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Leviticus
Chapter Fourteen
New King James Version (NKJV)
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, Leviticus 14:1;
what he was to do for himself, shaving off all his hair, and washing his flesh
and clothes in water, Leviticus 14:8; 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, Leviticus 14:10;
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, Leviticus 14:21;
next follow an account of leprosy in an house, and the signs of it, and the
rules to judge of it, Leviticus 14:33;
and the manner of cleansing from it, Leviticus 14:49;
and the chapter is closed with a recapitulation of the several laws concerning
the various sorts of leprosy in this and the preceding chapter, Leviticus 14:54.
Leviticus 14:1. Then
the Lord
spoke to Moses, saying,
YLT 1And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying,
And the Lord spake unto Moses,.... In order to deliver
the same to Aaron, who, and the priests his successors, were chiefly to be
concerned in the execution of the law given:
saying;
as
follows.
Leviticus 14:2.
2 “This shall be the law of
the leper for the day of his cleansing: He shall be brought to the priest.
YLT 2`This is a law of the leper, in the day of
his cleansing, that he hath been brought in unto the priest,
This shall be the law of the leper, in the day of his cleansing,.... Or the
rules, rites, ceremonies, and sacrifices to be observed therein. Jarchi says,
from hence we learn that they were not to purify a leper in the night:
he shall be brought unto the priest: not into the camp, or
city, or house, where the priest was, for till he was cleansed he could not be
admitted into either; besides, the priest is afterwards said to go forth out of
the camp to him; but he was to be brought pretty near the camp or city, where
the priest went to meet him. As the leper was an emblem of a polluted sinner,
the priest was a type of Christ, to whom leprous sinners must be brought for
cleansing; they cannot come of themselves to him, that is, believe in him,
except it be given unto them; or they are drawn with the powerful and
efficacious grace of God, by which souls are brought to Christ, and enabled to
believe in him; not that they are brought against their wills, but being drawn
with the cords of love, and through the power of divine grace, sweetly
operating upon their hearts, they move towards him with all readiness and
willingness, and cast themselves at his feet, saying, as the leper that came to
Christ, "Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean", Matthew 8:2 Mark 1:40; and it
is grace to allow them to come near him, and amazing goodness in him to receive
and cleanse them.
Leviticus 14:3.
3 And the priest shall go
out of the camp, and the priest shall examine him; and indeed, if
the leprosy is healed in the leper,
YLT 3and the priest hath gone out unto the outside
of the camp, and the priest hath seen, and lo, the plague of leprosy hath
ceased from the leper,
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, and
they are immediately healed; he is the sun of righteousness, which arises upon
them with healing in his wings.
Leviticus 14:4.
4 then the priest shall
command to take for him who is to be cleansed two living and clean
birds, cedar wood, scarlet, and hyssop.
YLT 4and the priest hath commanded, and he hath
taken for him who is to be cleansed, two clean living birds, and cedar wood,
and scarlet, and hyssop.
Then shall the priest command to take for him that is to be
cleansed,.... The command is by the priest, the taking is by any man, as
Ben Gersom observes; anyone whom he shall command, the leper himself, or his
friends. Aben Ezra interprets it, the priest shall take of his own; but he
adds, there are some that explain it, the leper shall give them to him, namely,
what follows:
two birds alive, and clean; any sort of birds, to
whom this description agrees; for not any particular sort are pointed out, as
"sparrows"F23שתי צפרים "duos passeres", V. L. , as some render the
word, or any other; because either they must be clean or unclean; if unclean,
then not to be used; if clean, then this descriptive character is used in vain.
These were to be alive, taken alive with the hand, and not shot dead; and this
also excepts such as were torn, as Jarchi, or any ways maimed and unsound, and
not likely to live; and they were to be "clean", such as were so
according to a law given in a preceding chapter; they were to be none of those
unclean birds there mentioned; and, according to the MisnahF24Negaim,
c. 14. sect. 5. , they were to be alike in sight and height, and in price and
value, and to be taken together; and, by the same tradition, they were to be
two birds of liberty, that is, not such as were kept tame in cages, but such as
fly abroad in the fields, These birds may be considered as a type of Christ,
who compares himself to a hen, Matthew 23:37; and
"birds" may denote his swiftness and readiness to help his people,
his tenderness and compassion towards them in distress, and his weakness and
frailty in human nature, and his meanness and despicableness in the eyes of
men; and these being "alive", the character well agrees with him, who
is the living God, the living. Redeemer, the Mediator that has life in himself,
and for his people; and as man, now lives, and will live for evermore, and is
the author and giver of life, natural, spiritual, and eternal. And the birds
being clean, may denote the purity and holiness of Christ, and so his fitness
to be a sacrifice, and his suitableness as food for his people: and the number
two may signify either his two natures, divine and human, in both which he
lives, and is pure and holy; or his two estates of humiliation and exaltation;
or his death by the slain bird, and his resurrection by the living bard, of
which more hereafter:
and the cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop; a stick of
cedar, as Jarchi; it was proper it should be of such a size, as to be known to
be cedar wood, but was not to be too heavy for the priest to sprinkle with it,
as Ben Gersom; and the same writer observes, it ought to have a leaf on the top
of it, that it might appear to be cedar: according to the MisnahF25Negaim,
c. 14. sect. 6. , it was to be a cubit long, and the fourth part of a bed's
foot thick: "scarlet" was either wool dyed of that colour, or
crimson, so Jarchi; or a scarlet thread or line with which the hyssop was bound
and fastened to the cedar wood; and, according to the above traditionF26Ibid.
, the "hyssop" was to be neither counterfeit nor wild, nor Greek, nor
Roman, nor any that had any epithet to it, but common simple hyssop; and, as
Gersom says, there was not to be less than an handful of it. The signification
of these is variously conjectured; according to Abarbinel, they have respect to
the nature of the leprosy, and as opposite to it; that as the two live birds
signified restoration to his former state, when he had been like one dead, so
the cedar wood, being incorruptible and durable, showed that the putrefaction
of humours was cured; the scarlet, that the blood was purged, and hence the
true colour of the face returned again, and a ruddy and florid countenance as
before; and the hyssop being of a savoury smell, that the disagreeable scent
and stench were gone: but others think there is a moral meaning in them, that
the cedar being the highest of trees, and the scarlet colour coming from a
worm, and the hyssop the lowest of plants, see 1 Kings 4:33; the
"cedar wood" may denote the pride and haughtiness of spirit the
leprosy is the punishment of, as in Miriam, Gehazi, Uzziah, and the family of
Joab: and the worm that gives the scarlet colour, and the hyssop, may signify
that humility that becomes a leper that is cleansed, so Jarchi: but they will
bear a more evangelical sense, and may have respect either to Christ; the cedar
wood may be an emblem of the incorruption of Christ, and of the durable
efficacy of his death; the scarlet, of his bloody sufferings, his flaming love
to his people, expressed thereby, and the nature of those sins and sinners
being of a scarlet die, for whom he suffered; and the hyssop, of the purgative
nature of his blood, which cleanses from all sin: or else to the graces of his
Spirit; faith may be signified by the cedar wood, which is in some strong, and
in all precious and durable; love by scarlet, of a flaming colour, as strong
love is like coals of fire, that give a most vehement flame; and hope by
hyssop, which is but a lowly, yet lively grace; or faith may be set forth by
them all, by the cedar wood for its continuance, by scarlet for its working by
love, and by hyssop for its purifying use, as it deals with the blood of
Christ.
Leviticus 14:5.
5 And the priest shall
command that one of the birds be killed in an earthen vessel over running
water.
