaned the sanctuary.
They have done violence to the law.

Defilement » Illustrative » Of sin

Matthew 15:11

It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man.”

Matthew 15:18

But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man.

Defilement » Neglecting purification from, punished by cutting off

Numbers 19:20

‘But the man who is unclean and does not purify himself from uncleanness, that person shall be cut off from the midst of the assembly, because he has defiled the sanctuary of the Lord; the water for impurity has not been sprinkled on him, he is unclean.

Numbers 19:13

Anyone who touches a corpse, the body of a man who has died, and does not purify himself, defiles the tabernacle of the Lord; and that person shall be cut off from Israel. Because the water for impurity was not sprinkled on him, he shall be unclean; his uncleanness is still on him.

Defilement » Ceremonial caused by » Having an issue, &c

Numbers 5:2

“Command the sons of Israel that they send away from the camp every leper and everyone having a discharge and everyone who is unclean because of a dead person.

Leviticus 15:2

“Speak to the sons of Israel, and say to them, ‘When any man has a discharge from his body, his discharge is unclean.

Defilement » Caused by » Touching the carcass of any ceremonially unclean animal

Leviticus 17:15-16

"When any person eats an animal which dies or is torn by beasts, whether he is a native or an alien, he shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and remain unclean until evening; then he will become clean. "But if he does not wash them or bathe his body, then he shall bear his guilt."

Leviticus 11:39-40

'Also if one of the animals dies which you have for food, the one who touches its carcass becomes unclean until evening. 'He too, who eats some of its carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening, and the one who picks up its carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening.

Defilement » What defiles the house of God

Jeremiah 19:12-13

"This is how I will treat this place and its inhabitants," declares the LORD, "so as to make this city like Topheth. "The houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah will be defiled like the place Topheth, because of all the houses on whose rooftops they burned sacrifices to all the heavenly host and poured out drink offerings to other gods."'"

Jeremiah 32:34-36

"But they put their detestable things in the house which is called by My name, to defile it. "They built the high places of Baal that are in the valley of Ben-hinnom to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire to Molech, which I had not commanded them nor had it entered My mind that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin. "Now therefore thus says the LORD God of Israel concerning this city of which you say, 'It is given into the hand of the king of Babylon by sword, by famine and by pestilence.'

Defilement » Caused by » Leprosy

Leviticus 13:3

The priest shall look at the mark on the skin of the body, and if the hair in the infection has turned white and the infection appears to be deeper than the skin of his body, it is an infection of leprosy; when the priest has looked at him, he shall pronounce him unclean.

Leviticus 13:44-46

he is a leprous man, he is unclean. The priest shall surely pronounce him unclean; his infection is on his head. "As for the leper who has the infection, his clothes shall be torn, and the hair of his head shall be uncovered, and he shall cover his mustache and cry, 'Unclean! Unclean!' "He shall remain unclean all the days during which he has the infection; he is unclean. He shall live alone; his dwelling shall be outside the camp.

Leviticus 22:4-7

'No man of the descendants of Aaron, who is a leper or who has a discharge, may eat of the holy gifts until he is clean And if one touches anything made unclean by a corpse or if a man has a seminal emission, or if a man touches any teeming things by which he is made unclean, or any man by whom he is made unclean, whatever his uncleanness; a person who touches any such shall be unclean until evening, and shall not eat of the holy gifts unless he has bathed his body in water. read more.
'But when the sun sets, he will be clean, and afterward he shall eat of the holy gifts, for it is his food.

Defilement » Laws relating to

Leviticus 11:43

Do not render yourselves detestable through any of the swarming things that swarm; and you shall not make yourselves unclean with them so that you become unclean.

Leviticus 7:18-21

'So if any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings should ever be eaten on the third day, he who offers it will not be accepted, and it will not be reckoned to his benefit. It shall be an offensive thing, and the person who eats of it will bear his own iniquity. 'Also the flesh that touches anything unclean shall not be eaten; it shall be burned with fire. As for other flesh, anyone who is clean may eat such flesh. 'But the person who eats the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings which belong to the LORD, in his uncleanness, that person shall be cut off from his people. read more.
'When anyone touches anything unclean, whether human uncleanness, or an unclean animal, or any unclean detestable thing, and eats of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings which belong to the LORD, that person shall be cut off from his people.'"

