Leviticus 14:9-57

14:9 When the seventh day comes ¹  he must shave all his hair – his head, his beard, his eyebrows, all his hair – and he must wash his clothes, bathe his body in water, and so be clean. ² 

The Eighth Day Atonement Rituals

14:10 “On the eighth day he ³  must take two flawless male lambs, one flawless yearling female lamb, three-tenths of an ephah of choice wheat flour as a grain offering mixed with olive oil, ⁴  and one log of olive oil, ⁵  14:11 and the priest who pronounces him clean will have the man who is being cleansed stand along with these offerings ⁶  before the Lord at the entrance of the Meeting Tent.

14:12 “The priest is to take one male lamb ⁷  and present it for a guilt offering ⁸  along with the log of olive oil and present them as a wave offering before the Lord. ⁹  14:13 He must then slaughter ¹⁰  the male lamb in the place where ¹¹  the sin offering ¹²  and the burnt offering ¹³  are slaughtered, ¹⁴  in the sanctuary, because, like the sin offering, the guilt offering belongs to the priest; ¹⁵  it is most holy. 14:14 Then the priest is to take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the right earlobe of the one being cleansed, ¹⁶  on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe ¹⁷  of his right foot. 14:15 The priest will then take some of the log of olive oil and pour it into his own left hand. ¹⁸  14:16 Then the priest is to dip his right forefinger into the olive oil ¹⁹  that is in his left hand, and sprinkle some of the olive oil with his finger seven times before the Lord. 14:17 The priest will then put some of the rest of the olive oil that is in his hand ²⁰  on the right earlobe of the one being cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot, on the blood of the guilt offering, 14:18 and the remainder of the olive oil ²¹  that is in his hand the priest is to put on the head of the one being cleansed. So the priest is to make atonement for him before the Lord.

14:19 “The priest must then perform the sin offering ²²  and make atonement for the one being cleansed from his impurity. After that he ²³  is to slaughter the burnt offering, 14:20 and the priest is to offer ²⁴  the burnt offering and the grain offering on the altar. So the priest is to make atonement for him and he will be clean.

The Eighth Day Atonement Rituals for the Poor Person

14:21 “If the person is poor and does not have sufficient means, ²⁵  he must take one male lamb as a guilt offering for a wave offering to make atonement for himself, one-tenth of an ephah of choice wheat flour mixed with olive oil for a grain offering, a log of olive oil, ²⁶  14:22 and two turtledoves or two young pigeons, ²⁷  which are within his means. ²⁸  One will be a sin offering and the other a burnt offering. ²⁹ 

14:23 “On the eighth day he must bring them for his purification to the priest at the entrance ³⁰  of the Meeting Tent before the Lord, 14:24 and the priest is to take the male lamb of the guilt offering and the log of olive oil and wave them ³¹  as a wave offering before the Lord. 14:25 Then he is to slaughter the male lamb of the guilt offering, and the priest is to take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the right earlobe of the one being cleansed, ³²  on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe ³³  of his right foot. 14:26 The priest will then pour some of the olive oil into his own left hand, ³⁴  14:27 and sprinkle some of the olive oil that is in his left hand with his right forefinger ³⁵  seven times before the Lord. 14:28 Then the priest is to put some of the olive oil that is in his hand ³⁶  on the right earlobe of the one being cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot, on the place of the blood of the guilt offering, 14:29 and the remainder of the olive oil that is in the hand ³⁷  of the priest he is to put ³⁸  on the head of the one being cleansed to make atonement for him before the Lord.

14:30 “He will then make one of the turtledoves ³⁹  or young pigeons, which are within his means, ⁴⁰  14:31 a sin offering and the other a burnt offering along with the grain offering. ⁴¹  So the priest is to make atonement for the one being cleansed before the Lord. 14:32 This is the law of the one in whom there is a diseased infection, ⁴²  who does not have sufficient means for his purification.” ⁴³ 

