Leviticus 14:1-6

Cleansing Skin Diseases

1 The Lord spoke to Moses:
2 "This is the law concerning the person afflicted with a skin disease on the day of his cleansing. He is to be brought to the priest,
3 who will go outside the camp and examine [him].[a] If the skin disease has disappeared from the afflicted person,[b]
4 the priest will order that two live clean birds, cedar wood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop[c] be brought for the one who is to be cleansed.
5 Then the priest will order that one of the birds be slaughtered over fresh water in a clay pot.
6 He is to take the live bird together with the cedar wood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop, and dip them all into the blood of the bird that was slaughtered over the fresh water.

Leviticus 14:1-6 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO LEVITICUS 14

This chapter treats of the purification of lepers, and the rules to be observed therein; and first what the priest was to do for his cleansing when brought to him, by making use of two birds, with cedar wood, scarlet and hyssop, as directed, Le 14:1-7; what he was to do for himself, shaving off all his hair, and washing his flesh and clothes in water, Le 14:8,9; the offerings to be offered up for him, two he lambs and one ewe lamb, and a meat offering, with a particular account of the use of the blood of the trespass offering, and of oil put upon the tip of his right ear, the thumb of his right hand, and the great toe of his right foot, Le 14:10-20; but if poor, only one lamb was required, a meat offering of one tenth deal, and two turtle doves or two young pigeons, and blood and oil used as before, Le 14:21-32; next follow an account of leprosy in an house, and the signs of it, and the rules to judge of it, Le 14:33-48; and the manner of cleansing from it, Le 14:49-53; and the chapter is closed with a recapitulation of the several laws concerning the various sorts of leprosy in this and the preceding chapter, Le 14:54-57.

Footnotes 3

  • [a]. Lv 13:2-3
  • [b]. Lit the person afflicted with skin disease
  • [c]. Ex 28:5; Nm 19:6,18; Ps 51:7; Heb 9:19
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