Leviticus 14:29-39

29 What is left of the oil in the priest's palm he is to put on the head of the one to be cleansed to make atonement for him before the Lord.[a]
30 He must then sacrifice one type of what he can afford,[b] either the turtledoves or young pigeons,
31 one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, [sacrificing] what he can afford[c] [d] together with the grain offering. In this way the priest will make atonement before the Lord for the one to be cleansed.[e]
32 This is the law for someone who has[f] a skin disease and cannot afford[g] the cost of his cleansing."

Cleansing Contaminated Objects

33 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron:
34 "When you enter the land of Canaan that I am giving you as a possession, and I place a mildew contamination in a house in the land you possess,[h]
35 the owner of the house is to come and tell the priest: Something like mildew contamination has appeared[i] in my house.
36 The priest must order them to clear the house before he enters to examine the contamination, so that nothing in the house becomes unclean. Afterwards the priest will come to examine the house.
37 He will examine it, and if the contamination in the walls of the house consists of green or red indentations[j] that appear to be beneath the surface of the wall,
38 the priest is to go outside the house to its doorway and quarantine the house for seven days.
39 The priest is to return on the seventh day and examine it. If the contamination has spread on the walls of the house,

Leviticus 14:29-39 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 10

  • [a]. Lv 14:18
  • [b]. Lit of that for which his hand is sufficient
  • [c]. LXX, Syr, Vg omit what he can afford
  • [d]. Lit [sacrificing] that for which his hand is sufficient
  • [e]. Lv 14:20
  • [f]. Lit someone on whom there is
  • [g]. Lit disease whose hand is not sufficient for
  • [h]. Lit land of your possession
  • [i]. Lit appeared to me
  • [j]. Or eruptions; Hb obscure
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