Purification of Disease-Infected Houses

14:33 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron: 14:34 “When you enter the land of Canaan which I am about to give ⁴⁴  to you for a possession, and I put ⁴⁵  a diseased infection in a house in the land you are to possess, ⁴⁶  14:35 then whoever owns the house ⁴⁷  must come and declare to the priest, ‘Something like an infection is visible to me in the house.’ 14:36 Then the priest will command that the house be cleared ⁴⁸  before the priest enters to examine the infection ⁴⁹  so that everything in the house ⁵⁰  does not become unclean, ⁵¹  and afterward ⁵²  the priest will enter to examine the house. 14:37 He is to examine the infection, and if ⁵³  the infection in the walls of the house consists of yellowish green or reddish eruptions, ⁵⁴  and it appears to be deeper than the surface of the wall, ⁵⁵  14:38 then the priest is to go out of the house to the doorway of the house and quarantine the house for seven days. ⁵⁶  14:39 The priest must return on the seventh day and examine it, and if ⁵⁷  the infection has spread in the walls of the house, 14:40 then the priest is to command that the stones that had the infection in them be pulled and thrown ⁵⁸  outside the city ⁵⁹  into an unclean place. 14:41 Then he is to have the house scraped ⁶⁰  all around on the inside, ⁶¹  and the plaster ⁶²  which is scraped off ⁶³  must be dumped outside the city ⁶⁴  into an unclean place. 14:42 They are then to take other stones and replace those stones, ⁶⁵  and he is to take other plaster and replaster the house.

14:43 “If the infection returns and breaks out in the house after he has pulled out the stones, scraped the house, and it is replastered, ⁶⁶  14:44 the priest is to come and examine it, and if ⁶⁷  the infection has spread in the house, it is a malignant disease in the house. It is unclean. 14:45 He must tear down the house, ⁶⁸  its stones, its wood, and all the plaster of the house, and bring all of it ⁶⁹  outside the city to an unclean place. 14:46 Anyone who enters ⁷⁰  the house all the days the priest ⁷¹  has quarantined it will be unclean until evening. 14:47 Anyone who lies down in the house must wash his clothes. Anyone who eats in the house must wash his clothes.

14:48 “If, however, the priest enters ⁷²  and examines it, and the ⁷³  infection has not spread in the house after the house has been replastered, then the priest is to pronounce the house clean because the infection has been healed. 14:49 Then he ⁷⁴  is to take two birds, a piece of cedar wood, a scrap of crimson fabric, and some twigs of hyssop ⁷⁵  to decontaminate ⁷⁶  the house, 14:50 and he is to slaughter one bird into a clay vessel over fresh water. ⁷⁷  14:51 He must then take the piece of cedar wood, the twigs of hyssop, the scrap of crimson fabric, and the live bird, and dip them in the blood of the slaughtered bird and in the fresh water, and sprinkle the house seven times. 14:52 So he is to decontaminate the house with the blood of the bird, the fresh water, the live bird, the piece of cedar wood, the twigs of hyssop, and the scrap of crimson fabric, 14:53 and he is to send the live bird away outside the city ⁷⁸  into the open countryside. So he is to make atonement for the house and it will be clean.

Summary of Purification Regulations for Infections

14:54 “This is the law for all diseased infections, for scall, ⁷⁹  14:55 for the diseased garment, ⁸⁰  for the house, ⁸¹  14:56 for the swelling, ⁸²  for the scab, ⁸³  and for the bright spot, ⁸⁴  14:57 to teach when something is unclean and when it is clean. ⁸⁵  This is the law for dealing with infectious disease.” ⁸⁶ 

[14:9]  ¹ tn Heb “And it shall be on the seventh day.”

[14:9]  ² tn Heb “and he shall be clean” (see the note on v. 8).

[14:10]  ³ tn The subject “he” probably refers to the formerly diseased person in this case (see the notes on Lev 1:5a, 6a, and 9a).

[14:10]  ⁴ tn This term is often rendered “fine flour,” but it refers specifically to wheat as opposed to barley (B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 10) and, although the translation “flour” is used here, it may indicate “grits” rather than finely ground flour (J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:179; see the note on Lev 2:1). The unit of measure is most certainly an “ephah” even though it is not stated explicitly (see, e.g., Num 28:5; cf. 15:4, 6, 8), and three-tenths of an ephah would amount to about a gallon, or perhaps one-third of a bushel (J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 196; Milgrom, 845). Since the normal amount of flour for a lamb is one-tenth of an ephah (Num 28:4-5; cf. 15:4), three-tenths is about right for the three lambs offered in Lev 14:10-20.

[14:10]  ⁵ tn A “log” (לֹג, log) of oil is about one-sixth of a liter, or one-third of a pint, or two-thirds of a cup.

[14:11]  ⁶ tn The MT here is awkward to translate into English. It reads literally, “and the priest who pronounces clean (Piel participle of טָהֵר, taher) shall cause to stand (Hiphil of עָמַד, ’amad) the man who is cleansing himself (Hitpael participle of טָהֵר) and them” (i.e., the offerings listed in v. 10; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity). Alternatively, the Piel of טָהֵר could be rendered “who performs the cleansing/purification” (J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:827), perhaps even as a technical term for one who holds the office of “purification priest” (B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 87). It is probably better, however, to retain the same meaning here as in v. 7 above (see the note there regarding the declarative Piel use of this verb).

[14:12]  ⁷ tn Heb “And the priest shall take the one lamb.”

[14:12]  ⁸ tn See the note on Lev 5:15 above. The primary purpose of the “guilt offering” (אָשָׁם, ’asham) was to “atone” (כִּפֶּר, kipper, “to make atonement,” see v. 18 below and the note on Lev 1:4) for “trespassing” on the Lord’s “holy things,” whether sacred objects or sacred people. It is, therefore, closely associated with the reconsecration of the Lord’s holy people as, for example, here and in the case of the corpse contaminated Nazirite (Num 6:11b-12). Since the nation of Israel was “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” to the Lord (Exod 19:6; cf. the blood splashed on all the people in Exod 24:8), the skin diseased person was essentially a member of the “holy nation” who had been expelled from the community. Therefore, he or she had been desecrated and the guilt offering was essential to restoring him or her to the community. In fact, the manipulation of blood and oil in the guilt offering ritual procedure for the healed person (see vv. 14-18 below) is reminiscent of that employed for the ordination offering in the consecration of the holy Aaronic priests of the nation (Exod 29:19-21; Lev 8:22-30).

[14:12]  ⁹ tn Heb “wave them [as] a wave offering before the Lord” (NAB similar). See the note on Lev 7:30 and the literature cited there. Other possible translations include “elevate them [as] an elevation offering before the Lord” (cf. NRSV) or “present them [as] a presentation offering before the Lord.” To be sure, the actual physical “waving” of a male lamb seems unlikely, but some waving gesture may have been performed in the presentation of the offering (cf. also the “waving” of the Levites as a “wave offering” in Num 8:11, etc.).

[14:13]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “And he shall slaughter.”

[14:13]  ¹¹ tn Heb “in the place which.”

[14:13]  ¹² sn See the note on Lev 4:3 regarding the term “sin offering.”

[14:13]  ¹³ sn See the note on Lev 1:3 regarding the “burnt offering.”

[14:13]  ¹⁴ tn Since the priest himself presents this offering as a wave offering (v. 12), it would seem that the offering is already in his hands and he would, therefore, be the one who slaughtered the male lamb in this instance rather than the offerer. Smr and LXX make the second verb “to slaughter” plural rather than singular, which suggests that it is to be taken as an impersonal passive (see J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:852).

[14:13]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “the guilt offering, it [is] to the Lord.” Regarding the “guilt offering,” see the note on Lev 5:15.

[14:14]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “and the priest shall put [literally ‘give’] on the lobe of the ear of the one being cleansed, the right one.”

[14:14]  ¹⁷ tn The term for “big toe” (בֹּהֶן, bohen) is the same as that for “thumb.” It refers to the larger appendage on either the hand or the foot.

[14:15]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “And the priest…shall pour on the left hand of the priest.” As the Rabbis observe, the repetition of “priest” as the expressed subject of both verbs in this verse may suggest that two priests were involved in this ritual (see m. Nega’im 14:8, referred to by J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:852), but the seemingly unnecessary repetition of “priest” in several verses throughout the chapter argues against this (see esp. vv. 3, 14, 18, 20, 24, and 26). Moreover, in this case, “priest” may be repeated to avoid confusing the priest’s hand with that of the one being cleansed (cf. v. 14).

[14:16]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “his right finger from the oil.”

[14:17]  ²⁰ tn Heb “on his hand.”

[14:18]  ²¹ tn Heb “and the remainder in the oil.”

[14:19]  ²² tn Heb “do [or “make”] the sin offering.”

[14:19]  ²³ tn Heb “And after[ward] he [i.e., the offerer] shall slaughter.” The LXX adds “the priest” as the subject of the verb (as do several English versions, e.g., NAB, NIV, NCV, NLT), but the offerer is normally the one who does the actually slaughtering of the sacrificial animal (cf. the notes on Lev 1:5a, 6a, and 9a).

[14:20]  ²⁴ tn Heb “cause to go up.”

[14:21]  ²⁵ tn Heb “and his hand does not reach”; NAB, NRSV “and cannot afford so much (afford these NIV).”

[14:21]  ²⁶ tn See the notes on v. 10 above.

[14:22]  ²⁷ tn Heb “from the sons of the pigeon,” referring either to “young pigeons” or “various species of pigeon” (contrast J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:168 with J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 14; cf. Lev 1:14 and esp. 5:7-10).

