Leviticus14
American Standard Version · Public Domain
1And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
2This shall be the law of the leper in the day of his cleansing: he shall be brought unto the priest:
3and the priest shall go forth out of the camp; and the priest shall look; and, behold, if the plague of leprosy be healed in the leper,
4then shall the priest command to take for him that is to be cleansed two living clean birds, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop:
5and the priest shall command to kill one of the birds in an earthen vessel over running water.
6As for the living bird, he shall take it, and the cedar wood, and the scarlet, and the hyssop, and shall dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water:
7and he shall sprinkle upon him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let go the living bird into the open field.
8And he that is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, and shave off all his hair, and bathe himself in water; and he shall be clean: and after that he shall come into the camp, but shall dwell outside his tent seven days.
9And it shall be on the seventh day, that he shall shave all his hair off his head and his beard and his eyebrows, even all his hair he shall shave off: and he shall wash his clothes, and he shall bathe his flesh in water, and he shall be clean.
10And on the eighth day he shall take two he-lambs without blemish, and one ewe-lamb a year old without blemish, and three tenth parts of an ephah of fine flour for a meal-offering, mingled with oil, and one log of oil.
11And the priest that cleanseth him shall set the man that is to be cleansed, and those things, before Jehovah, at the door of the tent of meeting.
12And the priest shall take one of the he-lambs, and offer him for a trespass-offering, and the log of oil, and wave them for a wave-offering before Jehovah:
13and he shall kill the he-lamb in the place where they kill the sin-offering and the burnt-offering, in the place of the sanctuary: for as the sin-offering is the priest’s, so is the trespass-offering: it is most holy.
14And the priest shall take of the blood of the trespass-offering, and the priest shall put it upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot.
15And the priest shall take of the log of oil, and pour it into the palm of his own left hand;
16and the priest shall dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand, and shall sprinkle of the oil with his finger seven times before Jehovah.
17And of the rest of the oil that is in his hand shall the priest put upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot, upon the blood of the trespass-offering:
18and the rest of the oil that is in the priest’s hand he shall put upon the head of him that is to be cleansed: and the priest shall make atonement for him before Jehovah.
19And the priest shall offer the sin-offering, and make atonement for him that is to be cleansed because of his uncleanness: and afterward he shall kill the burnt-offering;
20and the priest shall offer the burnt-offering and the meal-offering upon the altar: and the priest shall make atonement for him, and he shall be clean.
21And if he be poor, and cannot get so much, then he shall take one he-lamb for a trespass-offering to be waved, to make atonement for him, and one tenth part of an ephah of fine flour mingled with oil for a meal-offering, and a log of oil;
22and two turtle-doves, or two young pigeons, such as he is able to get; and the one shall be a sin-offering, and the other a burnt-offering.
23And on the eighth day he shall bring them for his cleansing unto the priest, unto the door of the tent of meeting, before Jehovah:
24and the priest shall take the lamb of the trespass-offering, and the log of oil, and the priest shall wave them for a wave-offering before Jehovah.
25And he shall kill the lamb of the trespass-offering; and the priest shall take of the blood of the trespass-offering, and put it upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot.
26And the priest shall pour of the oil into the palm of his own left hand;
27and the priest shall sprinkle with his right finger some of the oil that is in his left hand seven times before Jehovah:
28and the priest shall put of the oil that is in his hand upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot, upon the place of the blood of the trespass-offering:
29and the rest of the oil that is in the priest’s hand he shall put upon the head of him that is to be cleansed, to make atonement for him before Jehovah.
30And he shall offer one of the turtle-doves, or of the young pigeons, such as he is able to get,
31even such as he is able to get, the one for a sin-offering, and the other for a burnt-offering, with the meal-offering: and the priest shall make atonement for him that is to be cleansed before Jehovah.
32This is the law of him in whom is the plague of leprosy, who is not able to get that which pertaineth to his cleansing.
33And Jehovah spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
34When ye are come into the land of Canaan, which I give to you for a possession, and I put the plague of leprosy in a house of the land of your possession;
35then he that owneth the house shall come and tell the priest, saying, There seemeth to me to be as it were a plague in the house.
36And the priest shall command that they empty the house, before the priest goeth in to see the plague, that all that is in the house be not made unclean: and afterward the priest shall go in to see the house:
37and he shall look on the plague; and, behold, if the plague be in the walls of the house with hollow streaks, greenish or reddish, and the appearance thereof be lower than the wall;
38then the priest shall go out of the house to the door of the house, and shut up the house seven days.
