Question 1

What is happening in the law about a house with leprosy in this passage?

Accepted Answer

This passage describes what happens when a house that once had leprosy no longer shows signs of the plague after repair. The priest comes back, inspects the house, and if the spots have not spread after the walls were scraped and re‑plastered, he declares the house clean. Then a special cleansing rite takes place using two birds, cedar wood, scarlet, and hyssop. One bird is killed over running water, the house is sprinkled seven times, and the other bird is released into the open fields. After this, the house is counted clean and can be lived in again.

Question 2

Why did the priest use two birds, cedar wood, scarlet, and hyssop to cleanse the house?

Accepted Answer

The same items used to cleanse a person from leprosy are used here for a house. Two living birds, cedar wood, scarlet cord, and hyssop are taken. One bird is killed over running water in an earthen pot. The priest dips the cedar, hyssop, scarlet, and the living bird into that mix of blood and water and sprinkles the house seven times. These actions mark the house as cleansed and set apart again for use by God’s people. The passage shows that the house was under God’s judgment and now is restored by his mercy, using symbols Israel already knew from the cleansing of a leper.

Question 3

What does it mean that the priest makes atonement for the house?

Accepted Answer

When the passage says the priest makes atonement for the house, it means he performs the God‑given rites that remove its uncleanness and the sign of judgment from it. The house had been under a plague, which showed God’s displeasure. After inspection, scraping, plastering, and the bird ritual, the priest declares that the house is now clean. No animal is burned on the altar here, but God still calls this atonement. The blood, water, and release of the living bird show that what was once defiled is now accepted again for the use of his people.

Question 4

How do these leprosy laws teach what is clean and unclean?

Accepted Answer

The passage ends by saying this is the law to teach when something is unclean and when it is clean. These rules educated Israel and their priests so they could judge cases wisely. They covered skin diseases, spots on the body, leprosy in garments, and plagues in houses. Each case had careful steps of inspection, waiting, and sometimes destruction or cleansing. This showed that God cares about every part of life and that his people must pay attention to things that spread corruption. By these laws, the priests could say with clarity, “This is unclean” or “This is clean,” so Israel could live as a holy nation.

Question 5

What does this passage show about God’s care for families and homes?

Accepted Answer

These verses show that God cares not just about people’s bodies but also about their living spaces. A house could become unfit to live in, or it could be restored and blessed again. God provided a way to protect families from harm by having the priest inspect, order repairs, and, if needed, pull a house down. He also provided a way for a healed house to be cleansed, not just aired out. This teaches that home life matters to God. He wants the places where his people live to be safe and pure, and he gives clear guidance rather than leaving them to guess what to do.

Question 6

Why was it sometimes better for a leprous house to be destroyed?

Accepted Answer

Earlier in the same law, if the plague in the house kept spreading even after scraping and replacing stones, the house had to be torn down and its parts carried outside the city. This may seem harsh, but it protected the people from ongoing harm. A house that remained plagued was not safe to live in. The picture is that it is better to lose a building than to live in constant uncleanness and danger. The final verses remind readers that God gave these laws so that his people would know when to separate from what was unclean and when they could safely return to normal life.

Question 7

How can the picture of leprosy in a house help us think about sin in a home today?

Accepted Answer

The passage itself deals with physical uncleanness, but it also gives a helpful picture. Just as leprosy in a house was a spreading plague, open sin in a family can spread and harm everyone there. The owner in the passage is to act early, as soon as he sees something that looks like a plague. In the same way, family leaders today should not ignore serious wrongdoing in the home. They should deal with it firmly and wisely before it spreads. The way God gave a process for testing, scraping away, or even removing a house shows how serious it is to let corruption remain among those we live with.

Question 8

What does this law reveal about the role of priests among God’s people?

Accepted Answer

In this passage, the priest does much more than lead worship. He inspects houses, orders repairs, waits, reinspects, and finally declares a house clean or unclean. He also performs the cleansing rite with the birds, cedar wood, scarlet, and hyssop. This shows that leaders among God’s people must be careful and patient, able to make hard calls about what is harmful and what is safe. They are to guard the community from defilement. The law ends by saying it was given to teach when things are clean or unclean, which highlights the priest’s role as a teacher and judge in matters of holiness.

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.

Cleansing a Home

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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.

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Cleansing a Home

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