Leviticus 14:17

Translation
King James Version
And of the rest of the oil that is in his hand 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, upon the blood of the trespass offering:
Ask
KJV (with Strong's)
And of the rest H3499 of the oil H8081 that is in his hand H3709 shall the priest H3548 put H5414 upon the tip H8571 of the right H3233 ear H241 of him that is to be cleansed H2891, and upon the thumb H931 of his right H3233 hand H3027, and upon the great toe H931 of his right H3233 foot H7272, upon the blood H1818 of the trespass offering H817:
Ask
Complete Jewish Bible
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.
Ask
Berean Standard Bible
And the priest is to put some of the oil remaining in his palm on the right earlobe of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot, on top of the blood of the guilt offering.
Ask
American Standard Version
And of the rest of the oil that is in his hand 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, upon the blood of the trespass-offering:
Ask
World English Bible Messianic
The priest shall put some of the rest of the oil that is in his hand 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 big toe of his right foot, upon the blood of the trespass offering.
Ask
Geneva Bible (1599)
And of the rest of the oyle that is in his hand, shall the Priest put vpon the lap of the right eare of him that is to bee clensed, and vpon the thumbe of his right hand, and vpon the great toe of his right foote, where the blood of the trespasse offring was put.
Ask
Young's Literal Translation
`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;
Ask
See also
Leviticus 14:14Ezekiel 36:27Leviticus 8:30Exodus 29:20Exodus 29:211 Peter 1:2Titus 3:3
In the KJVVerse 3,129 of 31,102

Study This Verse

SUMMARY

Leviticus 14:17 describes a crucial phase in the purification ritual for an individual healed of tzara'at, a severe skin affliction. Following the application of blood from the trespass offering, the priest applies the remaining sacred oil to the tip of the cleansed person's right ear, right thumb, and right great toe. This act profoundly symbolizes the holistic dedication and consecration of the individual—their hearing, actions, and entire life's walk—to God, made possible and founded upon the prior atonement and purification. It signifies their full restoration not only to physical health but also to communal fellowship and sacred service within the covenant community.

CONTEXT

  • Literary Context: Leviticus chapter 14 provides a meticulous, two-stage process for the purification of one afflicted by tzara'at. The initial stage, detailed in Leviticus 14:1-9, involves a bird sacrifice outside the camp, a ritual cleansing with water, cedar wood, scarlet, and hyssop, followed by shaving and washing, which permits the individual to re-enter the camp but not their tent for seven days. Leviticus 14:10-32 then outlines the second, more intensive stage on the eighth day, involving various offerings: a trespass offering, a sin offering, a burnt offering, and a grain offering. Verse 17 is an integral part of the trespass offering ritual, immediately following the application of the trespass offering's blood to the same specific body parts in Leviticus 14:14. This precise sequence—blood first, then oil—is crucial, establishing atonement as the necessary foundation for subsequent consecration and full restoration into the community and before God.
  • Historical & Cultural Context: In ancient Israel, tzara'at (often translated as "leprosy" but encompassing a broader range of severe skin conditions) rendered an individual ritually unclean and necessitated their isolation from the community and the camp, which was considered holy due to God's presence. This exclusion was not merely for health reasons but primarily for ceremonial purity, as defilement threatened the sanctity of the entire community and access to God. The elaborate purification rites, mediated by the priest, underscored the gravity of impurity and God's meticulous concern for the holiness of His people and their dwelling place. The anointing with oil on specific body parts (ear, thumb, toe) was a highly symbolic act, mirroring the ordination ritual for priests (as seen in Exodus 29:20 and Leviticus 8:23-24). This parallel suggests that the cleansed individual, now restored to the community, was also being consecrated for a life of renewed obedience and service to God, reflecting a priestly dedication of their entire being.
  • Key Themes: This verse significantly contributes to several overarching themes within Leviticus and the broader Pentateuch. It highlights the theme of Holiness and Purity, emphasizing God's demand for a clean people to dwell in His presence. The meticulous ritual underscores the theme of Atonement and Cleansing, demonstrating that reconciliation with God and restoration to community are achieved through prescribed sacrifices and purification rites. Furthermore, the anointing with oil points to Consecration and Dedication, showing that once cleansed, the individual is set apart for God's purposes, with their faculties (hearing, hands, feet) consecrated for a life of obedience and service. This ritual also foreshadows the Mediatorial Role of the Priest, who acts as God's agent in facilitating the restoration of the defiled to a state of purity and fellowship. The entire chapter, culminating in this verse, reinforces the principle that God provides a way for the unclean to become clean, enabling their full participation in the covenant community and their walk with Him.

EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS

Key Word Analysis

  • Rest (Hebrew, yether', H3499): Meaning "an overhanging, i.e. (by implication) an excess, superiority, remainder." In this context, it refers to the remaining portion of the oil that was presented before the Lord as part of the trespass offering ritual. This signifies that the oil is not just any oil, but sacred oil, a surplus from an offering already consecrated to God, now applied for the purpose of the individual's dedication.
  • Oil (Hebrew, shemen', H8081): Meaning "grease, especially liquid (as from the olive, often perfumed); figuratively, richness." In biblical contexts, oil frequently symbolizes blessing, healing, prosperity, and consecration. It was used for anointing priests, kings, and prophets, signifying their being set apart for divine service and empowered by God's Spirit. Here, the application of oil signifies the sanctification and dedication of the cleansed individual, imparting a divine blessing and consecrating their faculties for God's purposes.
  • Cleansed (Hebrew, ṭâhêr', H2891): A primitive root meaning "properly, to be bright; i.e. (by implication) to be pure (physical sound, clear, unadulterated; Levitically, uncontaminated; morally, innocent or holy); be (make, make self, pronounce) clean, cleanse (self), purge, purify(-ier, self)." This Hebrew verb denotes the comprehensive process of becoming ceremonially pure or clean. It signifies a transition from a state of ritual impurity (like that caused by tzara'at) to one of purity, enabling the individual to re-enter the sacred spaces of the community and participate in worship. The entire ritual of Leviticus 14 is designed to effect this comprehensive cleansing—physically, socially, and spiritually—restoring the individual to full covenant fellowship.

Verse Breakdown

  • "And of the rest of the oil that [is] in his hand": This phrase indicates that the oil used in this anointing is the remainder of the oil from the trespass offering ritual, which had already been presented before the Lord as a sacred offering. The priest, acting as God's representative, holds this consecrated oil, ready to apply it as part of the final purification and dedication.
  • "shall the priest put upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed": The anointing of the right ear symbolizes the dedication of hearing and obedience. It signifies that the cleansed individual's ears are now consecrated to hear God's voice, to be attentive to His commands, and to live in a posture of spiritual responsiveness and submission to divine instruction, setting them apart for divine communication.
  • "and upon the thumb of his right hand": The anointing of the right thumb represents the dedication of actions, work, and service. It signifies that the individual's hands, their capacity for labor, skill, and activity, are now consecrated to perform tasks that honor God and contribute to His purposes, reflecting a life of righteous deeds and productive service in the community.
  • "and upon the great toe of his right foot": The anointing of the right great toe symbolizes the dedication of one's walk, path, and overall conduct. It signifies that the individual's entire life journey, their steps, and their moral choices are now consecrated to walk in God's ways, to follow His statutes, and to live a life aligned with His will, moving in paths of righteousness.
  • "upon the blood of the trespass offering": This crucial concluding phrase emphasizes the sequence and foundation of the ritual. The oil is applied upon the blood, meaning that the consecration and dedication symbolized by the oil are made possible only because of the prior atonement and purification achieved through the blood of the trespass offering. Cleansing (blood) precedes and enables consecration (oil); one cannot be truly dedicated to God without first being purified from sin and restored to a right relationship with Him.

Literary Devices

Leviticus 14:17 is rich in Symbolism. The oil itself is a potent symbol of blessing, healing, prosperity, and the divine Spirit. Its application to specific body parts—the right ear, right thumb, and right great toe—is a form of metonymy or synecdoche, where these prominent parts represent the whole person's faculties and actions: hearing and obedience, working and serving, walking and living. The consistent choice of the "right" side often signifies strength, prominence, or preferred action, underscoring the full and active dedication of the individual. The entire ritual demonstrates Ritual Parallelism, echoing the anointing of priests during their ordination, thereby elevating the status of the cleansed individual to one set apart for God's purposes. This meticulous and sequential application of blood followed by oil also illustrates Progressive Revelation, where physical rituals foreshadow deeper spiritual truths about atonement preceding sanctification, ultimately fulfilled in the New Covenant.

THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS

Leviticus 14:17 powerfully illustrates God's desire for the holistic restoration and complete consecration of His people. It teaches that true dedication to God (symbolized by the oil) is not a self-initiated act but is always founded upon and made possible by His prior work of atonement and purification (symbolized by the blood). The meticulous nature of the ritual underscores God's holiness and His expectation of a consecrated life from those He has cleansed. This Old Covenant practice foreshadows the New Covenant reality where Christ's atoning work provides complete cleansing, enabling believers to be set apart by the Holy Spirit for a life of devoted obedience and service. The physical cleansing and anointing point to a spiritual reality of being made pure and then empowered for God's purposes.

REFLECTION AND APPLICATION

While the specific ritual of Leviticus 14:17 is no longer practiced today, having been fulfilled in Christ, its underlying principles remain profoundly relevant for believers. This verse calls us to recognize that our spiritual cleansing through Christ's atoning blood is the necessary prerequisite for a life of genuine consecration. Just as the cleansed Israelite had their ears, hands, and feet dedicated to God, so too are we called to surrender every faculty and aspect of our lives to Him. Our "ears" should be attuned to God's Word and His Spirit, eager to hear and obey, filtering out the distractions of the world. Our "hands" should be ready to perform good works, serving others, using our skills and resources for His kingdom, and reflecting His love in our actions. Our "feet" should walk in paths of righteousness, reflecting His character and purposes in every step of our journey, ensuring our direction aligns with His will. This passage challenges us to consider if our dedication to God is truly holistic, touching every part of our being, and if it is firmly rooted in the finished, atoning work of Christ, allowing His cleansing to empower our consecrated living.

Questions for Reflection

  • How does the sequence of "blood first, then oil" in this ritual inform our understanding of salvation and sanctification in the Christian life?
  • In what practical ways can we actively dedicate our "ears" (our listening), "hands" (our actions), and "feet" (our life's direction) to God's service today?
  • What does this passage teach us about God's meticulous care for our holistic restoration and His expectation of a consecrated life from those He has cleansed?

FAQ

Why were specific body parts (right ear, thumb, toe) chosen for the anointing?

Answer: The choice of the right ear, right thumb, and right great toe for anointing is deeply symbolic, representing the dedication of the whole person's faculties and actions to God. The right side often signifies strength, prominence, or preferred action in Hebrew culture, emphasizing a full and active commitment. The ear symbolizes hearing and obedience to God's voice, indicating a life attentive to divine instruction. The thumb represents the work of one's hands and the actions performed, signifying dedication of one's labor, skill, and service to God's purposes. The great toe symbolizes one's walk, path, and overall conduct, indicating that one's entire life journey should be aligned with God's will and lived in righteousness. This comprehensive anointing signifies a holistic consecration of the individual's entire being—their thoughts, deeds, and lifestyle—to the Lord.

How does the oil application "upon the blood" relate to the purpose of the trespass offering?

Answer: The phrase "upon the blood of the trespass offering" is critically important. The trespass offering's blood, applied earlier in Leviticus 14:14, provides atonement and purification, making the individual ceremonially clean and restoring their relationship with God. The oil is then applied over this cleansed state. This sequence signifies that consecration and dedication (symbolized by the oil) are not possible or effective without prior atonement and purification (symbolized by the blood). It teaches that one must first be cleansed from sin and reconciled to God before they can be truly consecrated and set apart for God's service. The blood deals with the past defilement and guilt, and the oil sets the stage for future holy living and empowered service.

Is this ritual still relevant for Christians today?

Answer: While the specific ritual of anointing with oil and blood for tzara'at is no longer practiced by Christians, its underlying theological principles remain profoundly relevant. This passage teaches us about God's desire for holistic cleansing from sin, which is fully accomplished through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. It also highlights that true spiritual consecration and dedication to God's service can only occur after the atoning work has been applied. As believers, we are cleansed by Christ's blood and then called to dedicate our entire lives—our hearing, our actions, and our walk—to Him, empowered by the indwelling Holy Spirit, who is often symbolized by oil in the New Testament. This ritual serves as a powerful illustration of the New Covenant reality where justification precedes and enables sanctification.

CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT

Leviticus 14:17, with its meticulous ritual of blood preceding oil, finds its profound Christ-centered fulfillment in the New Covenant. Jesus Christ is the ultimate and perfect Trespass Offering, whose shed blood provides complete and eternal purification from all sin, far surpassing any Old Testament sacrifice (Hebrews 9:14). Just as the oil was applied upon the blood, signifying that consecration follows atonement, so too does the Holy Spirit—often symbolized by oil—indwell believers only after their cleansing by Christ's sacrifice (Romans 8:9-11). Through Christ, we are not merely cleansed but also consecrated, set apart as a "royal priesthood" (1 Peter 2:9), empowered to offer spiritual sacrifices of praise and good works (Hebrews 13:15-16). Our ears are now opened to hear the voice of our Shepherd (John 10:27), our hands are equipped for good works prepared beforehand by God (Ephesians 2:10), and our feet are guided to walk by the Spirit, not by the flesh (Galatians 5:16). Thus, the ancient ritual points to the glorious reality of a new life in Christ, where every part of our being is redeemed, consecrated, and empowered for God's glory.

