The woman’s illness was a discharge of blood from her uterus, making her unclean under Jewish law (see Leviticus 15:25). For twelve years, she would have been treated as unclean: having to fast and being cut off from marital intercourse and access to the temple and the holy feasts.
This woman, on account of her illness (a discharge of blood from her uterus), was considered unclean in terms of the Jewish law (see Leviticus 15:25). She had been ill for twelve years1 , which means that she had been considered unclean for all of that time. She would have had to fast for twelve years, would not have been able to engage in marital intercourse, and would have been denied access to the temple and the holy feasts. She essentially lived a joyless life of isolation in Israel.2
20 Et voici, une femme atteinte d'une perte de sang depuis douze ans s'approcha par derrière, et toucha le bord de son vêtement.