EasyEnglish Bible 2018
Leviticus 14:4
4he must speak to the person. He must tell the person that he must bring two birds. They must be birds that are good for food. The birds must be alive. They must also bring wood from the cedar tree, red wool and some hyssop.
Leviticus 14:4 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)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:
- New International Version (NIV)the priest shall order that two live clean birds and some cedar wood, scarlet yarn and hyssop be brought for the person to be cleansed.
- English Standard Version (ESV)the priest shall command them to take for him who is to be cleansed two live clean birds and cedarwood and scarlet yarn and hyssop.
- New King James Version (NKJV)then the priest shall command to take for him who is to be cleansed two living and clean birds, cedar wood, scarlet, and hyssop.
Context of Leviticus 14:4
2‘These rules are for a person who has had a disease on his skin. They are rules about how to make him clean. When the disease leaves the person, you must bring him to the priest. 3The priest must go outside the camp and he must look at the person. If the disease has gone away, he must speak to the person. He must tell the person that he must bring two birds. They must be birds that are good for food. The birds must be alive. They must also bring wood from the cedar tree, red wool and some hyssop. 5The priest will bring a pot with water in it. He will hold one of the birds over the pot and he will kill it. 6The priest will take the other bird and the wood from the cedar tree. He will take the red wool and the hyssop. He will put all of them into the blood of the dead bird.
Read all of Leviticus 14Leviticus 14:4 word by word
וְצִוָּה֙ הַכֹּהֵ֔ן וְלָקַ֧ח לַמִּטַּהֵ֛ר שְׁתֵּֽי־צִפֳּרִ֥ים חַיּ֖וֹת טְהֹר֑וֹת וְעֵ֣ץ אֶ֔רֶז וּשְׁנִ֥י תוֹלַ֖עַת וְאֵזֹֽב׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Then shall the priestכֹּהֵןkôhên · priestH3548
- commandצָוָהtsâvâh · to commandH6680
- to takeלָקַחlâqach · to take: takeH3947
- for him that is to be cleansedטָהֵרţâhêr · be pureH2891
- twoשְׁנַ֫יִםshenayim shettayim · twoH8147
- birdsצִפּוֹרtsippôr tsippôr · birdH6833
- aliveחַיchay · aliveH2416
- cleanטָהוֹרţâhôr ţâhôr · pureH2889
- and cedarאֶ֫רֶז'erez · cedarH730
- woodעֵץ‛êts · tree: woodH6086
- and scarletתּוֹלֵעָהtôlâ‛ tôlê‛âh tôla‛ath tôla‛ath · wormH8438
- and scarletשָׁנִיshânîy · scarletH8144
- and hyssopאֵזוֹב'êzôb · hyssopH231
Cross-references for Leviticus 14:4
- Leviticus 1:14If a person wants to give a bird to the Lord, it must be a dove or a pigeon.
- Leviticus 5:7A person may not have money to buy a sheep or a goat. If he does not, he must buy two doves or two pigeons. He must give them to the Lord. One bird will be a sin offering. The second bird will be a burnt offering.
- Leviticus 12:8If the woman does not have money to buy a sheep she can give two doves or pigeons. The priest will use one bird for a sin offering and he will burn the other one. That is how he will make atonement for her. Then she will be clean.’
- Leviticus 14:6The priest will take the other bird and the wood from the cedar tree. He will take the red wool and the hyssop. He will put all of them into the blood of the dead bird.
- Numbers 19:6The priest must take some wood, some plants and some red wool. He must throw them on the fire.
- Hebrews 9:19It was like this. Moses read God's laws aloud to all Israel's people. He told them every rule that God had given them. After that, Moses killed some young cows and goats. He took some of their blood and he mixed it with water. He threw some of the blood to drop onto the book of God's laws. He also caused some to drop onto all the people. He used red sheep's hair and some small branches of a plant called hyssop to throw the blood and water.
- Exodus 12:22Put the blood into a dish. Then take a branch of hyssop. Make it wet with the blood that is in the dish. Then put some of the blood on the wood that is round your door. Nobody must go out of the door of his house until the morning.
- Numbers 19:18Then a person who is clean must take hyssop. He must put it into the water. Then he must use it to splash the water on the tent and on everything that is in it. He must also splash the water on all the people who have been there. And he must splash it on the person who touched the bone or the dead body or the grave.
- Psalms 51:7Splash water over me with a hyssop plant, and I will be really clean. Wash me and I will be whiter than snow.
Commentaries on Leviticus 14:4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4Two birds alive and clean, etc. - Whether these birds were sparrows, or turtledoves, or pigeons, we know not; probably any kind of clean bird, or bird proper to be eaten, might be used on this occasion, though it is more likely that turtle-doves or pigeons were employed, because these appear to have been the only birds offered in sacrifice. Of the cedarwood, hyssop, clean bird, and scarlet wool or fillet, were made an aspergillum, or instrument to…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4These birds were provided by the priest for the man. They were not, like the offerings for the altar, brought by the man himself (compare Leviticus 14:4 with Leviticus 14:10), they were not presented nor brought near the sanctuary, nor was any portion of them offered on the altar. Cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop - These three substances were used as the common materials in rites of purification (compare Exodus 12:22; Numbers 19:8; Psalm 51:7; Hebrews…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4The items listed here were part of the cleansing ceremony with the ashes of the red heifer (Numbers 19:6). Their exact significance is unclear (see also Hebrews 9:18–22). Hyssop was a small plant used for sprinkling blood and in purification rites (Exodus 12:22; Numbers 19:18).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. two birds--literally, "sparrows." The Septuagint, however, renders the expression "little birds"; and it is evident that it is to be taken in this generic sense from their being specified as "clean"--a condition which would have been altogether superfluous to mention in reference to sparrows. In all the offerings prescribed in the law, Moses ordered only common and accessible birds; and hence we may presume that he points here to such birds as sparrows…Read the comment
Topics related to Leviticus 14:4
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Leviticus 14
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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