Copy as

Commentary on Leviticus 14 verses 10–20

Observe, I. To complete the purification of the leper, on the eighth day, after the former solemnity performed without the camp, and, as it should seem, before he returned to his own habitation, he was to attend at the door of the tabernacle, and was there to be presented to the Lord, with his offering, Lev 14:11. Observe here, 1. That the mercies of God oblige us to present ourselves to him, Rom 12:1. 2. When God has restored us to the liberty of ordinances again, after restraint by sickness, distance, or otherwise, we should take the first opportunity of testifying our respect to God, and our affection to his sanctuary, by a diligent improvement of the liberty we are restored to. When Christ had healed the impotent man, he soon after found him in the temple, Joh 5:14. When Hezekiah asks, What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the Lord? he means, "What is the sign that I shall recover?" intimating that if God restored him his health, so that he should be able to go abroad, the house of the Lord should be the first place he would go to. 3. When we present ourselves before the Lord we must present our offerings, devoting to God with ourselves all we have and can do. 4. Both we and our offerings must be presented before the Lord by the priest that made us clean, even our Lord Jesus, else neither we nor they can be accepted.

II. Three lambs the cleansed leper was to bring, with a meat-offering, and a log of oil, which was about half a pint. Now, 1. Most of the ceremony peculiar to this case was about the trespass-offering, the lamb for which was offered first, Lev 14:12. And, besides the usual rites with which the trespass-offering was offered, some of the blood was to be put upon the ear, and thumb, and great toe, of the leper that was to be cleansed (Lev 14:14), the very same ceremony that was used in the consecration of the priests, Lev 8:23, Lev 8:24. It was a mortification to them to see the same purification necessary for them that was for a leper. The Jews say that the leper stood without the gate of the tabernacle and the priest within, and thus the ceremony was performed through the gate, signifying that now he was admitted with other Israelites to attend in the courts of the Lord's house again, and was as welcome as ever; though he had been a leper, and though perhaps the name might stick by him as long as he lived (as we read of one who probably was cleansed by our Lord Jesus, who yet afterwards is called Simon the leper, Mat 26:6), yet he was as freely admitted as ever to communion with God and man. After the blood of the offering had been put with the priest's finger upon the extremities of the body, to include the whole, some of the oil that he brought, which was first waved and then sprinkled before the Lord, was in like manner put in the same places upon the blood. "The blood" (says the learned bishop Patrick) "seems to have been a token of forgiveness, the oil of healing," for God first forgiveth our iniquities and then healeth our diseases, Psa 103:3. See Isa 38:17. Wherever the blood of Christ is applied for justification the oil of the Spirit is applied for sanctification; for these two are inseparable and both necessary to our acceptance with God. Nor shall our former leprosy, if it be healed by repentance, be any bar to these glorious privileges. Cleansed lepers are as welcome to the blood and the oil as consecrated priests. Such were some of you, but you are washed. When the leper was sprinkled the water must have blood in it (Lev 14:5), when he was anointed the oil must have blood under it, to signify that all the graces and comforts of the Spirit, all his purifying dignifying influences, are owing to the death of Christ: it is by his blood alone that we are sanctified. 2. Besides this there must be a sin-offering and a burnt-offering, a lamb for each, Lev 14:19, Lev 14:20. By each of these offerings, it is said, the priests shall make atonement for him. (1.) His moral guilt shall be removed; the sin for which the leprosy was sent shall be pardoned, and all the sins he had been guilty of in his afflicted state. Note, The removal of any outward trouble is then doubly comfortable to us when at the same time God gives us some assurance of the forgiveness of our sins. If we receive the atonement, we have reason to rejoice, Rom 5:11. (2.) His ceremonial pollution shall be removed, which had kept him from the participation of the holy things. And this is called making an atonement for him, because our restoration to the privileges of God's children, typified hereby, is owing purely to the great propitiation. When the atonement is made for him he shall be clean, both to his own satisfaction and to his reputation among his neighbours; he shall retrieve both his credit and his comfort, and both these true penitents become entitled to, both ease and honour, by their interest in the atonement. The burnt-offering, besides the atonement that was made by it, was a thankful acknowledgment of God's mercy to him: and the more immediate the hand of God was both in the sickness and in the cure the more reason he had thus to give glory to him, and thus, as our Saviour speaks (Mar 1:44), to offer for his cleansing all those things which Moses commanded for a testimony unto them.

Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 10–20. Public domain.
Copy as
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
Copy as

Continue studying Leviticus 14:17 across the web’s major study libraries — every link below opens this exact verse, chapter, or book on the destination site.

Read & Compare

Commentaries

Original Language & Research

Sermons, Hymns & Audio

TrulyRandomVerse is not affiliated with these sites and doesn’t control their content. They’re linked because they’re genuinely useful.