YLT 5`And the priest hath commanded, and he hath
slaughtered the one bird upon an earthen vessel, over running water;
And the priest shall command that one of the birds be killed,.... That is,
shall command another priest to kill one of them, or an Israelite, as Aben
Ezra; and who also observes, that some say the leper, or the butcher, as the
Targum of Jonathan; the killing of this bird, not being a sacrifice, might be
done without the camp, as it was, and not at the altar, near to which
sacrifices were slain, and where they were offered: and this was to be done
in an earthen vessel over running water: this vessel,
according to the Jewish traditionsF1Negaim, c. 14. sect. 1. , was to
be a new one, and a fourth part of a log of running water was to be put into
it, and then the bird was to be killed over it, and its blood squeezed into it,
and then a hole was dug, and it was buried before the leprous person; and so it
should be rendered, "over an earthen vessel", as it is in the
Tigurine version, and by NoldiusF2Ebr. Concord. part. p. 64. No.
318. ; for how could it be killed in it, especially when water was in it? the
killing of this bird may have respect to the sufferings, death, and bloodshed
of Christ, which were necessary for the purging and cleansing of leprous
sinners, and which were endured in his human nature, comparable to an earthen
vessel, as an human body sometimes is; see 2 Corinthians 4:7;
for he was crucified through weakness, and was put to death in the flesh, 2 Corinthians 13:4;
and the running or living water mixed with blood may denote both the
sanctification and justification of Christ's people by the water and blood
which sprung from his pierced side, and the continual virtue thereof to take
away sin, and free from it; or the active and passive obedience of Christ,
which both together are the matter of a sinner's justification before God.
Leviticus 14:6.
6 As for the living bird, he
shall take it, the cedar wood and the scarlet and the hyssop, and dip them and
the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the
running water.
YLT 6[as to] the living bird, he taketh it, and
the cedar wood, and the scarlet, and the hyssop, and hath dipped them and the
living bird in the blood of the slaughtered bird, over the running water,
As for the living bird, he shall take it,.... And
dispose of it as after directed; for there was an use for that:
and the cedar wood, and the scarlet, and the hyssop; which were
all bound up in one bundle, but whether the living bird was joined to them is a
question; according to Jarchi they were separate, the bird by itself, and the
cedar wood, &c. by themselves; they were neither bound together nor dipped
together; and Ben Gersom is very distinct and expressive; we learn from hence,
says he, that three were bound up in one bundle, but the living bird was not
comprehended in that bundle; but according to the MisnahF3Ebr.
Concord. part. 64. No. 318. & Bartenora in ib. they were all joined
together, for there it is said, he (the priest) takes the cedar wood, scarlet,
and hyssop, and rolls them up with the rest of the scarlet thread, and joins to
them the extreme parts of the wings and of the tail of the second bird and dips
them; and this seems best to agree with the text, as follows:
and shall dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that
was killed over the running water; that is, into the blood
of it as mixed with the running water in the earthen vessel, which together
made a sufficient quantity for all these to be dipped into it; whether
separately, first the living bird, and then the cedar wood, and scarlet, and
hyssop, or all together: the bird that was kept alive was a type of Christ, who
as a divine Person always alive, and ever will; he is the living God, and
impassable: the dipping of this living bird in the blood of the slain one
denotes the union of the two natures in Christ, divine and human, and which
union remained at the death of Christ; and also shows that the virtue of
Christ's blood arises from his being the living God: the dipping of the cedar
wood, scarlet, and hyssop, into the same blood, signifies the exercise of the
several graces of the Spirit upon Christ, as crucified and slain, and their
dealing with his blood for pardon and cleansing, as faith and hope do, and from
whence love receives fresh ardour and rigour.
Leviticus 14:7.
7 And he shall sprinkle it
seven times on him who is to be cleansed from the leprosy, and shall pronounce
him clean, and shall let the living bird loose in the open field.
YLT 7and he hath sprinkled on him who is to be
cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and hath pronounced him clean, and hath
sent out the living bird on the face of the field.
And he shall sprinkle upon him that is to be cleansed from the
leprosy seven times,.... With the hyssop fastened to the cedar stick, with the
scarlet wool or thread bound about it, dipped into the blood and water in the
earthen vessel; to which the psalmist alludes, Psalm 51:7; the
Egyptians had a great notion of "hyssop", as of a purifying nature,
and therefore used to eat it with bread, to take off the strength of thatF4Chaeremon
apud Porphyr. de Abstinentia, l. 4. sect. 6. : upon what part of the leper this
sprinkling was made is not said; the Targum of Jonathan says, upon the house of
his face, that is, upon the vail that was over his face: but in the MisnahF5Ut
supra. (Misn. Negaim, c. 11. sect. 4.) it is said to be on the back of his
hand; and so Gersom, though some say it was on his forehead; and sprinkling was
typical of Christ's blood of sprinkling, and of the application of it, and of
sharing in all the blessings of it; and this was done seven times, to denote
the thorough and perfect cleansing of him, and of every part, every faculty of
the soul, and every member of the body, and that from all sin, and the frequent
application of it: the last mentioned writer says, at every sprinkling there
was a dipping, and that the sense is, that he should sprinkle and dip seven
times, as Naaman the Syrian leper did in Jordan; but of the washing of the
leper mention is afterwards made:
and shall pronounce him clean; from his leprosy, and so
fit for civil and religious conversation, to come into the camp or city, and
into the tabernacle:
and shall let the living bird loose into the open field; as a token of
the freedom of the leper, and that he was at liberty to go where he pleased:
the Misnic doctors sayF6Ib. sect. 2. , when he came to let go the
living bird, he did not turn its face neither to the sea, nor to the city, nor
to the wilderness, as it is said, "but he shall let go the living bird out
of the city into the open field", as in Leviticus 14:53;
the Targum of Jonathan here adds, if the man should be prepared to be smitten
with the leprosy again, the live bird may return to his house the same day, and
be fit to be eaten, but the slain bird he shall bury in the sight of the leper:
some say, if the bird returned ever so many times, it was to be let go again:
this may be a figure of the resurrection of Christ from the dead, and of his
justification upon it, as the head and representative of his people, and of
their free and full discharge from guilt, condemnation, and death, through him,
and of his and their being received up into heaven, and whither their hearts
should be directed, in affection and thankfulness for their great deliverance
and salvation; see 1 Timothy 3:16.
Leviticus 14:8.
8 He who is to be cleansed
shall wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, and wash himself in water, that
he may be clean. After that he shall come into the camp, and shall stay outside
his tent seven days.
YLT 8`And he who is to be cleansed hath washed his
garments, and hath shaved all his hair, and hath bathed with water, and hath
been clean, and afterwards he doth come in unto the camp, and hath dwelt at the
outside of his tent seven days.
And he that is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes,.... That
there may be no remains of the infection in them, and that they might not
convey an ill scent to others: so the conversation garments of the saints are
to be washed in the blood of the Lamb, Revelation 7:14,
and shave off all his hair; what is here expressed
in general is more particularly declared in Leviticus 14:9; the
hair of his head, beard, and eyebrows; according to Gersom, this was done by
the priest, and so Maimonides saysF7Hilchot Tumaat Tzarat, c. 11.
sect. 3. , that none but a priest might shave him; and yet the text seems
plainly to ascribe this, as well as the washing of his clothes and himself, to
the leper that was to be cleansed; and the same writers say, that if two hairs
were left it was no shaving; and so says the MisnahF8Negaim, c. 14.
sect. 4. : the shaving of the leper's hairs signified the weakening of the
strength of sin; the mortification of the deeds of the body, through the
Spirit, and the laying aside all superfluity of naughtiness, and the
excrescences of the flesh; a parting with every thing that grows out of a man's
self, sin or self-righteousness; a laying a man bare and open, that nothing may
lie hid and covered, and escape cleansing:
and wash himself in water, that he may be clean: which was to
be done by dipping in a collection of water, and not in running water, as
Gersom observes, in a quantity of water sufficient to cover the whole body;
which, according to the TalmudF9T. Bab. Eruvin, fol. 14. 1, 2. , was
forty seahs, and was a cubit square in breadth, and three cubits deep: this may
denote the washing of sinful men with the washing of regeneration, but more
especially with the blood of Christ, the fountain opened for sin and uncleanness,
Zechariah 13:1,
and after that he shall come into the camp; into the camp
of Israel, while in the wilderness, and in after times into the city, where he used
to dwell; and may sign try the admittance of such into the church of God again,
who appear to be cleansed from sin, to have true repentance towards God for it,
and faith in the blood of Christ:
and shall tarry abroad out of his tent seven days; that is, out
of his own tent or house, where his wife and family dwelt: this precaution was
taken, lest there should be any remains of his disorder lurking, in him that
might endanger his wife and family, especially his wife, with whom he was to
have no conjugal conversation as yet; so it is said in the MisnahF11Ut
supra, (Misn. Negaim, c. 11) sect. 2. , that he was to be separated from his
house seven days, and forbid the use of the marriage bed; and this prohibition.
