What number verse is Leviticus 14:47 in the Bible?

Leviticus 14:47 is the 3,159th verse of the Bible. Counting straight through the King James canon — all 31,102 verses from Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21 — Leviticus 14:47 sits at position 3,159.

14:4614:46

Leviticus 14:47

Q: What was the "plague of leprosy" in a house, and why was it so serious?

The "plague of leprosy" (Hebrew: *nega'*) in a house, as described in Leviticus 14, was not human leprosy (Hansen's disease) but rather a severe, spreading mold, mildew, or fungal growth that infested the walls of a dwelling. It was considered serious not just for practical reasons (e.g., structural damage, potential health concerns in a pre-scientific age) but primarily for profound theological ones. In ancient Israelite thought, such an infestation was seen as a manifestation of defilement, a disruption of the divinely ordained order and purity. It rendered the house, and by extension, anything or anyone within it, ritually unclean. This uncleanness was incompatible with the holy presence of God in the Tabernacle/Temple, necessitating strict protocols for quarantine, purification, or even demolition to maintain the sanctity of the community and its covenant relationship with Yahweh.

14:4814:48

Translation

King James Version

And he that lieth in the house shall wash his clothes; and he that eateth in the house shall wash his clothes.

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KJV (with Strong's)

And he that lieth ^H7901 in the house ^H1004 shall wash ^H3526 his clothes ^H899; and he that eateth ^H398 in the house ^H1004 shall wash ^H3526 his clothes ^H899.

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Complete Jewish Bible

Whoever lies down or eats in the house must wash his clothes.

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Berean Standard Bible

And anyone who sleeps in the house or eats in it must wash his clothes.

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American Standard Version

And he that lieth in the house shall wash his clothes; and he that eateth in the house shall wash his clothes.

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World English Bible Messianic

He who lies down in the house shall wash his clothes; and he who eats in the house shall wash his clothes.

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Geneva Bible (1599)

Hee also that sleepeth in the house shall wash his clothes: he likewise that eateth in the house, shall wash his clothes.

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Young's Literal Translation

and he who is lying in the house doth wash his garments; and he who is eating in the house doth wash his garments.

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Study This Verse

SUMMARY

Leviticus 14:47, situated within the detailed legislation concerning the "plague of leprosy" in houses, stipulates the ritual purification requirements for individuals who have had significant and prolonged contact with a dwelling declared unclean due to a severe, persistent mold or mildew infestation. This verse specifically mandates that anyone who lay down or ate within such an affected house must wash their clothes, underscoring the pervasive nature of ritual defilement and God's unwavering demand for holiness and purity within the Israelite community.