[14:22]  ²⁸ tn Heb “which his hand reaches”; NRSV “such as (which NIV) he can afford.”

[14:22]  ²⁹ tn Heb “and one shall be a sin offering and the one a burnt offering.” The versions struggle with whether or not “one” should or should not have the definite article in its two occurrences in this verse (KJV, ASV, NAB, NASB all have the English definite article with both). The MT has the first without and the second with the article.

[14:23]  ³⁰ tn Heb “to the doorway of”; KJV, ASV “unto the door of.”

[14:24]  ³¹ tn Heb “and the priest shall wave them.” In the present translation “priest” is not repeated a second time in the verse for stylistic reasons. With regard to the “waving” of the “wave offering,” see the note on v. 12 above.

[14:25]  ³² tn Heb “and the priest shall put [literally ‘give’] on the lobe of the ear of the one being cleansed, the right one.”

[14:25]  ³³ tn The term for “big toe” (בֹּהֶן, bohen) is the same as that for “thumb.” It refers to the larger appendage on either the hand or the foot.

[14:26]  ³⁴ tn Heb “And from the oil the priest shall pour out on the left hand of the priest.” Regarding the repetition of “priest” in this verse see the note on v. 15 above.

[14:27]  ³⁵ tn Heb “and the priest shall sprinkle with his right finger from the oil which is on his left hand.”

[14:28]  ³⁶ tn Heb “on his hand.”

[14:29]  ³⁷ tn Heb “on the hand.”

[14:29]  ³⁸ tn Heb “give.”

[14:30]  ³⁹ tn Heb “the one from the turtledoves.”

[14:30]  ⁴⁰ tc Heb “from which his hand reaches.” The repetition of virtually the same expression at the beginning of v. 31 in the MT is probably due to dittography (cf. the LXX and Syriac). However, the MT may be retained if it is understood as “one of the turtledoves or young pigeons that are within his means – whichever he can afford” (see J. Milgrom’s translation in Leviticus [AB], 1:828, contra his commentary, 862; cf. REB).

[14:31]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “and the one a burnt offering on the grain offering.”

[14:32]  ⁴² tn Heb “This is the law of who in him [is] a diseased infection.”

[14:32]  ⁴³ tn Heb “who his hand does not reach in his purification”; NASB “whose means are limited for his cleansing”; NIV “who cannot afford the regular offerings for his cleansing.”

[14:34]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “which I am giving” (so NAB, NIV).

[14:34]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “give.”

[14:34]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “in the house of the land of your possession” (KJV and ASV both similar).

[14:35]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “who to him the house.”

[14:36]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “And the priest shall command and they shall clear the house.” The second verb (“and they shall clear”) states the thrust of the priest’s command, which suggests the translation “that they clear” (cf. also vv. 4a and 5a above), and for the impersonal passive rendering of the active verb (“that the house be cleared”) see the note on v. 4 above.

[14:36]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “to see the infection”; KJV “to see the plague”; NASB “to look at the mark (mildew NCV).”

[14:36]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “all which [is] in the house.”

[14:36]  ⁵¹ sn Once the priest pronounced the house “unclean” everything in it was also officially unclean. Therefore, if they emptied the house of its furniture, etc. before the official pronouncement by the priest those possessions would thereby remain officially “clean” and avoid destruction or purification procedures.

[14:36]  ⁵² tn Heb “and after thus.”

[14:37]  ⁵³ tn Heb “and behold” (so KJV, ASV).

[14:37]  ⁵⁴ tn For “yellowish green and reddish” see Lev 13:49. The Hebrew term translated “eruptions” occurs only here and its meaning is uncertain. For a detailed summary of the issues and views see J. Milgrom, Leviticus (AB), 1:870. The suggestions include, among others: (1) “depressions” from Hebrew שׁקע (“sink”) or קער as the root of the Hebrew term for “bowl” (LXX, Targums, NAB, NASB, NIV; see also B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 90), (2) “streaks” (ASV, NJPS), (3) and “eruptions” as a loan-word from Egyptian sqr r rwtj (“eruption; rash”); cf. Milgrom, 870; J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 198-99. The latter view is taken here.

[14:37]  ⁵⁵ tn The Hebrew term קִיר (qir,“wall”) refers to the surface of the wall in this case, which normally consisted of a coating of plaster made of limestone and sand (see HALOT 1099 s.v. קִיר 1.a; J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:871; J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 199).

[14:38]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “and he shall shut up the house seven days.”

