Leviticus 14:16

16 and the priest shall dip his right finger therein, and he shall sprinkle it seven times before the Lord.

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 And the priest shall take of the blood of [the] sacrifice which is offered for trespass, and shall put on the last part of the right ear of him which is (to be) cleansed, and on the thumbs of the right hand and foot. (And the priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering, and shall put it on the lobe of the right ear of him who is to be pronounced clean, and on the thumb of his right hand, and the great toe of his right foot.)
15 And he shall put (some) of the pint of oil into his (own) left hand,
16 and the priest shall dip his right finger therein, and he shall sprinkle it seven times before the Lord.
17 Soothly he shall pour that that is left of the oil in the left hand, on the last part of the right ear of him which is (to be) cleansed, and on the thumbs of the right hand and foot, and on the blood which is shed for trespass, (And he shall put some of the oil that is still in his left hand, on the lobe of the right ear of him who is to be pronounced clean, and on the thumb of his right hand, and the great toe of his right foot, on top of the blood of the trespass offering,)
18 and (then pour the rest of the oil) on(to) his head.
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.