Leviticus 14:14 kjv
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:
Leviticus 14:14 nkjv
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, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot.
Leviticus 14:14 niv
The priest is to take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of their right hand and on the big toe of their right foot.
Leviticus 14:14 esv
The priest shall take some of the blood of the guilt offering, and the priest shall put it on the lobe 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.
Leviticus 14:14 nlt
The priest will then take some of the blood of the guilt offering and apply it to the lobe of the right ear, the thumb of the right hand, and the big toe of the right foot of the person being purified.
Leviticus 14 14 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Lev 17:11 | For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life. | Blood's role in atonement |
| Ex 29:20 | "Then slaughter the ram and take some of its blood and put it on the lobe of Aaron’s right ear, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot." | Parallel ritual for priestly ordination |
| Lev 8:23-24 | Moses slaughtered the ram...put some of the blood on the lobe of Aaron’s right ear... and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot... on his sons... | Application for Aaron and sons as priests |
| Lev 5:6-7 | "And he shall bring his guilt offering to the Lord for the sin...a female from the flock, a lamb or a goat...for a sin offering..." | Guilt Offering (Asham) purpose for trespass |
| Lev 13:45-46 | "Anyone with such a defiling disease must wear torn clothes...They must live outside the camp." | Context of leper's defilement and isolation |
| Lev 14:18 | "The rest of the oil...on the lobe of the right ear...thumb of the right hand, and on the big toe of the right foot, on the place of the blood of the guilt offering." | Oil application after blood, sealing consecration |
| Num 6:11-12 | "The priest is to offer one as a sin offering...and the other as a burnt offering...make atonement for them...must bring a lamb as a guilt offering." | Nazirite vow impurity requires Asham and atonement |
| Isa 53:10 | "Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days..." | Christ as the ultimate Guilt Offering (Asham) |
| Heb 9:14 | "How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death..." | Christ's blood for spiritual cleansing |
| Heb 10:10-14 | "And by that will we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all...By one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy." | Christ's perfect, singular sacrifice |
| 1 Pet 1:18-19 | "...you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold...but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect." | Redemption by Christ's precious blood |
| Rom 3:24-25 | "...and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood..." | Justification and atonement through Christ's blood |
| 1 Cor 6:19-20 | "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit...You are not your own; you were bought at a price." | Body as belonging to God, purchased by Christ |
| Rom 12:1-2 | "Therefore, I urge you...to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship." | Believers' living consecration |
| Eph 2:10 | "For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." | Created for good works, reflecting the walk |
| Jn 13:10-11 | "Jesus answered, 'A person who has had a bath needs only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean...And you are clean, though not every one of you.'" | Cleansing through Christ's word/action |
| Titus 3:5 | "he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit..." | Washing/renewal by Holy Spirit |
| 1 Jn 1:7 | "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin." | Continual purification by Christ's blood |
| Phil 2:12-13 | "...continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose." | God enables right willing and acting |
| Deut 5:32-33 | "So be careful to do what the Lord your God has commanded you...Walk in obedience to all that the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper..." | Walking in obedience |
| Matt 8:2-3 | "A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, 'Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.' Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man...'Be clean!' Immediately he was cleansed." | Jesus' divine power to truly cleanse from leprosy |
| Acts 26:18 | "...to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me." | Spiritual cleansing and sanctification by faith |
| Rom 6:4 | "We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life." | Newness of life, symbolizing new "walk" |
Leviticus 14 verses
Leviticus 14 14 Meaning
Leviticus 14:14 outlines a crucial part of the ritual for cleansing a person healed of defiling skin disease (often translated "leprosy"), symbolizing their restoration to a state of purity and eligibility to re-enter the community and tabernacle worship. The application of blood from the guilt offering (Hebrew: asham) to specific body parts—the right earlobe, right thumb, and right big toe—signifies the consecration of the individual's hearing (obedience), actions (service), and walk (life path) to God. It underscores that the individual, having been restored from a "death-like" impurity, is now wholly dedicated to living a life pleasing to the Divine.
Leviticus 14 14 Context
Leviticus 14 describes the intricate purification ritual for an individual healed of tzara'at, a severe defiling skin condition. This chapter immediately follows chapter 13, which details the identification and isolation of the afflicted person. Being a deeply defiling disease, tzara'at rendered the person ceremonially unclean and an outcast from the community. The purification ceremony was a multi-day process designed to systematically restore the healed individual to ritual purity, enabling their return to normal life and participation in Israelite worship. Verse 14 is a critical moment on the eighth day of this cleansing, specifically detailing the application of blood from the asham, or guilt offering, marking the individual's full dedication to God following their "recovery" from a state considered akin to living death and severe defilement. The context emphasizes holiness, purity, and the vital role of the priest and sacrifices in mediating atonement and restoration.
