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.

LEVITICUS 14:8KJV
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Leviticus 14:8 (KJV)

What does Leviticus 14:8 mean?

Leviticus 14:8 describes the steps a person recovering from a skin disease (often called leprosy in older translations) must take to be considered clean: washing their clothes, shaving off all their hair, and bathing in water. After these actions, the person can re-enter the camp but must stay outside their own tent for seven days.

In this verse, God is giving instructions to Moses for the Israelites about how someone who has been healed from a skin disease can be restored to the community. The process is detailed and physical, emphasizing both personal cleanliness and a period of waiting before full reintegration. This careful approach highlights the seriousness with which purity and public health were treated in ancient Israel.

The Hebrew behind Leviticus 14:8

  • The word for "cleansed" (טָהֵר, ṭāhēr) means to be made clean or pure, not just physically but also in a ritual sense. This shows the process is about more than hygiene; it is about being fit to rejoin worship and community life.
  • "Wash" (כָּבַס, kābas) refers specifically to washing clothes, which was a concrete sign of removing impurity.
  • "Shave" (גָּלַח, gālaḥ) means to shave off all hair, which would have been a visible sign of starting fresh and removing anything that might carry impurity.
  • "Tarry abroad" (יָשַׁב בַּחוּץ, yāshav baḥūts) means to stay outside, here meaning the person must remain outside their own tent, even after returning to the camp, showing a staged return to normal life.

Why Leviticus 14:8 matters

  • Leviticus 14:8 clarifies that being declared clean was a process, not a single event, involving both ritual acts and a waiting period.
  • The verse shows the community’s concern for both physical health and ritual purity, balancing compassion for the recovering person with care for the wider group.
  • This verse connects to the larger passage, which details the full procedure for restoring someone after a disease, showing the seriousness and hope built into Israel’s laws.

Where else these words appear

“shave” Hebrew H1548 · used in 18 verses

  • Genesis 41:14 Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon: and he shaved himself, and changed his raiment, and came in unto Pharaoh.
  • Numbers 6:18 And the Nazarite shall shave the head of his separation at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall take the hair of the head of his separation, and put it in the fire which is under the sacrifice of the peace offerings.
  • 2 Samuel 10:4 Wherefore Hanun took David's servants, and shaved off the one half of their beards, and cut off their garments in the middle, even to their buttocks, and sent them away.

“hair” Hebrew H8181 · used in 27 verses

  • Genesis 25:25 And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau.
  • Leviticus 13:30 Then the priest shall see the plague: and, behold, if it be in sight deeper than the skin; and there be in it a yellow thin hair; then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is a dry scall, even a leprosy upon the head or beard.
  • 2 Samuel 14:26 And when he polled his head,(for it was at every year's end that he polled it: because the hair was heavy on him, therefore he polled it:) he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels after the king's weight.

“wash” Hebrew H3526 · used in 48 verses

  • Genesis 49:11 Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass's colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes:
  • Leviticus 15:5 And whosoever toucheth his bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.
  • Numbers 8:21 And the Levites were purified, and they washed their clothes; and Aaron offered them as an offering before the LORD; and Aaron made an atonement for them to cleanse them.

“wash” Hebrew H7364 · used in 71 verses

  • Genesis 18:4 Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree:
  • Leviticus 15:6 And he that sitteth on any thing whereon he sat that hath the issue shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.
  • Judges 19:21 So he brought him into his house, and gave provender unto the asses: and they washed their feet, and did eat and drink.