Catholic Public Domain Version
Leviticus 20:18
“Whoever has sexual intercourse with a woman in her menstrual flow, and has uncovered her nakedness, and she has opened the fountain of her blood, both shall be destroyed from the midst of their people.”
Verse Explanation
A saved explanation for Leviticus 20:18.
Plain-language explanation
Leviticus 20:18 addresses sex between a man and a woman during her menstrual period (described as “her menstrual flow” and “the opening of the fountain of her blood”). It warns that such an act is seriously wrong and states that both parties are to be cut off from the people (“both shall be destroyed”). The language is severe because this law aims to protect the community from what God had declared “unclean” and to guide Israel’s holiness.
Catholic context
Many Catholics read Leviticus as part of God’s covenant guidance for ancient Israel—ceremonial and moral boundaries that taught holiness and respect for the body. While the Church does not require modern Christians to follow Israel’s ceremonial laws in the same way, the verse can still be received as a reminder that God calls for sexual conduct with reverence, self-control, and respect for the vulnerable. This passage is often understood within the broader Old Testament framework of purity laws, which foreshadowed deeper spiritual truths fulfilled in Christ.
Historical background
In Israel’s culture, menstrual blood was treated as a sign of bodily impurity requiring rest and careful separation within the community’s worship life. These purity rules shaped daily life and family order. Leviticus 20 contains “case” laws that apply covenant discipline to serious breaches, using strong wording (“cut off,” “destroyed,” “from the midst”) to stress how seriously God takes holiness in communal relationships.
Reflection
This verse challenges us to take bodily realities seriously and to remember that sexuality is not merely private preference—it involves responsibility before God and charity toward one another. Even when we don’t practice the same purity regulations today, we can still learn to honor the dignity of the other person and approach intimacy with restraint, compassion, and a desire to live faithfully.
Practical takeaway
If you’re studying this for personal guidance, a helpful takeaway is: be reverent and disciplined in sexual relationships, especially in times when another person’s body is in a vulnerable or sensitive condition. Choose patience, respect, and care—aiming for holiness and the good of the other, not impulsiveness.
Prayer
Lord, grant us purity of heart and reverence in how we treat our bodies and the bodies of others. Help us honor your gift of sexuality with self-control, kindness, and faithful love. Teach us to seek holiness in small choices each day. Amen.