Leviticus 14 50

Leviticus 14:50 kjv

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

Leviticus 14:50 nkjv

Then he shall kill one of the birds in an earthen vessel over running water;

Leviticus 14:50 niv

He shall kill one of the birds over fresh water in a clay pot.

Leviticus 14:50 esv

and shall kill one of the birds in an earthenware vessel over fresh water

Leviticus 14:50 nlt

He will slaughter one of the birds over a clay pot filled with fresh water.

Leviticus 14 verses

Leviticus 14 50 Meaning

Leviticus 14:50 describes a specific action within the purification ritual for a person declared clean from a serious skin disease (like leprosy). It instructs that one of two birds, chosen for the ritual, must be ritually slaughtered in an earthenware vessel over living, or fresh, flowing water. This act combines blood (symbolizing life and atonement) with purifying water within a simple, disposable vessel, underscoring the necessity of a specific kind of sacrificial death for ritual cleansing.

Leviticus 14 50 Context

Leviticus chapter 14 outlines the elaborate purification ritual for a person healed from tzara'at, often translated as leprosy but likely referring to a broader range of severe skin conditions and fungal infestations. This verse falls within the initial phase of the ritual, which occurs outside the camp. The process involves two specific birds. One bird is sacrificed (as described in verse 50), and its blood, mixed with living water, is then used along with cedarwood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop to sprinkle the purified person seven times. The second, live bird is then released into the open field, symbolizing the restored freedom and re-entry of the formerly unclean person into the community. The historical context reflects ancient Israel's strong emphasis on ritual purity as a prerequisite for communal worship and social integration, mandated directly by God as a holy nation distinct from surrounding pagan practices.

Leviticus 14 50 Word analysis

• and kill (וְשָׁחַט, ve-shachat):
  • This is the verb for ritual slaughter, a specific method often involving cutting the throat. It is distinct from casual killing or hunting.
  • Significance: It emphasizes that this is not merely an execution but a sacred act with sacrificial implications, intended for blood release for a ritual purpose.
  • Contrast: Differs from pagan rituals which might involve tearing apart or burning alive; God specifies orderly, clean practices.
• one of the birds (אֶת הַצִּפּוֹר הָאֶחָת, et hatzipor ha'achat):
  • Tzipor refers generally to small birds, usually a clean bird like a sparrow or dove suitable for sacrifice. "The one bird" explicitly denotes selection, as a second bird will be used differently.
  • Significance: This differentiation highlights the ritual's duality: one bird's death provides the blood for cleansing, the other's release signifies liberation.
  • Symbolism: Foreshadows a sacrifice (death) and a release (new life/freedom), potentially pointing to aspects of Christ's atonement and resurrection.
• in an earthen vessel (אֶל כְּלִי חֶרֶשׂ, el kli cheres):
  • Kli cheres means a pot or container made of clay. Earthenware was common, cheap, and disposable.
  • Significance: Earthen vessels are porous; according to mosaic law (Lev 11:33, 6:28), if an unclean thing touched it, or it was used for an unclean purpose, it became permanently defiled and had to be broken, not merely washed. Here, it is used for blood, the most holy element of life (Lev 17:11). The use of a disposable vessel might indicate that anything touched by the defiled state (even ritually) cannot retain purity, or that the blood itself, being sacred and applied, purifies, but its container should not persist as an object of holiness, being broken afterwards or discarded.
  • Purity and Pollution: Reinforces the severe laws regarding purity and impurity, and how materials interacted with them.
• over fresh water (עַל מַיִם חַיִּים, al mayim chayyim):
  • Mayim chayyim literally means "living waters," signifying running or flowing water, like from a spring, river, or fountain, as opposed to stagnant water in a cistern or pond.
  • Significance: Living water is pure, clean, and associated with life and regeneration. Its continuous flow symbolizes vitality and thorough cleansing, carrying away impurity.
  • Theological Connection: This concept is central to the Bible's metaphors for spiritual refreshment and God as the ultimate source of life and truth (Jer 2:13, Jn 4:10). The blood is caught in the living water, mingling, showing purification achieved through death.

Word-groups Analysis:

• "kill one of the birds": This action is the provision of a substitute life. The bird's death, though not for sin in the sense of moral transgression, facilitates the ritual purification necessary for reintegration. It establishes a necessary shedding of blood (Heb 9:22) for the process of cleansing.
• "in an earthen vessel over fresh water": This phrase details the method of collection for the ritual ingredients. The cheap, breakable vessel underscores that the sacredness lies in the contents (blood and living water) and the purpose (purification), not in the container itself. The "living water" immediately mingles with the freshly shed blood, forming the crucial mixture used in the subsequent sprinkling, highlighting life from death.

Leviticus 14 50 Bonus section

• The dual-bird ritual in Leviticus 14 is often compared to the two goats on the Day of Atonement (Lev 16), where one goat is sacrificed, and the other is the "scapegoat" sent into the wilderness. Both rituals visually depict substitutionary atonement and the removal of impurity/sin.
• The ritual's initial steps performed outside the camp emphasize the severe social and ritual ostracization of the person afflicted with tzara'at, and the cleansing process is required before even a limited re-entry.
• The requirement of "fresh water" (mayim chayyim) for ritual purity connects the ceremonial law directly to nature's ongoing purity, which is constantly renewed. This choice prevents the use of stagnant or potentially contaminated water for a sacred purpose, underscoring the divine demand for genuine, rather than superficial, cleanliness.

Leviticus 14 50 Commentary

Leviticus 14:50, while seemingly a straightforward instruction, is rich in symbolism within the elaborate ritual for the tzara'at-stricken. The specific method of "killing one of the birds" by ritual slaughter ensures the controlled release of its lifeblood, which is paramount in Old Testament cleansing and atonement. The "earthen vessel" signifies both the fragility of the human condition (2 Cor 4:7, Lam 4:2) and the dispensability of the medium holding sacred elements—it must either be broken (if used to touch impurity, Lev 6:28) or ritually purified, underscoring that holiness resides not in the object itself but in God's power. Placing it "over fresh water" (living water) implies the immediate mingling of life-giving water with atoning blood. This blend becomes the instrument of outward purification, a visible type of deeper cleansing. The dead bird, with its shed blood, paired with the subsequent release of the live bird (v. 7), paints a dual picture of death for purification and restoration to freedom, which finds its ultimate fulfillment in Christ's singular sacrifice: His death provides atonement, and His resurrection provides new life and true liberation from sin and its effects (Rom 6:4, Col 2:13-14). The entire ritual was a divinely prescribed, tangible representation of spiritual truths that would only fully unfold in the New Covenant through the "living water" and shed blood of Jesus.