Leviticus 14:14

Lev 14:14 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:

Ver. 14. Upon the tip of the right ear.] To signify that all Christ’s sanctified ones have a hearing ear, an active hand, a nimble foot to walk in the way that is called holy.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Lev 14:14. The priest shall put it — To signify that he was now free to hear God’s word in the appointed places, and to touch any person or thing without defiling it, and to go whither he pleased.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

14:14 The lobe, thumb, and big toe represent what the whole person hears and does, and where he or she goes (also 14:17, 28; see study note on 8:23).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 14. Upon the tip of the right ear, &c.] See Clarke on Ex 29:20.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(14) And the priest shall take some of the blood.—During the second Temple two priests caught the blood of the trespass offering—one into a vessel, and the other into the hollow of his hand. The one who caught the blood in the vessel sprinkled it against the wall of the altar, whilst the other who had the blood in the hollow of his hand went to the convalescent, who was waiting in the porch of Nicanor opposite the eastern door, with his face turned to the west.

And the priest shall put it upon the tip of the right ear.—Still unable to enter the court of the sanctuary, because he had not as yet been cleansed, the restored leper put his head through the gate of Nicanor, when the priest who caught the blood in the hollow of his hand, and who stood within the court, close to the entrance, (because the blood of the expiatory sacrifices could not be brought beyond the limits of the court of Israel), put some of it on the cartilage of his right ear. He then put through his right hand, and the priest put some of the blood on his thumb; he then again put through his right foot, and the priest put some of the blood on the great toe. To expedite the process, the restored leper was also allowed to put through all the three members at once. If the cured leper had not a thumb on his right hand, or a toe on his right foot, or a right ear, he was never cleansed. The right members were chosen for these symbolical acts, as in the case of the consecration of the priest, because they are represented as the strongest, and are therefore the most able to execute the will of God, for which reason they were henceforth dedicated to His service. (See Lev_7:24.)

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

14. In N.T. times the leper put his head, hand, and foot through the gate of Nicanor and the priest applied the blood and the oil. Two priests officiated; one caught the blood in a bowl and threw it on the sides of the altar; the other received some of the blood in his hand and applied it to the leper (Neg. xiv. §§ 8–10). The blood of the Guilt-Offering was applied in the same way in which the blood of the Ram of consecration was applied to the priests (Lev_8:23 f.), but the whole ceremony was performed by one person.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And the priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering,.... According to the Misnah (r), two priests received the blood of it, one in a vessel and the other in his hand; he that received it in a vessel went and sprinkled it upon the wall (or top, as Maimonides (s)) of the altar; and he that received it in his hand went to the leper, and the leper having dipped himself in the chamber of the lepers, went and stood in the gate of Nicanor:

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; as was done at the consecration of the high priest; see Gill on Exo 29:20, Lev 8:24, now as the leper stood at the door of the tabernacle without the court, he was obliged to put in his head, his right hand, and his right foot, in order to have the blood put on them by the priest, who was in the court; and these were put in either separately one after another, or together: the tradition runs thus (t), he (the leper) thrust in his head, and (the priest) put (the blood) upon the tip of his ear; his hand, and he put it upon the thumb of his hand; his foot, and he put it upon the great toe of his foot: and the application of the blood to these parts showed that the leper had now a right to hear the word of God, to partake of all privileges, to touch anything without defiling it, and to go into any house or company where he thought fit, he was now at full liberty; more evangelically these things may signify the sanctification and cleansing of those parts, and of the whole man by the blood of Christ; and particularly may signify, that as the ear is unclean, uncircumcised, and unsanctified in a leprous sinner and even there are hearing sins in the best of men, the ear is sanctified, and hearing sins removed by the blood of Christ; and as the right hand, being the instrument of action, may denote the evil works of men, and even since the most righteous performances of the best of men are attended with sin, the blood of Christ, which cleanses from all sin, had need to be put upon them; and whereas the conversation of then, which the foot may be an emblem of, is sinful and vain, it is by the blood of Christ that they are redeemed from it; and the influence of that blood sprinkled on the conscience will oblige and constrain men to live and walk soberly, righteously, and godly.

