Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Leviticus 14:9
But it shall be on the seventh day, that he shall shave all his hair off his head and his beard and his eyebrows, even all his hair he shall shave off: and he shall wash his clothes, also he shall wash his flesh in water, and he shall be clean.
9. On the seventh day, after repeating the cleansing processes of the first, he was fit to take part in the service of the sanctuary.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The best of all types of the healing of the Spirit, was the healing of the leper. In his formal cleansing, consecration, and atonement by sacrifice (see the notes at Lev 14:9-20), the ministers of the sanctuary bore public witness that he was restored to the blessing of communion with his brethren and with Yahweh. Hence, when the Son of God proved His divine mission by healing the lepers Mat 11:5, He did not excuse them from going to the priest to offer for the cleansing those things which Moses commanded Mar 1:44; Luk 5:14 for a testimony to the people Mat 8:4.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
He shall shave all his hair, which began to grow again since it was first shaved, and now for more caution is shaved again.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
But it shall be on the seventh day,…. After he was first brought to the priest, and cleansed by the two birds, taken and used for him as directed, and he had been shaved and washed:
that he shall shave all his hair; a second time, whatsoever was grown in those seven days:
all off his head, and his beard, and his eyebrows; even all his hair he shall shave off; not only the hair of the parts mentioned, but all other, the hair of his feet also, as Aben Ezra notes, who observes, that some say, the hair of his arms, and thighs, and breast; and so according to the Misnah m, this was a second shaving, for it is said,
“in the seventh day he shaves a second time, according to the first shaving:”
he shall wash his clothes, also he shall wash his flesh in water, and he shall be clean; this was also repeated on the seventh, both the washing of his clothes, and the dipping of him in water; after which he was accounted clean, and was neither defiled nor defiling, and might go into his own tent or house, and into the tabernacle, and offer his offerings, and partake of the privileges of it, at least some of them, even the same day; according to the tradition he may eat of the tithes, and after sunset he may eat of the heave offerings, and when he has brought his atonement he may eat of the holy things n.
m Ut supra, (Misn. Negaim, c. 11.) sect. 3. n Ibid.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(9) But it shall be . . . Better, And it shall be. The second stage of purification, which restored the convalescent to the communion of the sanctuary, began on the seventh day, when, as a first act, he had again to shave off the hair of the whole of his body.
Also he shall wash his flesh.Better, and he shall bathe himself, or his body. The expression flesh simply means self, or body, as the Authorised Version rightly translates it in Ecc. 2:3; Isa. 10:8; Eze. 10:12. Besides Num. 19:7, the full phrase, to wash the flesh in water, occurs eight times, and always in Leviticus (Lev. 14:9; Lev. 15:13; Lev. 15:16; Lev. 16:4; Lev. 16:24; Lev. 16:26; Lev. 16:28; Lev. 22:6), and is rendered in three different ways in the Authorised Version: by (1) wash his flesh in water (Lev. 14:9; Lev. 15:16; Lev. 16:4); by (2) wash his flesh with water (Lev. 16:24); by (3) bathe his flesh in water (Lev. 15:13; Lev. 16:24; Lev. 16:26; Lev. 16:28; Num. 19:7). When a peculiar ritual phrase designedly deviates in a single section in the original from another phrase which is used to express the same idea (comp, Lev. 14:8; Lev. 15:5-8; Lev. 15:10; Lev. 15:12; Lev. 15:16; Lev. 15:18; Lev. 15:21-22; Lev. 15:27; Lev. 17:15), it is essential that it should be translated by the identical phrase in English. During the second Temple, restored lepers bathed in a chamber at the north-western corner of the Court of the Women, called the chamber of the lepers.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
9. He shall wash and be clean Although he has been pronounced clean there remains the completion of the process begun seven days before. God’s works are as perfect as the human conditions and limitations will allow. The soul is as perfectly cleansed when born again as the faith of that soul will admit. Subsequent discovery of inward impurity, and stronger apprehension of the power of the blood of Christ, constitute the perfect conditions of the completed work of sanctification. Yet nothing is more common than the superficial remark that perfect cleansing takes place in regeneration. All the good works of the cleansed leper, after God in the person of the priest took him in hand, are steps of progress toward the final and complete purification.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Lev 14:9 But it shall be on the seventh day, that he shall shave all his hair off his head and his beard and his eyebrows, even all his hair he shall shave off: and he shall wash his clothes, also he shall wash his flesh in water, and he shall be clean.
Ver. 9. Even all his hair he shall shave off. ] To show that repentance and mortification is not the work of a day, as he said in another case, Ezr 10:13 but of a man’s whole life. There must be a daily shaving and paring of lusts and superfluities; which are to the soul as excrements are to the body. Yea, the more a sinner is exercised in mortification, the more he searcheth out his corruptions. Now he shaveth off the hair not of his head only, but of his beard and eyebrows.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
seventh day. He was clean on the first day, now he enters into the enjoyment of it himself.
wash his flesh in water = bathe his body. Flesh put by Figure of speech Synecdoche (of Part), App-6, for his body, as in Ecc 2:3. Isa 10:8. Eze 10:12. Occurs eight times in Leviticus (Lev 14:9; Lev 15:13, Lev 15:16; Lev 16:4, Lev 16:24, Lev 16:26, Lev 16:28; Lev 22:6), and is rendered in three different ways in Authorized Version. But a peculiar ritual phrase should obviously be rendered by the same English phrase. This is to be distinguished from “himself” in Lev 14:8; Lev 15:5, Lev 15:6, Lev 15:7, Lev 15:8, Lev 15:10, Lev 15:11, Lev 15:16, Lev 15:18, Lev 15:21, Lev 15:22, Lev 15:27; Lev 17:16.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
shave all: Num 6:9, Num 8:7
wash his flesh: Lictenstein states that “among the Koossas – a nation of South Africa there are certain prevailing notions respecting moral – ceremonialuncleanness. All children are unclean till they are admitted among grown-up persons – which happens with the males through the various ceremonies attending circumcision all lying-in women are unclean for the first month; all men who have lost their wives, for a fortnight, and all widows for a month; a mother who has lost a child, for two days; all persons who have been present at a death, the men returning from a battle, etc. No one may have intercourse with such an unclean person, till he has washed himself, rubbed his body with fresh paint, and rinsed his mouth with milk. But he must not do this till after the lapse of a certain time, fixed by general consent for each particular case, and during this time he must wholly refrain from washing, painting, or drinking milk.
Reciprocal: Lev 11:40 – shall wash Lev 14:47 – wash his clothes Lev 15:5 – General Lev 16:24 – wash Num 19:7 – General Num 19:19 – on the seventh day he Num 31:24 – General Deu 23:11 – wash himself Heb 9:10 – divers
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Lev 14:9. He shall shave all his hair Which began to grow again, and now, for more caution, is again shaved off. He shall be clean Legally declared so to be, so as to be readmitted both to his family and the public worship.