CONTEXT

Literary Context: This verse is an integral component of the extensive purity laws found in Leviticus 13-15, which meticulously detail various sources of ritual impurity and their prescribed purification methods. Specifically, Leviticus 14:33-53 addresses the nega' (often translated "plague of leprosy") in a house, a term referring not to human leprosy but to a severe, spreading fungal growth, mold, or mildew that could infest the stone or plaster of a dwelling. The preceding verses outline a precise protocol: the priest's initial inspection, the temporary quarantine of the house (Leviticus 14:38), and if the plague persisted after initial attempts at removal, the house was declared utterly unclean and had to be demolished, with its materials removed from the camp (Leviticus 14:45). Leviticus 14:46 states that anyone merely entering the house during its quarantine period was rendered unclean until evening. Verse 47 extends this principle, specifying that more intimate and prolonged contact—lying down or eating within the house—also necessitated ritual purification, emphasizing the pervasive and defiling nature of the "plague."
Historical & Cultural Context: In ancient Israel, the concept of ritual purity was foundational to their covenant relationship with Yahweh. God, being perfectly holy, dwelt among His people in the Tabernacle, and later the Temple. Therefore, maintaining a state of ritual purity was essential for the community to remain in proper relationship with God and to prevent the defilement of His sanctuary (Leviticus 15:31). The laws concerning nega' in houses reflected a broader understanding that defilement was not merely physical but carried profound spiritual implications, disrupting the divinely ordained order and holiness. While such laws also served practical purposes, promoting hygiene in a time without modern sanitation, their primary intent was theological. The meticulousness of these regulations underscored the seriousness with which God viewed any form of impurity, whether from disease, bodily discharge (Leviticus 15), or even environmental contaminants like mold. Contact with anything unclean, even passively, required a prescribed purification process to restore one to a state of ritual acceptability within the holy community.
Key Themes: Leviticus 14:47 contributes significantly to several overarching themes within the book of Leviticus and the broader Pentateuch. Central among these is the theme of God's Holiness and Human Purity. The detailed laws underscore God's absolute separateness from all impurity and His demand for His people to reflect His holiness in every aspect of their lives, including their dwellings. This verse also highlights the Pervasiveness of Defilement, showing that impurity is not confined to isolated incidents but can spread through contact, affecting individuals and their environment. The requirement to wash clothes emphasizes the theme of Ritual Cleansing and Restoration, demonstrating that contact with impurity necessitates a prescribed act of purification to restore one to a state of ritual acceptability and allow re-entry into the holy community. These laws, while specific to ancient Israel, ultimately point to the universal human need for cleansing from sin, which is the ultimate defilement, a concept further developed in the New Testament, particularly in the Book of Hebrews.

EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS

Key Word Analysis

House (Hebrew, bayith', H1004): This term denotes a dwelling place in its broadest sense, encompassing a family's residence, a palace, or even the Temple. In Leviticus 14:47, "house" specifically refers to a physical structure that has been ritually defiled by the nega' (mold/plague). The defilement of the house is so pervasive that it extends to those who inhabit or interact intimately with it, making the dwelling itself a source of impurity.
Lieth (Hebrew, shâkab', H7901): This primitive root means "to lie down" for various purposes, including rest, sleep, or even sexual connection. In this context, it signifies a prolonged and intimate form of contact with the defiled house. To "lie in the house" implies a period of extended presence, rest, or even dwelling within the contaminated environment, suggesting a deeper absorption of the house's impurity than merely entering.
Wash (Hebrew, kâbaç', H3526): This primitive root means "to trample," and by extension, "to wash," particularly by stamping with the feet, as in fulling cloth. In the context of Levitical law, the washing of clothes is a recurring and significant act of ritual purification (Leviticus 15:5). It signifies not merely physical cleanliness but a formal declaration of having ceased contact with the source of impurity and a restoration to a state of ritual acceptability within the community. This act was a visible sign of an internal shift, marking the end of a period of defilement and the return to a state of purity.

Verse Breakdown

"And he that lieth in the house shall wash his clothes;": This clause addresses an individual who has had prolonged and intimate contact with the defiled house, specifically by resting or sleeping within it. The act of "lying" implies a period of extended presence and absorption within the contaminated environment. Such intimate contact with the source of impurity rendered the person ritually unclean, necessitating the washing of clothes as a prescribed act of purification to restore their ritual purity. This highlights the pervasive nature of the "plague's" defilement, extending beyond the physical structure to those who dwell intimately within it.
"and he that eateth in the house shall wash his clothes.": This second clause reinforces the principle of defilement through intimate association, focusing on the act of eating within the unclean dwelling. Eating is a deeply communal and personal act, signifying a close connection to one's environment and the intake of sustenance. Engaging in such a fundamental activity within a ritually defiled space meant that the individual absorbed the impurity, requiring the same ritual washing of clothes to cleanse themselves and be readmitted to the pure community. Both actions emphasize that deep, sustained interaction with a source of impurity leads to a state of defilement requiring specific ritual cleansing.

