Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Leviticus 14:21
And if he [be] poor, and cannot get so much; then he shall take one lamb [for] a trespass offering to be waved, to make an atonement for him, and one tenth deal of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering, and a log of oil;
21 32. The poor man’s offerings. The Sin-Offering and Burnt-Offering are modified; birds may be brought as in Lev 1:14, Lev 5:7, and the amount of the Meal-Offering is reduced, but the Guilt-Offering remains the same; a further indication that this sacrifice is the most important feature of the rite.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 21. And if he be poor – he shall take one lamb] There could be no cleansing without a sacrifice. On this ground the apostle has properly observed that all things under the law are purged with blood; and that without shedding of blood there is no remission. Even if the person be poor, he must provide one lamb; this could not be dispensed with: – so every soul to whom the word of Divine revelation comes, must bring that Lamb of God which takes away the sin of the world. There is no redemption but in his blood.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
21-32. if he be poor, and cannot getso much; then he shall take one lamba kind and considerateprovision for an extension of the privilege to lepers of the poorerclass. The blood of their smaller offering was to be applied in thesame process of purification and they were as publicly and completelycleansed as those who brought a costlier offering (Ac10:34).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And if he [be] poor, and cannot get so much,…. As three lambs, and three tenth deals of fine flour:
then he shall take one lamb [for] a trespass offering to be waved, to make an atonement for him; one he lamb, and was excused the other he lamb for a burnt offering, and the ewe lamb for a sin offering; but a lamb he must bring, a type of Christ the Lamb of God, for without his blood and sacrifice there is no atonement for rich poor, but for both thereby:
and one tenth deal of flour mingled with oil for a meat offering: instead three tenth deals; this abatement in the several kinds of offerings was a great indulgence to the poor, and an instance of God’s goodness to them, that they might not be pressed above measure, and yet share the same benefits and advantages as the rich:
and a log of oil; here was no abatement in this, nor was there need of any; half a pint of oil, in a country which abounded with it, might be bought for a small price: however, the grace of the Spirit, signified by oil, is to be had freely of Christ, and in as large a quantity by a poor man as by a rich man, and is equally necessary to the one as to the other, who are all one in Christ Jesus; see Ga 3:28.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
21 And if he be poor, and cannot get so much; then he shall take one lamb for a trespass offering to be waved, to make an atonement for him, and one tenth deal of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering, and a log of oil; 22 And two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, such as he is able to get; and the one shall be a sin offering, and the other a burnt offering. 23 And he shall bring them on the eighth day for his cleansing unto the priest, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, before the LORD. 24 And the priest shall take the lamb of the trespass offering, and the log of oil, and the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before the LORD: 25 And he shall kill the lamb of the trespass offering, and the priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering, and 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: 26 And the priest shall pour of the oil into the palm of his own left hand: 27 And the priest shall sprinkle with his right finger some of the oil that is in his left hand seven times before the LORD: 28 And the priest shall put of the oil that is in his hand 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, upon the place of the blood of the trespass offering: 29 And the rest of the oil that is in the priest’s hand he shall put upon the head of him that is to be cleansed, to make an atonement for him before the LORD. 30 And he shall offer the one of the turtledoves, or of the young pigeons, such as he can get; 31 Even such as he is able to get, the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, with the meat offering: and the priest shall make an atonement for him that is to be cleansed before the LORD. 32 This is the law of him in whom is the plague of leprosy, whose hand is not able to get that which pertaineth to his cleansing.
