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:

LEVITICUS 14:16KJV
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Leviticus 14:16 (KJV)

What does Leviticus 14:16 mean?

Leviticus 14:16 describes how the priest, as part of a cleansing ritual, dips his right finger into oil held in his left hand and then sprinkles some of that oil seven times before the LORD. This action is a specific step in the process for purifying someone who had been afflicted with a skin disease.

In this passage, God is giving Moses detailed instructions for the priests to follow when someone is being restored to the community after being healed. The priest’s actions with the oil and the number seven both have symbolic meaning, showing care, completeness, and the seriousness of being made clean before God. The ritual emphasizes that the restoration is not just physical but also spiritual, involving both the priest and the presence of the LORD.

The Hebrew behind Leviticus 14:16

  • "Dip" (טָבַל, ṭābal): This word means to immerse or dip, showing that the priest’s finger is fully put into the oil, not just touched to it. This careful action highlights the importance of following the ritual exactly.
  • "Sprinkle" (נָזָה, nāzāh): This verb means to scatter or sprinkle, often used for ritual purification. The act of sprinkling the oil seven times is a deliberate, repeated motion, marking the ritual as thorough and complete.
  • "Seven" (שֶׁבַע, shevaʿ): The number seven is often used in the Bible to represent completeness or wholeness. Sprinkling the oil seven times shows that the cleansing is full and finished.

Why Leviticus 14:16 matters

  • This verse shows that the priest’s role was not just about diagnosing disease, but also about restoring people to the community and to worship through careful rituals.
  • The repeated use of oil and the number seven point to a deep sense of completeness and care in God’s instructions, emphasizing that spiritual restoration is as important as physical healing.
  • Understanding this step helps make sense of the whole chapter, which is about moving from impurity to restoration, and shows how every detail in the ritual had meaning for the people of Israel.

Where else these words appear

“left” Hebrew H8042 · used in 9 verses

  • Leviticus 14:15 And the priest shall take some of the log of oil, and pour it into the palm of his own left hand:
  • Leviticus 14:27 And the priest shall sprinkle with his right finger some of the oil that is in his left hand seven times before the LORD:
  • 2 Chronicles 3:17 And he reared up the pillars before the temple, one on the right hand, and the other on the left; and called the name of that on the right hand Jachin, and the name of that on the left Boaz.

“dip” Hebrew H2881 · used in 16 verses

  • Genesis 37:31 And they took Joseph's coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood;
  • Leviticus 14:6 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:
  • Ruth 2:14 And Boaz said unto her, At mealtime come thou hither, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside the reapers: and he reached her parched corn, and she did eat, and was sufficed, and left.

“right” Hebrew H3233 · used in 19 verses

  • Exodus 29:20 Then shalt thou kill the ram, and take of his blood, and put it upon the tip of the right ear of Aaron, and upon the tip of the right ear of his sons, and upon the thumb of their right hand, and upon the great toe of their right foot, and sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about.
  • Leviticus 14:27 And the priest shall sprinkle with his right finger some of the oil that is in his left hand seven times before the LORD:
  • 2 Chronicles 3:17 And he reared up the pillars before the temple, one on the right hand, and the other on the left; and called the name of that on the right hand Jachin, and the name of that on the left Boaz.

“sprinkle” Hebrew H5137 · used in 22 verses

  • Exodus 29:21 And thou shalt take of the blood that is upon the altar, and of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it upon Aaron, and upon his garments, and upon his sons, and upon the garments of his sons with him: and he shall be hallowed, and his garments, and his sons, and his sons' garments with him.
  • Leviticus 14:7 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.
  • Numbers 19:4 And Eleazar the priest shall take of her blood with his finger, and sprinkle of her blood directly before the tabernacle of the congregation seven times: