impurity
nid.dah denotes a state of uncleanness, especially connected with a woman's blood discharge, and also names water used for purification.
The term most often marks the period or condition of uncleanness associated with a woman's blood discharge. It also occurs in the designation for water used in purification and more broadly describes defiled objects, land, conduct, or a community's condition.
Senses in use
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Bodily uncleanness associated with blood discharge · dominant
In Leviticus 15:19 the form occurs in the clause establishing seven days of uncleanness after a woman's blood discharge; Leviticus 15:20 extends that condition to what she lies or sits on. In Leviticus 15:25 the APB renders the repeated clauses as a discharge continuing beyond "her impurity," while Leviticus 18:19 prohibits approaching a woman during that condition.
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Water designated for purification · common
In Numbers 19:9, the noun occurs in the phrase the APB renders "water of impurity," kept for the congregation after the heifer's ashes are gathered. Numbers 19:13 and Numbers 19:21 place that water in procedures for a person who has touched a dead body, including sprinkling it and becoming unclean through contact with it.
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Defilement applied to people, land, or objects · occasional
In Ezekiel 7:19 the APB says silver and gold will become "impurity," and Ezekiel 7:20 describes an ornament given to them as something impure. Ezra 9:11 applies the term to a land filled by the uncleanness of its peoples, while Lamentations 1:17 describes Jerusalem as having become impurity among surrounding enemies.
In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB commonly uses "impurity" or "uncleanness" in the bodily and broader defilement contexts, and "water of impurity" in the purification passages. These renderings indicate the clauses' presentation rather than a fixed English equivalent for each occurrence.