Leviticus 14NIV
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Leviticus14

New International Version

1The Lord said to Moses,

2“These are the regulations for any diseased person at the time of their ceremonial cleansing, when they are brought to the priest:

3The priest is to go outside the camp and examine them. If they have been healed of their defiling skin disease,

4the priest shall order that two live clean birds and some cedar wood, scarlet yarn and hyssop be brought for the person to be cleansed.

5Then the priest shall order that one of the birds be killed over fresh water in a clay pot.

6He is then to take the live bird and dip it, together with the cedar wood, the scarlet yarn and the hyssop, into the blood of the bird that was killed over the fresh water.

7Seven times he shall sprinkle the one to be cleansed of the defiling disease, and then pronounce them clean. After that, he is to release the live bird in the open fields.

8“The person to be cleansed must wash their clothes, shave off all their hair and bathe with water; then they will be ceremonially clean. After this they may come into the camp, but they must stay outside their tent for seven days.

9On the seventh day they must shave off all their hair; they must shave their head, their beard, their eyebrows and the rest of their hair. They must wash their clothes and bathe themselves with water, and they will be clean.

10“On the eighth day they must bring two male lambs and one ewe lamb a year old, each without defect, along with three-tenths of an ephah of the finest flour mixed with olive oil for a grain offering, and one log of oil.

11The priest who pronounces them clean shall present both the one to be cleansed and their offerings before the Lord at the entrance to the tent of meeting.

12“Then the priest is to take one of the male lambs and offer it as a guilt offering, along with the log of oil; he shall wave them before the Lord as a wave offering.

13He is to slaughter the lamb in the sanctuary area where the sin offering and the burnt offering are slaughtered. Like the sin offering, the guilt offering belongs to the priest; it is most holy.

14The priest is to take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of their right hand and on the big toe of their right foot.

15The priest shall then take some of the log of oil, pour it in the palm of his own left hand,

16dip his right forefinger into the oil in his palm, and with his finger sprinkle some of it before the Lord seven times.

17The priest is to put some of the oil remaining in his palm on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of their right hand and on the big toe of their right foot, on top of the blood of the guilt offering.

18The rest of the oil in his palm the priest shall put on the head of the one to be cleansed and make atonement for them before the Lord.

19“Then the priest is to sacrifice the sin offering and make atonement for the one to be cleansed from their uncleanness. After that, the priest shall slaughter the burnt offering

20and offer it on the altar, together with the grain offering, and make atonement for them, and they will be clean.

21“If, however, they are poor and cannot afford these, they must take one male lamb as a guilt offering to be waved to make atonement for them, together with a tenth of an ephah of the finest flour mixed with olive oil for a grain offering, a log of oil,

22and two doves or two young pigeons, such as they can afford, one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering.

23“On the eighth day they must bring them for their cleansing to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting, before the Lord.

24The priest is to take the lamb for the guilt offering, together with the log of oil, and wave them before the Lord as a wave offering.

25He shall slaughter the lamb for the guilt offering and take some of its blood and put it on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of their right hand and on the big toe of their right foot.

26The priest is to pour some of the oil into the palm of his own left hand,

27and with his right forefinger sprinkle some of the oil from his palm seven times before the Lord.

28Some of the oil in his palm he is to put on the same places he put the blood of the guilt offering—on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of their right hand and on the big toe of their right foot.

29The rest of the oil in his palm the priest shall put on the head of the one to be cleansed, to make atonement for them before the Lord.

30Then he shall sacrifice the doves or the young pigeons, such as the person can afford,

31one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, together with the grain offering. In this way the priest will make atonement before the Lord on behalf of the one to be cleansed.”

32These are the regulations for anyone who has a defiling skin disease and who cannot afford the regular offerings for their cleansing.

33The Lord said to Moses and Aaron,

34“When you enter the land of Canaan, which I am giving you as your possession, and I put a spreading mold in a house in that land,

35the owner of the house must go and tell the priest, ‘I have seen something that looks like a defiling mold in my house.’

36The priest is to order the house to be emptied before he goes in to examine the mold, so that nothing in the house will be pronounced unclean. After this the priest is to go in and inspect the house.

37He is to examine the mold on the walls, and if it has greenish or reddish depressions that appear to be deeper than the surface of the wall,

38the priest shall go out the doorway of the house and close it up for seven days.

39On the seventh day the priest shall return to inspect the house. If the mold has spread on the walls,

40he is to order that the contaminated stones be torn out and thrown into an unclean place outside the town.

41He must have all the inside walls of the house scraped and the material that is scraped off dumped into an unclean place outside the town.

42Then they are to take other stones to replace these and take new clay and plaster the house.

43“If the defiling mold reappears in the house after the stones have been torn out and the house scraped and plastered,

44the priest is to go and examine it and, if the mold has spread in the house, it is a persistent defiling mold; the house is unclean.

45It must be torn down—its stones, timbers and all the plaster—and taken out of the town to an unclean place.

46“Anyone who goes into the house while it is closed up will be unclean till evening.

47Anyone who sleeps or eats in the house must wash their clothes.