We have here the gracious provision which the law made for the cleansing of poor lepers. If they were not able to bring three lambs, and three tenth-deals of flour, they must bring one lamb, and one tenth-deal of flour, and, instead of the other two lambs, two turtle-doves or two young pigeons, Lev 14:21; Lev 14:22. Here see, 1. That the poverty of the person concerned would not excuse him if he brought no offering at all. Let none think that because they are poor God requires no service from them, since he has considered them, and demands that which it is in the power of the poorest to give. “My son, give me thy heart, and with that the calves of thy lips shall be accepted instead of the calves of the stall.” 2. That God expected from those who were poor only according to their ability; his commandments are not grievous, nor does he make us to serve with an offering. The poor are as welcome to God’s altar as the rich; and, if there be first a willing mind and an honest heart, two pigeons, when they are the utmost a man is able to get, are as acceptable to God as two lambs; for he requires according to what a man has and not according to what he has not. But it is observable that though a meaner sacrifice was accepted from the poor, yet the very same ceremony was used for them as was for the rich; for their souls are as precious and Christ and his gospel are the same to both. Let not us therefore have the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ with respect of persons, Jam. ii. 1.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
Verses 21-32:
Provision was made for poverty, if the cleansed leper were unable to afford the two lambs required for the Sin and Burnt Offerings. Two turtledoves or two pigeons could be substituted. Also, one-tenth deal of flour could be substituted for the three/tenth deals required for the Meat offering. However, no substitute could be made for the lamb required for the Trespass Offering, or the log of oil. The poor as well as the rich must bring these.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(21) And if he be poor.The benign consideration for the poor which has been evinced on former occasions in connection with the sacrifices (see Lev. 5:7; Lev. 5:11, Lev. 12:18) is also shown here. Three lambs and three tenth deals of flour were more than a poor leper could afford to bring. In such cases, therefore, all that was required was one lamb, which constituted the trespass offering, and one tenth deal of flour for a meat offering, and the log of oil which was needed for his consecration.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
21. Cannot get so much Literally, if his hand reach not. Thus the divine requirement mercifully adjusts itself to human ability. “God never omitted the sacrifice; however poor was the worshipper, some degree or form of sacrifice he was bound to supply. This shows that the true sacrifice is in the spirit rather than in the offering which is made by the hand.” Joseph Parker. See Lev 12:8, note. The reduced requirement diminishes the meat offering two thirds, and substitutes two doves for the two sheep which are used for the sin offering and the burnt offering. But the offerings which are more especially consecratory, typifying positive blessings, are not diminished, namely, the trespass offering and the anointing oil. This may teach, that while penitents may be pardoned when faith in Christ is very imperfect, by simply looking toward him, believers receive cleansing and the fulness of the Holy Spirit only when they exercise a perfect faith in the great atonement.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
There Is None Too Low That God Will Not Cleanse Them If They Come To Him ( Lev 14:21-32 ).
But many a skin diseased cast-off would find it difficult to provide three animals for sacrifice together with the accompanying grain and oil, and for them God has provided a substitute offering which he may better be able to afford.
Lev 14:21-29
“And if he is poor, and cannot get so much, then he shall take one he-lamb for a guilt offering to be waved, to make atonement for him, and one tenth part of an ephah of fine flour mingled with oil for a grain offering, and a log of oil, and two turtle-doves, or two young pigeons, such as he is able to get, and the one shall be a purification for sin offering, and the other a whole burnt offering.”
If the person to be cleansed is poor then instead of two he-lambs and a ewe lamb he may offer one he-lamb and two turtle doves or two young pigeons. We note in this the centrality of the guilt offering. There can be no change there. The he-lamb for a guilt offering must be offered under any circumstance. The guilt of the sin that lay behind his condition must be dealt with at all costs, and it is a heavy guilt for there, in his case, even in his poverty, there can be no reduction in cost (contrast Lev 5:7-13). But the purification for sin offering and the whole burnt offering may be reduced to two clean birds, as with the normal whole burnt offering (1:14-17). Compare also Lev 12:8.
We are reminded by this that there was no alternative to the offering of the Lamb Who takes away the sin of the world (Joh 1:29), to the offering of the suffering Servant Who was led like a lamb to the slaughter (Isa 53:7). Significantly the latter was also a ‘plagued, afflicted and rejected person’ (Isa 52:14; Isa 53:3-5), a guilt offering (Isa 53:8 compare 53:10). For Isa 53:8 literally ends with ‘for the transgression of My people He was plagued’.