Jarchi thinks is intended in this clause, and so MaimonidesF12Ut
supra, (Hilchot Tumaat Tzarat, c. 11.) sect. 1. , to which agrees the Targum of
Jonathan,"he shall sit without the tent of the house of his habitation,
and shall not come near to the side of his wife seven days.'
Leviticus 14:9.
9 But on the seventh day he
shall shave all the hair off his head and his beard and his eyebrows—all his
hair he shall shave off. He shall wash his clothes and wash his body in water,
and he shall be clean.
YLT 9`And it hath been, on the seventh day -- he
shaveth all his hair, his head, and his beard, and his eyebrows, even all his
hair he doth shave, and he hath washed his garments, and hath bathed his flesh
with water, and hath been clean.
But it shall be on the seventh day,.... After he was first
brought to the priest, and cleansed by the two birds, taken and used for him as
directed, and he had been shaved and washed:
that he shall shave all his hair; a second time,
whatsoever was grown in those seven days:
all off his head, and his beard, and his eyebrows; even all his
hair he shall shave off; not only the hair of the parts mentioned, but all other, the
hair of his feet also, as Aben Ezra notes, who observes, that some say, the
hair of his arms, and thighs, and breast; and so according to the MisnahF13Ut
supra, (Misn. Negaim, c. 11.) sect. 3. , this was a second shaving, for it is
said,"in the seventh day he shaves a second time, according to the first
shaving:"
he shall wash his clothes, also he shall wash his flesh in water,
and he shall be clean; this was also repeated on the seventh, both the washing of his
clothes, and the dipping of him in water; after which he was accounted clean,
and was neither defiled nor defiling, and might go into his own tent or house,
and into the tabernacle, and offer his offerings, and partake of the privileges
of it, at least some of them, even the same day; according to the tradition he
may eat of the tithes, and after sunset he may eat of the heave offerings, and
when he has brought his atonement he may eat of the holy thingsF14Ibid.
.
Leviticus 14:10. 10 “And
on the eighth day he shall take two male lambs without blemish, one ewe lamb of
the first year without blemish, three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour
mixed with oil as a grain offering, and one log of oil.
YLT 10`And on the eighth day he taketh two lambs,
perfect ones, and one ewe-lamb, daughter of a year, a perfect one, and three
tenth deals of flour [for] a present, mixed with oil, and one log of oil.
And on the eighth day,.... From the leper's
first appearance before the priest, and the day after the above things were
done, in Leviticus 14:9,
he shall take two he lambs without blemish; the one for a
trespass offering, and the other for a burnt offering; and both typical of
Christ the Lamb of God, without spot and blemish:
and one ewe lamb of the first year without blemish; for a sin
offering, a type of Christ also:
and three tenth deals of fine flour, for a meat offering,
mingled with oil; that is, three tenth parts of an ephah, or three omers; one of
which was as much, or more than a man could eat in a day, see Exodus 16:36; there
were three of these to answer to and accompany the three lambs for sacrifice,
just such a quantity was allotted to the lambs of the daily sacrifice, Exodus 29:40;
typical, likewise of Christ, who is the true bread, and whose flesh is meat
indeed:
and one log of oil; to be used as after directed: this measure
was about half a pint, and is an emblem of the grace and Spirit of God,
received by the saints in measure, and is the same with the oil of gladness,
poured on Christ without measure, Psalm 45:7.
Leviticus 14:11. 11 Then the priest who makes him
clean shall present the man who is to be made clean, and those things, before
the Lord,
at the door of the tabernacle of meeting.
YLT 11`And the priest who is cleansing hath caused
the man who is to be cleansed to stand with them before Jehovah, at the opening
of the tent of meeting,
And the priest that maketh him clean,.... By the
above rites and ceremonies, and the after sacrifices offered:
shall present the man that is to be made clean, and those things
before the Lord; the two he lambs, and the ewe lamb; and it seems also the meat
offerings, and the log of oil; but these Ben Gersom excepts, and when the
leper, with these, is said to be set or presented before the Lord, this must
not be understood of his being introduced, into the tabernacle, had of his
being placed in the court itself; for as yet, as Jarchi says, he was
"Mechoser Cippurim", one that needed expiation, and therefore, till
that was done, could not be admitted; but he was set
at the door of the
tabernacle of the congregation; at the eastern gate, which afterwards, when
the temple was built, was called the gate of Nicanor, and lay between the court
of the women and the court of the Israelites: thus everyone that has received
favours from the Lord, by restoration of health, or by deliverance from
dangers, or be it in whatsoever way it will, should present himself and his
sacrifice of praise unto him; and his case should be presented in a public
manner before the congregation of the saints by the minister of it, in token of
gratitude and thankfulness for mercies received.
Leviticus 14:12. 12 And
the priest shall take one male lamb and offer it as a trespass offering, and
the log of oil, and wave them as a wave offering before the Lord.
YLT 12and the priest hath taken the one he-lamb,
and hath brought it near for a guilt-offering, also the log of oil, and hath
waved them -- a wave offering before Jehovah.
And the priest shall take one he lamb,.... One of
the he lambs brought by the leper for his offering:
and offer him for a trespass offering; for though
the leprosy itself was a disorder or disease, and not sinful, yet the cause of
it was sin, a trespass against God, and therefore a trespass offering must be
offered: which was typical of Christ, whose soul was made a trespass offering, Isaiah 53:10; where
the same word is used as here:
and the log of oil; See Gill on Leviticus 14:10,
and wave them for a wave offering before the Lord; heaving of
them up and down, moving of them to and fro towards the several parts of the
world, east, west, north, and south, even both the log of oil, and the he lamb
for the trespass offering, and that alive, as Jarchi observes, and so says
MaimonidesF15Hilchot Mechosre Capharah, c. 4. sect. 2. .
Leviticus 14:13. 13 Then
he shall kill the lamb in the place where he kills the sin offering and the
burnt offering, in a holy place; for as the sin offering is the
priest’s, so is the trespass offering. It is most holy.
YLT 13`And he hath slaughtered the lamb in the
place where he slaughtereth the sin-offering and the burnt-offering, in the
holy place; for like the sin-offering the guilt-offering is to the priest; it
[is] most holy.
And he shall slay the lamb,.... The priest, or the
butcher, as the Targum of Jonathan, the slaughterer, the priest appointed for
that service; at which time both the hands of the leper were laid upon it, as
says the MisnahF16Negaim, c. 14. sect. 8. ; for though the leper
might not go into the court as yet, the sacrifice was brought to the door of
the tabernacle for him to put his hands on it: so MaimonidesF17Ut
supra. (Hilchot Mechosre Capharah, c. 4. sect. 2.) relates; the trespass
offering of the leper is brought to the door, and he puts both his hands into
the court, and lays them on it, and they immediately slay it:
in the place where he shall kill the sin offering in the holy
place; in the court of the tabernacle, on the north side of the altar,
as Jarchi observes, see Leviticus 1:11,
for as the sin offering is the priest's, so is the
trespass offering; and to be eaten by him and his sons in the holy place, and by
none but them, see Leviticus 6:26,
it is most holy; which is the reason why
none else might eat of it, typical of Christ the most Holy, whose flesh is only
eaten by true believers in him, made priests unto God by him.
Leviticus 14:14. 14 The
priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering, and the
priest shall put it on the tip of the right ear of him who is to be
cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot.