Literary Devices

Leviticus 14:47 employs several literary devices to convey its message of purity and defilement. Repetition is prominently featured in the repeated phrase "shall wash his clothes," which underscores the mandatory nature and consistent requirement for purification. This repetition emphasizes the seriousness of contact with the "plague" and highlights the pervasive nature of the defilement, affecting anyone who engages in prolonged activities within the house. Symbolism is central, as the physical act of washing clothes serves as a powerful symbol of ritual cleansing and the removal of impurity. It is not merely about physical hygiene but represents a spiritual and communal restoration to a state of holiness. The "house" itself functions as a metonymy for the defilement it contains; contact with the house is synonymous with contact with the "plague" and its associated uncleanness. This meticulous attention to the spread of impurity through various forms of contact serves as a tangible lesson about the pervasive nature of sin and its defiling effect on individuals and the community, even through passive association.

THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS

Leviticus 14:47, like the broader Levitical purity laws, profoundly underscores God's absolute holiness and His demand for a holy people. The meticulous regulations concerning defilement, even from seemingly mundane sources like mold in a house, illustrate that impurity, in any form, is incompatible with God's presence. This system taught Israel the pervasive nature of sin (represented by defilement) and the necessity of diligent separation from anything that would compromise their covenant relationship with a holy God. The act of washing clothes was a constant reminder that contact with impurity required a conscious, prescribed act of purification to restore one to a state of acceptability before God and the community, foreshadowing a deeper spiritual need for cleansing.

REFLECTION AND APPLICATION

While the specific ritual laws of Leviticus 14:47 no longer apply to believers under the New Covenant, the underlying spiritual principles remain profoundly relevant. This verse serves as a powerful reminder that our environment and associations profoundly impact our spiritual purity. Just as physical contact with a defiled house rendered an Israelite unclean, so too can prolonged or intimate association with unholy influences, sinful practices, or worldly ideologies defile our hearts and minds. We are called to be in the world but not of it, exercising discernment about what we allow into our "houses"—our minds, our relationships, our homes, and our communities. When we inevitably come into contact with sin, whether through active participation or passive exposure, there is a divine provision for cleansing. This ancient law points us to the enduring truth that God's standard of holiness is unwavering, and His desire is for His people to live lives that reflect His purity, continually seeking His cleansing and sanctification through the work of Christ and the Holy Spirit.

Questions for Reflection

In what ways might my "spiritual house" (my inner life, my home, my community) be exposed to defiling influences today?
What does "washing my clothes" spiritually look like for me when I recognize I've been defiled by sin or unholy associations?
How does the meticulousness of these Old Testament purity laws deepen my appreciation for God's holiness and the complete cleansing offered in Christ?

FAQ

What was the "plague of leprosy" in a house, and why was it so serious?

Answer: The "plague of leprosy" (Hebrew: nega') in a house, as described in Leviticus 14, was not human leprosy (Hansen's disease) but rather a severe, spreading mold, mildew, or fungal growth that infested the walls of a dwelling. It was considered serious not just for practical reasons (e.g., structural damage, potential health concerns in a pre-scientific age) but primarily for profound theological ones. In ancient Israelite thought, such an infestation was seen as a manifestation of defilement, a disruption of the divinely ordained order and purity. It rendered the house, and by extension, anything or anyone within it, ritually unclean. This uncleanness was incompatible with the holy presence of God in the Tabernacle/Temple, necessitating strict protocols for quarantine, purification, or even demolition to maintain the sanctity of the community and its covenant relationship with Yahweh.

Why did merely lying or eating in the house require washing clothes?

Answer: The acts of "lying" (sleeping or resting) and "eating" within the house signified more prolonged and intimate contact with the defiled structure compared to merely entering it, as described in Leviticus 14:46. These activities implied a deeper absorption of the house's impurity, making the individual more thoroughly defiled. The washing of clothes (and often the person's body, though not explicitly stated in this verse, it is implied by the general purity laws) was the prescribed ritual act to remove this defilement. It served as a visible and communal declaration that the individual had ceased contact with the source of uncleanness and was now ritually pure, ready to rejoin the holy community. This meticulousness underscored the pervasive nature of defilement and God's demand for thorough cleansing to maintain the holiness of His people.

CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT

Leviticus 14:47, with its emphasis on cleansing from the defilement of an unclean house, finds its ultimate fulfillment and transcendence in Jesus Christ. The Old Testament purity laws, including those concerning mold in houses, were shadows pointing to the pervasive nature of sin and humanity's inherent spiritual defilement. No amount of ritual washing or separation could truly cleanse the heart or remove the stain of sin. Jesus, however, is the one who not only touches the unclean without becoming defiled but actively purifies. He touched lepers (Mark 1:40-42), ate with sinners (Mark 2:15-17), and even raised the dead (John 11:43-44), demonstrating His divine authority and power over all forms of defilement, including death itself. His shed blood on the cross provides the ultimate, once-for-all cleansing for sin, which is the true spiritual "plague" that defiles humanity (Hebrews 9:14). Through faith in Him, believers are not merely ritually cleansed but are spiritually regenerated and made truly holy, indwelt by the Holy Spirit, transforming them from the inside out and enabling them to live in a world full of defilement without being defiled by it (1 John 1:7). The symbolic washing of clothes is replaced by the complete spiritual washing and new creation in Christ (Titus 3:5), allowing believers to draw near to a holy God with confidence.

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Commentary on Leviticus 14 verses 33–53

33 ¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,

34 When ye be come into the land of Canaan, which I give to you for a possession, and I put the plague of leprosy in a house of the land of your possession;

35 And he that owneth the house shall come and tell the priest, saying, It seemeth to me there is as it were a plague in the house:

36 Then the priest shall command that they empty the house, before the priest go into it to see the plague, that all that is in the house be not made unclean: and afterward the priest shall go in to see the house:

37 And he shall look on the plague, and, behold, if the plague be in the walls of the house with hollow strakes, greenish or reddish, which in sight are lower than the wall;

38 Then the priest shall go out of the house to the door of the house, and shut up the house seven days:

39 And the priest shall come again the seventh day, and shall look: and, behold, if the plague be spread in the walls of the house;

40 Then the priest shall command that they take away the stones in which the plague is, and they shall cast them into an unclean place without the city:

41 And he shall cause the house to be scraped within round about, and they shall pour out the dust that they scrape off without the city into an unclean place:

42 And they shall take other stones, and put them in the place of those stones; and he shall take other morter, and shall plaister the house.

43 And if the plague come again, and break out in the house, after that he hath taken away the stones, and after he hath scraped the house, and after it is plaistered;

44 Then the priest shall come and look, and, behold, if the plague be spread in the house, it is a fretting leprosy in the house: it is unclean.

45 And he shall break down the house, the stones of it, and the timber thereof, and all the morter of the house; and he shall carry them forth out of the city into an unclean place.

46 Moreover he that goeth into the house all the while that it is shut up shall be unclean until the even.

47 And he that lieth in the house shall wash his clothes; and he that eateth in the house shall wash his clothes.

48 And if the priest shall come in, and look upon it, and, behold, the plague hath not spread in the house, after the house was plaistered: then the priest shall pronounce the house clean, because the plague is healed.

49 And he shall take to cleanse the house two birds, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop:

50 And he shall kill the one of the birds in an earthen vessel over running water:

51 And he shall take the cedar wood, and the hyssop, and 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:

52 And he shall cleanse 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:

53 But he shall let go the living bird out of the city into the open fields, and make an atonement for the house: and it shall be clean.