Lev 14:23-29
“And on the eighth day he shall bring them for his cleansing to the priest, to the door of the tent of meeting, before Yahweh, and the priest shall take the lamb of the guilt offering, and the log of oil, and the priest shall wave them for a wave-offering before Yahweh, and he shall kill the lamb of the guilt offering, and the priest shall take of the blood of the guilt offering, and put it on the tip of the right ear of the one who is to be cleansed, and on the thumb of his right hand, and on the great toe of his right foot. And the priest shall pour of the oil into the palm of his own left hand, and the priest shall sprinkle with his right finger some of the oil which is in his left hand seven times before Yahweh, and the priest shall put of the oil that is in his hand on the tip of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed, and on the thumb of his right hand, and on the great toe of his right foot, on the place of the blood of the guilt offering, and the rest of the oil which is in the priest’s hand he shall put on the head of him who is to be cleansed, to make atonement for him before Yahweh.”
Exactly the same procedure is followed with the guilt offering as was described in Lev 14:10-18, only slightly abbreviated.
Lev 14:30-31
“And he shall offer one of the turtle-doves, or of the young pigeons, such as he is able to get, even such as he is able to get, the one for a purification for sin offering, and the other for a whole burnt offering, with the grain offering, and the priest shall make atonement for him who is to be cleansed before Yahweh.”
But for the purification for sin offering and the whole burnt offering he can use ‘such as he is able to get’ which he offers with a grain offering in the form of two clean, sacrificial birds.
Lev 14:32
“This is the law of him in whom is the plague of a suspicious skin disease, who is not able to get that which pertains to his cleansing.”
And this particular aspect of the Law is for the one who is unable to get the full provision as previously laid down. It is equally a law in parallel with the others.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Lev 14:21. If he be poor, and cannot get, &c. The humanity of the Mosaic law is always discernible; provision is constantly made for the poor. Pelicanus observes well upon this place, that though there was an exchange made of two lambs for two turtle-doves, or two pigeons, in consideration of a man’s poverty, yet no person whatsoever, whether rich or poor, could be cleansed without the sacrifice of one lamb; which may well be looked upon as a figure of the Lamb of God, who alone taketh away the sins of the whole world. Note; God ever testifies an especial care for the poor, and provides, that however destitute they may be of things temporal, they shall not want the spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Observe the condescending goodness of the LORD, to the poor of his people. Sweet is that precept of the apostle’s; Let every man do according as he is disposed in his heart; for the LORD loveth a chearful giver. 2Co 9:7 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Lev 14:21 And if he [be] poor, and cannot get so much; then he shall take one lamb [for] a trespass offering to be waved, to make an atonement for him, and one tenth deal of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering, and a log of oil;
Ver. 21. And if he be poor. ] there is a proviso for poor people: God makes no difference, but accepts of a little where much is to be had.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
poor. The Divine consideration is again shown here. Compare Lev 5:7, Lev 5:11; Lev 12:8.
cannot get. Hebrew “his hand reach not”. Translated in Lev 14:22.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
poor: Lev 1:14, Lev 5:7, Lev 12:8, 1Sa 2:8, Job 34:19, Pro 17:5, Pro 22:2, Luk 6:20, Luk 21:2-4, 2Co 8:9, 2Co 8:12, Jam 2:5, Jam 2:6
cannot: Heb. his hand reach not
one lamb: Lev 14:10
to be waved: Heb. for a waving
Reciprocal: Lev 14:32 – whose hand Lev 27:8 – poorer Eze 46:5 – as he shall be able to give Luk 5:14 – and offer
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Lev 14:21-32. Modification of the Offering for Poverty.Less flour is required, and doves instead of animals are allowed for sin and burnt offerings (cf. Lev 5:7). The first part of the rite and the guilt offering are unmodified.
Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible
14:21 And if he [be] poor, and cannot get so much; then he shall take one lamb [for] a trespass offering to be waved, to make an atonement for him, and one {g} tenth deal of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering, and a log of oil;
(g) Which is an Omer, Exo 16:16.