Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of Leviticus
Chapter 14: The Cleansing of the Leper
If chapter 13 shows the misery of the leprosy of sin, chapter 14 shows the wonder of its cleansing. The priest goes out of the camp to the outcast. Two birds are taken: one is slain over running water, the other, dipped in its blood, is set free into the open sky. The cleansed leper is washed, then brought near and anointed with blood and oil on ear, thumb, and toe, like a priest. Here is death and resurrection, the far-off made nigh, and grace that reaches the poorest, all pointing to the One who cleanses the unclean.
About This Commentary
This is a verse-by-verse study of Leviticus chapter 14. For each section you will find the KJV text, the Hebrew words that sharpen the meaning, plain explanation, and a Gospel Focus. The chapter gives the ritual for cleansing a healed leper, the two birds, the washing, the offerings, the blood and oil, the provision for the poor, and the law of leprosy in a house. It is one of the richest gospel pictures in Leviticus, pointing throughout to Christ. Every Scripture quotation is from the King James Version.
Setting the Stage
Death and Life
One bird slain over running water, the other released alive in its blood: a picture of the death and resurrection that cleanse us.
Blood and Oil
The cleansed leper received blood and oil on ear, thumb, and toe, consecrated like a priest, the outcast made nigh.
Cleansing for All
A poor man could bring smaller offerings and be just as fully cleansed. Grace was never priced beyond reach.
Leprosy in the Home
Even a house could be leprous, its stones removed or the whole torn down. Sin must be dealt with wherever it spreads.
One Slain, One Set Free (Leviticus 14:1-9)
The priest goes out to the healed leper, and by two birds, one killed and one released alive in its blood, the cleansing is pictured and pronounced.
The Living Bird Let Loose
"And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, This shall be the law of the leper in the day of his cleansing: He shall be brought unto the priest: And the priest shall go forth out of the camp; and the priest shall look, and, behold, if the plague of leprosy be healed in the leper; Then shall the priest command to take for him that is to be cleansed two birds alive and clean, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop: And the priest shall command that one of the birds be killed in an earthen vessel over running water: As for the living bird, he shall take it, and the cedar wood, and the scarlet, and the hyssop, and shall dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water: And he shall sprinkle upon him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird loose into the open field. 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. 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. And on the eighth day he shall take two he lambs without blemish, and one ewe lamb of the first year without blemish, and three tenth deals of fine flour for a meat offering, mingled with oil, and one log of oil. And the priest that maketh him clean shall present the man that is to be made clean, and those things, before the LORD, at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: And the priest shall take one he lamb, and offer him for a trespass offering, and the log of oil, and wave them for a wave offering before the LORD: And he shall slay the lamb in the place where he shall kill the sin offering and the burnt offering, in the holy place: for as the sin offering is the priest's, so is the trespass offering: it is most holy:"
Hebrew Study
"running water," mayim chayyim (מַיִם חַיִּים). Literally "living water," fresh, flowing water, not standing in a pool. The bird was slain over living water, joining blood and living water in the cleansing, a picture the New Testament would fill with meaning.
"hyssop," ezov (אֵזוֹב). A small, humble plant used to sprinkle blood and water, the same instrument used to apply the Passover blood. It became the very emblem of cleansing: "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean" (Psalm 51:7).
Explanation
The ritual begins with a striking picture. First, "the priest shall go forth out of the camp" to the leper; grace goes out to the outcast where he is. If the plague is healed, the priest takes "two birds alive and clean," with cedar wood, scarlet, and hyssop. One bird is "killed in an earthen vessel over running water." The living bird, together with the cedar, scarlet, and hyssop, is dipped in the blood of the slain bird, and the cleansed man is sprinkled "seven times" and pronounced clean. Then the living bird is set "loose into the open field," flying away bearing the marks of the blood. The man then washes, shaves off all his hair, bathes, and after seven days is fully clean. Two birds, one death and one release, together tell the whole story of his cleansing.
Gospel Focus
The two birds are a vivid picture of the death and resurrection of Christ. One bird was slain, its life poured out; the other, dipped in that blood, was set free to fly into the open heaven, alive, marked forever by the death of the first. So our Lord "was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification" (Romans 4:25). The slain bird is His death; the living bird set free is His resurrection, and ours in Him, the redeemed soul released into liberty, bearing the marks of the blood that bought it. Notice too that the bird was killed over "running water," and that from the pierced side of Jesus "came there out blood and water" (John 19:34), the blood to atone and the water to cleanse. And the priest "went forth out of the camp" to reach the leper, just as Christ came out to us where we lay in our uncleanness, unable to come to Him. The gospel is all here in shadow: a substitute slain, a life set free, blood and water flowing, and a Saviour who goes out to seek the unclean and pronounce them clean.
Blood and Oil on Ear, Thumb, and Toe (Leviticus 14:10-20)
On the eighth day the cleansed leper brings his offerings, and blood and oil are placed on his right ear, thumb, and toe, consecrating him as a priest was consecrated.
The Outcast Consecrated
"And the priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering, 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: And the priest shall take some of the log of oil, and pour it into the palm of his own left hand: And the priest shall dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand, and shall sprinkle of the oil with his finger seven times before the LORD: 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: And the remnant of the oil that is in the priest's hand he shall pour upon the head of him that is to be cleansed: and the priest shall make an atonement for him before the LORD. And the priest shall offer the sin offering, and make an atonement for him that is to be cleansed from his uncleanness; and afterward he shall kill the burnt offering: And the priest shall offer the burnt offering and the meat offering upon the altar: and the priest shall make an atonement for him, and he shall be clean."
Hebrew Study
The cleansed leper is consecrated exactly like a priest. Blood from the trespass offering is put "upon the tip of the right ear... the thumb of his right hand... the great toe of his right foot," and then oil upon the same places — the identical ritual used to ordain Aaron and his sons (8:23-24). And the order never varies: blood first, then oil. Cleansing by the blood must precede the anointing with oil, for the Spirit's anointing rests only where atoning blood has first been applied.
Explanation
On the eighth day the cleansed man brought a trespass offering, a sin offering, a burnt offering, and a grain offering. Then something remarkable happened. The priest took the blood of the trespass offering and put it "upon the tip of the right ear... and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot." Next he took oil, sprinkled it before the LORD seven times, and placed it "upon the blood" on the same ear, thumb, and toe, and poured the rest "upon the head" of the man. These are the exact rites by which Aaron and his sons were consecrated as priests in chapter 8. The former leper, once cast out and crying "Unclean," was now treated like a priest: cleansed, marked with blood, and anointed with oil, ear, hand, and foot claimed wholly for God.
Gospel Focus
What grace is pictured here. The cleansed leper is not merely allowed back into the camp; he is consecrated with the very rites of the priesthood, blood on the ear, hand, and foot, then oil upon the blood. God does not restore the sinner grudgingly to the edge of the community; He brings him all the way in and sets him apart for holy service. "Ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ" (Ephesians 2:13), and more than made nigh, we are made "a royal priesthood." The order matters: blood first, then oil upon the blood. The Spirit's anointing always rests on the ground of the atonement; only what the blood has cleansed can the oil sanctify. So the once-defiled ear is set apart to hear God's voice, the hand to do His work, the foot to walk His ways. This is the astonishing generosity of the gospel: the outcast is not only forgiven but anointed, the leper made a priest, the far-off brought near and given a place in the very service of God.
If He Be Poor (Leviticus 14:21-32)
A cleansed leper who could not afford the full offerings could bring less, and be just as truly and fully restored.
Full Cleansing at Any Cost
"And if he be poor, and cannot get so much; then he shall take one lamb for a trespass offering to be waved, to make an atonement for him, and one tenth deal of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering, and a log of oil; And two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, such as he is able to get; and the one shall be a sin offering, and the other a burnt offering. And he shall bring them on the eighth day for his cleansing unto the priest, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, before the LORD. And the priest shall take the lamb of the trespass offering, and the log of oil, and the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before the LORD: And 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 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: And the priest shall pour of the oil into the palm of his own left hand: And the priest shall sprinkle with his right finger some of the oil that is in his left hand seven times before the LORD: And the priest shall put of the oil that is in his hand 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 place of the blood of the trespass offering: And the rest of the oil that is in the priest's hand he shall put upon the head of him that is to be cleansed, to make an atonement for him before the LORD. And he shall offer the one of the turtledoves, or of the young pigeons, such as he can get; Even such as he is able to get, the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, with the meat offering: and the priest shall make an atonement for him that is to be cleansed before the LORD. This is the law of him in whom is the plague of leprosy, whose hand is not able to get that which pertaineth to his cleansing. And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, 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; 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: 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: 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; Then the priest shall go out of the house to the door of the house, and shut up the house seven days: 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; 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: 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: 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. 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; 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."
Hebrew Study
Once more the law makes room for poverty: "if he be poor, and cannot get so much." The restored leper who cannot afford the full offering may bring "such as he is able to get" — one lamb and two birds instead of three lambs. The same atonement, the same cleansing, is granted; God measures the gift by the giver's means, not by its price, so that the poorest outcast is welcomed back on equal terms with the rich.
Explanation
As always, God made a way for the poor. A cleansed leper who could not afford the fuller offerings could bring "one lamb for a trespass offering," with a smaller grain offering, and "two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, such as he is able to get," one for a sin offering and one for a burnt offering. The blood and oil were still placed on his ear, thumb, and toe exactly the same way. The size of the offering was reduced to match his poverty, but not one part of the cleansing was lessened. The poor man's ear, hand, and foot were marked just like the rich man's; his atonement was just as complete; his restoration just as full. God bent the cost to the man, never the cleansing.
Gospel Focus
Once more the law shows that cleansing from God can never be priced out of anyone's reach. The poorest leper in Israel received exactly the same blood on his ear, the same oil on his hand, the same full atonement as the wealthiest. This is the wonder of grace: the gift is the same for all, because its worth is never in what we bring but in what God accepts. No one is too poor, too far gone, or too long an outcast to be wholly cleansed and fully brought near. The cost of our redemption was paid entirely by Another, so that the beggar and the rich come to God on identical terms, through the one sacrifice of Christ. Whatever your poverty, spiritual or material, it cannot keep you from the cleansing God gives, for the price was settled at the cross, and the invitation is to whosoever will.
Leprosy in a House (Leviticus 14:33-57)
Even a house could be struck with leprosy; its infected stones were removed, and if the plague spread, the whole house was torn down and carried away.
Break Down the House
"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. Moreover he that goeth into the house all the while that it is shut up shall be unclean until the even. And he that lieth in the house shall wash his clothes; and he that eateth in the house shall wash his clothes. 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. And he shall take to cleanse the house two birds, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop: And he shall kill the one of the birds in an earthen vessel over running water: 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: 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: 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 for all manner of plague of leprosy, and scall, And for the leprosy of a garment, and of a house, And for a rising, and for a scab, and for a bright spot: To teach when it is unclean, and when it is clean: this is the law of leprosy."
Hebrew Study
"house," bayit (בַּיִת). A house, a home, and often a household or family. The same word names both the building and the people who dwell in it. That leprosy could strike a bayit teaches that the corruption of sin can spread not only through a person but through a home and a household.
Explanation
God foretells that when Israel enters Canaan, "I put the plague of leprosy in a house." A greenish or reddish spreading blight in the walls would bring the priest to examine it. First the infected stones were torn out and cast into an unclean place, the house scraped and re-plastered. If the plague returned and spread, there was no remedy but to "break down the house, the stones of it, and the timber thereof," and carry it all "out of the city into an unclean place." Notice that God says He Himself would put the plague there; even this was under His hand, often to expose and remove a hidden corruption. The lesson is sobering: sin does not stay in one heart but can infect a whole household, and where it takes deep hold, half measures will not do; the corruption must be rooted out entirely.
Gospel Focus
The leprous house teaches that sin can spread beyond a single life into a home, a family, even a church, and that it must be dealt with thoroughly wherever it takes hold. "A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump" (1 Corinthians 5:6), so a tolerated corruption in a household or fellowship does not stay small; it spreads through the walls. Sometimes the infected stones can be removed and the house saved by decisive action; sometimes the corruption has gone so deep that only a tearing down and a fresh start will do. God is willing to break down what cannot be cleansed rather than let the plague remain. This calls us to take sin seriously not only in ourselves but in our homes and communities, dealing with it honestly and completely rather than plastering over it. Yet even the torn-down house points to hope: God tears down the old and defiled to build something clean in its place, for He is not content to leave His people dwelling with the plague. Let Him search your house, and remove whatever must go, that your home may be a clean dwelling fit for His presence.
Chapter 14 in Review
Leviticus 14 gives the cleansing that answers the leprosy of chapter 13. The priest goes out of the camp to the healed leper. Two birds are taken: one slain over running water, the other dipped in its blood and set free alive. The man is washed and shaved, and on the eighth day brings his offerings; blood and oil are placed on his right ear, thumb, and toe, consecrating him like a priest, with a smaller offering allowed if he is poor. Finally God gives the law of leprosy in a house, whose infected stones are removed, or, if the plague spreads, the whole house torn down and carried away.
For the Apostolic reader, this chapter overflows with the gospel. The two birds picture the death and resurrection of Christ, the slain bird poured out and the living bird set free, with blood and water from His side. The priest going out to the outcast is the Saviour coming to us in our uncleanness. The blood and oil on the cleansed leper show the far-off not merely forgiven but brought near and anointed, the outcast made a priest, for the Spirit's oil always rests upon the blood. The provision for the poor proclaims that cleansing is free to all. And the leprous house warns that sin spreads through our homes and must be rooted out entirely. From the field where the bird flies free to the house made clean, everything here points to the One who cleanses the unclean and brings them home.
- The two birds picture Christ's death and resurrection: one slain, one set free alive in its blood.
- The priest went out of the camp to the leper, as Christ came out to us in our uncleanness.
- The cleansed leper was consecrated like a priest, blood then oil on ear, hand, and foot: the outcast made nigh and anointed.
- The poor were fully cleansed with smaller offerings; grace is never priced beyond reach.
- Even a house could be leprous; sin spreads through a home and must be rooted out completely.
Questions for Reflection
- Have you been set free like the living bird, released into liberty by the blood of the One who was slain?
- Do you live as one not only forgiven but brought near and anointed for God's service?
- Is there a corruption in your home or fellowship that needs to be dealt with thoroughly, not plastered over?
References & Sources
Scripture is quoted from the King James Version (KJV). The Hebrew terms are standard and can be checked in any Hebrew lexicon. Supporting passages are listed so every claim can be verified in its own setting. If anything here does not look right, a verse, a reference, or a wording, please tell us at info@FruitBearers.net. Thank you for helping us keep Bible Learning error free.
- The two birds, death and resurrection, blood and water: Leviticus 14:1-9; Romans 4:25; John 19:34; Psalm 51:7.
- The outcast consecrated, made nigh by the blood: Leviticus 14:10-20; Ephesians 2:13.
- Cleansing free to the poor: Leviticus 14:21-32.
- Leprosy in a house, and rooting out corruption: Leviticus 14:33-57; 1 Corinthians 5:6.