Leviticus 13:1-46

Regulations About Defiling Skin Diseases

1 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,

2 "When a {person} has on his body's skin a swelling or an epidermal eruption or a spot and it becomes an infectious skin disease on his body's skin, then he shall be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons the priests.

3 And the priest shall examine the infection on his body's skin, and [if] [the] hair in the infection turns white and the appearance of the infection [is] deeper than his body's skin, it [is] an infectious skin disease, and the priest shall examine it, and he shall declare him unclean.

4 But if a spot [is] white on his body's skin and its appearance is not deeper than the skin and its hair does not turn white, then the priest shall confine the afflicted person [for] seven days.

5 And the priest shall examine it on the seventh day, and {if}, in his eyes, the infection has stayed [unchanged], the infection has not spread on the skin, then the priest shall confine him [for] seven days [a] second [time].

6 And the priest shall examine him on the seventh day [for a] second [time], and {if} the infection has faded and the infection has not spread on the skin, then the priest shall declare him clean--it [is] an epidermal eruption; and he shall wash his garments, and so he shall be clean.

7 But if the epidermal eruption spreads further on the skin after showing himself to the priest for his cleansing, then he shall appear [a] second [time] to the priest.

8 And the priest shall examine [it], and {if} the epidermal eruption has spread on the skin, then the priest shall declare him unclean--it is an infectious skin disease.

9 "When an infectious skin disease is on a person and he is brought to the priest,

10 the priest shall examine [it], and {if} a white swelling [is] on the skin and it turns [the] hair white and {raw flesh} [is] in the swelling,

11 it [is] a chronic infectious skin disease on his body's skin, and the priest shall declare him unclean; he shall not confine him, because he [is] unclean.

12 And if the infectious skin disease breaks out all over on the skin and the infectious skin disease covers all of the afflicted person's skin from his head to his feed, {so far as the priest can see},

13 then the priest shall examine [it], and {if} the infectious skin disease covers his whole body, then he shall pronounce the afflicted person clean--all of it has turned white; he is clean.

14 But {whenever} {raw flesh} appears on him, he shall become unclean.

15 And the priest shall examine the {raw flesh}, and he shall pronounce him unclean--the {raw flesh} [is] unclean; it [is] an infectious skin disease.

16 Or, when the {raw flesh} returns and it has changed to white, then he shall come to the priest,

17 and the priest shall examine him, and {if} the infection has changed to white, then the priest shall pronounce the afflicted person clean--he is clean.

18 "And when [someone's] body {has} a skin sore on his skin and it is healed

19 and a white swelling or a {pinkish} spot appears in the skin sore's place, then he shall show himself to the priest.

20 And the priest shall examine [it], and {if} its appearance [is] deeper than the skin and its hair has changed to white, then the priest shall declare him unclean--it is an infectious skin disease; it has broken out in the skin sore.

21 And if the priest examines it and {if} there is no white hair in it and it is not deeper than the skin and it [is] faded, then the priest shall confine him [for] seven days.

22 But if it has spread further on the skin, then the priest shall declare him unclean--it [is] an infection.

23 But if the spot has stayed [unchanged], it has not spread, it [is] the skin sore's scar, so the priest shall declare him clean.

24 "Or when a body {has} a burn-spot {from} fire on its skin and the {raw flesh} of the burn-spot [is] {pinkish} or white,

25 then the priest shall examine it, and {if} the hair turns white in the spot and its appearance [is] deeper than the skin, it [is] an infectious skin disease--it has broken out in the burn-spot; so the priest shall declare him unclean--it [is] an infectious skin disease.

26 But if the priest examines it and {if} there is not white hair in the spot and it is not deeper than the skin and it [is] faded, then the priest shall confine him [for] seven days.

27 And the priest shall examine him on the seventh day; if it has spread further on the skin, then the priest shall declare him unclean--it [is] an infectious skin disease.

28 But if it the spot has stayed [unchanged] in its place, it has not spread on the skin and it [is] faded, [then] it is the burn-spot's swelling, so the priest shall declare him clean, because it [is] the burn-spot's scar.

29 "And when a man or a woman {has} an infection on [the] head or in [the] beard,

30 then the priest shall examine the infection, and {if} its appearance [is] deeper than the skin and in it [is] thin bright red hair, then the priest shall declare it unclean--it [is] a diseased area of skin; it [is] an infectious skin disease of the head or the beard.

31 But if the priest examines the diseased area of the skin's infection and {if} its appearance is not deeper than the skin and there is no black hair in it, then the priest shall confine the afflicted person [with] the diseased area of skin [for] seven days.

32 And the priest shall examine the infection on the seventh day, and {if} the diseased area of skin has not spread and it does not have bright red hair in it and the diseased area of the skin's appearance is not deeper than the skin,

33 then he shall shave himself, but he shall not shave the diseased area of skin, and the priest shall confine [the person with] the diseased area of skin [a] second [time] [for] seven days.

34 And the priest shall examine the diseased area of skin on the seventh day, and {if} the diseased area has not spread on the skin and its appearance is not deeper than the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him clean, and he shall wash his garments, and he shall be clean.

35 But if the diseased area of skin has not spread further on the skin after his cleansing,

36 then the priest shall examine him, and {if} the diseased area of skin has spread on the skin, the priest shall not inspect [for] bright red hair--he is unclean.

