Bible Commentaries

And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

And the Lord spake unto Moses. — And to Aaron also, though not here mentioned, as he is, Leviticus 14:33 .

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This shall be the law of the leper in the day of his cleansing: He shall be brought unto the priest:

He shall be brought unto the priest. — To teach us to go to Jesus Christ the High Priest of our profession, who healeth all our diseases. Psalms 103:3 He cured the leprosy, to others altogether incurable, by a touch of his hand only. Mark 1:41 Yea, "he sent his word and healed them," Psalms 107:20 and so he doth the souls of sinners that come unto him.

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And the priest shall go forth out of the camp; and the priest shall look, and, behold, [if] the plague of leprosy be healed in the leper;

If the plague of leprosy be healed. — As it was in Simon the leper that entertained Christ. Jealousy, frenzy, and heresy are counted incurable diseases: not so leprosy; though the most carried it to their death, as Gehazi, Azariah, …

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Then shall the priest command to take for him that is to be cleansed two birds alive [and] clean, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop:

Command to take. — That the leper might show his thankfulness to Jehovah his physician, as he is called. Exodus 15:26 See Matthew 8:4 . Men pray and pay physicians of their bodies, who yet do but officiose occidere many times. And shall God have nothing? Must he ask as once, Where are the other nine? Shall we not turn again with Naaman now cleansed, and offer our service, renounce our idols, dedicate all we are and have to the God of Israel?

Two birds. — Or sparrows, whereof two were sold for a farthing: to show how lightly set by Christ is in the world, whose blood nevertheless is more worth than a thousand worlds.

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And the priest shall command that one of the birds be killed in an earthen vessel over running water:

Over running water. — Heb., Living water. Life consists in motion, in action: hence waters that spring and run, are, for their continual motion, called living waters. O Lord, saith Hezekiah, "By these things men live, and in all these things is the life of my spirit." Isaiah 38:16

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As for the living bird, he shall take it, and the cedar wood, and the scarlet, and the hyssop, and shall dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird [that was] killed over the running water:

That was killed over the running water. — Pointing at Christ, who "came not by water only, but by water and blood." 1 John 5:6 See Trapp on " 1 John 5:6 " See Trapp on " 1 Corinthians 6:11 "

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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.

And he shall sprinkle. — This led them to that blood of sprinkling, Hebrews 12:23-24 applied unto them by that hyssop branch of faith, whereby the heart is purified.

And shall let the living bird loose. — This figured, say some, that neither Christ’s deity without the shedding of his blood, nor Christ’s blood, but for the quickening life of the Godhead personally dwelling in him, could have been available for the purging of sin. Both which himself declareth. John 6:53 ; John 6:63 And hither belongeth 2 Corinthians 5:19 Acts 20:28 . Moreover it figured, that Christ by his death conquered him that had the power of death, Hebrews 2:15 whilst he fled as a bird to the everlasting mountains, from the jaws of death to the joys of heaven. Hebrews 7:26

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And he that is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, and shave off all his hair, and wash himself in water, that he may be clean: and after that he shall come into the camp, and shall tarry abroad out of his tent seven days.

Shall wash his clothes, and shave. — This the leper was to do the first day of his cleansing; to teach men to be thorough in the practice of mortification, at the first conversion: "laying a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life." 1 Timothy 6:19

And shall tarry abroad. — Men must not be too hasty at first to catch at comfort; but let humiliation have her perfect work, and our sorrows be suitable to our sins.

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