Leviticus 14 14 Word analysis
- The priest: (Heb. כהן, kohen) - Refers to the designated cultic official in Israel, mediating between God and the people in matters of ritual, sacrifice, and instruction in the law. His specific actions in the ritual ensure proper performance and divine acceptance.
- is to take some of the blood: (Heb. דם, dam) - Blood represents life and is explicitly given by God for atonement (Lev 17:11). Its application here signifies the imputation of atonement and consecration of life back to God, contrasting with the leper's "deadness" to the community.
- of the guilt offering: (Heb. אשם, asham) - This specific offering, distinct from a sin offering or burnt offering, typically addressed unintentional trespasses resulting in harm to a holy thing or another person, requiring restitution and atonement. Its inclusion for leprosy highlights the spiritual gravity of the disease and the need for comprehensive atonement and restoration.
- and put it on: This act of specific application rather than mere sprinkling signifies a direct, personal, and intentional transfer of sacred meaning and purifying effect to the individual.
- the lobe of the right ear: (Heb. אזן ימן, ozen yamin) - Symbolizes the ear as the organ of hearing. The "right" emphasizes the active, chosen, and favorable side. This placement signifies consecration of the ear to hear and obey God's commands and instructions.
- of the one to be cleansed: Refers to the former leper, who is now undergoing the final stages of purification and is on the threshold of full re-integration into the covenant community.
- and on the thumb of their right hand: (Heb. בהן יד ימן, bohen yad yamin) - The hand symbolizes actions, work, and service. The "right" thumb emphasizes skill, strength, and intentionality. This signifies consecration of the person's future deeds and work to God's glory and purposes.
- and on the big toe of their right foot: (Heb. בהן רגל ימן, bohen regel yamin) - The foot symbolizes the path one walks, one's direction, and lifestyle. The "right" big toe emphasizes stability, leadership in one's path, and movement. This signifies consecration of the person's future walk, choices, and journey through life to align with God's will.
Words-group by words-group analysis data:
- The priest is to take some of the blood of the guilt offering: This phrase establishes the authority, the essential life-giving and atoning element (blood), and the specific type of atonement for trespass, underscoring the severity of the previous condition and the comprehensive nature of the divine remedy. The asham speaks of a restoring of relationship where it was fractured.
- put it on the lobe of the right ear...thumb of their right hand...big toe of their right foot: This triad of body parts on the "right" side highlights the complete consecration of the person to God: their listening and obedience (ear), their actions and labor (hand), and their walk and way of life (foot). This parallels the priestly ordination ritual (Ex 29:20; Lev 8:23-24), indicating that the healed individual is effectively "re-ordained" or re-consecrated into the community as one capable of worship and service, as if coming out of a spiritual "death" akin to being an outsider.
Leviticus 14 14 Bonus section
The specific choice of the "right" ear, hand, and foot in Leviticus 14:14, mirrored in the ordination of priests (Ex 29:20; Lev 8:23-24), underscores not only completeness but also divine favor and strength. In ancient Semitic thought, the right side often denoted strength, integrity, and good fortune, contrasting with the left, which could be associated with weakness or disfavor. By applying the blood to the "right" side, the healed individual is consecrated in their full strength and capacity for a renewed, divinely approved life of obedience, service, and righteousness. This precise ritual reinforces the Israelite understanding that ritual purity directly impacted one's standing before God and their ability to participate in the life of the covenant community, where every aspect of life was to be lived in distinction from pagan practices. This consecration implies both the capacity and the obligation for sanctified living moving forward.
Leviticus 14 14 Commentary
Leviticus 14:14 is a profound symbolic act in the cleansing of the person afflicted with defiling skin disease, signaling not merely a medical recovery, but a full spiritual restoration. The priest's application of the asham blood, particularly for its connotation of atonement and restitution for trespasses, suggests the deep spiritual ramifications of the skin condition, implying it incurred a significant separation and need for profound cleansing beyond typical sin offerings. The placement of the blood on the right ear, hand, and foot meticulously symbolizes the entire individual's renewed commitment. Their ear, now made pure, must hear and obey divine instructions; their hand, now sanctified, must engage in righteous work; and their foot, made clean, must walk in God's pathways. This ritualistic washing from impurity underscores the need for divine intervention to restore what was broken, re-dedicating the entirety of one's being back to the covenant relationship. This Old Testament pattern points forward to the complete, perfect atonement provided by Christ, whose own blood not only cleanses us from the defilement of sin but also consecrates our whole lives—our hearing, our doing, and our walking—to Him (Heb 9:14; Rom 12:1-2). Just as the leper was restored to community worship, so too are believers, by Christ's sacrifice, restored to fellowship with God and equipped for good works (Eph 2:10).