Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Leviticus 14:10

And on the eighth day he shall take two he lambs without blemish, and one ewe lamb of the first year without blemish, and three tenth deals of fine flour [for] a meat offering, mingled with oil, and one log of oil.

10. On the following (the eighth) day he brings his sacrifice to the usual place, the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. In the Temple the leper, after bathing in a chamber at the N.W. corner of the Court of the Women, was brought to the gate of Nicanor, between the Court of the Women and the Court of Israel, where he presented his offerings.

tenth parts of an ephah] See on Lev 23:17. For ‘parts’ A.V. has ‘deals,’ a substantive of the same meaning, but now surviving as such only in the common phrase, ‘a great deal,’ although the verb is still in ordinary use. Cp. dole, and the German Teil, portion.

log ] a liquid measure approximately equal to an English pint.

The ritual here enjoined is peculiar:

(1) The first offering is a Guilt-Offering a he-lamb.

(2) The whole lamb is waved with the log of oil before the Lord.

(3) The blood of the sacrifice and the oil are applied to the leper with a ceremonial similar to that used at the consecration of the priests (Lev 8:12; Lev 8:23 f., Lev 8:30).

The he-lamb was of the first year, and younger than the ram usually brought for a Guilt-Offering; the waving of the whole animal was unusual; certain parts only of a sacrifice were waved, and the ceremony of waving was not practised with the Guilt-Offering and Sin-Offering. So that in respect of the animal employed, the act of waving, and the matter waved, this sacrifice was different from the ordinary Guilt-Offering.

The Nazirite who had been defiled by a dead body brought a Sin-Offering, a Burnt-Offering, and a Guilt-Offering; they were offered in this order, and no special regulations about the Guilt-Offering are given (Num 6:10-12). But in the case of the leper, the fact that the Guilt-Offering is brought first, with an accompanying ritual of marked significance, invests this sacrifice with a special importance and distinguishes it from the Guilt-Offering brought by the Nazirite. The Guilt-Offering with its accompanying ritual is the prominent feature in the leper’s sanctuary service. It seems to imply that the disease of leprosy had removed him who had been smitten from the ‘kingdom of priests’ (Exo 19:6); that a re-consecration was necessary, before he could again take his place among his brethren. But it may also mean that leprosy was thought to imply some sin for which atonement must be made by fine or compensation.

The reason why this sacrifice should be a Guilt-Offering is not apparent. The distinctive character of the Guilt-Offering was that it involved restitution for wrong done, whether in respect of ‘the holy things of the Lord’ (Lev 5:15), or against a neighbour (Lev 6:2 f.). As the Nazirite had vowed a period of separation, it might be considered that the defilement of that separation (Num 6:12), though involuntary, was a wrong done in respect of ‘the holy things of the Lord’; but it seems doubtful whether the leper’s enforced absence from the sanctuary during the period of his uncleanness can be so regarded. If it is urged that every Israelite in virtue of his priesthood (Exo 19:6) is dedicated to the service of God, then a Guilt-Offering would be required after any prolonged illness, and after cases of lengthened uncleanness such as those mentioned in chs. 12 and 15; but no Guilt-Offering is prescribed for these persons. Can there be here a remnant of some older practice of which no certain traces survive? The Heb. word ’shm, used for the Guilt-Offering in P, is applied in the older literature to certain offerings and fines (1Sa 6:3; 2Ki 12:17). Was an ’shm or money payment required in earlier times on the recovery of a leper? This would explain the demand for a Guilt-Offering in P.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Two young rams from one to three years old (not lambs), a ewe lamb in her first year (see Lev 12:6), three-tenth parts of an ephah (something over ten pints and a half) of fine flour mingled with oil, and a log (about half a pint; see Lev 19:35) of oil. The priest presented both the man and his offerings to Yahweh at the entrance of the tent of meeting. See Lev 1:3.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

Verse 10. Two he-lambs] One for a trespass-offering, Le 14:12, the other for a burnt-offering, Le 14:19-20.

One ewe-lamb] This was for a sin-offering, Le 14:19.

Three tenth deals] Three parts of an ephah, or three omers; See all these measures explained, Clarke “Ex 16:16“. The three tenth deals of flour were for a minchah, meat or gratitude-offering, Le 14:20. The sin-offering was for his impurity; the trespass-offering for his transgression; and the gratitude-offering for his gracious cleansing. These constituted the offering which each was ordered to bring to the priest; see Mt 8:4.

