נִדָּה (nid.dah)
nid.dah
impurity
H:N-FQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 19 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-F
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun nidah denotes a state of ritual impurity or filthiness that is considered abhorrent and to be shunned. It appears nineteen times in the Old Testament, with the majority of occurrences found in Leviticus and Numbers. The term primarily describes ceremonial uncleanness, establishing boundaries for what is clean and unclean within the community.
A central usage refers specifically to menstruation, marking a period where a woman is ritually separated from normal social and religious activities. Beyond physical states, the word extends metaphorically to describe moral defilement. Prophets use it to characterize idolatry and sexual immorality as spiritual filth that contaminates the land, treating these sins with the same gravity as ritual uncleanness.
This dual application highlights how ancient Israelite thought linked physical hygiene with moral integrity. What was ritually impure in the body served as a powerful image for what was spiritually corrupt in conduct. Translators often render nidah as "uncleanness" or "impurity," capturing its sense of something that must be avoided to maintain holiness.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word nidah describes a state of separation caused by impurity. In ancient Israel, this term marked physical conditions like menstruation or contact with death as times when one was set apart from the sanctuary. This was not a judgment on the person’s moral worth but a recognition that certain states required distance to protect the holiness of God’s dwelling place among His people.
Prophets later used this image to describe spiritual defilement. When Israel turned to idolatry, they were called unclean like a nidah object. This shows how deeply physical reality connected with spiritual truth in Scripture. The law created boundaries that taught reverence for life and holiness.
Christians see the fulfillment of these laws in Jesus. He did not remain distant from impurity but touched the unclean to make them clean. Through His sacrifice, believers are washed from sin and invited into God’s presence without fear. This word reminds us that God provides a way out of every defilement.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 19 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- menstruous impurity/ her6×
- impurity5×
- in/ menstruous impurity/ her3×
- <the>/ impurity2×
- the/ impurity1×
- menstrous impurity of1×
- like/ menstruous impurity/ her1×
- in/ [the] menstruous impurity of1×
- by/ [the] impurity of1×
- and/ for/ impurity1×
- [is] impurity1×
- <into>/ an impure thing1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- נִדָּ֖ה2×
- נִדָּתָֽ/הּ\׃1×
- נִדָּתָ֛/הּ1×
- נִדָּתָ֖/הּ1×
- נִדָּתָ֔/הּ1×
- נִדָּתָ֑/הּ1×
- נִדָּתָ/הּ֙1×
- נִדָּה֙1×
- נִדָּ֣ה1×
- נִדָּ֜ה1×
- נִדָּ֛ה1×
- נִדַּ֥ת1×
Key Verses
-
Leviticus 15:19
“‘If a woman has a discharge, and her discharge in her flesh is blood, she shall be in her impurity seven days. Whoever touches her shall be unclean until the evening.
This verse establishes the baseline ritual status for menstruation, defining nidah as a temporary state of separation that requires others to maintain distance.
-
Numbers 19:13
Whoever touches a dead person, the body of a man who has died, and doesn’t purify himself, defiles Yahweh’s tabernacle; and that soul shall be cut off from Israel; because the water for impurity was not sprinkled on him, he shall be unclean. His uncleanness is yet on him.
Here nidah connects physical death with spiritual contamination, showing that failing to purify oneself results in being cut off from the community.
-
Lamentations 1:17
Zion spreads out her hands. There is no one to comfort her. Yahweh has commanded concerning Jacob, that those who are around him should be his adversaries. Jerusalem is among them as an unclean thing.
The prophet uses nidah metaphorically to describe Jerusalem’s devastation, portraying the city as an unclean thing rejected by its neighbors due to sin.
-
Zechariah 13:1
“In that day there will be a fountain opened to David’s house and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness.
This promise points to a future fountain that cleanses both sin and nidah, offering hope that God can remove all ritual and moral defilement permanently.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Hebrew word nidah mean?
Why was nidah considered unclean in the Old Testament?
How is nidah used metaphorically in the prophets?
What is the connection between nidah and Jesus?
Every Occurrence (19 verses across 6 books)
Leviticus 10 verses
“Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘If a woman conceives, and bears a male child, then she shall be unclean…
Leviticus 12:5But if she bears a female child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her period; and she shall continue in the…
Leviticus 15:19“‘If a woman has a discharge, and her discharge in her flesh is blood, she shall be in her impurity seven days. Whoever…
Leviticus 15:20“‘Everything that she lies on in her impurity shall be unclean. Everything also that she sits on shall be unclean.
Leviticus 15:24“‘If any man lies with her, and her monthly flow is on him, he shall be unclean seven days; and every bed he lies on…
Leviticus 15:25“‘If a woman has a discharge of her blood many days not in the time of her period, or if she has a discharge beyond the…
Leviticus 15:26Every bed she lies on all the days of her discharge shall be to her as the bed of her period. Everything she sits on…
Leviticus 15:33and of her who has her period, and of a man or woman who has a discharge, and of him who lies with her who is unclean.
Leviticus 18:19“‘You shall not approach a woman to uncover her nakedness, as long as she is impure by her uncleanness.
Leviticus 20:21“‘If a man takes his brother’s wife, it is an impurity. He has uncovered his brother’s nakedness. They shall be…