(Heb., tum†™ah, filth, contamination, nidah, separation, impurity, †™erwah, †™erwath davar, unclean things, tame, polluted, unclean, tame†™, make or declare unclean; Gr. akatharsia, miasma, pollution, akathartos, unclean, koinoo, contaminate, miano, contaminate, molyno, make unclean, spiloo, phtheiro, corrupt). All of Israel’s restrictive foods, unlike those of some other nations, involved the meat of animals, thus differentiating clean from unclean mammals (Lev 11:1-8, Lev 11:26-28), aquatic animals (Lev 11:9-12), birds (Lev 11:13-25) and creeping animals (Lev 11:29-38).
Nothing that died by itself was fit for consumption, nor should they eat anything drowned. Blood was a forbidden part of their diet.
A dead person, regardless of the cause, made anyone who touched the body unclean (Num 19:22). Similarly, whatever the body touched (Num 19:22) or the enclosure in which the person died, became unclean (Num 19:14-19). Those who touched the dead body of an animal became contaminated (Lev 11:24-28). Certain types of animals that crawled and died made anything they touched unclean.
Some objects thus touched could be cleansed by washing, while others had to be destroyed (Lev 11:29-37).
Leprosy, which typified sin, was seen as unclean, whether in people, houses, or clothing. God required the person declared leprous by the priest to identify himself in a prescribed manner and separate himself from the rest of the people. Any time someone came near him, he was to cry out “unclean, unclean”. Since this disease was also highly contagious, detailed instructions were given for treating it (Leviticus 13-15).
Anything touched by seminal fluid from the body became unclean. This applied to certain other kinds of flows as well (Lev 15:1-33). Childbirth made a woman unclean and special instructions were given for her purification (ch. 12).
In the NT one perceives the cumbersome system of contamination developed by the scribes and Pharisees, which Jesus condemned. Only four restrictions were placed on new believers (Acts 15:28-29). In the NT era uncleanness became moral, not ceremonial.
Source: Hispanic World Bible Dictionary
See “Impure.” The demon of Mark 1:23, was “impure”, and the one of 5:2.
Christian Bible Dictionary
Dr. J. Dominguez
http://bible.com/dictionary/
Source: Christian Bible Dictionary
†¢Clean and unclean.
Source: Christian Bible Dictionary
A. Verb tame< (amef; , 2930), "to be/be unclean". This root is limited to Hebrew, Aramaic and Arabic. The verb appears 160 times in Biblical Hebrew and mainly in Leviticus, for example in Lev 11:26 "Every animal that has undivided hooves, that does not split them in half, or that does not chew the cud, is unclean to you. touch will be unclean" (rva). Tame< is the opposite of taher, "to be pure". B. Name tum Source: Vine Old Testament Dictionary