Leviticus 14

1 The LORD spoke to Moses,

2 "These are the instructions for making a person clean after a skin disease. He must be taken to the priest.

3 The priest will go outside the camp and examine him. If the person is healed,

4 the priest will order someone to get two living, clean birds, some cedar wood, red yarn, and a hyssop sprig to use for the cleansing.

5 Then the priest will order someone to kill one bird over a clay bowl containing fresh water.

6 The priest will take the living bird, the cedar wood, the red yarn, and the hyssop sprig and dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the fresh water.

7 He will sprinkle the blood seven times on the one to be cleansed and will declare that person clean. Then he will let the living bird fly away into the open country.

8 "The one to be cleansed must wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, and wash. Then he will be clean. After that he may go into the camp. However, for seven days he will live outside his tent.

9 On the seventh day he must shave off all the hair on his head, his beard, and his eyebrows, and he must wash his clothes and body. Then he will be clean.

10 "On the eighth day he must take two male lambs that have no defects and a one-year-old female lamb that has no defects. He must also take eight cups of flour mixed with olive oil for a grain offering along with a quart of olive oil.

11 The priest who will declare him clean must bring the person and his offerings into the LORD's presence at the entrance to the tent of meeting.

12 The priest will take one of the male lambs and the quart of olive oil and present them to the LORD as a guilt offering.

13 He will slaughter the lamb in the holy place where he slaughters the offering for sin and the burnt offering. He will do this because the guilt offering, like the offering for sin, belongs to the priest. It is very holy.

14 Then the priest will take some of the blood from the guilt offering and put it on the right ear lobe, on the right thumb, and on the big toe of the right foot of the one to be cleansed.

15 The priest will also take some of the olive oil and pour it into his own left hand.

16 He will dip his right finger in the oil in his left hand, and with his finger sprinkle some of the oil seven times in the LORD's presence.

17 The priest will put some of the oil that is still in his hand on the right ear lobe, on the right thumb, and on the big toe of the right foot of the one to be cleansed. These are the same places he had put the blood of the guilt offering.

18 The priest will put the rest of the oil in his hand on the head of the one to be cleansed. So he will make peace with the LORD for that person in the LORD's presence.

19 The priest will also sacrifice the offering for sin to make peace with the LORD for the one who is being cleansed from his impurity. After that, he will slaughter the burnt offering.

20 The priest will sacrifice the burnt offering and the grain offering on the altar. So the priest will make peace with the LORD for that person, and the person who had the skin disease will be clean.

21 "But if the one to be cleansed is poor and cannot afford that much, he must take one male lamb, present it to make peace with the LORD for himself, and use it for his guilt offering. He will take only eight cups of flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering, a quart of olive oil,

22 and two mourning doves or two pigeons (whatever he can afford). The one will be an offering for sin and the other a burnt offering.

23 On the eighth day he will take them to the priest for his cleansing at the entrance to the tent of meeting in the LORD's presence.

24 The priest will take the lamb for the guilt offering and the quart of olive oil and present them to the LORD.

25 He will slaughter the lamb as a guilt offering. Then the priest will take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the right ear lobe, on the right thumb, and on the big toe of the right foot of the one to be cleansed.

26 The priest will pour some of the olive oil into his own left hand.

27 With his right finger he will sprinkle some of the oil seven times in the LORD's presence.

28 The priest will put some of the oil that is in his hand on the right ear lobe, on the right thumb, and on the big toe of the right foot of the one to be cleansed. These are the same places he had put the blood of the guilt offering.

29 In the LORD's presence, the priest will pour the rest of the oil in his hand on the head of the one to be cleansed in order to make a payment for him.

30 Then the one to be cleansed must take one of the mourning doves or pigeons (whichever he can afford),

31 and sacrifice it as an offering for sin. He will take the other and sacrifice it as a burnt offering together with the grain offering. So in the LORD's presence the priest will make peace with the LORD for the one who is being cleansed.

32 These are the instructions for one who has an infectious skin disease but cannot afford what is needed for his cleansing."

33 The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron,

34 "When you come to Canaan that I am going to give to you, mildew may appear in a house.

35 The owner of that house must come and tell the priest that there is something that looks like mildew in his house.

36 "Before the priest examines the house, he will order everything taken out of it so that nothing in the house will become unclean. Then the priest will go inside to examine the house.

37 He will examine the mildew area on the walls. If it is green and red in sunken areas that are deeper than the rest of the wall,

38 the priest will go out to the door of the house and close up the house for seven days.

39 On the seventh day the priest will go back and examine it again. If the mildew in the walls of the house has spread,

40 the priest must order the stones that have the mildew to be torn out and thrown outside the city in an unclean place.

41 He must have the entire inside of the house scraped. The plaster dust scraped off the walls must be dumped in an unclean place outside the city.

42 The stones must be replaced, and the house must be plastered again.

43 If the mildew develops again in the house after all this,

44 the priest will examine it one more time. If it is a spreading type of mildew, the house is unclean.

45 The house--stones, wood, and all the plaster--must be torn down and taken to an unclean place outside the city.

46 Whoever goes into the house any time it is closed up will be unclean until evening.

47 Whoever sleeps or eats in the house must wash his clothes.

48 But if the priest comes and makes an examination and the mildew has not spread in the house after it is plastered again, the priest must declare the house clean. The mildew is gone.

49 "The priest must take two birds, cedar wood, red yarn, and a hyssop sprig and use them to make the house clean.

50 He must kill the one bird over a clay bowl containing fresh water.

51 He must take the cedar wood, the hyssop sprig, the red yarn, and the living bird and dip them in the fresh water containing the blood of the bird that was killed. He must sprinkle the house seven times.

52 So he must use the bird's blood, the fresh water, the living bird, the cedar wood, the hyssop, and the red yarn to make the house clean.

53 Then he will let the living bird fly from the city into the open country. He will make peace with the LORD for the house, and it will be clean.

54 "These are the instructions for any kind of mildew or fungus

55 that infects clothing or houses

56 and for skin diseases where there is a sore, a rash, or an irritated area.

57 These instructions for skin diseases and mildew help you distinguish between what is clean and what is unclean."

Leviticus 14 Commentary

Chapter 14

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)

Verses 1-9 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.

Verses 10-32 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.

Verses 33-53 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.

Verses 54-57 When that God who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us by his grace, ( ephesians 2:4 ephesians 2:5 ) , we shall manifest the change by repenting, and forsaking former sins. Let us follow after holiness, and let us compassionate other poor lepers, and desire, seek, and pray for their cleansing.

Chapter Summary

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.