← All Chapters The Book of Leviticus · Chapter 14

Leviticus 14: Cleansing the Leper

When the disease is healed, an elaborate ritual of birds, blood, oil, and offerings restores the cleansed leper to the camp and to worship.

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Leviticus 14 (WEB)

1 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

2 “This shall be the law of the leper in the day of his cleansing. He shall be brought to the priest,

3 and the priest shall go out of the camp. The priest shall examine him, and behold, if the plague of leprosy is healed in the leper,

4 then the priest shall command them to take for him who is to be cleansed two living clean birds, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop.

5 The priest shall command them to kill one of the birds in an earthen vessel over running water.

6 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.

7 He shall sprinkle on him who is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird go into the open field.

8 “He who is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, and shave off all his hair, and bathe himself in water; and he shall be clean. After that he shall come into the camp, but shall dwell outside his tent seven days.

9 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. He shall wash his clothes, and he shall bathe his body in water, then he shall be clean.

10 “On the eighth day he shall take two male lambs without defect, and one ewe lamb a year old without defect, and three tenths of an ephah of fine flour for a meal offering, mingled with oil, and one log of oil.

11 The priest who cleanses him shall set the man who is to be cleansed, and those things, before Yahweh, at the door of the Tent of Meeting.

12 “The priest shall take one of the male lambs, and offer him for a trespass offering, with the log of oil, and wave them for a wave offering before Yahweh.

13 He shall kill the male lamb in the place where they kill the sin offering and the burnt offering, in the place of the sanctuary; for as the sin offering is the priest’s, so is the trespass offering. It is most holy.

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, and on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot.

15 The priest shall take some of the log of oil, and pour it into the palm of his own left hand.

16 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 Yahweh.

17 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.

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, and the priest shall make atonement for him before Yahweh.

19 “The priest shall offer the sin offering, and make atonement for him who is to be cleansed because of his uncleanness: and afterward he shall kill the burnt offering;

20 and the priest shall offer the burnt offering and the meal offering on the altar. The priest shall make atonement for him, and he shall be clean.

21 “If he is poor, and can’t afford so much, then he shall take one male lamb for a trespass offering to be waved, to make atonement for him, and one tenth of an ephah of fine flour mingled with oil for a meal offering, and a log of oil;

22 and two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, such as he is able to afford; and the one shall be a sin offering, and the other a burnt offering.

23 “On the eighth day he shall bring them for his cleansing to the priest, to the door of the Tent of Meeting, before Yahweh.

24 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 Yahweh.

25 He shall kill the lamb of the trespass offering. 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, and on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot.

26 The priest shall pour some of the oil into the palm of his own left hand;

27 and the priest shall sprinkle with his right finger some of the oil that is in his left hand seven times before Yahweh.

28 Then 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, and on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot, on the place of the blood of the trespass offering.

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 Yahweh.

30 He shall offer one of the turtledoves, or of the young pigeons, such as he is able to afford,

31 even such as he is able to afford, the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, with the meal offering. The priest shall make atonement for him who is to be cleansed before Yahweh.”

32 This is the law for him in whom is the plague of leprosy, who is not able to afford the sacrifice for his cleansing.

33 Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,

34 “When you have come into the land of Canaan, which I give to you for a possession, and I put a spreading mildew in a house in the land of your possession,

35 then he who owns the house shall come and tell the priest, saying, ‘There seems to me to be some sort of plague in the house.’

36 The priest shall command that they empty the house, before the priest goes in to examine the plague, that all that is in the house not be made unclean. Afterward the priest shall go in to inspect the house.

37 He shall examine the plague; and behold, if the plague is in the walls of the house with hollow streaks, greenish or reddish, and it appears to be deeper 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 The priest shall come again on the seventh day, and look. If the plague has spread in the walls of the house,

40 then the priest shall command that they take out the stones in which is the plague, and cast them into an unclean place outside of the city:

41 and he shall cause the inside of the house to be scraped all over, and they shall pour out the mortar, that they scraped off, outside of the city into an unclean place.

42 They shall take other stones, and put them in the place of those stones; and he shall take other mortar, and shall plaster the house.

43 “If the plague comes again, and breaks out in the house, after he has taken out the stones, and after he has scraped the house, and after it was plastered;

44 then the priest shall come in and look; and behold, if the plague has spread in the house, it is a destructive mildew in the house. It is unclean.

45 He shall break down the house, its stones, and its timber, and all the house’s mortar. He shall carry them out of the city into an unclean place.

46 “Moreover he who goes into the house while it is shut up shall be unclean until the evening.

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

48 “If the priest shall come in, and examine it, and behold, the plague hasn’t spread in the house, after the house was plastered, then the priest shall pronounce the house clean, because the plague is healed.

49 To cleanse the house he shall take two birds, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop.

50 He shall kill one of the birds in an earthen vessel over running water.

51 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 He shall cleanse the house with the blood of the bird, and with the running water, with the living bird, with the cedar wood, with the hyssop, and with the scarlet;

53 but he shall let the living bird go out of the city into the open field. So shall he make atonement for the house; and it shall be clean.”

54 This is the law for any plague of leprosy, and for an itch,

55 and for the destructive mildew of a garment, and for a house,

56 and for a rising, and for a scab, and for a bright spot;

57 to teach when it is unclean, and when it is clean. This is the law of leprosy.

Summary

Where chapter 13 dealt with diagnosing the plague, chapter 14 describes the joyful ceremony for a leper who has been healed. The priest goes outside the camp to examine him, and if he is healed, two living clean birds are taken; one is killed over running water, and the living bird, dipped with cedar wood, scarlet, and hyssop in the blood, is set free into the open field. After washing, shaving, and bathing, the cleansed person may return to the camp, though he waits seven more days. On the eighth day he brings trespass, sin, and burnt offerings, and blood and oil are placed on his right ear, thumb, and toe, just as the priests were consecrated, marking his full restoration to the worshiping community. As always, God provides a less costly path for the poor. The chapter then extends these principles to mildew in a house, which is examined, treated, and if necessary torn down. The freed living bird and the cleansing blood and water beautifully picture the gospel: through the death of an innocent substitute the unclean is made clean, released, and welcomed home to worship God among his people.

Key Figures

  • The priest — The one who goes outside the camp, examines the healed person, and performs the rituals of bird, blood, oil, and sacrifice to declare him clean.
  • The cleansed leper — The one healed of the plague who is washed, shaved, atoned for, and restored to the camp and to full fellowship in worship.
  • Yahweh (the LORD) — The God who provides the way of cleansing and restoration, with gracious allowance for the poor, and atonement even for a defiled house.

Key Verse

Leviticus 14:7 (WEB)

He shall sprinkle on him who is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird go into the open field.

Lessons Learned

  • God provides not only laws of diagnosis but a way of restoration for the healed.
  • Cleansing comes through the death of a substitute, pictured in the slain bird.
  • The restored person is consecrated like a priest, marked on ear, thumb, and toe.
  • Even defiled homes can be examined, cleansed, and made fit again, showing God's restoring grace.
  • God makes a way back. The law provides “the law of the leper in the day of his cleansing” (Leviticus 14:2, WEB). God does not leave the unclean outside forever but provides restoration.
  • Cleansing flows from a substitute. One bird is killed and the living bird, dipped in its blood, is “let go into the open field” (Leviticus 14:6-7, WEB). Through death comes release and life, a picture of the gospel.
  • The restored are consecrated. Blood is placed “on the tip of the right ear… the thumb of his right hand… the big toe of his right foot” (Leviticus 14:14, WEB), as with the priests. The cleansed are wholly dedicated to God.
  • Grace reaches the poor. “If he is poor, and can’t afford so much” a lesser offering is provided (Leviticus 14:21, WEB). No one is too poor to be restored to God.
  1. Why is it significant that God gives a way to restore the leper, not only to diagnose him?
  2. What does the ritual of the two birds, one killed and one set free, picture about cleansing?
  3. Why is the cleansed leper anointed on the ear, thumb, and toe like a priest?
  4. How does the freed living bird point us toward the gospel of Christ?
  5. What does it mean to you that God not only diagnoses but restores those cut off by uncleanness?
  1. After the bleakness of chapter 13, chapter 14 shows God's restoring heart: the unclean can be made clean and welcomed home. God's purpose is not merely to exclude but to cleanse and restore to fellowship.
  2. One bird dies and the other, dipped in its blood, is released to fly free, picturing how cleansing and freedom come through the death of a substitute. It foreshadows Christ, whose death sets the guilty free.
  3. The same consecration given to priests is applied to the cleansed leper, marking him as fully restored and wholly dedicated to God. Cleansing leads to consecration; the restored belong entirely to the Lord.
  4. The living bird, marked by the blood of the slain bird and set free, beautifully pictures the gospel: through an innocent death the unclean are cleansed and released to live. It anticipates Jesus, who makes the defiled clean.
  5. This is a gentle personal-application question. Invite members to marvel that God restores, not just excludes, and to receive the cleansing and welcome Christ offers. Encourage gratitude and renewed dedication.

Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible (WEB), the King James Version (KJV), and the American Standard Version (ASV), all of which are in the public domain.