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

Oil is added here as a fit sign of Gods grace and mercy, and of the lepers healing.

Log, a measure for liquid things containing six eggshells-full.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

10-20. on the eighth day he shalltake two he lambs without blemish, and one ewe-lamb of the first yearwithout blemishThe purification of the leper was not completedtill at the end of seven days, after the ceremonial of the birds [Le14:4-7] and during which, though permitted to come into the camp,he had to tarry abroad out of his tent [Le14:8], from which he came daily to appear at the door of thetabernacle with the offerings required. He was presented before theLord by the priest that made him clean. And hence it has always beenreckoned among pious people the first duty of a patient newlyrestored from a long and dangerous sickness to repair to the churchto offer his thanksgiving, where his body and soul, in order to be anacceptable offering, must be presented by our great Priest, whoseblood alone makes any clean. The offering was to consist of twolambs, the one was to be a sin offering, and an ephah of fine flour(two pints equals one-tenth), and one log (half pint) of oil (Le2:1). One of the lambs was for a trespass offering, which wasnecessary from the inherent sin of his nature or from his defilementof the camp by his leprosy previous to his expulsion; and it isremarkable that the blood of the trespass offering was appliedexactly in the same particular manner to the extremities of therestored leper, as that of the ram in the consecration of the priests[Le 8:23]. The parts sprinkledwith this blood were then anointed with oila ceremony which issupposed to have borne this spiritual import: that while the bloodwas a token of forgiveness, the oil was an emblem of healingas theblood of Christ justifies, the influence of the Spirit sanctifies. Ofthe other two lambs the one was to be a sin offering and the other aburnt offering, which had also the character of a thank offering forGod’s mercy in his restoration. And this was considered to makeatonement “for him”; that is, it removed that ceremonialpollution which had excluded him from the enjoyment of religiousordinances, just as the atonement of Christ restores all who arecleansed through faith in His sacrifice to the privileges of thechildren of God.

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

And on the eighth day,…. From the leper’s first appearance before the priest, and the day after the above things were done, in

Le 14:9:

he shall take two he lambs without blemish; the one for a trespass offering, and the other for a burnt offering; and both typical of Christ the Lamb of God, without spot and blemish:

and one ewe lamb of the first year without blemish; for a sin offering, a type of Christ also:

and three tenth deals of fine flour, [for] a meat offering, mingled with oil; that is, three tenth parts of an ephah, or three omers; one of which was as much, or more than a man could eat in a day, see

Ex 16:36; there were three of these to answer to and accompany the three lambs for sacrifice, just such a quantity was allotted to the lambs of the daily sacrifice, Ex 29:40; typical, likewise of Christ, who is the true bread, and whose flesh is meat indeed:

and one log of oil; to be used as after directed: this measure was about half a pint, and is an emblem of the grace and Spirit of God, received by the saints in measure, and is the same with the oil of gladness, poured on Christ without measure, Ps 45:7.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

      10 And on the eighth day he shall take two he lambs without blemish, and one ewe lamb of the first year without blemish, and three tenth deals of fine flour for a meat offering, mingled with oil, and one log of oil.   11 And the priest that maketh him clean shall present the man that is to be made clean, and those things, before the LORD, at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation:   12 And the priest shall take one he lamb, and offer him for a trespass offering, and the log of oil, and wave them for a wave offering before the LORD:   13 And he shall slay the lamb in the place where he shall kill the sin offering and the burnt offering, in the holy place: for as the sin offering is the priest’s, so is the trespass offering: it is most holy:   14 And the priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering, and the priest shall 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:   15 And the priest shall take some of the log of oil, and pour it into the palm of his own left hand:   16 And the priest shall dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand, and shall sprinkle of the oil with his finger seven times before the LORD:   17 And of the rest of the oil that is in his hand shall the priest put 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 blood of the trespass offering:   18 And the remnant of the oil that is in the priest’s hand he shall pour upon the head of him that is to be cleansed: and the priest shall make an atonement for him before the LORD.   19 And the priest shall offer the sin offering, and make an atonement for him that is to be cleansed from his uncleanness; and afterward he shall kill the burnt offering:   20 And the priest shall offer the burnt offering and the meat offering upon the altar: and the priest shall make an atonement for him, and he shall be clean.

