He will slaughter one of the birds over a clay pot filled with fresh water.
Parallel translations
- WEB He shall kill one of the birds in an earthen vessel over running water.
- KJV And he shall kill the one of the birds in an earthen vessel over running water:
- BSB and he shall slaughter one of the birds over fresh water in a clay pot.
- NKJV Then he shall kill one of the birds in an earthen vessel over running water;
- NASB and he shall slaughter the one bird in an earthenware vessel over running water.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The priest kills one of the birds in an earthen vessel over running water. It matters because the slain bird's blood, mixed with living water, provides the cleansing for the house.
Overview
As in the leper's rite, one bird is killed over fresh water in a clay vessel, its blood mingling with the living water. The combination of blood and living water again portrays cleansing from defilement. This shared imagery points to the blood and water from Christ's side (John 19:34), the source of cleansing for all that is unclean.
Cross-references & the web
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Christ at the center
Every sacrifice, every priest, and every day of atonement points beyond itself to the one perfect offering and the great High Priest who, by his own blood, makes the unclean holy once for all.
How Leviticus 14:50 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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