Leviticus 14:12

King James Version (KJV)

And the priest shall take one he lamb, and offer him for a trespass offering, and the log of oil, and wave them for a wave offering before the Lord:

Adam Clarke
Bible Commentary

Wave-offering - See Exodus 29:27, and Leviticus 7, where the reader will find an ample account of all the various offerings and sacrifices used among the Jews.

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Albert Barnes
Notes on the Whole Bible

This trespass-offering, with its blood and the oil, must be regarded as the main feature in the ceremony: no alteration being permitted even in the case of the poor Leviticus 14:21-23. There appears to be no other case in which an entire victim was waved (see Leviticus 7:30) before Yahweh. The Levites are spoken of as “a wave offering,” Numbers 8:11-15 (see the margin). The man in this case, represented by his trespass-offering, was dedicated as a Wave-offering in like manner.

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Matthew Henry
Concise Bible Commentary

The cleansed leper was to be presented to the Lord, with his offerings. When God has restored us to enjoy public worship again, after sickness, distance, or otherwise, we should testify our thanksgiving by our diligent use of the liberty. And both we and our offerings must be presented before the Lord, by the Priest that made us clean, even our Lord Jesus. Beside the usual rites of the trespass-offering, some of the blood, and some of the oil, was to be put upon him that was to be cleansed. Wherever the blood of Christ is applied for justification, the oil of the Spirit is applied for sanctification; these two cannot be separated. We have here the gracious provision the law made for poor lepers. The poor are as welcome to God's altar as the rich. But though a meaner sacrifice was accepted from the poor, yet the same ceremony was used for the rich; their souls are as precious, and Christ and his gospel are the same to both. Even for the poor one lamb was necessary. No sinner could be saved, had it not been for the Lamb that was slain, and hath redeemed us to God with his blood.

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SDA Bible Commentary (limited)
Volume 1-7

12. A trespass offering. It is of note that a trespass offering was required in the case of a leper’s cleansing, and also that no mention is made of a peace offering, which usually accompanied a trespass offering. The reason for requiring a trespass offering is far from clear. Such an offering was to be presented in all cases where there was restitution to be made; otherwise a sin offering would be required. The question may be asked, What had the leper done that he must make restitution for? It appears that where a trespass offering was brought instead of a sin offering, the one to be cleansed placed his hand upon the animal and confessed his sins. Although this is not mentioned here, it was doubtless done (see Lev. 5:5; Num. 5:7).

There are five points in which the trespass offering for the cleansing of a leper was distinctive: (1) The animal presented was not to be of any stipulated value, as in the ordinary trespass offering (Lev. 5:16; 6:6). (2) It was waved, whereas the ordinary trespass offering was not waved. (3) It was waved by the priest, whereas the ordinary wave offering was waved by the offerer whose hands were guided by the priest (ch. 7:30). (4) The whole animal was waved (ch. 14:12), which was true in only one other case (ch. 23:20). (5) Oil accompanied the presentation of the offering.

The reason most often advanced to account for a trespass offering instead of a sin offering is that the Lord had been deprived of the services of the leper during all the years of his sickness. But this could have been true only where the person had purposely done something that incapacitated him for service.

If a man so lives as to impair his health, he deprives God of service that he owes Him. In the nature of the case, such a man should offer a trespass offering and make restitution as far as possible. Too many give their best years to the world, and when they are old and sick they turn to God. God will accept such; but the fact remains that they have deprived God and humanity of service they could and should have rendered, had they early in life dedicated themselves to Him.

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Cross References

trespass