37 But if, in his eyes, the diseased area of skin has stayed [unchanged] and black hair has grown in it, the diseased area of skin is healed--he is clean, and the priest shall pronounce him clean.

38 "And when a man or a woman {has} spots on their body's skin, white spots,

39 then the priest shall examine [them], and {if} [the] spots on their body's skin [are] [a] faded white, it [is] a skin rash; it has broken out on the skin--it [is] clean.

40 "And if a man becomes bald, his head [is] bald, he [is] clean.

41 And if he becomes bald {from his forehead}, his head [is] bald, he [is] clean.

42 But if a {pinkish} infection occurs on the bald spot or on the bald forehead, it [is] an infectious skin disease that sprouts on his bald spot or on his bald forehead.

43 So the priest shall examine him, and {if} the infection's swelling [is] {pinkish} on his bald spot or on his bald forehead, like [the] appearance of an infectious skin disease [on] the body,

44 he [is] a man afflicted with a skin disease--he [is] unclean; the priest certainly shall declare him unclean--his infection [is] on his head.

45 "As for the person who is afflicted with a skin disease, his garments must be torn and his {hair} must [be allowed to] hang loosely, and he must cover [his] upper lip, and he must call out, 'Unclean! Unclean!'

46 [For] all [the] days [during] which the infection [is] on him, he shall be unclean; he must live alone; his dwelling [must be] {outside the camp}."

Leviticus 13:1-46 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO LEVITICUS 13

In this chapter an account is given of the various sorts of leprosy, and the rules by which they were to be judged of, Le 13:1-3 of the bright spot and scab, Le 13:4-8 of the rising or swelling, Le 13:9-17 of the bile or hot ulcer, Le 13:18-23 of the hot burning or inflammation, Le 13:24-28 of the plague of the scall, Le 13:29-37 of bright spots or blisters, Le 13:38,39 and of shedding the hair, and baldness, Le 13:40-44 of what the leper was to do, and to be done unto, Le 13:45,46 of the leprosy in garments made of linen, woollen, or of skin, Le 13:47-59.

Footnotes

• [a]. Or "And"
• [b]. Literally "man"
• [c]. Perfect of ????? followed by ??; see HALOT 244 s.v. 7.c
• [d]. Or "and"
• [e]. Or "And"
• [f]. Or "and"
• [g]. Literally "look" or "behold"
• [h]. Or "and"
• [i]. Literally "look" or "behold"
• [j]. Or "and"
• [k]. Or "And"
• [l]. Or "and"
• [m]. The direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
• [n]. Literally "look" or "behold"
• [o]. Or "and"
• [p]. The direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
• [q]. Literally "look" or "behold"
• [r]. Literally "living of living flesh"
• [s]. Literally "for all the sight of the eyes of the priest"
• [t]. Or "and"
• [u]. The direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
• [v]. Literally "look" or "behold"
• [w]. Or "and"
• [x]. Or "And"
• [y]. Literally "on a day"
• [z]. Literally "living flesh"
• [aa]. Literally "living flesh"
• [ab]. Literally "living flesh"
• [ac]. Literally "living flesh"
• [ad]. Or "and"
• [ae]. Literally "look" or "behold"
• [af]. Or "and"
• [ag]. Literally "becomes on it"
• [ah]. Literally "white red"
• [ai]. Or "and"
• [aj]. The direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
• [ak]. Literally "look" or "behold"
• [al]. Or "and"
• [am]. Literally "look" or "behold"
• [an]. Or "and"
• [ao]. Or "And"
• [ap]. Or "and"
• [aq]. Or "And"
• [ar]. Or "and"
• [as]. Literally "it becomes"
• [at]. Literally "of"
• [au]. Literally "living"
• [av]. Literally "white red"
• [aw]. Or "and"
• [ax]. Literally "look" or "behold"
• [ay]. Or "and"
• [az]. Or "And"
• [ba]. Literally "look" or "behold"
• [bb]. Or "and"
• [bc]. Or "and"
• [bd]. Or "And"
• [be]. Or "and"
• [bf]. Literally "becomes on him"
• [bg]. Or "and"
• [bh]. Literally "look" or "behold"
• [bi]. Or "and"
• [bj]. Or "And"
• [bk]. Literally "look" or "behold"
• [bl]. Or "and"
• [bm]. Literally "look" or "behold"
• [bn]. Or "and"
• [bo]. Or "and"
• [bp]. The direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
• [bq]. Literally "look" or "behold"
• [br]. Or "and"
• [bs]. Or "And"
• [bt]. Or "and"
• [bu]. Literally "look" or "behold"
• [bv]. Hebrew "the bright"
• [bw]. Or "And"
• [bx]. Literally "becomes"
• [by]. Or "and"
• [bz]. The direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
• [ca]. Literally "look" or "behold"
• [cb]. Literally "from the forehead of his face"
• [cc]. Or "And"
• [cd]. Literally "white red"
• [ce]. Or "becomes" or "happens"
• [cf]. Or "And"
• [cg]. Literally "look" or "behold"
• [ch]. Literally "white red"
• [ci]. Literally "of"
• [cj]. Or "And"
• [ck]. Literally "head"
• [cl]. Literally "from an outside place of the camp"