39And the priest shall come again the seventh day, and shall look; and, behold, if the plague be spread in the walls of the house;
40then the priest shall command that they take out the stones in which the plague is, and cast them into an unclean place without the city:
41and he shall cause the house to be scraped within round about, and they shall pour out the mortar, that they scrape off, without the city into an unclean place:
42and they shall take other stones, and put them in the place of those stones; and he shall take other mortar, and shall plaster the house.
43And if the plague come again, and break out in the house, after that he hath taken out the stones, and after he hath scraped the house, and after it is plastered;
44then the priest shall come in and look; and, behold, if the plague be spread in the house, it is a fretting leprosy in the house: it is unclean.
45And he shall break down the house, the stones of it, and the timber thereof, and all the mortar of the house; and he shall carry them forth out of the city into an unclean place.
46Moreover he that goeth into the house all the while that it is shut up shall be unclean until the even.
47And he that lieth in the house shall wash his clothes; and he that eateth in the house shall wash his clothes.
48And if the priest shall come in, and look, and, behold, the plague hath not spread in the house, after the house was plastered; then the priest shall pronounce the house clean, because the plague is healed.
49And he shall take to cleanse the house two birds, and cedar-wood, and scarlet, and hyssop:
50and he shall kill one of the birds in an earthen vessel over running water:
51and he shall take the cedar-wood, and the hyssop, and the scarlet, and the living bird, and dip them in the blood of the slain bird, and in the running water, and sprinkle the house seven times:
52and he shall cleanse the house with the blood of the bird, and with the running water, and with the living bird, and with the cedar-wood, and with the hyssop, and with the scarlet:
53but he shall let go the living bird out of the city into the open field: so shall he make atonement for the house; and it shall be clean.
54This is the law for all manner of plague of leprosy, and for a scall,
55and for the leprosy of a garment, and for a house,
56and for a rising, and for a scab, and for a bright spot;
57to teach when it is unclean, and when it is clean: this is the law of leprosy.
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Leviticus 14.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: Of declaring the leper to be clean. (1–9). The sacrifices to be offered by him. (10–32). The leprosy in a house. (33–53). Summary of the law concerning leprosy. (54–57).
vv1-9
The priests could not cleanse the lepers; but when the Lord removed the plague, various rules were to be observed in admitting them again to the ordinances of God, and the society of his people. They represent many duties and exercises of truly repenting sinners, and the duties of ministers respecting them. If we apply this to the spiritual leprosy of sin, it intimates that when we withdraw from those who walk disorderly, we must not count them as enemies, but admonish them as brethren. And also that when God by his grace has brought to repentance, they ought with tenderness and joy, and sincere affection, to be received again. Care should always be taken that sinners may not be encouraged, nor penitents discouraged. If it were found that the leprosy was healed, the priest must declare it with the particular solemnities here described. The two birds, one killed, and the other dipped in the blood of the bird that was killed, and then let loose, may signify Christ shedding his blood for sinners, and rising and ascending into heaven. The priest having pronounced the leper clean from the disease, he must make himself clean from all remains of it. Thus those who have comfort of the remission of their sins, must with care and caution cleanse themselves from sins; for every one that has this hope in him, will be concerned to purify himself.
vv10-32
The cleansed leper was to be presented to the Lord, with his offerings. When God has restored us to enjoy public worship again, after sickness, distance, or otherwise, we should testify our thanksgiving by our diligent use of the liberty. And both we and our offerings must be presented before the Lord, by the Priest that made us clean, even our Lord Jesus. Beside the usual rites of the trespass-offering, some of the blood, and some of the oil, was to be put upon him that was to be cleansed. Wherever the blood of Christ is applied for justification, the oil of the Spirit is applied for sanctification; these two cannot be separated. We have here the gracious provision the law made for poor lepers. The poor are as welcome to God's altar as the rich. But though a meaner sacrifice was accepted from the poor, yet the same ceremony was used for the rich; their souls are as precious, and Christ and his gospel are the same to both. Even for the poor one lamb was necessary. No sinner could be saved, had it not been for the Lamb that was slain, and hath redeemed us to God with his blood.
vv33-53
The leprosy in a house is unaccountable to us, as well as the leprosy in a garment; but now sin, where that reigns in a house, is a plague there, as it is in a heart. Masters of families should be aware, and afraid of the first appearance of sin in their families, and put it away, whatever it is. If the leprosy is got into the house, the infected part must be taken out. If it remain in the house, the whole must be pulled down. The owner had better be without a dwelling, than live in one that was infected. The leprosy of sin ruins families and churches. Thus sin is so interwoven with the human body, that it must be taken down by death.
Key Words
דָבַר: perhaps properly, to arrange; but used figuratively (of words), to speak; rarely (in a destructive sense) to subdue
מֹשֶׁה: Mosheh, the Israelite lawgiver
אָמַר: to say (used with great latitude)
תּוֹרָה: a precept or statute, especially the Decalogue or Pentateuch
צָרַע: to scourge, i.e. (intransitive and figurative) to be stricken with leprosy
יוֹם: a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an associated term), (often used adverb)
טׇהֳרָה: ceremonial purification; moral purity
בּוֹא: to go or come (in a wide variety of applications)
כֹּהֵן: literally one officiating, a priest; also (by courtesy) an acting priest (although a layman)
יָצָא: to go (causatively, bring) out, in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively, direct and proxim.
Cross References
Leviticus 14Explicitly links cedar wood, scarlet, and hyssop to the sprinkling and cleansing ceremonies under the law.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Direct parallel placing sacrificial blood on the right ear, thumb, and toe, matching Aaron's consecration ritual.
Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole
Explicitly details the wealthy purification rites that are now adapted for the poor in parallel fashion.
Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole, John Calvin, JFB
Jesus commands the healed leper to show himself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded.
Supported by JFB
Luke's account of Jesus directing a healed leper to complete the Levitical rites of purification.
Supported by JFB
Applies blood to the right ear, thumb, and great toe for the consecration of the priests.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Sparing ritual of blood on ear, thumb, and toe matches Aaron's priestly consecration sequence.
Supported by Matthew Henry, John Calvin
Hebrews 9:19 references the covenant ceremony using water, scarlet wool, and hyssop to sprinkle for purification.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Establishes that the leper dwelt outside the camp, necessitating the priest to go forth to him.
Supported by Matthew Poole
David's plea for spiritual purging using hyssop, pointing directly back to Levitical purification ceremonies.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Identical ceremonial process used for cleansing an infected house, confirming the ritual's unity.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Elisha commands Naaman the leper to wash in Jordan seven times, reflecting the Levitical sprinkling count.
Supported by JFB
Specifies putting oil directly on top of the trespass offering blood, uniting atonement and sanctification.
Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole
Establishes standard concession of two turtledoves/pigeons for individuals unable to afford a lamb.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
Parallels the compassionate allowance for poor mothers bringing turtledoves or pigeons instead of lambs.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
Jesus directs the cleansed leper to offer the gift Moses commanded as a testimony.
Supported by JFB
Fulfilled in the offering of Mary and Joseph, demonstrating Christ's birth under poverty provisions.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
Defines the 'fretting leprosy' (malignant disease) in a garment, parallel to its outbreak in a house.
David requests purgation with hyssop, directly echoing the ritual materials used to cleanse the leprous house.
Provides the detailed, parallel diagnostic laws for evaluating leprosy in garments.
Mark's gospel record of Jesus commanding the healed leper to undergo the priest's inspection.
Supported by Matthew Poole
First use of hyssop for sprinkling blood, establishing its covenantal role in purification.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The sevenfold sprinkling of blood before the veil, illustrating total ritual cleansing.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The standard rich person's purification offering being modified for the poor person's situation.
Supported by John Calvin, JFB
The curse of God entering and consuming the stones and timber of a sinful house.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Contrasts the curse of the Lord in the wicked's house with blessing the righteous habitation.
Supported by Matthew Henry
The same materials (cedar wood, hyssop, scarlet) are commanded for burning the red heifer.
Establishes the priestly duty of distinguishing holy from unholy, clean from unclean, summarizing this law.
Ezekiel reinforces the priestly instruction of discerning between the clean and the unclean.
Uses the same items (birds, cedar, scarlet, hyssop) to cleanse a leprous house.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Reinforces the ritual order: the oil of sanctification must cover the blood of justification.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Summarizes the law's special adaptation for the leper whose hand is unable to afford standard items.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Instruction to empty the house / flee Babylon to avoid contamination and sharing in judgments.
Supported by Matthew Henry
The priestly precedent of shutting up the suspect article for seven days to observe.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The curse entering a wicked house to consume its timber and stones resembles house leprosy's destruction.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Elisha commands Naaman to wash seven times for complete healing, echoing the sevenfold sprinkling.
Supported by JFB