(r) Ut supra. (Misn. Negaim, c. 14. sect. 8) (s) Ut supra. (Hilchot Mechosre Capharah, c. 4. sect. 2.) (t) Ut supra, (r)) sect. 9.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

In the same way, and with the same significance as in Lev 8:23. It is said that a portion of the blood was caught by the priest in the palm of his hand as it ran from the victim.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Taking of the blood, &c. These ceremonies, used in the cleansing of a leper, were mysterious and very significative. The sprinkling seven times with the blood of the little bird, the washing himself and his clothes, the shaving his hair and his beard, signify the means which are to be used in the reconciliation of a sinner, and the steps by which he is to return to God, viz. by the repeated application of the blood of Christ; the washing his conscience with the waters of compunction; and retrenching all vanities and superfluities, by employing all that is over and above what is necessary in alms deeds. The sin-offering, and the holocaust or burnt-offering, which he was to offer at his cleansing, signify the sacrifice of a contrite and humble heart, and that of adoration in spirit and truth, with gratitude and thankfulness, for the forgiveness of sins, with which we are ever to appear before the Almighty. The touching the right ear, the thumb of the right hand, and the great toe of the right foot, first with the blood of the victim, and then with the remainder of the oil, which had been sprinkled seven times before the Lord, signify the application of the blood of Christ, and the unction of the sevenfold grace of the Holy Ghost to the sinner’s right ear, that he may duly hearken to and obey the law of God; and to his right hand and foot, that the works of his hands, and all the steps or affections of his soul, signified by the feet, may be rightly directed to God. (Challoner) See chap. viii. 23. --- These ceremonies might serve to call to the leper’s recollection the benefit which he had received, and to distinguish him from others. (Calmet)

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).

To signify that he was now free to hear God’s word in the appointed places, from which he was before excluded, and to touch any person or tiring without defiling it, and to go whither he pleased.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

14. Right ear — The organ which may have been a willing channel for folly, impurity, or slander must be cleansed by the blood of sprinkling.

Hand — This instrument of the wicked will need the purifying blood, while the foot, which has often run in the way of sin, must be purged as an offending member. This mode of purification in detail is almost exactly like the order for the consecration of the priests. Lev_8:24, note.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

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. The Mishna describes the ceremony as follows: leper stands before the trespass offering, lays his hand upon it and kills it. Two priests catch up the blood one in a vessel, the other in his band. He who catches it up in the vessel goes and throws it on the side of the altar, and he who catches it in his hand goes and stands before the leper. And the leper who had previously bathed in the court of the lepers, goes and stands in the gate of Nicanor. Rabbi Jehudah says he needs not bathe. He thrusts in his head (viz. into the great court, which he may not yet enter), and the priest puts of the blood upon the tip of his ear; he thrusts in his hand, and he puts it upon the thumb of his hand; he thrusts in his foot, and he puts it upon the great toe of his foot" ("Negaim," 14:7, quoted by Edersheim, "Temple Service," chapter 18). No doubt, the ear, the thumb, and the great toe are selected for the purpose of showing, as in the case of the consecration of the priest, that the senses and the active powers of the restored Israelite must be dedicated hence, forth to God.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The priest shall put it - To signify, that he was now free to hear God's word in the appointed places, and to touch any person or thing without defiling it, and to go whither he pleased.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

the person who is to be cleansed

This can be translated in active form. AT: "the person he is cleansing" (See: Active or Passive)

log

One log is 0.31 liters. (See: Biblical Volume)

sprinkle some of the oil ... before Yahweh

"sprinkle some of the oil ... in Yahweh's presence." There is no indication of what the priest sprinkled the oil on.

translationWords

priest

blood

guilt offering

clean

oil

Yahweh

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

תנוך is the inner wall of the ear. The etymology of the word תנוך is unknown to me, and the compilers of glossaries call it (translate it by) tendron (cf. Rashi on Exodus 29:22).

בהן means THUMB.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.