YLT 14`And the priest hath taken of the blood of
the guilt-offering, and the priest hath put on the tip of the right ear of him
who is to be cleansed, and on the thumb of his right hand, and on the great toe
of his right foot;
And the priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass
offering,.... According to the MisnahF18Ut supra. (Misn.
Negaim, c. 14. sect. 8) , two priests received the blood of it, one in a vessel
and the other in his hand; he that received it in a vessel went and sprinkled
it upon the wall (or top, as MaimonidesF19Ut supra. (Hilchot
Mechosre Capharah, c. 4. sect. 2.) ) of the altar; and he that received it in
his hand went to the leper, and the leper having dipped himself in the chamber
of the lepers, went and stood in the gate of Nicanor:
and the priest shall put it upon the tip of the right ear
of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon
the great toe of his right foot; as was done at the consecration of the high
priest; see Gill on Exodus 29:20, Leviticus 8:24, now
as the leper stood at the door of the tabernacle without the court, he was
obliged to put in his head, his right hand, and his right foot, in order to
have the blood put on them by the priest, who was in the court; and these were
put in either separately one after another, or together: the tradition runs
thusF20, he (the leper) thrust in his head, and (the priest) put
(the blood) upon the tip of his ear; his hand, and he put it upon the thumb of
his hand; his foot, and he put it upon the great toe of his foot: and the
application of the blood to these parts showed that the leper had now a right
to hear the word of God, to partake of all privileges, to touch anything
without defiling it, and to go into any house or company where he thought fit,
he was now at full liberty; more evangelically these things may signify the
sanctification and cleansing of those parts, and of the whole man by the blood
of Christ; and particularly may signify, that as the ear is unclean,
uncircumcised, and unsanctified in a leprous sinner and even there are hearing
sins in the best of men, the ear is sanctified, and hearing sins removed by the
blood of Christ; and as the right hand, being the instrument of action, may
denote the evil works of men, and even since the most righteous performances of
the best of men are attended with sin, the blood of Christ, which cleanses from
all sin, had need to be put upon them; and whereas the conversation of then,
which the foot may be an emblem of, is sinful and vain, it is by the blood of
Christ that they are redeemed from it; and the influence of that blood
sprinkled on the conscience will oblige and constrain men to live and walk
soberly, righteously, and godly.
Leviticus 14:15. 15 And
the priest shall take some of the log of oil, and pour it into
the palm of his own left hand.
YLT 15and the priest hath taken of the log of oil,
and hath poured on the left palm of the priest,
And the priest shall take some of the log of oil,.... With his
right hand, as the Targum of Jonathan adds:
and pour it into the palm of his own left hand: but in the
original text it is, "pour it into the palm of the priest's left
hand": and it is a question, whether he or another priest is meant;
according to Aben Ezra, the oil was to be poured into the hand of the priest
that was cleansing the leper, and which, he thinks, is plain from what follows;
but Gersom thinks it is better to understand it of another priest, since it is
not said into his own hand, but into the hand of the priest; and the MisnahF21Ib.
sect. 10. so Maimon. Mechosre Capharah, ut supra, (c. 4. sect. 2.) &
Bartenora, in Misn. Negaim, ib. is clear for it, he (the priest) takes of the
log of oil and pours it into the palm of his fellow (priest), but if he pours
it into his own palm it is sufficient.
Leviticus 14:16. 16 Then
the priest shall dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left
hand, and shall sprinkle some of the oil with his finger seven times before the
Lord.
YLT 16and the priest hath dipped his right finger
in the oil which [is] on his left palm, and hath sprinkled of the oil with his
finger seven times before Jehovah.
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 MisnahF23lbid. , on which one of
the commentatorsF24Bartenora in ib. 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 MisnahF25Ibid. , 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.
Leviticus 14:17. 17 And
of the rest of the oil in his hand, the priest shall put some on the tip
of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand,
and on the big toe of his right foot, on the blood of the trespass offering.
YLT 17`And of the residue of the oil which [is] on
his palm, the priest putteth on the tip of the right ear of him who is to be
cleansed, and on the thumb of his right hand, and on the great toe of his right
foot, on the blood of the guilt-offering;
And of the rest of the oil that is in his hand,.... That was
either in the hand of the priest that was cleansing, or in the hand of his
fellow priest; such of it as was left after some of it had been sprinkled seven
times before the Lord:
shall the priest put upon the tip of the right ear of him that is
to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of
his right foot; signifying that these parts in the leprous sinner need to be
sanctified by the grace of the Spirit of God, comparable to oil, with which all
the Lord's people are anointed, and is that unction they receive from the Holy
One, their great High Priest; by this the ear is sanctified so as to hear the
word, so as to understand it and mix it with faith; and the thumb of the right
hand having oil put on that, may signify that the actions of good men are
influenced by the Spirit of God, who works in them both to will and to do, and
without whose grace they can do nothing in a spiritual manner; and the great
toe of the right foot, the instrument of walking, being anointed with the same,
may denote that it is through the grace of God saints have their conversation
in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity, and as becomes the Gospel of
Christ: the oil was to be put:
upon the blood of the trespass offering; that is, upon
the place of the blood of it, as in Leviticus 14:28;
which is, as the Targum of Jonathan paraphrases it, the place in which he put
at first the blood of the trespass offering: for the Jewish writers observeF26Bartenora
in Misn. Zebachim, c. 4. sect. 3. , that the log of oil depended on the
trespass offering; for if the flood of the trespass offering was not first
sprinkled, the sprinkling of the oil was of no avail: this shows that the blood
of Christ, is the foundation of men's receiving the grace of the Spirit, and
that it is owing to that it is bestowed upon them; the application of his grace
follows redemption by the blood of Christ, who gave himself to redeem them from
all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works;
and for whomsoever expiation is made by the blood of Christ, they are
sanctified by the Spirit of Christ.
Leviticus 14:18. 18 The
rest of the oil that is in the priest’s hand he shall put on the head of
him who is to be cleansed. So the priest shall make atonement for him before
the Lord.
YLT 18and the remnant of the oil which [is] on the
palm of the priest, he putteth on the head of him who is to be cleansed, and
the priest hath made atonement for him before Jehovah.
And the remnant of the oil that is in the priests hand,.... Either in
the hand of the priest that makes the leper clean, or in the hand of a fellow
priest; what was left of that after some of it had been sprinkled seven times
before the Lord, and after other of it had been put upon the several parts of the
leper, as directed in Leviticus 14:17,
he shall pour upon the head of him that is to be cleansed; for the
plague of leprosy was sometimes in the head, Leviticus 13:44;
and this may denote either the blessings of grace on the head of the righteous,
or that a man's head should be sanctified; he should have pure principles as
well as pure practices; and that his head knowledge should be sanctified
knowledge; some have only the form of godliness, but deny the power of it:
and the priest shall make an atonement for him before the Lord; by putting
the oil on the several parts, particularly on the head, which was done, as is
said in the MisnahF1Ut supra. (Misn. negaim, c. 14. sect. 8.) , to
make atonement; if he puts it, atonement is made, but if he does not put it,
there is no atonement made; but one would think rather the atonement refers to
all the priest did, both in offering the trespass offering, and in putting both
the blood of that and the oil on the several parts that are mentioned: this
atonement was made for the sin or sins which were the cause or the man's leprosy:
what was done with the rest of the log of oil is not said; it was the portion
of the priests, and was for their use: Maimonides saysF2Ut supra,
(Mechosre Capharah, c. 4.) sect. 3. , the rest of the log of oil is not eaten
but in the court by the males of the priests, as other the most holy things;
and that it is unlawful to eat thereof until the priest had sprinkled of it
seven times, and put it on the above parts; and if one eats he is to be beaten.
Leviticus 14:19. 19 “Then
the priest shall offer the sin offering, and make atonement for him who is to
be cleansed from his uncleanness. Afterward he shall kill the burnt offering.
YLT 19`And the priest hath made the sin-offering,
and hath made atonement for him who is to be cleansed from his uncleanness, and
afterwards he doth slaughter the burnt-offering;
And the priest shall offer the sin offering,.... This was
the ewe lamb, according to the rite of every sin offering, as Aben Ezra says;
and was typical of Christ, as all such offerings were, who was made sin and a
sin offering for his people:
and make an atonement for him that was to be cleansed from his
uncleanness; for it seems the atonement was not perfected by the trespass
offering and all the preceding rites; but a sin offering was necessary both on
account of moral uncleanness, the cause of the leprosy, and of ceremonial
uncleanness by it:
and afterward he shall kill the burnt offering; the other he
lamb; the burnt offering for the most part following the sin or trespass
offering as a gift by way of thankfulness, atonement being made for sin by the
other offerings; which also was typical of Christ, as all burnt offerings were.
Leviticus 14:20. 20 And
the priest shall offer the burnt offering and the grain offering on the altar.
So the priest shall make atonement for him, and he shall be clean.
YLT 20and the priest hath caused the burnt-offering
to ascend, also the present, on the altar, and the priest hath made atonement
for him, and he hath been clean.
And the priest shall offer the burnt offering and the meat
offering upon the altar,.... The meat offering which belonged to that, and went along
with it, even one tenth deal of fine flour mingled with oil; but no mention
being made of any meat offering with the other offerings already offered, the
trespass offering and the sin offering; some say, as Aben Ezra observes, that
the whole meat offering, consisting of three tenth deals of fine flour, was
offered with the burnt offering, which must be a saving to the priest, if he
only burnt one handful of it, as in other cases, the rest falling to his part:
and the priest shall make an atonement for him; these
offerings still furthering of it, and sending to perfect it, and did complete
it:
and he shall be clean; in a typical and
ceremonial sense.
Leviticus 14:21. 21 “But if he is poor
and cannot afford it, then he shall take one male lamb as a trespass
offering to be waved, to make atonement for him, one-tenth of an ephah
of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering, a log of oil,
YLT 21`And if he [is] poor, and his hand is not
reaching [these things], then he hath taken one lamb -- a guilt-offering, for a
wave-offering, to make atonement for him, and one-tenth deal of flour mixed
with oil for a present, and a log of oil,
And if he be poor, and cannot get so much,.... As three
lambs, and three tenth deals of fine flour:
then he shall take one lamb for a trespass offering to be
waved, to make an atonement for him; one he lamb, and was
excused the other he lamb for a burnt offering, and the ewe lamb for a sin
offering; but a lamb he must bring, a type of Christ the Lamb of God, for
without his blood and sacrifice there is no atonement for rich poor, but for
both thereby:
and one tenth deal of flour mingled with oil for a meat offering: instead three
tenth deals; this abatement in the several kinds of offerings was a great
indulgence to the poor, and an instance of God's goodness to them, that they
might not be pressed above measure, and yet share the same benefits and
advantages as the rich:
and a log of oil; here was no abatement in this, nor was
there need of any; half a pint of oil, in a country which abounded with it,
might be bought for a small price: however, the grace of the Spirit, signified
by oil, is to be had freely of Christ, and in as large a quantity by a poor man
as by a rich man, and is equally necessary to the one as to the other, who are
all one in Christ Jesus; see Galatians 3:28.
Leviticus 14:22. 22 and
two turtledoves or two young pigeons, such as he is able to afford: one shall
be a sin offering and the other a burnt offering.
YLT 22and two turtle-doves, or two young pigeons,
which his hand reacheth to, and one hath been a sin-offering, and the one a
burnt-offering;
And two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, such as he is able to
get,.... As good as he can get for his money, or his money he is
possessed of will purchase; but if he was not able to purchase these of the
better sort, the best he could get would be acceptable; so indulgent, kind, and
merciful was God to the poor in this case; these were instead of the other two
lambs required of those that were able to bring them, and answered all the
purposes of them:
and the one shall be a sin offering, and the other a burnt
offering: one of the turtledoves or one of the young pigeons should be for
the one, and the other for the other; so that the poor man had as many
offerings for his atonement and cleansing as the rich, and his expiation and
purgation were as complete as theirs.
Leviticus 14:23. 23 He
shall bring them to the priest on the eighth day for his cleansing, to the door
of the tabernacle of meeting, before the Lord.
YLT 23and he hath brought them in on the eighth day
for his cleansing unto the priest, unto the opening of the tent of meeting,
before Jehovah.
And he shall bring them on the eighth day, for his cleansing,.... Which
supposes him to have gone through all the rites and ceremonies of cleansing
throughout the seven days, from his first appearance before the priest; such as
his being sprinkled with the cedar wood, hyssop, and scarlet, dipped in the
blood of the slain bird, mixed with running water; the shaving off of his hair,
and washing his flesh and clothes in water; all which being done, on the eighth
day he was to bring his lamb for a trespass offering, and one tenth deal of
fine flour, for a meat offering, and two turtledoves or two young pigeons, one
for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering:
unto the priest, unto the door of the tabernacle of the
congregation before the Lord; where the rich man also and his offerings
were presented; See Gill on Leviticus 14:11;
and the same rites are enjoined for the cleansing of the poor leper as the rich
one, in Leviticus 14:23, of
which see the notes on Leviticus 14:12,
signifying that they are not exempt from duty, or abridged of any privilege on
account of poverty; the persons and services of the people of God being equally
acceptable to him, whether rich or poor.
Leviticus 14:24. 24 And
the priest shall take the lamb of the trespass offering and the log of oil, and
the priest shall wave them as a wave offering before the Lord.
YLT 24`And the priest hath taken the lamb of the
guilt-offering, and the log of oil, and the priest hath waved them -- a
wave-offering before Jehovah;
And the priest shall take the lamb of the trespass offering,.... See Gill
on Leviticus 14:12.
Leviticus 14:25. 25 Then
he shall kill the lamb of the trespass offering, and the priest shall take some
of the blood of the trespass offering and put it on the tip of the right
ear of him who is to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the
big toe of his right foot.
YLT 25and he hath slaughtered the lamb of the
guilt-offering, and the priest hath taken of the blood of the guilt-offering,
and hath put on the tip of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed, and on
the thumb of his right hand, and on the great toe of his right foot;
And he shall kill the lamb of the trespass offering,.... See Gill
on Leviticus 14:13.
and the priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass
offering, &c. See Gill on Leviticus 14:14.
Leviticus 14:26. 26 And
the priest shall pour some of the oil into the palm of his own left hand.
YLT 26and the priest doth pour of the oil on the
left palm of the priest;
And the priest shall pour of the oil into the palm of his own left
hand. See Gill on Leviticus 14:15.
Leviticus 14:27. 27 Then
the priest shall sprinkle with his right finger some of the oil that is
in his left hand seven times before the Lord.
YLT 27and the priest hath sprinkled with his right
finger of the oil which [is] on his left palm, seven times before Jehovah.
And the priest shall sprinkle with his right finger some of
the oil,.... See Gill on Leviticus 14:16.
Leviticus 14:28. 28 And
the priest shall put some of the oil that is in his hand on the
tip of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed, on the thumb of the right
hand, and on the big toe of his right foot, on the place of the blood of the
trespass offering.
YLT 28`And the priest hath put of the oil which
[is] on his palm, on the tip of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed, and
on the thumb of his right hand, and on the great toe of his right foot, on the
place of the blood of the guilt-offering;
And the priest shall put of the oil that is in his hand,.... See Gill
on Leviticus 14:17.
Leviticus 14:29. 29 The
rest of the oil that is in the priest’s hand he shall put on the head of
him who is to be cleansed, to make atonement for him before the Lord.
YLT 29and the remnant of the oil which [is] on the
palm of the priest he doth put on the head of him who is to be cleansed, to
make atonement for him, before Jehovah.
And the rest of the oil that is in the priest's hand,.... See Gill
on Leviticus 14:18.
Leviticus 14:30. 30 And
he shall offer one of the turtledoves or young pigeons, such as he can afford—
YLT 30`And he hath made the one of the
turtle-doves, or of the young pigeons (from that which his hand reacheth to,
And he shall offer the one of the turtledoves,.... See Gill
on Leviticus 14:22.
