But it shall be on the seventh day, that he shall shave all his hair off his head and his beard and his eyebrows, even all his hair he shall shave off: and he shall wash his clothes, also he shall wash his flesh in water, and he shall be clean.
shave all
Numbers 6:9 And if any man die very suddenly by him, and he hath defiled the head of his consecration; then he shall shave his head in the day of his cleansing, on the seventh day shall he shave it.
Numbers 8:7 And thus shalt thou do unto them, to cleanse them: Sprinkle water of purifying upon them, and let them shave all their flesh, and let them wash their clothes, and so make themselves clean.
he must shave off all his hair—his head, his beard, his eyebrows, and the rest of his hair.
Shaving all hair signifies a complete removal of the old self, symbolizing purification and a fresh start. In ancient Israel, hair was often associated with identity and status, so removing it indicated humility and submission to God's cleansing process. This act parallels the Nazirite vow in Numbers 6, where hair also plays a significant role in consecration and dedication to God.
He must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water,
Washing clothes and bathing are physical acts representing spiritual purification. Water is a recurring symbol of cleansing and renewal throughout Scripture, such as in baptism (Matthew 3:11) and the washing of regeneration (Titus 3:5). This ritual underscores the importance of both external and internal purity before re-entering the community.
and he will be clean.
The declaration of cleanliness signifies restoration to the community and to God. It reflects the broader biblical theme of redemption and reconciliation, as seen in the New Testament where believers are cleansed by the blood of Christ (1 John 1:7). This final state of cleanliness points to the ultimate purification believers receive through Jesus, the fulfillment of the law.
“On the seventh day…” (Leviticus 14:9)
• The timing links back to verses 1–8, where the priest declared the former leper clean and began a week-long period outside his tent (Leviticus 14:8).
• Seven days symbolize completion and divine order (Genesis 2:1-3; Joshua 6:15). Here the full span underscores that cleansing is God’s work carried to perfect conclusion.
• The week also mirrors the quarantine period earlier prescribed for suspected leprosy (Leviticus 13:4-6), showing that restoration is as deliberate as diagnosis.
“…he must shave off all his hair…”
• Shaving removes every trace of the old condition, a visual break with defilement (Numbers 8:7 for Levites; Deuteronomy 21:12 for captive women).
• Hair often held social identity (2 Samuel 14:25-26), so losing it pictures total humility and fresh start before God (Isaiah 40:6-8).
• No shortcuts—holiness requires thorough obedience (James 1:22-25).
“…his head, his beard, his eyebrows, and the rest of his hair.”
• The detailed listing stresses nothing is exempt. What once broadcast uncleanness (Leviticus 13:45) is now completely removed.
• Eyebrows frame the face; even hidden places must submit. God desires purity in every area, seen or unseen (Psalm 139:23-24; 2 Corinthians 7:1).
• Beard shaving was culturally extreme (2 Samuel 10:4-5), highlighting the seriousness of sin’s stain and the cost of cleansing.
“He must wash his clothes…”
• Garments symbolize external conduct (Jude 23; Revelation 7:14). Washing them shows that restored fellowship calls for renewed lifestyle.
• Previously, lepers wore torn clothes as a sign of mourning (Leviticus 13:45). Clean clothes now testify to God’s mercy (Isaiah 61:10).
• The act anticipates New Testament imagery of putting off the old self and putting on the new (Ephesians 4:22-24).
“…and bathe himself with water…”
• Full immersion reflects total purification (Exodus 29:4 for priests).
• Water consistently pictures God’s Word cleansing the believer (Ephesians 5:26; John 15:3).
• Personal responsibility is emphasized: the man must act on what the priest pronounced—faith expressed through obedience (John 9:7).
“…and he will be clean.”
• God alone grants the final verdict of purity (Psalm 51:7; Mark 1:40-42).
• The passive result—“will be clean”—assures that compliance with God’s provision brings certain restoration (1 John 1:9).
• Physical cleansing prefigures the deeper spiritual cleansing accomplished by Christ’s atonement (Hebrews 9:13-14).
Leviticus 14:9 lays out the seventh-day rites for a healed leper: complete shaving, washing of clothes, and bathing. Each step vividly portrays a break with the past, wholehearted obedience, and God-given renewal. The verse teaches that true cleansing is thorough, God-ordered, and culminates in assured acceptance—pointing forward to the comprehensive salvation provided in Christ.
(9) But it shall be . . . --Better, And it shall be. The second stage of purification, which restored the convalescent to the communion of the sanctuary, began on the seventh day, when, as a first act, he had again to shave off the hair of the whole of his body.Also he shall wash his flesh.--Better, and he shall bathe himself, or his body. The expression "flesh" simply means self, or body, as the Authorised Version rightly translates it in Ecclesiastes 2:3; Isaiah 10:8; Ezekiel 10:12. Besides Numbers 19:7, the full phrase, "to wash the flesh in water," occurs eight times, and always in Leviticus (Leviticus 14:9; Leviticus 15:13; Leviticus 15:16; Leviticus 16:4; Leviticus 16:24; Leviticus 16:26; Leviticus 16:28; Leviticus 22:6), and is rendered in three different ways in the Authorised Version: by (1) "wash his flesh in water" (Leviticus 14:9; Leviticus 15:16; Leviticus 16:4); by (2) "wash his flesh with water" (Leviticus 16:24); by (3) "bathe his flesh in water" (Leviticus 15:13; Leviticus 16:24; Leviticus 16:26; Leviticus 16:28; Numbers 19:7). When a peculiar ritual phrase designedly deviates in a single section in the original from another phrase which is used to express the same idea (comp, Leviticus 14:8; Leviticus 15:5-8; Leviticus 15:10; Leviticus 15:12; Leviticus 15:16; Leviticus 15:18; Leviticus 15:21-22; Leviticus 15:27; Leviticus 17:15), it is essential that it should be translated by the identical phrase in English. During the second Temple, restored lepers bathed in a chamber at the north-western corner of the Court of the Women, called the "chamber of the lepers." . . .
Verses 9-32. - The ceremonies in the second stage of cleansing, which restored the late outcast to his home and to his covenant-right, were the following;1. At the end of seven days he repeated the process of washing, shaving, and bathing.
2. On the eighth day he brought a lamb for a trespass offering, a leg of oil, a meat offering, a sin offering, and a burnt offering.
3. The priest that officiated at the cleansing presented him and his offerings at the door of the tabernacle. . . .
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