[14:39]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “and behold” (so KJV, ASV); NASB “If the mark has indeed spread.”

[14:40]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “and the priest shall command and they shall pull out the stones which in them is the infection, and they shall cast them.” The second and third verbs (“they shall pull out” and “they shall throw”) state the thrust of the priest’s command, which suggests the translation “that they pull out…and throw” (cf. also vv. 4a, 5a, and 36a above), and for the impersonal passive rendering of the active verb (“be pulled and thrown”) see the note on v. 4 above.

[14:40]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “into from outside to the city.”

[14:41]  ⁶⁰ tn Or, according to the plurality of the verb in Smr, LXX, Syriac, and Targums, “Then the house shall be scraped” (cf. NAB, NLT, and the note on v. 40).

[14:41]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “from house all around.”

[14:41]  ⁶² tn Heb “dust” (so KJV) or “rubble”; NIV “the material”; NLT “the scrapings.”

[14:41]  ⁶³ tn Heb “which they have scraped off.” The MT term קִיר (qir, “wall” from קָצָה, qatsah, “to cut off”; BDB 892), the original Greek does not have this clause, Smr has הקיצו (with uncertain meaning), and the BHS editors and HALOT 1123-24 s.v. I קצע hif.a suggest emending the verb to הִקְצִעוּ (hiqtsi’u, see the same verb at the beginning of this verse; cf. some Greek mss, Syriac, and the Targums). The emendation seems reasonable and is accepted by many commentators, but the root קָצָה (qatsah, “to cut off”) does occur in the Bible (2 Kgs 10:32; Hab 2:10) and in postbiblical Hebrew (J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 179, notes 41c and 43d; J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:873; cf. also קָצַץ, qatsats, “to cut off”).

[14:41]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “into from outside to the city.”

[14:42]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “and bring into under the stones.”

[14:43]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “after he has pulled out the stones, and after scraping (variant form of the Hiphil infinitive construct, GKC 531) the house, and after being replastered (Niphal infinitive construct).”

[14:44]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “and behold” (so KJV, ASV); NASB “If he sees that the mark has indeed spread.”

[14:45]  ⁶⁸ tn Smr, LXX, Syriac, and Tg. Ps.-J. have the plural verb, perhaps suggesting a passive translation, “The house…shall be torn down” (cf. NAB, NIV, TEV, NLT, and see the note on v. 4b above).

[14:45]  ⁶⁹ tn Once again, Smr, LXX, and Syriac have the plural verb, perhaps to be rendered passive, “shall be brought.”

[14:46]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “the one who comes into.”

[14:46]  ⁷¹ tn Heb “he,” referring to the priest (see v. 38). The referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:48]  ⁷² tn Heb “And if the priest entering [infinitive absolute] enters [finite verb]” For the infinitive absolute used to highlight contrast rather than emphasis see GKC 343 §113.p.

[14:48]  ⁷³ tn Heb “and behold” (so KJV, ASV); NASB “and the mark has not indeed spread.”

[14:49]  ⁷⁴ tn The pronoun “he” refers to the priest mentioned in the previous verse.

[14:49]  ⁷⁵ tn Regarding these ritual materials, see the note on v. 4 above.

[14:49]  ⁷⁶ tn Regarding the Piel of חָטָא (khata’, cf. v. 52) meaning to “decontaminate” or “perform a decontamination,” see the notes on Lev 8:15 and 9:15.

[14:50]  ⁷⁷ tn See the note on v. 5 above.

[14:53]  ⁷⁸ tn Heb “to from outside to the city.”

[14:54]  ⁷⁹ tn Heb “and for the scall”; NASB “a scale”; NIV “any infectious skin disease.” Cf. Lev 13:29-37.

[14:55]  ⁸⁰ sn Cf. Lev 13:47-59.

[14:55]  ⁸¹ sn Cf. Lev 14:33-53.

[14:56]  ⁸² sn Cf. Lev 13:9-28, 43.

[14:56]  ⁸³ sn Cf. Lev 13:2.

[14:56]  ⁸⁴ sn Cf. Lev 13:4, 18-28, 38-39. For explanations of all these terms for disease in Lev 14:56 see 13:2.

[14:57]  ⁸⁵ tn Heb “to teach in the day of the unclean and in the day of the clean.”

[14:57]  ⁸⁶ tn Heb “This is the law of the disease.” Some English versions specify this as “skin disease” (e.g., NIV, NLT), but then have to add “and (+ infectious NLT) mildew” (so NIV) because a house would not be infected with a skin disease.