Leviticus 14:31. 31 such as he is able to
afford, the one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt
offering, with the grain offering. So the priest shall make atonement for him
who is to be cleansed before the Lord.
YLT 31[even] that which his hand reacheth to), the
one a sin-offering, and the one a burnt offering, besides the present, and the
priest hath made atonement for him who is to be cleansed before Jehovah.
Even such as he is
able to get, the one for a sin offering,.... See Gill on Leviticus 14:22.
Leviticus 14:32. 32 This
is the law for one who had a leprous sore, who cannot afford the
usual cleansing.”
YLT 32This [is] a law of him in whom [is] a plague
of leprosy, whose hand reacheth not to his cleansing.'
This is the law of him in whom is the plague
of leprosy,.... The former part of the chapter contains an account of the
laws, rites, and ceremonies of a leper who was able to bear the expenses them:
this latter part respects such laws, rites, and ceremonies, that belonged to
him:
whose hand is not able to get that which pertaineth to his
cleansing; as the three lambs and three tenth deals of fine flour, and
therefore one lamb, and one tenth deal of fine flour, and two turtles or two
young pigeons, were admitted of in the room of them, in consideration of his
poverty. The Jewish canons respecting the cases of a poor and rich leper are
theseF3Misn. Negaim, c. 14. sect. 11,12. : if a poor leper offers
the sacrifice of a rich man, it is very well; but if a rich leper offers the
sacrifice of a poor one, it is not sufficient; if a poor leper offers his
sacrifice and he becomes rich, or if when rich, and he afterwards becomes poor,
all goes after the sin offering; that is, as theyF4Maimon. &
Bartenora in ib. explain it, if a man when he offers his sin offering is poor,
and so his offering is of a turtle or pigeon, though he should become rich he
must finish the offering of the poor, by bringing for a burnt offering one of
the fowls; and so if he was rich, and offered the sin offering out of the
lambs, though he should become poor, he must offer the burnt offering of the
same; but the trespass offering is generally pitched upon as the rule in which
the poor and the rich were equal: and MaimonidesF5Hilchot Mechosre
Capharah, c. 5. sect. 9. says, all goes after the trespass offering; as if at
the time of slaying the trespass offering he is rich, he must finish the
offering of a rich man, but if poor he must finish the offering of a poor man:
it may be observed that a great deal of notice is taken of a leper, and strict
inquiry made into the nature of leprosy, and the various signs of it given; and
a great deal to do about the cleansing and expiation of him; all which shows
what notice God takes of leprous sinners, and what a diligent scrutiny should
be made into the evil nature of sin, and what a provision God has made for the
cleansing and atonement of sinners by the blood and sacrifice of his Son; which
is here typified by all sorts of offerings, the sin offering, the trespass
offering, the burnt offering, and the meat offering.
Leviticus 14:33. 33 And
the Lord
spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:
YLT 33And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, and unto
Aaron, saying,
And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron,.... At the
same time as the above laws were delivered concerning the leper, and the
cleansing of him, or however immediately upon that; the affair of the leprosy
of houses being what belonged to the priest to examine into and cleanse from:
saying; as follows.
Leviticus 14:34. 34 “When
you have come into the land of Canaan, which I give you as a possession, and I
put the leprous plague[a] in a house
in the land of your possession,
YLT 34`When ye come in unto the land of Canaan,
which I am giving to you for a possession, and I have put a plague of leprosy
in a house [in] the land of your possession;
When ye be come into the land of Canaan,.... Which as
yet they were not come to, being in the wilderness, and so the following law
concerning the leprosy in houses could not yet take place, they now dwelling in
tents, and not in houses:
which I give to you for a possession; the Lord had
given it to Abraham, and his seed, long ago, to be their inheritance, and now
he was about to put them into the possession of it, which they were to hold as
their own under God, their sovereign Lord and King:
and I put the plague of leprosy in a house of the land of your
possession; by which it appears that this kind of leprosy was from the
immediate hand of God, and was supernatural and miraculous, as the Jewish
writers affirmF6Maimonides, Abarbinel, Abraham Seba, and others. ;
nor is there anything in common, or at least in our parts of the world, that is
answerable unto it; and from hence the same writersF7Misn. Negaim,
c. 12. sect. 1. Maimon. & Bartenora in ib. conclude, that houses of
Gentiles are exempt from it, only the houses of the Israelites in the land of
Canaan had it; and they likewise except Jerusalem, and sayF8T. Bab.
Eruvin, fol. 82. 2. Misn. Negaim, c. 12. sect. 4. Gersom in loc. , that was not
defiled with the plague of leprosy, as it is written, "and I put the
plague of leprosy in a house of the land of your possession"; for
Jerusalem was not divided among the tribes; and they suppose, whenever it was
put into any house, it was on account of some sin or sins committed by the
owner; and so the Targum of Jonathan, and there be found a man that builds his
house with rapine and violence, then I will put the plague, &c. thought
they commonly ascribe it to evil speaking, which they gather from the case of
Miriam.
Leviticus 14:35. 35 and
he who owns the house comes and tells the priest, saying, ‘It seems to me that there
is some plague in the house,’
YLT 35then hath he whose the house [is] come in and
declared to the priest, saying, As a plague hath appeared to me in the house;
And he that owneth the house shall come, and tell the priest,.... As soon
as he observes any sign of leprosy in it, or which gives him a suspicion of it:
saying, it seemeth unto me there is as it were a plague in
the house; he must not say expressly there is one, how certain soever he
may be of it, because the matter must be determined by a priest: so runs the
Jewish canonF9Misn. Negaim, c. 12. sect. 5. Jarchi in loc. , he
whose the house is comes and declares to the priest, saying, there appears to
me as a plague in the house; and though he is a wise man, and knows that there
is a plague certainly, he may not determine, and say, there appears to me a
plague in the house, but there appears to me as it were a plague in the house;
it looks like one, there is some reason to suspect it.
Leviticus 14:36. 36 then
the priest shall command that they empty the house, before the priest goes into
it to examine the plague, that all that is in the house may not be
made unclean; and afterward the priest shall go in to examine the house.
YLT 36and the priest hath commanded, and they have
prepared the house before the priest cometh in to see the plague (that all
which [is] in the house be not unclean), and afterwards doth the priest come in
to see the house;
Then the priest shall command that they empty the house,.... Clear it
of all persons and things; everybody was obliged to go out of it; and all the
furniture of it, all the household goods in it, were to be removed from it:
before the priest go into it to see the plague, that all
that is in the house be not made clean; as would be the case
should the priest view it, and pronounce it unclean before the removal of them;
agreeably to which is the Jewish traditionF11Misn. Nagaim, c. 12.
sect. 5. , before a priest comes to see the plague, not anything in the house
is defiled; but after he is come to see it, even bundles of sticks, and of
reeds, are defiled, which are not reckoned under the uncleanness to be removed:
so that this was a kindness to the owner of the house, that his loss might not
be so great as it otherwise would be, if he did not take care to get his goods
out previous to the inspection of the priest:
and afterward the priest shall go in to see the house; to examine
it, whether the signs of leprosy are in it.
Leviticus 14:37. 37 And
he shall examine the plague; and indeed if the plague is on the
walls of the house with ingrained streaks, greenish or reddish, which appear to
be deep in the wall,
YLT 37and he hath seen the plague, and lo, the
plague [is] in the walls of the house, hollow strakes, very green or very red,
and their appearance [is] lower than the wall,
And he shall look on the plague,.... That which is taken
or suspected to be one, being pointed unto by the owner of the house:
and, behold, if the plague be in the walls of the
house; for there it chiefly was, if not solely; and from hence Gersom
infers that it must be a walled house, and that it must have four walls,
neither more nor fewer; and with this agrees the MisnahF12Misn.
Nagaim, c. 12. sect. 1,2. , according to which it must be four square; the signs
of which were, when it appeared:
with hollow strakes, greenish or reddish, which in sight are
lower than the wall: these signs agree with the other signs before given of leprosy
in men and garments; the first, the hollow strakes, which are explained by being
lower in appearance than the wall, a sort of corrosion or eating into it, which
made cavities in it, answer to the plague being deeper than the skin of the
flesh in men; and the colours greenish or reddish, or exceeding green or red,
as Gersom, are the same with those of the leprosy in clothes; and some such
like appearances are in saltpetre walls, or in walls eaten by saline and
nitrous particles; and also by sulphureous, oily, and arsenical ones, as
Scheuchzer observesF13Physica Sacra, vol. 3. p. 330,331. , and are
not only tending to ruin, but unhealthful, as if they had rather been eaten by
a canker or spreading ulcer; who also speaks of a fossil, called in the German
language "steingalla", that is, the gall of stones, by which they are
easily eaten into, because of the vitriolic salt of the fire stone, which for
the most part goes along with that mineral, which is dissolved by the moist
air. Though this leprosy, in the walls of a house, seems not to have risen from
any natural causes, but was from the immediate hand of God; and there have been
strange diseases, which have produced uncommon effects on houses, and other
things: in the times of Narses is said to be a great plague, especially in the
province of Liguria, and on a sudden appeared certain marks and prints on
houses, doors, vessels, and clothes, which, if they attempted to wash off,
appeared more and moreF14Warnefrid de Gest. Longobard. l. 2. apud
Scheuchzer. ib. .
Leviticus 14:38. 38 then
the priest shall go out of the house, to the door of the house, and shut up the
house seven days.
YLT 38and the priest hath gone out of the house
unto the opening of the house, and hath shut up the house seven days.
Then the priest shall go out of the house to the door of the house,.... Thereby
signifying that it was not fit to be inhabited, and there standing to see it
shut up, as follows:
and shut up the house seven days: to observe what
alteration would be made in that time, and which would sooner be discovered in
a house uninhabited.
Leviticus 14:39. 39 And
the priest shall come again on the seventh day and look; and indeed if
the plague has spread on the walls of the house,
YLT 39`And the priest hath turned back on the
seventh day, and hath seen, and lo, the plague hath spread in the walls of the
house,
And the priest shall come again the seventh day, and shall look,.... On the
seventh day from his shutting of it up, he shall open it again, go into it, and
observe in what condition it is:
and, behold, if the plague be spread in the walls of the
house: the hollow strakes are become deeper, or the coloured spots are
become larger: spreading was always a sign of leprosy, both in the bodies of
men, and in garments.
Leviticus 14:40. 40 then
the priest shall command that they take away the stones in which is the
plague, and they shall cast them into an unclean place outside the city.
YLT 40and the priest hath commanded, and they have
drawn out the stones in which the plague [is], and have cast them unto the outside
of the city, unto an unclean place;
Then the priest shall command that they take away the stones in
which the plague is,.... In there appeared any cavities, or the
above colours, and these spreading: in order to put a stop thereunto, these
stones were to be drawn or pulled out, as the word signifies, in such manner as
not to endanger the fall of the house, and two stones at least were to be taken
out; for, as Gersom says, a house was not shut up unless the plague appeared on
two stones:
and they shall cast them into an unclean place without the city; where dead
carcasses were laid, and dung, and filth of every sort; and being laid in such
a place, it would be known that they were unclean, as Aben Ezra observes, and
so would not be made use of for any purpose.
Leviticus 14:41. 41 And he shall cause the
house to be scraped inside, all around, and the dust that they scrape off they
shall pour out in an unclean place outside the city.
YLT 41and the house he doth cause to be scraped
within round about, and they have poured out the clay which they have scraped
off, at the outside of the city, at an unclean place;
And he shall cause the house to be scraped within round about,.... All the
walls on each side, and at each end, and every stone in them; which, though
they had no appearance on them, yet should there be any infection in them,
which as yet was not seen, it might be removed, and a spread prevented:
and they shall pour out the dust that they scrape off without the
city, into an unclean place; the scrapings they were to put into some
vessel, and carry them thither and pour them out, or into a cart, and there
throw them, that they might lie with other rubbish, and not be made use of any
more.
Leviticus 14:42. 42 Then
they shall take other stones and put them in the place of those
stones, and he shall take other mortar and plaster the house.
YLT 42and they have taken other stones, and brought
[them] in unto the place of the stones, and other clay he taketh and hath
daubed the house.
And they shall take other stones,.... From elsewhere, such
as are sound and whole:
and put them in the place of these stones; such as will
exactly answer them, as to number and size, and so fill up the space vacant by
the removal of the other, and support the building:
and he shall take other mortar, and plaster the house; the master of
the house was to do this, or take care that it was done; but others by the
order of the priest, as they took away the tainted stones, put others in their
place.
Leviticus 14:43. 43 “Now
if the plague comes back and breaks out in the house, after he has taken away
the stones, after he has scraped the house, and after it is plastered,
YLT 43`And if the plague return, and hath broken
out in the house, after he hath drawn out the stones, and after the scraping of
the house, and after the daubing;
And if the plague come again, and break out in the house,.... In the
above signs of it:
after that he hath taken away the stones; which were
infected, or ordered them to be taken away:
and after he hath scraped the house; so that there seemed to
be no remains of the plague:
and after it is plastered; to prevent if possible
any return of it, but in vain.
Leviticus 14:44. 44 then
the priest shall come and look; and indeed if the plague has spread in
the house, it is an active leprosy in the house. It is unclean.
YLT 44then hath the priest come in and seen, and
lo, the plague hath spread in the house; it [is] a fretting leprosy in the
house; it [is] unclean.
Then the priest shall come and look,.... On the seventh day
of the second week; though, according to MaimonidesF15Hilchot Tumaat
Tzarat, c. 15. sect. 1, 2. , this was at the end of the third seven day, or on
the nineteenth day from his first inspection into it; the seventh day being
reckoned for the last of the first week, and the first of the second, and so
on:
and, behold, if the plague be spread in the house; after all the
above precaution is taken:
it is a fretting leprosy in the house; like that in
the garment; see Gill on Leviticus 13:51,
it is unclean; and so not to be
inhabited.
Leviticus 14:45. 45 And
he shall break down the house, its stones, its timber, and all the plaster of
the house, and he shall carry them outside the city to an unclean place.
YLT 45`And he hath broken down the house, its
stones, and its wood, and all the clay of the house, and he hath brought [them]
forth unto the outside of the city, unto an unclean place.
And he shall break down the house,.... Order it to be
pulled down, and demolished entirely, that is, the priest shall give such
orders; but Gersom thinks this was to be done by the owner of the house, and
that he was to do it himself, and have no associate with him in it:
the stones of it, and the timber thereof, and all the mortar of
the house; and, according to the Jewish canons, a house was not defiled
with the plague of leprosy, unless it had in it stones, and timber, and dust,
or earth; a house which had not stones, timber, and dust in it, and the plague
appeared in it, even if anyone after that brought in stones; timber, and dust,
it was cleanF16Misn. Negaim, c. 12. sect. 2. :
and he shall carry them forth out of the city unto an
unclean place: such materials were not to be made use of to rebuild that house,
or to be employed in the building of any other. This house may be an emblem of
a visible church of God on earth, which is often in Scripture compared to an
house, as that signifies both an edifice and a family, and is sometimes called
the house of the living God; and into which sometimes the leprosy of immorality
and profaneness gets and spreads, or of errors and heresies, which creep in
unawares, spread themselves gradually, and sometimes very fast, and eat as do a
canker, and are very troublesome and defiling; and which God permits to enter
in, that they which are approved might be made manifest: now when this is the
case, or there is any appearance of it, the priests, the ministers of the Lord,
are to be told of it, who are to examine into it, and rebuke sharply, as the
case requires; and care is to be taken that the infection spread not; the
tainted stones, immoral or heretical persons, are to be removed from the
communion of the church, and others to be put in their room, as may present;
such as are dug out of the common quarry of nature, and separated from the rest
of the world, and are hewn and squared by the Spirit and grace of God, and are
become lively stones; such are to be added to the church for the support and
increase of it. Sharp reproofs are to be given to those who are incorrigible,
which may be signified by the scraping of the house; and forgiveness,
tenderness, and love, that covers a multitude of sins, are to be shown to those
who truly repent, of which plastering may be an emblem; but if, after all, the
above disorders in principle and practice spread, and they appear to be
incurable, then the house is pulled down, the church-state or candlestick is
removed out of its place. And this may be illustrated in two instances, first
in the Jewish church, which is sometimes called the house of Israel, and in
which great corruptions prevailed, especially in the times of Christ and his
apostles; and all means of reformation then being ineffectual, it was utterly
destroyed, their ecclesiastical state, and all the ordinances of it; the
temple, the house of God, was demolished, and not one stone left upon another, Matthew 24:2; and
next in the church of Rome, once a church of God, a temple of his, where
antichrist rose up and sat, and has by him been overspread with the leprosy of
immorality, false doctrine, superstitious and idolatrous worship; and at times
God has been emptying it, or removing his own people out of it, and will do so
again before the utter destruction of it, which is hastening on; when it will
be utterly demolished, as Babylon its emblem was, so that a stone of it shall
not be taken, either for foundations or for a corner, Jeremiah 51:26.
This also may be applied to the earthly houses of our tabernacles, in which the
leprosy of sin is so deeply rooted, that, until they are dissolved, it will
never be removed, notwithstanding all the means made use of for the
mortification of the deeds of the body.
Leviticus 14:46. 46 Moreover
he who goes into the house at all while it is shut up shall be unclean until
evening.
YLT 46`And he who is going in unto the house all
the days he hath shut it up, is unclean till the evening;
Moreover, he that goeth into the house all the while it is shut up,.... The
utmost of which were three weeks, as Jarchi observes; during the time a house
was shut up, no man might enter it: if he did, he
shall be unclean until the evening; might not have any
conversation with men until the evening was come, and he had washed himself;
nay, according to the MisnahF17Misn. Negaim, c. 12. sect. 8,9. , if
a clean person thrust in his head, or the greatest part of his body, into an
unclean house, he was defiled; and whoever entered into a leprous house, and
his clothes are on his shoulder, and his sandals (on his feet), and his rings
on his hands, he and they are unclean immediately; and if he has his clothes
on, and his sandals on his feet, and his rings on his hands, he is immediately
defiled, and they are clean.
Leviticus 14:47. 47 And
he who lies down in the house shall wash his clothes, and he who eats in the
house shall wash his clothes.
YLT 47and he who is lying in the house doth wash
his garments; and he who is eating in the house doth wash his garments.
And he that lieth in the house shall wash his clothes,.... Which is
more than bare entrance into it, and might be supposed the more to be infected
by it, and therefore obliged to the washing of himself, and his garments:
and he that eateth in the house shall wash his clothes; if he stayed
no longer than while he ate half a piece of wheaten bread he was clean, but not
if he stayed so long as to eat a like quantity of barley bread, and sat down
and ate it with foodF18Misn. Negaim, c. 13. sect. 8,9. .
Leviticus 14:48. 48 “But
if the priest comes in and examines it, and indeed the plague has not
spread in the house after the house was plastered, then the priest shall
pronounce the house clean, because the plague is healed.
YLT 48`And if the priest certainly come in, and
hath seen, and lo, the plague hath not spread in the house after the daubing of
the house, then hath the priest pronounced the house clean, for the plague hath
been healed.
And if the priest shall come in, and look upon it,.... That is,
on the seventh day of the second week of its being shut up:
and, behold, the plague hath not spread in the house, after the
house was plastered; See Gill on Leviticus 14:42,
then the priest shall pronounce the house clean; fit to be
inhabited, and so no more to be shut up, but free for use as before:
because the plague is healed; the infection being
wholly removed by taking out the stones, scraping, and plastering the house,
and so an entire stop put to the spread of it.
Leviticus 14:49. 49 And
he shall take, to cleanse the house, two birds, cedar wood, scarlet, and
hyssop.
YLT 49`And he hath taken for the cleansing of the
house two birds, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop;
And he shall take to cleanse the house,.... The
priest, or by his fellow priest, as Aben Ezra, though some interpret it of the
master of the house; in Leviticus 14:49, an
account is given of the manner of cleansing a leprous house, which is the same
with that of cleansing a leprous man, see notes on Leviticus 14:4-7,
Two birds. The birds here indeed are not described as "alive and
clean", Leviticus 14:4; but
both are plainly implied and the house is said to be cleansed with the blood of
the slain bird, as well as with the living bird; and it was the upper door post
of the house which was sprinkled seven times with it, but there were no
sacrifices offered; in this case, as in the cleansing of the leper, the
atonement for it was made by the other rites, which were sufficient to render
it habitable again, and free for use, either of the owner or any other person:
and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop. See Gill on Leviticus 14:4.
Leviticus 14:50. 50 Then
he shall kill one of the birds in an earthen vessel over running water;
YLT 50and he hath slaughtered the one bird upon an
earthen vessel, over running water;
And he shall kill the one of the birds in an earthen vessel over
running water. See Gill on Leviticus 14:5.
Leviticus 14:51. 51 and he shall take the
cedar wood, the hyssop, the scarlet, and the living bird, and dip them in the
blood of the slain bird and in the running water, and sprinkle the house seven
times.
YLT 51and he hath taken the cedar wood, and the
hyssop, and the scarlet, and the living bird, and hath dipped them in the blood
of the slaughtered bird, and in the running water, and hath sprinkled upon the
house seven times.
And he shall take the cedar wood, and the hyssop, and the scarlet,
and the living bird,.... See Gill on Leviticus 14:6.
and sprinkle the house seven times. See Gill on Leviticus 14:7.
Leviticus 14:52. 52 And
he shall cleanse the house with the blood of the bird and the running water and
the living bird, with the cedar wood, the hyssop, and the scarlet.
YLT 52`And he hath cleansed the house with the
blood of the bird, and with the running water, and with the living bird, and
with the cedar wood, and with the hyssop, and with the scarlet;
And he shall cleanse the house with the blood of the bird,.... See Gill
on Leviticus 14:4.
Leviticus 14:53. 53 Then
he shall let the living bird loose outside the city in the open field, and make
atonement for the house, and it shall be clean.
YLT 53and he hath sent away the living bird unto
the outside of the city unto the face of the field, and hath made atonement for
the house, and it hath been clean.
But he shall let go the living bird out of the city into the open
fields,.... See Gill on Leviticus 14:7.
Leviticus 14:54. 54 “This
is the law for any leprous sore and scale,
YLT 54`This [is] the law for every plague of the
leprosy and for scall,
This is the law for all manner of plague of leprosy, and
scall. The leprosy in general in the bodies of men, and of that in
particular which was on the head and beard, and went by the name of the scall, Leviticus 13:29. In
Leviticus 14:54 is
a recapitulation of the several laws and rules relating to leprosy of all
kinds, delivered in this and the preceding chapter.
Leviticus 14:55. 55 for
the leprosy of a garment and of a house,
YLT 55and for leprosy of a garment, and of a house,
And for the leprosy of a garment,.... Of which see Leviticus 13:47,
and of an house; largely treated of in this chapter, Leviticus 14:34.
Leviticus 14:56. 56 for
a swelling and a scab and a bright spot,
YLT 56and for a rising, and for a scab, and for a
bright spot, --
And for a rising, and for a scab, and for a bright spot. Which were
three sorts of leprosy in the skin of man's flesh; See Gill on Leviticus 13:2.
Leviticus 14:57. 57 to
teach when it is unclean and when it is clean. This is the
law of leprosy.”
YLT 57to direct in the day of being unclean, and in
the day of being clean; this [is] the law of the leprosy.'
To teach when it is unclean, and when it is clean,.... A man,
his garment, or his house; for it respects them all, as Aben Ezra observes;
which was the business of the priests to teach men, and they by the above laws
and rules were instructed how to judge of cases, and by which they were capable
of pronouncing persons or things clean or unclean:
this is the law of leprosy; respecting every sort of
it, and which is very remarkably enlarged upon.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)