Leviticus14

Leviticus 14 details the elaborate purification rituals for individuals healed of leprosy and for houses afflicted with a similar "plague." For a person, it involves initial rites with birds and water, followed by a series of sacrifices and anointing with blood and oil on the eighth day. The chapter also prescribes procedures for identifying, quarantining, and cleansing or demolishing a leprous house, culminating in a similar bird ritual if the house is cleansed. These laws distinguish between clean and unclean states.

Law for Cleansing the Leper

1
ADONAI said to Moshe,
2
"This is to be the law concerning the person afflicted with tzara'at on the day of his purification. He is to be brought to the cohen, ​
3
and the cohen is to go outside the camp and examine him there. If he sees that the tzara'at sores have been healed in the afflicted person, ​
4
then the cohen will order that two living clean birds be taken for the one to be purified, along with cedar-wood, scarlet yarn and hyssop leaves. ​
5
The cohen is to order one of the birds slaughtered in a clay pot over running water.
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As for the live bird, he is to take it with the cedar-wood, scarlet yarn and hyssop and dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird slaughtered over running water, ​
7
and sprinkle the person to be purified from the tzara'at seven times. Next he is to set the live bird free in an open field.
8
He who is to be purified must wash his clothes, shave off all his hair and bathe himself in water. Then he will be clean; and after that, he may enter the camp; but he must live outside his tent for seven days. ​
9
On the seventh day he is to shave all the hair off his head, also his beard and eyebrows - he must shave off all his hair; and he is to wash his clothes and bathe his body in water; and he will be clean.

The Purification Sacrifices

10
"On the eighth day he is to take two male lambs without defect, one female lamb in its first year without defect and six-and-a-half quarts of fine flour for a grain offering, mixed with olive oil, and two-thirds of a pint of olive oil. ​
11
The cohen purifying him is to place the person being purified with these items before ADONAI at the entrance to the tent of meeting.
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The cohen is to take one of the male lambs and offer it as a guilt offering with the two-thirds-pint of olive oil, then wave them as a wave offering before ADONAI. ​
13
He is to slaughter the male lamb at the place in the sanctuary for slaughtering sin offerings and burnt offerings, because the guilt offering belongs to the cohen, just like the sin offering; it is especially holy.
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.
19
The cohen is to offer the sin offering and make atonement for the person being purified because of his uncleanness; afterwards, he is to slaughter the burnt offering.
20
The cohen is to offer the burnt offering and the grain offering on the altar; thus the cohen will make atonement for him; and he will be clean.

The Offering for the Poor

21
"If he is poor, so that he can't afford to do otherwise, he is to take one male lamb as a guilt offering to be waved, to make atonement for him; two quarts of fine flour mixed with olive oil for a grain offering; two-thirds of a pint of olive oil; ​
22
and two doves or two young pigeons, such as he can afford, the one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering.
23
On the eighth day, he will bring them to the cohen for his purification, to the entrance of the tent of meeting before ADONAI.
24
The cohen is to take the lamb of the guilt offering and the two-thirds of a pint of olive oil and wave them as a wave offering before ADONAI.
25
He is to slaughter the lamb of the guilt offering; and 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.
26
The cohen is to take some of the olive oil and pour it into the palm of his own left hand,
27
and sprinkle with his right hand some of the oil that is in his left hand seven times before ADONAI.
28
The cohen is to put some of the 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 - in the same place as the blood of the guilt offering.
29
Finally, the cohen is to put the rest of the oil in his hand on the head of the person being purified, to make atonement for him before ADONAI.
30
He is to offer one of the doves or young pigeons, such as the person can afford,
31
whatever his means suffice for - the one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering - with the grain offering; thus the cohen will make atonement before ADONAI for the person being purified.
32
Such is the law for the person who has tzara'at sores if he cannot afford the usual elements used for his purification." ​