Leviticus 22:2-7

"Tell Aaron and his sons to be careful with the holy gifts of the sons of Israel, which they dedicate to Me, so as not to profane My holy name; I am the LORD. "Say to them, 'If any man among all your descendants throughout your generations approaches the holy gifts which the sons of Israel dedicate to the LORD, while he has an uncleanness, that person shall be cut off from before Me; I am the LORD. 'No man of the descendants of Aaron, who is a leper or who has a discharge, may eat of the holy gifts until he is clean And if one touches anything made unclean by a corpse or if a man has a seminal emission, read more.
or if a man touches any teeming things by which he is made unclean, or any man by whom he is made unclean, whatever his uncleanness; a person who touches any such shall be unclean until evening, and shall not eat of the holy gifts unless he has bathed his body in water. 'But when the sun sets, he will be clean, and afterward he shall eat of the holy gifts, for it is his food.

Defilement » Causes of, improperly enlarged by tradition

Mark 7:2

and had seen that some of His disciples were eating their bread with impure hands, that is, unwashed.

Matthew 15:20

These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man.”

Defilement » Illustrative » Of unholy doctrines

1 Corinthians 3:16-17

Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are.

Defilement » Caused by » Touching the dead

Numbers 19:11-22

'The one who touches the corpse of any person shall be unclean for seven days. 'That one shall purify himself from uncleanness with the water on the third day and on the seventh day, and then he will be clean; but if he does not purify himself on the third day and on the seventh day, he will not be clean. 'Anyone who touches a corpse, the body of a man who has died, and does not purify himself, defiles the tabernacle of the LORD; and that person shall be cut off from Israel Because the water for impurity was not sprinkled on him, he shall be unclean; his uncleanness is still on him. read more.
'This is the law when a man dies in a tent: everyone who comes into the tent and everyone who is in the tent shall be unclean for seven days. 'Every open vessel, which has no covering tied down on it, shall be unclean. 'Also, anyone who in the open field touches one who has been slain with a sword or who has died naturally, or a human bone or a grave, shall be unclean for seven days. 'Then for the unclean person they shall take some of the ashes of the burnt purification from sin and flowing water shall be added to them in a vessel. 'A clean person shall take hyssop and dip it in the water, and sprinkle it on the tent and on all the furnishings and on the persons who were there, and on the one who touched the bone or the one slain or the one dying naturally or the grave. 'Then the clean person shall sprinkle on the unclean on the third day and on the seventh day; and on the seventh day he shall purify him from uncleanness, and he shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and shall be clean by evening. 'But the man who is unclean and does not purify himself from uncleanness, that person shall be cut off from the midst of the assembly, because he has defiled the sanctuary of the LORD; the water for impurity has not been sprinkled on him, he is unclean. 'So it shall be a perpetual statute for them. And he who sprinkles the water for impurity shall wash his clothes, and he who touches the water for impurity shall be unclean until evening. 'Furthermore, anything that the unclean person touches shall be unclean; and the person who touches it shall be unclean until evening.'"

Numbers 31:19-20

"And you, camp outside the camp seven days; whoever has killed any person and whoever has touched any slain, purify yourselves, you and your captives, on the third day and on the seventh day. "You shall purify for yourselves every garment and every article of leather and all the work of goats' hair, and all articles of wood."

Defilement » Caused by » Menses

Leviticus 15:19-33

'When a woman has a discharge, if her discharge in her body is blood, she shall continue in her menstrual impurity for seven days; and whoever touches her shall be unclean until evening. 'Everything also on which she lies during her menstrual impurity shall be unclean, and everything on which she sits shall be unclean. 'Anyone who touches her bed shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening. read more.
'Whoever touches any thing on which she sits shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening. 'Whether it be on the bed or on the thing on which she is sitting, when he touches it, he shall be unclean until evening. 'If a man actually lies with her so that her menstrual impurity is on him, he shall be unclean seven days, and every bed on which he lies shall be unclean. 'Now if a woman has a discharge of her blood many days, not at the period of her menstrual impurity, or if she has a discharge beyond that period, all the days of her impure discharge she shall continue as though in her menstrual impurity; she is unclean. 'Any bed on which she lies all the days of her discharge shall be to her like her bed at menstruation; and every thing on which she sits shall be unclean, like her uncleanness at that time. 'Likewise, whoever touches them shall be unclean and shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening. 'When she becomes clean from her discharge, she shall count off for herself seven days; and afterward she will be clean. 'Then on the eighth day she shall take for herself two turtledoves or two young pigeons and bring them in to the priest, to the doorway of the tent of meeting. 'The priest shall offer the one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. So the priest shall make atonement on her behalf before the LORD because of her impure discharge.' "Thus you shall keep the sons of Israel separated from their uncleanness, so that they will not die in their uncleanness by their defiling My tabernacle that is among them." This is the law for the one with a discharge, and for the man who has a seminal emission so that he is unclean by it, and for the woman who is ill because of menstrual impurity, and for the one who has a discharge, whether a male or a female, or a man who lies with an unclean woman.

2 Samuel 11:4

David sent messengers and took her, and when she came to him, he lay with her; and when she had purified herself from her uncleanness, she returned to her house.

Defilement » Those that defile the temple of God

1 Corinthians 3:16-17

Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are.

Defilement » Caused by » Childbirth

Leviticus 12:2-8

"Speak to the sons of Israel, saying: 'When a woman gives birth and bears a male child, then she shall be unclean for seven days, as in the days of her menstruation she shall be unclean. 'On the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. 'Then she shall remain in the blood of her purification for thirty-three days; she shall not touch any consecrated thing, nor enter the sanctuary until the days of her purification are completed. read more.
'But if she bears a female child, then she shall be unclean for two weeks, as in her menstruation; and she shall remain in the blood of her purification for sixty-six days. 'When the days of her purification are completed, for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the doorway of the tent of meeting a one year old lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering. 'Then he shall offer it before the LORD and make atonement for her, and she shall be cleansed from the flow of her blood. This is the law for her who bears a child, whether a male or a female. 'But 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; and the priest shall make atonement for her, and she will be clean.'"

Luke 2:22

And when the days for their purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord

Defilement » Those that defile themselves

Leviticus 18:24-29

'Do not defile yourselves by any of these things; for by all these the nations which I am casting out before you have become defiled. 'For the land has become defiled, therefore I have brought its punishment upon it, so the land has spewed out its inhabitants. 'But as for you, you are to keep My statutes and My judgments and shall not do any of these abominations, neither the native, nor the alien who sojourns among you read more.
(for the men of the land who have been before you have done all these abominations, and the land has become defiled); so that the land will not spew you out, should you defile it, as it has spewed out the nation which has been before you. 'For whoever does any of these abominations, those persons who do so shall be cut off from among their people.

Defilement » Forbidden to the jews

Leviticus 11:44-45

'For I am the LORD your God Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. And you shall not make yourselves unclean with any of the swarming things that swarm on the earth. 'For I am the LORD who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God; thus you shall be holy, for I am holy.'"

Defilement » Things liable to ceremonial » Furniture, &c

Leviticus 15:9-10

'Every saddle on which the person with the discharge rides becomes unclean. 'Whoever then touches any of the things which were under him shall be unclean until evening, and he who carries them shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening.

Defilement » Ceremonial caused by » Touching anything defiled by an issue, &c

Leviticus 15:5-11

'Anyone, moreover, who touches his bed shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening; and whoever sits on the thing on which the man with the discharge has been sitting, shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening. 'Also whoever touches the person with the discharge shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening. read more.
'Or if the man with the discharge spits on one who is clean, he too shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening. 'Every saddle on which the person with the discharge rides becomes unclean. 'Whoever then touches any of the things which were under him shall be unclean until evening, and he who carries them shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening. 'Likewise, whomever the one with the discharge touches without having rinsed his hands in water shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening.

Defilement » Ceremonial caused by » Mourning for the dead

Leviticus 21:1-3

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them: 'No one shall defile himself for a dead person among his people, except for his relatives who are nearest to him, his mother and his father and his son and his daughter and his brother, also for his virgin sister, who is near to him because she has had no husband; for her he may defile himself.

Defilement » Caused by » Gonorrhea

Leviticus 15:1-15

The LORD also spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, "Speak to the sons of Israel, and say to them, 'When any man has a discharge from his body, his discharge is unclean. 'This, moreover, shall be his uncleanness in his discharge: it is his uncleanness whether his body allows its discharge to flow or whether his body obstructs its discharge. read more.
'Every bed on which the person with the discharge lies becomes unclean, and everything on which he sits becomes unclean. 'Anyone, moreover, who touches his bed shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening; and whoever sits on the thing on which the man with the discharge has been sitting, shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening. 'Also whoever touches the person with the discharge shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening. 'Or if the man with the discharge spits on one who is clean, he too shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening. 'Every saddle on which the person with the discharge rides becomes unclean. 'Whoever then touches any of the things which were under him shall be unclean until evening, and he who carries them shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening. 'Likewise, whomever the one with the discharge touches without having rinsed his hands in water shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening. 'However, an earthenware vessel which the person with the discharge touches shall be broken, and every wooden vessel shall be rinsed in water. 'Now when the man with the discharge becomes cleansed from his discharge, then he shall count off for himself seven days for his cleansing; he shall then wash his clothes and bathe his body in running water and will become clean. 'Then on the eighth day he shall take for himself two turtledoves or two young pigeons, and come before the LORD to the doorway of the tent of meeting and give them to the priest; and the priest shall offer them, one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering So the priest shall make atonement on his behalf before the LORD because of his discharge.

Leviticus 22:4

No man of the descendants of Aaron, who is a leper or who has a discharge, may eat of the holy gifts until he is clean. And if one touches anything made unclean by a corpse or if a man has a seminal emission,

Defilement » Cleansed by legal ablutions

Numbers 19:18-19

'A clean person shall take hyssop and dip it in the water, and sprinkle it on the tent and on all the furnishings and on the persons who were there, and on the one who touched the bone or the one slain or the one dying naturally or the grave. 'Then the clean person shall sprinkle on the unclean on the third day and on the seventh day; and on the seventh day he shall purify him from uncleanness, and he shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and shall be clean by evening.

Defilement » Things liable to ceremonial » Garments

Leviticus 13:59

This is the law for the mark of leprosy in a garment of wool or linen, whether in the warp or in the woof, or in any article of leather, for pronouncing it clean or unclean.

Defilement » Things liable to ceremonial » Houses

Leviticus 14:44

then the priest shall come in and make an inspection. If he sees that the mark has indeed spread in the house, it is a malignant mark in the house; it is unclean.

Defilement » Ceremonial caused by » Going into a leprous house

Leviticus 14:46

Moreover, whoever goes into the house during the time that he has quarantined it, becomes unclean until evening.

Defilement » Ceremonial caused by » Eating things that died

Leviticus 17:15

When any person eats an animal which dies or is torn by beasts, whether he is a native or an alien, he shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and remain unclean until evening; then he will become clean.

Defilement » Moral, caused by » Following the sins of the heathen

Leviticus 18:24

‘Do not defile yourselves by any of these things; for by all these the nations which I am casting out before you have become defiled.

Defilement » Moral, caused by » Seeking after wizards

Defilement » Moral, caused by » Giving children to molech

Leviticus 20:3

I will also set My face against that man and will cut him off from among his people, because he has given some of his offspring to Molech, so as to defile My sanctuary and to profane My holy name.

Defilement » priests » Punished for eating of the holy things while under

Leviticus 22:3

Say to them, ‘If any man among all your descendants throughout your generations approaches the holy gifts which the sons of Israel dedicate to the Lord, while he has an uncleanness, that person shall be cut off from before Me; I am the Lord.

Defilement » Child-bearing

Leviticus 12:2

“Speak to the sons of Israel, saying:‘When a woman gives birth and bears a male child, then she shall be unclean for seven days, as in the days of her menstruation she shall be unclean.

Defilement » Things liable to ceremonial » The person

Leviticus 5:3

Or if he touches human uncleanness, of whatever sort his uncleanness may be with which he becomes unclean, and it is hidden from him, and then he comes to know it, he will be guilty.

