Verse 18. They shall both bathe themselves] What a wonderful tendency had these ordinances to prevent all excesses! The pains which such persons must take, the separations which they must observe, and the privations which, in consequence, they must be exposed to in the way of commerce, traffic, &c., would prevent them from making an unlawful use of lawful things.
Ver. 18. The woman also with whom man shall lie [with] seed of copulation , etc.] It seems to respect any congress of a man and woman, whether in fornication or adultery, or lawfulmarriage, and particularly the latter; for though marriage is honourable and holy, and carnal copulation in itself lawful, yet such is the sinfulness of nature, that as no act is performed without pollution, so neither that of generation, and by which the corruption of nature is propagated, and therefore required a ceremonial cleansing: they shall [both] bathe [themselves] in water, and be unclean until the even ; so Herodotus reports, that as often as a Babylonian man lay with his wife, he had used to sit by consecratedincense, and the woman did the same: and in the morning they were both washed, and did not touch any vessel before they had washed themselves; and he says the Arabians did the like: and the same historian relates of the Egyptians, that they never go into their temples from their wivesunwashed; (see Exodus 19:15 Samuel 21:4).
--We need not be curious in explaining these laws; but have reason to be thankful that we need fear no defilement, except that of sin, no need ceremonial and burdensome purifications. These laws remind us tha God sees all things, even those which escape the notice of men. The great gospelduties of faith and repentance are here signified, and the great gospel privileges of the application of Christ's blood to ou souls for our justification, and his grace for our sanctification __________________________________________________________________