      Observe, I. To complete the purification of the leper, on the eighth day, after the former solemnity performed without the camp, and, as it should seem, before he returned to his own habitation, he was to attend at the door of the tabernacle, and was there to be presented to the Lord, with his offering, v. 11. Observe here, 1. That the mercies of God oblige us to present ourselves to him, Rom. xii. 1. 2. When God has restored us to the liberty of ordinances again, after restraint by sickness, distance, or otherwise, we should take the first opportunity of testifying our respect to God, and our affection to his sanctuary, by a diligent improvement of the liberty we are restored to. When Christ had healed the impotent man, he soon after found him in the temple, John v. 14. When Hezekiah asks, What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the Lord? he means, “What is the sign that I shall recover?” intimating that if God restored him his health, so that he should be able to go abroad, the house of the Lord should be the first place he would go to. 3. When we present ourselves before the Lord we must present our offerings, devoting to God with ourselves all we have and can do. 4. Both we and our offerings must be presented before the Lord by the priest that made us clean, even our Lord Jesus, else neither we nor they can be accepted.

      II. Three lambs the cleansed leper was to bring, with a meat-offering, and a log of oil, which was about half a pint. Now, 1. Most of the ceremony peculiar to this case was about the trespass-offering, the lamb for which was offered first, v. 12. And, besides the usual rites with which the trespass-offering was offered, some of the blood was to be put upon the ear, and thumb, and great toe, of the leper that was to be cleansed (v. 14), the very same ceremony that was used in the consecration of the priests, Lev 8:23; Lev 8:24. It was a mortification to them to see the same purification necessary for them that was for a leper. The Jews say that the leper stood without the gate of the tabernacle and the priest within, and thus the ceremony was performed through the gate, signifying that now he was admitted with other Israelites to attend in the courts of the Lord’s house again, and was as welcome as ever; though he had been a leper, and though perhaps the name might stick by him as long as he lived (as we read of one who probably was cleansed by our Lord Jesus, who yet afterwards is called Simon the leper, Matt. xxvi. 6), yet he was as freely admitted as ever to communion with God and man. After the blood of the offering had been put with the priest’s finger upon the extremities of the body, to include the whole, some of the oil that he brought, which was first waved and then sprinkled before the Lord, was in like manner put in the same places upon the blood. “The blood” (says the learned bishop Patrick) “seems to have been a token of forgiveness, the oil of healing,” for God first forgiveth our iniquities and then healeth our diseases, Ps. ciii. 3. See Isa. xxxviii. 17. Wherever the blood of Christ is applied for justification the oil of the Spirit is applied for sanctification; for these two are inseparable and both necessary to our acceptance with God. Nor shall our former leprosy, if it be healed by repentance, be any bar to these glorious privileges. Cleansed lepers are as welcome to the blood and the oil as consecrated priests. Such were some of you, but you are washed. When the leper was sprinkled the water must have blood in it (v. 5), when he was anointed the oil must have blood under it, to signify that all the graces and comforts of the Spirit, all his purifying dignifying influences, are owing to the death of Christ: it is by his blood alone that we are sanctified. 2. Besides this there must be a sin-offering and a burnt-offering, a lamb for each, Lev 14:19; Lev 14:20. By each of these offerings, it is said, the priests shall make atonement for him. (1.) His moral guilt shall be removed; the sin for which the leprosy was sent shall be pardoned, and all the sins he had been guilty of in his afflicted state. Note, The removal of any outward trouble is then doubly comfortable to us when at the same time God gives us some assurance of the forgiveness of our sins. If we receive the atonement, we have reason to rejoice, Rom. v. 11. (2.) His ceremonial pollution shall be removed, which had kept him from the participation of the holy things. And this is called making an atonement for him, because our restoration to the privileges of God’s children, typified hereby, is owing purely to the great propitiation. When the atonement is made for him he shall be clean, both to his own satisfaction and to his reputation among his neighbours; he shall retrieve both his credit and his comfort, and both these true penitents become entitled to, both ease and honour, by their interest in the atonement. The burnt-offering, besides the atonement that was made by it, was a thankful acknowledgment of God’s mercy to him: and the more immediate the hand of God was both in the sickness and in the cure the more reason he had thus to give glory to him, and thus, as our Saviour speaks (Mark i. 44), to offer for his cleansing all those things which Moses commanded for a testimony unto them.

Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary