'Touches' in the Bible

Then Abimelech commanded all his people, “Whoever touches this man [Isaac] or his wife [Rebekah] shall without exception be put to death.”

You shall set barriers for the people all around [the mountain], saying, ‘Beware that you do not go up on the mountain or touch its border; whoever touches the mountain must be put to death.

For seven days you shall make atonement for the altar [of burnt offering] and consecrate it; then the altar shall be most holy. Whatever touches the altar must be holy (set apart for God’s service).

You shall consecrate them, that they may be most holy; whatever touches them must be holy (set apart for God).

Or if someone touches any [ceremonially] unclean thing—whether the carcass of an unclean wild animal or the carcass of an unclean domestic animal or the carcass of unclean creeping things—even if he is unaware of it, he has become unclean, and he will be guilty.

Or if he touches human uncleanness—whatever kind it may be—and he becomes unclean, but he is unaware of it, when he recognizes it, he will be guilty.

Every male among the sons of Aaron may eat it [as his share]; it is a permanent ordinance throughout your generations, from offerings by fire to the Lord. Whatever touches them will become consecrated (ceremonially clean).’”

Whatever touches its meat will become consecrated (ceremonially clean). When any of its blood splashes on a garment, you shall wash what was splashed on in a holy place.

When anyone touches any unclean thing—human uncleanness, or an unclean animal, or any unclean detestable thing—and then eats the meat of the sacrifice of the Lord’s peace offerings, that person shall be cut off from his people [excluding him from the atonement made for them].’”

‘By [contact with] these you will become unclean; whoever touches their carcasses becomes unclean until the evening (dusk),

Concerning all the animals which divide the hoof, but do not have a split hoof, or which do not chew the cud, they are unclean to you; whoever touches them becomes unclean.

Also all animals that walk on their paws, among all kinds of animals that walk on four legs, are unclean to you; whoever touches their carcasses becomes unclean until the evening,

These [creatures] are unclean to you among all that swarm; whoever touches them when they are dead becomes unclean until evening.

Nevertheless a spring or a cistern (reservoir) collecting water shall be clean; but whoever touches one of these carcasses shall be unclean.

‘If one of the animals that you may eat dies [of natural causes], whoever touches its carcass becomes unclean until the evening.

Whoever touches his bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening;

Also whoever touches the man with the discharge shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening.

Whoever touches anything that has been under him shall be unclean until evening; and whoever carries those things shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening.

Whomever the one with the discharge touches without rinsing his hands in water shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening.

An earthenware container that the one with the discharge touches shall be broken, and every wooden container shall be rinsed in water.

‘When a woman has a discharge, if her bodily discharge is blood, she shall continue in her menstrual impurity for seven days; and whoever touches her shall be unclean until evening.

Anyone who touches her bed shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening.

Whoever touches anything on which she sits shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening.

And if it is on her bed or on the thing on which she is sitting, when he touches it, he shall be unclean until evening.

And whoever touches those things shall be unclean, and shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening.

No man of the descendants of Aaron who is a leper or has a discharge may eat the holy things [the offerings and the showbread] until he is clean. And whoever touches any person or thing made unclean by contact with a corpse or a man who has had a seminal emission,

or whoever touches any crawling thing by which he is made unclean, or any person by whom he is made unclean, whatever it may be,

‘The one who touches the dead body of any person shall be unclean for seven days.

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

Also, anyone in the open field who touches one who has been killed with a sword or who has died [of natural causes], or a human bone or a grave, shall be unclean for seven days.

So it shall be a perpetual statute to them. He who sprinkles the water for impurity [on another] shall wash his clothes, and he who touches the water for impurity shall be unclean until evening.

Furthermore, anything the unclean person touches shall be unclean, and anyone who touches it shall be [ceremonially] unclean until evening.’”

Now she had men lying in ambush in an inner room. And she said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” And he broke the cords as a string of tow breaks when it touches fire. So [the secret of] his strength was not discovered.

“But the man who touches themMust be armed with iron and the shaft of a spear,And they are utterly burned and consumed by fire in their place.”

“But now adversity comes upon you, and you are impatient and intolerant;It touches you, and you are horrified.

“Your wickedness affects only a man such as you,And your righteousness affects only a son of man [but it cannot affect God, who is sovereign].

He looks at the earth, and it trembles;He touches the mountains, and they smoke.

So is the one who goes in to his neighbor’s wife;Whoever touches her will not be found innocent or go unpunished.

Though it is planted, will it thrive and grow? Will it not completely wither when the east wind touches it? It will wither in the beds where it grew.”’”

The Lord God of hosts [the Omnipotent Ruler],It is He who touches the earth [in judgment] and it melts,And all who dwell on it mourn [in despair and fear],And all of it rises up like the NileAnd subsides like the Nile of Egypt;

If a man carries meat that is holy [because it has been offered in sacrifice to God] in the fold of his garment, and he touches bread, or cooked food, or wine, or oil, or any [kind of] food with this fold, does what he touches become holy [dedicated exclusively to God’s service]?’” And the priests answered, “No!” [Holiness is not transferrable.]

For thus says the Lord of hosts, “After glory He has sent Me against the nations which plunder you—for he who touches you, touches the apple of His eye.

For they could not bear the command, “If even a wild animal touches the mountain, it will be stoned [to death].”