Leviticus 14:16

16 dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand and sprinkle from the oil with his finger seven times before ADONAI.

Leviticus 14:16 Meaning and Commentary

Leviticus 14:16

And the priest shall dip his right finger
The finger of his right hand, the forefinger of it: in the oil that [is] in his left hand;
either that is in his own left hand, or in the left hand of a fellow priest:

and shall sprinkle of the oil with his finger seven times before the
Lord;
that is, over against the house of the holy of holies, as Jarchi, where Jehovah dwelt; but standing at the same time at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, which was eastward, and so he looked westward to the holy of holies; so says the Misnah ^F23, on which one of the commentators ^F24 observes, that he did not bring the oil into the temple to sprinkle it before the vail: but he stood in the court, and turned his face to the holy of holies, and so sprinkled upon the floor of the court: and the Jewish doctors are very express for it, according to the Misnah ^F25, that for every sprinkling there was a dipping; that as often as he sprinkled, so often he must dip his finger in the oil, and not that he might dip his finger once, and of that sprinkle two or three times; for the finger must be dipped seven times: this may denote the thanksgiving of the leper for his cleansing, proceeding from the grace of God, and the Lord's gracious acceptance of it.

---

FOOTNOTES:

F23 lbid.
F24 Bartenora in ib.
F25 Ibid.

Leviticus 14:16 In-Context

14 The cohen is to take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the tip of the right ear of the person being purified, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot.

15 Next, the cohen is to take some of the two-thirds-pint of olive oil and pour it into the palm of his own left hand,

16 dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand and sprinkle from the oil with his finger seven times before ADONAI.

17 Then the cohen is to put some of the remaining oil in his hand on the tip of the right ear of the person being purified, on the thumb of his right hand, on the big toe of his right foot and on the blood of the guilt offering.

18 Finally, the cohen is to put the rest of the oil in his hand on the head of the person being purified; and the cohen will make atonement for him before ADONAI.