Leviticus 14:43-45
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Even after taking out infected stones, scraping, and replastering, the possibility of the disease returning highlights that outward cleansing, however thorough, isn't enough. This emphasizes that some defilements are deeply ingrained and require more than superficial remedies to truly be removed.
“If the disease breaks out again in the house, after he has taken out the stones and scraped the house and plastered it, then the priest shall go and look. And if the disease has spread in the house, it is a persistent leprous disease in the house; it is unclean. And he shall break down the house, its stones and timber and all the plaster of the house, and he shall carry them out of the city to an unclean place.
English Standard Version (ESV)
After thorough cleaning and repair, including removing infected stones, scraping walls, and replastering, the text considers the possibility of the "plague" returning. If it reappears, it signifies a persistent, incurable infestation within the house. This marks the final stage where the entire structure must be demolished and its materials removed to an unclean place.
Sometimes, a simple cleaning just isn't enough. When something is deeply corrupted, superficial fixes won't work.
Leviticus 14 describes a detailed process for dealing with leprosy, not just on people but also on houses. If a house showed signs of this infectious disease, the first step was to remove infected stones, scrape the walls, and replaster.
This was a thorough, invasive process. It wasn't just a quick wipe-down; it involved dismantling parts of the structure. The goal was to get to the root of the problem and eliminate it completely. Even after these significant efforts, the text leaves us with a crucial question: what happens if the disease returns?
What happens when even the most rigorous cleaning fails? Some things are beyond repair.
Leviticus 14:43 presents a stark reality: if the plague returns after all those intensive cleaning measures, it signifies a deeper, incurable corruption. The disease is described as a 'fretting leprosy' that has spread throughout the house.
In such cases, the prescribed action is not further repair but demolition. The entire house—stones, timber, and mortar—must be torn down and its materials disposed of in an unclean place outside the city. This wasn't just about removing the visible signs; it was an acknowledgment that the corruption was so deep that the structure itself was irredeemably contaminated and a danger to others.
Understand the original words
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tsara'ath · Hebrew Noun
Often translated as 'leprosy' in older versions, this term refers to a variety of skin diseases or, in the case of a house, fungal or mold-like growths that rendered an object or person ritually unclean. It is used as a graphic symbol for the defiling nature of sin.
kohen · Hebrew Noun
The representative of God responsible for maintaining the holiness of the sanctuary and the camp, and for diagnosing cases of ritual impurity to determine the appropriate purification process.
mam'ereth · Hebrew Adjective
A term characterizing the stubborn or incurable nature of the impurity, indicating that the defilement has penetrated deep into the structure and cannot be removed by surface cleansing.
Jesus speaks about an unclean spirit going out of a person, only to return to find the house (the person) swept and empty, leading to a worse state. This mirrors the house in Leviticus, where even after cleansing, the impurity returns.
1 Corinthians 3:16-17Paul calls believers God's temple and warns that anyone who destroys God's temple (the church or an individual believer) will be destroyed by God. This passage highlights the sanctity of a dwelling, whether a physical house or the body of Christ, and the severe consequences when impurity persists.
Hebrews 12:15-16This passage warns against a 'root of bitterness' springing up, defiling many, and cautions against sexual immorality or godlessness. It parallels the idea of a persistent, corrupting 'disease' that spreads and necessitates drastic measures, much like the incurable leprosy in the house.
2 Peter 2:20-22Peter describes the horrific spiritual state of those who have escaped the world's pollutions but return to them, likening their condition to a dog returning to its vomit or a sow to its wallowing in mud. This vividly illustrates a relapse into defilement after a supposed cleansing, echoing the persistent plague in Leviticus.
gillLeviticus 14:43: "And if the plague come again, and break out in the house, after that he hath taken away the stones, and after he hath scraped the house, and after it is plaistered;"
And if the plague come again, and break out in the house,.... In the above signs of it: after that he hath taken away the stones; which were infected, or ordered them to be taken away: and after he hath scraped the house; so that there seemed to be no remains of the plague: and after it is plastered; to prevent if…
calvinLeviticus 14:1-57: "And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,"
As for the living bird, he shall take it, and the cedar-wood, and the scarlet, and the hyssop, and shall dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water:
Avem vivam tollet, et lignum cedrinum, et cuccum vermiculi, et hyssopum: et tinget illa, et avem vivam in sanguine avis mactatae super aquas vivas.
And he shall sprinkle upon him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven time…
Even after taking out infected stones, scraping, and replastering, the possibility of the disease returning highlights that outward cleansing, however thorough, isn't enough. This emphasizes that some defilements are deeply ingrained and require more than superficial remedies to truly be removed.
After thorough cleaning and repair, including removing infected stones, scraping walls, and replastering, the text considers the possibility of the "plague" returning. If it reappears, it signifies a persistent, incurable infestation within the house. This marks the final stage where the entire structure must be demolished and its materials removed to an unclean place.
After thorough cleaning and repair, including removing infected stones, scraping walls, and replastering, the text considers the possibility of the "plague" returning. If it reappears, it signifies a persistent, incurable infestation within the house. This marks the final stage where the entire structure must be demolished and its materials removed to an unclean place.
"“If the disease breaks out again in the house, after he has taken out the stones and scraped the house and plastered it, then the priest shall go and look. And if the disease has spread in the house, it is a persistent leprous disease in t…" — Even after taking out infected stones, scraping, and replastering, the possibility of the disease returning highlights that outward cleansing, however thorough, isn't enough. This emphasizes that som…
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Last reviewed October 2026
