Leviticus 14:3

3 the priest shall go out of the camp, and the priest shall make an examination. If the disease is healed in the leprous person,

Leviticus 14:3 Meaning and Commentary

Leviticus 14:3

And the priest shall go forth out of the camp
A little without the camp, as Ben Gersom notes. There have been several goings forth of Christ our High Priest; first in the council and covenant of grace and peace, when he became the surety of his people; then in time by the assumption of human nature, when he came forth from his Father, and came into the world to save them; next, when he went forth out of the city of Jerusalem to suffer for them; and also, when, at the time of conversion, he goes forth in quest of them, and looks them up, and finds them, and brings them home, which may answer to the type here; and all shows the great readiness of Christ to receive sinners: and the priest shall look, and, behold, [if] the plague of leprosy be
healed in the leper;
that all the signs of uncleanness are removed, the swelling, the scab, or bright spot, and the white hair in them, and, instead of that, black hair is grown up. The typical priest did not heal, nor could he, the healing was of God; he only looked to see by signs if the plague was healed; but our antitypical priest looks with an eye of pity and compassion on leprous sinners, and they are enabled to look to him by faith, and virtue goes out of him to the healing of their diseases; as he looks upon them in their blood, and says to them, Live, so he looks upon them in their leprosy, and touches them, and says, "I will, be thou clean", ( Matthew 8:3 ) ( Mark 1:41 ) ( Luke 5:13 ) , and they are immediately healed; he is the sun of righteousness, which arises upon them with healing in his wings.

Leviticus 14:3 In-Context

1 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
2 This shall be the ritual for the leprous person at the time of his cleansing: He shall be brought to the priest;
3 the priest shall go out of the camp, and the priest shall make an examination. If the disease is healed in the leprous person,
4 the priest shall command that two living clean birds and cedarwood and crimson yarn and hyssop be brought for the one who is to be cleansed.
5 The priest shall command that one of the birds be slaughtered over fresh water in an earthen vessel.

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. A term for several skin diseases; precise meaning uncertain
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.