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.

LEVITICUS 14:29KJV
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Leviticus 14:29 (KJV)

What does Leviticus 14:29 mean?

Leviticus 14:29 describes how the priest is to take the remaining oil in his hand and place it on the head of the person being cleansed, as part of a ritual to make atonement for that person before God. This act is a formal step in the process of restoring someone who has been declared clean after a skin disease.

In this verse, God is giving instructions to Moses for the priests about the cleansing ceremony for someone healed from a skin disease (often called "leprosy" in older translations). The priest uses oil as a symbol of healing and dedication, and placing it on the person's head marks the completion of the ritual, showing that the person is now accepted back into the community and before God.

The Hebrew behind Leviticus 14:29

  • "atonement" (כָּפַר, kaphar): This word often means to cover or make reconciliation. Here, it highlights that the ritual is not just about physical healing but also about restoring the person's relationship with God.
  • "before" (פָּנִים, panim): This word literally means "face" or "presence." The phrase "before the LORD" emphasizes that the ritual is done in God's presence, making the restoration both public and spiritual.
  • "cleansed" (טָהֵר, taher): This word means to be made clean or pure. It shows that the ritual is about more than hygiene; it is about being made ritually acceptable.

Why Leviticus 14:29 matters

  • Leviticus 14:29 clarifies that the cleansing process for skin disease was not only medical but also spiritual, involving atonement and acceptance before God.
  • The verse shows the priest’s active role in restoring someone to the community, not just declaring them clean but also performing rituals that symbolize full restoration.
  • This step is part of a larger, detailed process in Leviticus 14, helping readers see the care and seriousness with which ancient Israel approached both health and spiritual wholeness.

Where else these words appear

“cleansed” Hebrew H2891 · used in 79 verses

  • Genesis 35:2 Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments:
  • Leviticus 14:48 And if the priest shall come in, and look upon it, and, behold, the plague hath not spread in the house, after the house was plaistered: then the priest shall pronounce the house clean, because the plague is healed.
  • 2 Chronicles 34:3 For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began to seek after the God of David his father: and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, and the groves, and the carved images, and the molten images.

“atonement” Hebrew H3722 · used in 94 verses

  • Genesis 6:14 Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.
  • 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;
  • Numbers 28:22 And one goat for a sin offering, to make an atonement for you.

“rest” Hebrew H3498 · used in 101 verses

  • Genesis 30:36 And he set three days' journey betwixt himself and Jacob: and Jacob fed the rest of Laban's flocks.
  • Joshua 21:5 And the rest of the children of Kohath had by lot out of the families of the tribe of Ephraim, and out of the tribe of Dan, and out of the half tribe of Manasseh, ten cities.
  • 1 Chronicles 6:77 Unto the rest of the children of Merari were given out of the tribe of Zebulun, Rimmon with her suburbs, Tabor with her suburbs: