To cleanse the house he shall take two birds, cedar wood, scarlet, and hyssop. He shall kill one of the birds in an earthen vessel over running water. He shall take the cedar wood, the hyssop, 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. 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; 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.”
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Leviticus 14:49-53 sits inside this longer paragraph.
“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. To cleanse the house he shall take two birds, cedar wood, scarlet, and hyssop. He shall kill one of the birds in an earthen vessel over running water. He shall take the cedar wood, the hyssop, 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. 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; 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.”
Parallel Translations
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To cleanse the house he shall take two birds, cedar wood, scarlet, and hyssop.
He shall kill one of the birds in an earthen vessel over running water.
He shall take the cedar wood, the hyssop, 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.
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;
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.”
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And he shall take to cleanse the house two birds, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop:
And he shall kill the one of the birds in an earthen vessel over running water:
And 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:
And he shall cleanse the house with the blood of the bird, and with the running water, and with the living bird, and with the cedar wood, and with the hyssop, and with the scarlet:
But he shall let go the living bird out of the city into the open fields, and make an atonement for the house: and it shall be clean.
Show all 3 translations
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And he shall take to cleanse the house two birds, and cedar-wood, and scarlet, and hyssop.
And he shall kill one of the birds in an earthen vessel over running water.
And 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.
And he shall cleanse the house with the blood of the bird, and with the running water, and with the living bird, and with the cedar-wood, and with the hyssop, and with the scarlet.
But he shall let go the living bird out of the city into the open field; so shall he make atonement for the house; and it shall be clean.
Cross-references (4)
- Leviticus 14:4 (v49) then the priest shall command them to take for him who is to be cleansed two living clean birds, cedar wood, scarlet, and hyssop.
- Psalms 51:7 (v51) Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean. Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
- Leviticus 14:7 (v53) 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…
- Leviticus 14:20 (v53) then 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…
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (8 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
Private notes
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv49, 53 It seemeth that this was a lace or string…
It seemeth that this was a lace or string to bind the hyssop to the wood, and so was made a sprinkle: the Apostle to the Hebrews calleth it scarlet wool, Heb. 9:19.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On v49 And for a rising, and for a scab, and…
And for a rising, and for a scab, and for a bright spot. Which were three sorts of leprosy in the skin of man's flesh; See Gill on Lev 13:2.
Leviticus 14:57
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On v53 Verse 53. He shall let go the living bird]…
Verse 53. He shall let go the living bird] This might as well be called the scape-bird; as the goat, in Le 16:5-10, is called the scape-goat. The rites are similar in both cases, and probably had nearly the same meaning.
We have already taken occasion to observe (see the end of the preceding chapter) that the leprosy was strongly emblematical of sin; to which we may add here: -
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1. That the leprosy was a disease generally acknowledged to be incurable by any human means; and therefore the Jews did not attempt to cure it. What is directed to be done here was not in order to cure the leper, but to declare him cured and fit for society. In like manner the contagion of sin, its guilt and its power, can only be removed by the hand of God; all means, without his especial influence, can be of no avail.
2. The body must be sprinkled and washed, and a sacrifice offered for the sin of the soul, before the leper could be declared to be clean. To cleanse the spiritual leper, the Lamb of God must be slain, and the sprinkling of his blood be applied. Without the shedding of this blood there is no remission.
3. When the leper was cleansed, he was obliged to show himself to the priest, whose province it was to pronounce him clean, and declare him fit for intercourse with civil and religious society. When a sinner is converted from the error of his ways, it is the business, as it is the prerogative, of the ministers of Christ, after having duly acquainted themselves with every circumstance, to declare the person converted from sin to holiness, to unite him with the people of God, and admit him to all the ordinances which belong to the faithful.
4. When the leper was cleansed, he was obliged by the law to offer a gift unto the Lord for his healing, as a proof of his gratitude, and an evidence of his obedience. When a sinner is restored to the Divine favour, he should offer continually the sacrifice of a grateful heart, and, in willing obedience, show forth the virtues of Him who has called him from darkness and wretchedness to marvellous light and happiness.
Reader, such was the leprosy, its destructive nature and consequences, and the means of removing it; such is the spiritual evil represented by it, such its consequences, and such the means by which alone it can be removed. The disease of sin, inflicted by the devil, can only be cured by the power of God.
1. Art thou a leper? Do the spots of this spiritual infection begin to appear on thee?
2. Art thou young, and only entering into the ways of the world and sin? Stop! bad habits are more easily conquered to-day than they will be tomorrow.
3. Art thou stricken in years, and rooted in transgression? How kind is thy Maker to have preserved thee alive so long! Turn from thy transgressions, humble thy soul before him, confess thine iniquity and implore forgiveness. Seek, and thou shalt find. Behold the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world!
4. Hast thou been cleansed, and hast not returned to give glory to God? hast not continued in the truth, serving thy Maker and Saviour with a loving and obedient heart? How cutting is that word, Were there not TEN cleansed? but where are the NINE? Thou art probably one of them. Be confounded at thy ingratitude, and distressed for thy backsliding; and apply a second time for the healing efficacy of the great Atonement. Turn, thou backslider; for he is married unto thee, and will heal thy backslidings, and will love thee freely. Amen. So be it, Lord Jesus!
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On v53 For the house, that it may be no more…
For the house, that it may be no more infected; and for the people, to whom it belongs, that they may carefully avoid offending God, the avenger of all sin. Hebrew, "you shall make an atonement for the house," or for the sins of its inhabitants. (Haydock)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On v53 53. Atonement for the house — The Hebrew verb…
53. Atonement for the house — The Hebrew verb kipper should here be translated purge, as it is in Eze_43:20; Eze_43:26. It should be so rendered whenever it has a thing for its object, as in Lev_16:33, and Deu_32:43, where the tabernacle, altar, and land are atoned.
The generic notion of freeing from impurity inheres in its use everywhere — moral impurity, or guilt, in persons, and ceremonial impurity in things. The impurity of the healed leper is not atoned till he has performed the requirements of the altar ritual at the door of the tabernacle. This ritual was impossible in the case of the house.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On v49 (49-53) And he shall take to cleanse the house.—The…
(49-53) And he shall take to cleanse the house.—The same rites are prescribed for cleansing the house which were performed in cleansing the healed leper (see Lev_14:3-7), with the exception of the sacrifices which the man brought afterwards, and which were necessarily absent in the case of the restored leprous house.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain On v53 (See Scofield "Exo 29:33").
atonement
(See Scofield "Exo 29:33").
The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv49, 52 cedar wood, and scarlet yarn, and hyssop
cedar wood, and scarlet yarn, and hyssop
See how you translated these words in Leviticus 14:4.
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the blood of the killed bird
This can be translated in active form. AT: "the blood of the bird that he killed" (See: Active or Passive)
translationWords
priest
clean
cedar
water
life
blood
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.