48“But if the priest comes to examine it and the mold has not spread after the house has been plastered, he shall pronounce the house clean, because the defiling mold is gone.

49To purify the house he is to take two birds and some cedar wood, scarlet yarn and hyssop.

50He shall kill one of the birds over fresh water in a clay pot.

51Then he is to take the cedar wood, the hyssop, the scarlet yarn and the live bird, dip them into the blood of the dead bird and the fresh water, and sprinkle the house seven times.

52He shall purify the house with the bird’s blood, the fresh water, the live bird, the cedar wood, the hyssop and the scarlet yarn.

53Then he is to release the live bird in the open fields outside the town. In this way he will make atonement for the house, and it will be clean.”

54These are the regulations for any defiling skin disease, for a sore,

55for defiling molds in fabric or in a house,

56and for a swelling, a rash or a shiny spot,

57to determine when something is clean or unclean. These are the regulations for defiling skin diseases and defiling molds.

Study Guide

Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Leviticus 14.

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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.

Cross References

Leviticus 14
v4Hebrews 9:19thematic

Explicitly links cedar wood, scarlet, and hyssop to the sprinkling and cleansing ceremonies under the law.

Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB

v14Leviticus 8:23thematic

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

v2Matthew 8:4allusion

Jesus commands the healed leper to show himself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded.

Supported by JFB

v2Luke 5:14allusion

Luke's account of Jesus directing a healed leper to complete the Levitical rites of purification.

Supported by JFB

v14Exodus 29:20thematic

Applies blood to the right ear, thumb, and great toe for the consecration of the priests.

Supported by Matthew Poole

v28Leviticus 8:23thematic

Sparing ritual of blood on ear, thumb, and toe matches Aaron's priestly consecration sequence.

Supported by Matthew Henry, John Calvin

v49Hebrews 9:19thematic

Hebrews 9:19 references the covenant ceremony using water, scarlet wool, and hyssop to sprinkle for purification.

Supported by Matthew Poole

v3Leviticus 13:46thematic

Establishes that the leper dwelt outside the camp, necessitating the priest to go forth to him.

Supported by Matthew Poole

v4Psalms 51:7thematic

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

v72 Kings 5:10thematic

Elisha commands Naaman the leper to wash in Jordan seven times, reflecting the Levitical sprinkling count.

Supported by JFB

v17Leviticus 14:14thematic

Specifies putting oil directly on top of the trespass offering blood, uniting atonement and sanctification.

Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole

v21Leviticus 5:7thematic

Establishes standard concession of two turtledoves/pigeons for individuals unable to afford a lamb.

Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB

v21Leviticus 12:8thematic

Parallels the compassionate allowance for poor mothers bringing turtledoves or pigeons instead of lambs.

Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB

v21Luke 5:14fulfillment

Jesus directs the cleansed leper to offer the gift Moses commanded as a testimony.

Supported by JFB

v30Luke 2:24fulfillment

Fulfilled in the offering of Mary and Joseph, demonstrating Christ's birth under poverty provisions.

Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB

v44Leviticus 13:51thematic

Defines the 'fretting leprosy' (malignant disease) in a garment, parallel to its outbreak in a house.

v49Psalms 51:7thematic

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.

v2Mark 1:44allusion

Mark's gospel record of Jesus commanding the healed leper to undergo the priest's inspection.

Supported by Matthew Poole

v4Exodus 12:22thematic

First use of hyssop for sprinkling blood, establishing its covenantal role in purification.

Supported by Matthew Poole

v7Leviticus 4:17thematic

The sevenfold sprinkling of blood before the veil, illustrating total ritual cleansing.

Supported by Matthew Poole

v21Leviticus 14:10thematic

The standard rich person's purification offering being modified for the poor person's situation.

Supported by John Calvin, JFB

v34Zechariah 5:4thematic

The curse of God entering and consuming the stones and timber of a sinful house.

Supported by Matthew Henry

v34Proverbs 3:33thematic

Contrasts the curse of the Lord in the wicked's house with blessing the righteous habitation.

Supported by Matthew Henry

v49Numbers 19:6thematic

The same materials (cedar wood, hyssop, scarlet) are commanded for burning the red heifer.

v57Leviticus 10:10thematic

Establishes the priestly duty of distinguishing holy from unholy, clean from unclean, summarizing this law.

v57Ezekiel 44:23thematic

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

v14Leviticus 14:17thematic

Reinforces the ritual order: the oil of sanctification must cover the blood of justification.

Supported by Matthew Henry

v21Leviticus 14:32thematic

Summarizes the law's special adaptation for the leper whose hand is unable to afford standard items.

Supported by Matthew Poole

v36Revelation 18:4thematic

Instruction to empty the house / flee Babylon to avoid contamination and sharing in judgments.

Supported by Matthew Henry

v38Leviticus 13:50thematic

The priestly precedent of shutting up the suspect article for seven days to observe.

Supported by Matthew Poole

v44Zechariah 5:4thematic

The curse entering a wicked house to consume its timber and stones resembles house leprosy's destruction.

Supported by Matthew Henry

v512 Kings 5:10thematic

Elisha commands Naaman to wash seven times for complete healing, echoing the sevenfold sprinkling.

Supported by JFB