The Meaning of Leviticus 14:18 Explained

Leviticus 14:18

KJV: And the remnant of the oil that is in the priest's hand he shall pour upon the head of him that is to be cleansed: and the priest shall make an atonement for him before the LORD.

YLT: and the remnant of the oil which is on the palm of the priest, he putteth on the head of him who is to be cleansed, and the priest hath made atonement for him before Jehovah.

Darby: And the remainder of the oil that is in the priest's hand he shall put upon the head of him that is to be cleansed, and the priest shall make atonement for him before Jehovah.

ASV: and the rest of the oil that is in the priest's hand he shall put upon the head of him that is to be cleansed: and the priest shall make atonement for him before Jehovah.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And the remnant  of the oil  that [is] in the priest's  hand  he shall pour  upon the head  of him that is to be cleansed:  and the priest  shall make an atonement  for him before  the LORD. 

What does Leviticus 14:18 Mean?

Context Summary

Leviticus 14:1-20 - The Law Of The Cleansed Leper
The penalty, when leprosy had unmistakably declared itself, included compulsory severance from the camp, the rent garments, the bare head, the covered lip, the cry "unclean," Leviticus 14:45. Sin severs us from fellowship with God and His saints, and makes us a source of contamination to all in contact with us, though they may not realize that we are defiling them.
Being cured, the leper was first restored to the camp, Leviticus 14:1-9. The birds are striking types of death and resurrection. Notice that the blood of one was mingled with fresh, i.e., running, water, because of the perennial freshness of the blood of Christ; and that the ascension of the other, when liberated, is significant of the freedom from the law of sin and death which the soul of the believer experiences through the power of the Holy Spirit. See Romans 8:1-4.
Secondly, the leper was restored to the sanctuary, Leviticus 14:10-20. On the eighth day of resurrection, the blood and oil were placed on thumb and toe and ear, because all our senses have been purchased and consecrated to the service of God. Let us, in gratitude for our own cleansing from sin, consecrate ourselves anew to God! [source]

Chapter Summary: Leviticus 14

1  The rites and sacrifices in cleansing the leper
33  The signs of leprosy in a house
48  The cleansing of that house

What do the individual words in Leviticus 14:18 mean?

and the rest of the oil that [is] in hand of the priest he shall put on the head of him who is to be cleansed so shall make atonement for him the priest before Yahweh
וְהַנּוֹתָ֗ר בַּשֶּׁ֙מֶן֙ אֲשֶׁר֙ עַל־ כַּ֣ף הַכֹּהֵ֔ן יִתֵּ֖ן עַל־ רֹ֣אשׁ הַמִּטַּהֵ֑ר וְכִפֶּ֥ר עָלָ֛יו הַכֹּהֵ֖ן לִפְנֵ֥י יְהוָֽה

וְהַנּוֹתָ֗ר  and  the  rest 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Verb, Nifal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: יָתַר  
Sense: to be left over, remain, remain over, leave.
בַּשֶּׁ֙מֶן֙  of  the  oil 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: שֶׁמֶן  
Sense: fat, oil.
אֲשֶׁר֙  that  [is] 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
כַּ֣ף  hand 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: כַּף  
Sense: palm, hand, sole, palm of the hand, hollow or flat of the hand.
הַכֹּהֵ֔ן  of  the  priest 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: כֹּהֵן  
Sense: priest, principal officer or chief ruler.
יִתֵּ֖ן  he  shall  put 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
רֹ֣אשׁ  the  head 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: רֹאשׁ 
Sense: head, top, summit, upper part, chief, total, sum, height, front, beginning.
הַמִּטַּהֵ֑ר  of  him  who  is  to  be  cleansed 
Parse: Article, Verb, Hitpael, Participle, masculine singular
Root: טָהֵר  
Sense: to be clean, be pure.
וְכִפֶּ֥ר  so  shall  make  atonement 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: כָּפַר 
Sense: to cover, purge, make an atonement, make reconciliation, cover over with pitch.
עָלָ֛יו  for  him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
הַכֹּהֵ֖ן  the  priest 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: כֹּהֵן  
Sense: priest, principal officer or chief ruler.
לִפְנֵ֥י  before 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, common plural construct
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
יְהוָֽה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.