The Law Concerning Leprosy in a House

33
ADONAI said to Moshe and Aharon, ​
34
"When you have entered the land of Kena'an which I am giving you as a possession, and I put an infection of tzara'at in a house in the land that you possess, ​
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then the owner of the house is to come and tell the cohen, 'It seems to me that there may be an infection in the house.'
36
The cohen is to order the house emptied before he goes in to inspect the infection, so that everything in the house won't be made unclean; afterwards, the cohen is to enter and inspect the house. ​
37
He will examine the infection; and if he sees that the infection is in the walls of the house, with greenish or reddish depressions that seem to go in deeper than the surface of the wall,
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he is to go out of the house to its door and seal up the house for seven days.
39
The cohen will come again on the seventh day and examine the house; if he sees that the infection has spread over its walls,
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he is to order them to remove the infected stones and throw them into some unclean place outside the city.
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Next, he is to have the inside of the house thoroughly scraped, and the scraped-off plaster is to be discarded outside the city in an unclean place.
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Finally, other stones must be set in the place of the first stones and other plaster used to replaster the house.
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If the infection returns and breaks out in the house after the stones have been removed and the house scraped and plastered;
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then the cohen is to enter and examine it. If he sees that the infection has spread in the house, it is a contagious tzara'at in the house; it is unclean.
45
He must break down the house and take its stones, timber and plaster out of the city to an unclean place. ​
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Moreover, whoever enters the house at any time while it is sealed up will be unclean until evening.
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Whoever lies down or eats in the house must wash his clothes.
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If the cohen enters, examines and sees that the infection has not spread in the house since it was plastered; then he is to declare the house clean; because the infection is cured.
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"To purify the house, he is to take two birds, cedar-wood, scarlet yarn and hyssop leaves.
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He is to slaughter one of the birds in a clay pot over running water.
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He is to take the cedar-wood, the hyssop, the scarlet yarn and the live bird and dip them in the blood of the slaughtered bird and in the running water, and sprinkle the house seven times.
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He will purify the house with the blood of the bird, the running water, the live bird, the cedar-wood, the hyssop and the scarlet yarn.
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But he is to set the live bird free outside the city in an open field; thus will he make atonement for the house; and it will be clean. ​

Summary of the Laws of Tzara'at

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"Such is the law for all kinds of tzara'at sores, for a crusted area,
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for tzara'at in a garment, for a house,
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for a swelling, for a scab and for a bright spot,
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to determine when it is clean and when it is unclean. This is the law concerning tzara'at." ​

Study Notes for Leviticus 14

Verse 2

This chapter details the ritual for the restoration of a person already healed of *Tzara’at* (often translated 'leprosy'), focusing on their re-entry into the covenant community, not medical treatment.

Verse 3

The priest had to confirm the healing outside the camp, signifying that the priest’s role was to certify ritual purity and restoration, not to cure the disease itself.

Verse 4

The elements (cedar, scarlet, hyssop) were symbolic. Cedar represented durability or life; hyssop was used for cleansing and purification (cf. Ps. 51:7); scarlet perhaps symbolized the color of the disease or vitality.

Verse 6

The ritual of the two birds is a powerful image of substitutionary atonement and release. The slain bird bears the contamination, and the living bird, dipped in the blood, is set free into the open field, symbolizing the leper's freedom and restored life.

Verse 8

Washing clothes and shaving all hair off symbolized a complete break from the old, contaminated life. The seven-day period was a transitional quarantine before full reintegration into the community.

Verse 10

On the eighth day, the cleansed person offered a series of mandatory sacrifices (trespass, sin, burnt, and grain offerings) to achieve full ceremonial purity and atonement before God.

Verse 12

The trespass offering (or guilt offering) was offered first, suggesting that the uncleanness of *Tzara'at* carried implications of guilt or violation of God's holiness requiring restitution.

Verse 14

Applying the blood to the ear, hand, and foot mirrors the ordination of priests (Ex. 29:20). This signifies the dedication of the entire person—hearing, action, and movement—back into the service of God and the community.

Verse 17

The oil (symbolizing the Holy Spirit or divine blessing) is applied directly over the blood. The blood secures atonement, while the oil confirms sanctification and dedication to God.

Verse 21

God graciously provided an alternative, less expensive offering for the poor, ensuring that economic hardship would not prevent any Israelite from achieving ritual cleansing and restoration.

Verse 32

This verse concludes the detailed instructions regarding the purification of the person, contrasting the standard requirement with the poor man’s provision.

Verse 33

The phenomenon of 'leprosy' (mold or mildew) affecting homes and garments shows that ritual uncleanness was not limited to people, but could impact the physical environment and possessions of the Israelites.

Verse 34

This law is prospective, applying only after Israel enters Canaan. It suggests that the purity of the dwelling place is intrinsically linked to the covenant relationship and the holiness of the land itself.

Verse 36

The command to empty the house before inspection protects the contents from becoming ritually unclean, demonstrating that practical property concerns were balanced alongside ritual purity requirements.

Verse 45

If the contamination proves persistent (a 'fretting leprosy'), the house must be completely destroyed and carried outside the city. This radical elimination underscores the absolute necessity of maintaining a holy environment.

Verse 53

The house cleansing ritual mirrors the personal cleansing ritual, using the blood of one bird and the release of the other. This shows that atonement was required to purify inanimate objects and restore dwelling places to a state of cleanness.

Verse 57

The ultimate purpose of these detailed and complex laws was didactic: to teach Israel the difference between the clean and the unclean, thereby structuring their lives around God’s demand for holiness.

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