This is the law concerning the leprosy in a house. Now that they were in the wilderness they dwelt in tents, and had no houses, and therefore the law is made only an appendix to the former laws concerning the leprosy, because it related, not to their present state, but to their future settlement. The leprosy in a house is as unaccountable as the leprosy in a garment; but, if we see not what natural causes of it can be assigned, we may resolve it into the power of the God of nature, who here says, I put the leprosy in a house (Lev 14:34), as his curse is said to enter into a house, and consume it with the timber and stones thereof, Zac 5:4. Now, 1. It is supposed that even in Canaan itself, the land of promise, their houses might be infected with a leprosy. Though it was a holy land, this would not secure them from this plague, while the inhabitants were many of them so unholy. Thus a place and a name in the visible church will not secure wicked people from God's judgments. 2. It is likewise taken for granted that the owner of the house will make the priest acquainted with it, as soon as he sees the least cause to suspect the leprosy in his house: It seemeth to me there is as it were a plague in the house, Lev 14:35. Sin, where that reigns in a house, is a plague there, as it is in a heart. And masters of families should be aware and afraid of the first appearance of gross sin in their families, and put away the iniquity, whatever it is, far from their tabernacles, Job 22:23. They should be jealous with a godly jealousy concerning those under their charge, lest they be drawn into sin, and take early advice, if it but seem that there is a plague in the house, lest the contagion spread, and many be by it defiled and destroyed. 3. If the priest, upon search, found that the leprosy had got into the house, he must try to cure it, by taking gout that part of the building that was infected, Lev 14:40, Lev 14:41. This was like cutting off a gangrened limb, for the preservation of the rest of the body. Corruption should be purged out in time, before it spread; for a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. If thy right hand offend thee, cut it off. 4. If yet it remained in the house, the whole house must be pulled down, and all the materials carried to the dunghill, Lev 14:44, Lev 14:45. The owner had better be without a dwelling than live in one that was infected. Note, The leprosy of sin, if it be obstinate under the methods of cure, will at last be the ruin of families and churches. If Babylon will not be healed, she shall be forsaken and abandoned, and (according to the law respecting the leprous house), they shall not take of her a stone for a corner, nor a stone for foundations, Jer 51:9, Jer 51:26. The remainders of sin and corruption in our mortal bodies are like this leprosy in the house; after all our pains in scraping and plastering, we shall never be quite clear of it, till the earthly house of this tabernacle be dissolved and taken down; when we are dead we shall be free from sin, and not till then, Rom 6:7. 5. If the taking out the infected stones cured the house, and the leprosy did not spread any further, then the house must be cleansed; not only aired, that it might be healthful, but purified from the ceremonial pollution, that it might be fit to be the habitation of an Israelite. The ceremony of its cleansing was much the same with that of cleansing a leprous person, Lev 14:49, etc. This intimated that the house was smitten for the man's sake (as bishop Patrick expresses it), and he was to look upon himself as preserved by divine mercy. The houses of Israelites are said to be dedicated (Deu 20:5), for they were a holy nation, and therefore they ought to keep their houses pure from all ceremonial pollutions, that they might be fit for the service of that God to whom they were devoted. And the same care should we take to reform whatever is amiss in our families, that we and our houses may serve the Lord; see Gen 35:2. Some have thought the leprosy in the house was typical of the idolatry of the Jewish church, which did strangely cleave to it; for, though some of the reforming kings took away the infected stones, yet still it broke out again, till by the captivity of Babylon God took down the house, and carried it to an unclean land; and this proved an effectual cure of their inclination to idols and idolatrous worships.

Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 33–53. Public domain.

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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.

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Cross-References

Leviticus 14:8
And he that is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, and shave off all his hair, and wash himself in water, that he may be clean: and after that he shall come into the camp, and shall tarry abroad out of his tent seven days.
Leviticus 14:9
But it shall be on the seventh day, that he shall shave all his hair off his head and his beard and his eyebrows, even all his hair he shall shave off: and he shall wash his clothes, also he shall wash his flesh in water, and he shall be clean.
Leviticus 11:25
And whosoever beareth ought of the carcase of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even.