Defilement » Ceremonial caused by » Gathering ashes of the red heifer

Numbers 19:10

The one who gathers the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening; and it shall be a perpetual statute to the sons of Israel and to the alien who sojourns among them.

Defilement » Ceremonial caused by » Being alone with a dead body

Numbers 19:14

‘This is the law when a man dies in a tent: everyone who comes into the tent and everyone who is in the tent shall be unclean for seven days.

Defilement » Ceremonial caused by » Touching an unclean person

Numbers 19:22

Furthermore, anything that the unclean person touches shall be unclean; and the person who touches it shall be unclean until evening.’”

Defilement » Ceremonial caused by » Touching a grave

Numbers 19:16

Also, anyone who in the open field touches one who has been slain with a sword or who has died naturally, or a human bone or a grave, shall be unclean for seven days.

Defilement » Those that are defiled

Titus 1:15-16

To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled. They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed.

Defilement » Those under, removed from the camp

Numbers 5:3-4

"You shall send away both male and female; you shall send them outside the camp so that they will not defile their camp where I dwell in their midst." The sons of Israel did so and sent them outside the camp; just as the LORD had spoken to Moses, thus the sons of Israel did.

Defilement » Ceremonial caused by » Sacrificing the red heifer

Numbers 19:7

The priest shall then wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward come into the camp, but the priest shall be unclean until evening.

Defilement » Ceremonial caused by » Burning the red heifer

Numbers 19:8

The one who burns it shall also wash his clothes in water and bathe his body in water, and shall be unclean until evening.

Defilement » Moral, caused by » Blood shedding

Isaiah 59:3

For your hands are defiled with blood
And your fingers with iniquity;
Your lips have spoken falsehood,
Your tongue mutters wickedness.

Defilement » Caused by » Killing in battle

Numbers 31:19-20

"And you, camp outside the camp seven days; whoever has killed any person and whoever has touched any slain, purify yourselves, you and your captives, on the third day and on the seventh day. "You shall purify for yourselves every garment and every article of leather and all the work of goats' hair, and all articles of wood."

Defilement » Caused by » Spermatorrhea

Leviticus 15:16-17

'Now if a man has a seminal emission, he shall bathe all his body in water and be unclean until evening. 'As for any garment or any leather on which there is seminal emission, it shall be washed with water and be unclean until evening.

Defilement » Moral, punished

Leviticus 18:24-25

'Do not defile yourselves by any of these things; for by all these the nations which I am casting out before you have become defiled. 'For the land has become defiled, therefore I have brought its punishment upon it, so the land has spewed out its inhabitants.

Defilement » Who defiles the flesh

Jude 1:7-8

just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh, are exhibited as an example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire. Yet in the same way these men, also by dreaming, defile the flesh, and reject authority, and revile angelic majesties.

Defilement » Contact with sinners falsely supposed to cause

John 18:28

Then they *led Jesus from Caiaphas into the Praetorium, and it was early; and they themselves did not enter into the Praetorium so that they would not be defiled, but might eat the Passover.

Defilement » Caused by » Copulation

Leviticus 15:17

As for any garment or any leather on which there is seminal emission, it shall be washed with water and be unclean until evening.

Defilement » Egyptian usage, concerning

Genesis 43:32

So they served him by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because the Egyptians could not eat bread with the Hebrews, for that is loathsome to the Egyptians.

Evil » Associations » Results of » Defilement

Topics on Defilement

Defilement, By Sin

Ezekiel 14:11

in order that the house of Israel may no longer stray from Me and no longer defile themselves with all their transgressions. Thus they will be My people, and I shall be their God,”’ declares the Lord God.”

Defilement, Ceremonial Causes

Leviticus 20:25

You are therefore to make a distinction between the clean animal and the unclean, and between the unclean bird and the clean; and you shall not make yourselves detestable by animal or by bird or by anything that creeps on the ground, which I have separated for you as unclean.

Defilement, Objects Of

1 Corinthians 8:7

However not all men have this knowledge; but some, being accustomed to the idol until now, eat food as if it were sacrificed to an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled.

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