Leviticus 14:7 kjv
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.
Leviticus 14:7 nkjv
And he shall sprinkle it seven times on him who is to be cleansed from the leprosy, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird loose in the open field.
Leviticus 14:7 niv
Seven times he shall sprinkle the one to be cleansed of the defiling disease, and then pronounce them clean. After that, he is to release the live bird in the open fields.
Leviticus 14:7 esv
And he shall sprinkle it seven times on him who is to be cleansed of the leprous disease. Then he shall pronounce him clean and shall let the living bird go into the open field.
Leviticus 14:7 nlt
The priest will then sprinkle the blood of the dead bird seven times on the person being purified of the skin disease. When the priest has purified the person, he will release the live bird in the open field to fly away.
Leviticus 14 7 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Exod 24:6-8 | Moses took half the blood...sprinkled it on the people. | Sprinkling blood for covenant purification. |
| Lev 8:30 | Moses took some of the anointing oil...sprinkled it...on Aaron. | Sprinkling for consecration. |
| Lev 16:14 | He shall take some of the bull’s blood and sprinkle it with his finger on the mercy seat…seven times. | Sprinkling blood for atonement on Yom Kippur. |
| Num 8:7 | Sprinkle the water of purification on them... | Cleansing of Levites for service. |
| Num 19:18-19 | A clean person shall take hyssop...and sprinkle it on the tent...and on the persons...the unclean person. | Sprinkling with water of purification for defilement by a corpse. |
| Psa 51:7 | Cleanse me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. | Prayer for spiritual cleansing, reflecting ritual purification. |
| Isa 52:15 | So shall he sprinkle many nations. | Christ's cleansing work (prophecy). |
| Ezek 36:25 | I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean. | Prophecy of new covenant cleansing by the Spirit. |
| Heb 9:13-14 | If the blood of goats...sprinkle defiled persons...how much more will the blood of Christ. | Christ's blood as superior cleansing. |
| Heb 9:19-22 | For when Moses had declared every commandment...he took the blood of calves...and sprinkled both the book...and all the people. | Ritual sprinkling symbolizing purification by blood for a covenant. |
| Heb 10:22 | Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance...having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience. | Application of Christ's blood for inner purification. |
| Heb 12:24 | And to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word. | Christ's blood speaks of better atonement than Abel's. |
| 1 Pet 1:2 | Elect...unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. | Sprinkling for salvation and sanctification. |
| Lev 14:1-2 | The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “This shall be the law of the leper for the day of his cleansing...” | Initiates the specific law for cleansing lepers. |
| Lev 14:4 | Then the priest shall command them to take for him who is to be cleansed two live clean birds, cedar wood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop. | The implements used for the cleansing ritual, including two birds. |
| Lev 14:5 | And the priest shall command them to kill one of the birds in an earthen vessel over fresh water. | The first bird's death providing the cleansing agent. |
| Matt 8:2-4 | A leper came to him... “I am willing; be cleansed.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus said to him, “See that you tell no one; but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded...” | Christ's healing acknowledges priestly role in declaration of cleansing. |
| Mark 1:40-45 | Similar account of Jesus healing a leper. | Emphasizes the need to fulfill the Mosaic law. |
| Luke 5:12-14 | Similar account of Jesus healing a leper. | Jesus affirms the Law concerning leprosy. |
| Ps 103:12 | As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. | Symbolism of removal and distance by the freed bird. |
| Isa 53:4-6 | Surely he has borne our griefs...chastisement...with his stripes we are healed...the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. | Jesus as the substitute who carries away sin. |
| John 1:29 | Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! | Christ as the ultimate "bird" carrying away sin. |
| Acts 3:19 | Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out. | Spiritual cleansing as blotting out of sin. |
Leviticus 14 verses
Leviticus 14 7 Meaning
This verse outlines a crucial step in the purification ritual for a person healed of tsara'at (often translated "leprosy"). The priest performs a symbolic act of sprinkling the one to be cleansed seven times with water mixed with the blood of a sacrificed bird. This act ritualistically declares the formerly afflicted person clean. Following this, a live bird is released into the open field, symbolizing the departure of the uncleanness and the freedom and restoration of the individual. It signifies both a declaration of purity by divine decree through the priest and the complete removal of the ceremonial defilement.
Leviticus 14 7 Context
Leviticus 14:7 is part of a detailed procedural law (Leviticus 13-14) concerning the diagnosis, isolation, and, significantly, the ritual purification and reintegration of an individual afflicted by tsara'at, a serious and highly contagious skin disease that rendered a person ritually unclean and an outcast from the community. Chapter 14 outlines a two-stage purification process. Verses 1-8 describe the first stage, which takes place outside the camp and allows the individual to return to the camp, but not yet their dwelling. This initial rite, beginning with two birds (one killed, one released), hyssop, cedar wood, and scarlet yarn, symbolically acknowledges divine cleansing and removes the immediate ritual impurity. Verse 7 specifically describes the climactic act of sprinkling the healed person with the bloodied water and releasing the live bird, thereby declaring them clean to re-enter the community perimeter.
Leviticus 14 7 Word analysis
- And: A conjunction connecting this step to the preceding actions, showing it is part of a sequential ritual.
- he shall sprinkle: From the Hebrew vəhizzah (וְהִזָּה), a form of nazah. This word implies a precise and deliberate scattering or spurting of liquid. In cultic contexts, it refers to the application of blood or water for purification, consecration, or atonement, demonstrating a divine action facilitated by the priest.
- seven times: From the Hebrew sheva pe'amim (שֶׁבַע פְּעָמִים). The number seven holds profound theological significance throughout the Bible, symbolizing completeness, perfection, divine ordinance, and covenant (e.g., seven days of creation, seven feasts). Its use here emphasizes the thoroughness, efficacy, and divine sanction of the purification process, making the cleansed person truly whole in God's sight.
- upon him who is to be cleansed from the leprosy: From the Hebrew 'al hamittaher mittsara'at (עַל הַמִּטַּהֵר מִצָּרָעַת).
- hamittaher: A Hithpael participle of taher, indicating someone in the process of "being cleansed" or "purifying himself." It highlights the transformation from defilement to purity.
- tsara'at: (צָרָעַת) While often translated as leprosy, this term in the biblical context refers to a range of skin afflictions and mildew, encompassing a spiritual and ritual uncleanness, not solely Hansen's disease. It marked an individual as ceremonially separated from God's holy community, making this purification ritual profoundly significant for re-integration.
- and shall pronounce him clean: From the Hebrew vətiharo (וְטִהֲרוֹ), a Piel form of taher. This signifies an active priestly declaration, a judicial and ritual pronouncement that authoritatively confirms the individual's state of purity. It is not just that the person becomes clean, but the priest officially declares them clean, enabling their full restoration to the community.
- and shall let the live bird loose: From the Hebrew vəshilakh 'et hatstsippor hakhayyah (וְשִׁלַּח אֶת הַצִּפּוֹר הַחַיָּה).
- vəshilakh: (Piel of shalakh) "to send away, dismiss, release." This action implies removal and release.
- hatstsippor hakhayyah: "the living bird." This bird, previously dipped in the blood-water mixture of the slain bird, is released. It dramatically symbolizes the departure of the uncleanness from the individual and the camp, and the freedom granted to the cleansed person. One bird died for the purification, the other carries the uncleanness away and lives, picturing substitution and removal.
- into the open field: From the Hebrew 'el pənei hassadeh (אֶל פְּנֵי הַשָּׂדֶה), literally "to the face of the field." This specifies that the bird is released into an unbounded, empty area, symbolizing the complete and irreversible removal of the tsara'at and its associated defilement, far away from the consecrated community.
Leviticus 14 7 Bonus section
The two-bird ritual in Leviticus 14 (one slain, one released) serves as a profound object lesson on atonement and restoration. The slain bird signifies the cost of sin—death, and the necessary shedding of blood for purification (Lev 17:11). The living bird, dipped in the blood and then released, symbolizes not only the transfer of uncleanness but also the resurrected life and freedom that results from this atoning work. It's a vivid picture of vicarious suffering (the bird that dies) and the subsequent carrying away of the sin and defilement, granting liberation to the purified one. This echoes the concept of the scapegoat on the Day of Atonement (Lev 16), which carried away the sins of the people into the wilderness. Ultimately, both rituals find their perfect fulfillment in Jesus Christ, whose death on the cross atoned for humanity's sin, and whose resurrection demonstrates sin's complete removal, offering true freedom and new life to all who are cleansed by His sacrifice.
Leviticus 14 7 Commentary
Leviticus 14:7 is the pivot of the first phase of the tsara'at purification rite, emphasizing the priest's essential role as the divinely appointed mediator for discerning and declaring ritual purity. The sprinkling "seven times" underscores the ritual's divinely ordained perfection and efficacy in cleansing. The use of the slain bird's blood combined with the living water highlights the foundational principle of substitutionary atonement necessary for purification, foreshadowing Christ's ultimate sacrifice. The priest's authoritative declaration "shall pronounce him clean" is not merely observational; it's a declarative act reflecting God's pronouncement. The release of the living bird into "the open field" powerfully visualizes the transfer and permanent removal of the defilement, setting the formerly afflicted person free to be fully restored to communal life. This verse deeply typifies the Christian's purification from sin through Christ's shed blood and resurrection, leading to spiritual cleansing and freedom.