And the priest shall come again the seventh day, and shall look ,.... On the seventh day from his shutting of it up, he shall open it again, go into it, and observe in what condition it is: and, behold, if the plague be spread in the walls of the house : the hollow strakes are become deeper, or the coloured spots are become larger: spreading was always a sign of leprosy, both in the bodies of men, and in garments. read more
Then the priest shall command that they take away the stones in which the plague is ,.... In there appeared any cavities, or the above colours, and these spreading: in order to put a stop thereunto, these stones were to be drawn or pulled out, as the word signifies, in such manner as not to endanger the fall of the house, and two stones at least were to be taken out; for, as Gersom says, a house was not shut up unless the plague appeared on two stones: and they shall cast them into an... read more
And he shall cause the house to be scraped within round about ,.... All the walls on each side, and at each end, and every stone in them; which, though they had no appearance on them, yet should there be any infection in them, which as yet was not seen, it might be removed, and a spread prevented: and they shall pour out the dust that they scrape off without the city, into an unclean place ; the scrapings they were to put into some vessel, and carry them thither and pour them out, or... read more
And they shall take other stones ,.... From elsewhere, such as are sound and whole: and put them in the place of these stones ; such as will exactly answer them, as to number and size, and so fill up the space vacant by the removal of the other, and support the building: and he shall take other mortar, and plaster the house ; the master of the house was to do this, or take care that it was done; but others by the order of the priest, as they took away the tainted stones, put others... read more
The cleansing of sin as illustrated in the cleansing of the leper. cf. 2 Kings 5:1-27 ; Matthew 8:1-4 ; Luke 5:12-15 . We have seen the possibility of a cure of leprosy in the directions for its diagnosis given to the priests. The cured leper had also to be cleansed before admitted to the society of the faithful. In this chapter we have the cleansing of the leper detailed. In this we are to discern the cleansing of sin. Naaman's case is instructive upon this point. He was cured by... read more
On uncleanness in houses. There are two metaphors commonly used in Holy Scripture for designating God's covenant people. They are I. GOD 'S HOUSEHOLD . As the household of God the Father," of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named" ( Ephesians 3:15 ), they are the members of that august brotherhood gathered together in Christ, of which God himself is the spiritual Father, into which all that are adopted in Christ are incorporated, ceasing to be "strangers and... read more
Cleansing the corrupt house. That the Divine Lawgiver should, in this tabernacle period of Israel's history, anticipate a time when their future houses would be affected by some disorder similar to leprosy in the human skin, and that he should direct a treatment of such houses closely corresponding with that of the human leper, is exceedingly remarkable. Nothing could possibly impress the Hebrew mine[ more powerfully with the idea that "the face of the Lord was against' that spiritual... read more
Leprosy in a house. From the first of these verses it is concluded that leprosy was not an ordinary disease, but a plague inflicted immediately by a judgment from God. That it was so inflicted in some instances upon persons cannot be disputed (see Numbers 12:10 ; 2 Kings 5:27 ; 2 Kings 15:5 ), and God threatens to curse the house of the wicked with such a plague ( Zechariah 5:4 ). The Jews view it in this light, and consequently regard leprosy as incurable except by the hand of... read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Leviticus 14:33-53
This is the law concerning the leprosy in a house. Now that they were in the wilderness they dwelt in tents, and had no houses, and therefore the law is made only an appendix to the former laws concerning the leprosy, because it related, not to their present state, but to their future settlement. The leprosy in a house is as unaccountable as the leprosy in a garment; but, if we see not what natural causes of it can be assigned, we may resolve it into the power of the God of nature, who here... read more