Leviticus 13:12

12 "If the leprosy breaks out farther on the skin, and the leprosy covers all the skin of him who has the infection from his head even to his feet, as far as the priest can see *,

Leviticus 13:12 Meaning and Commentary

Leviticus 13:12

And if a leprosy break out abroad in the skin
Or, if flowering it flowers F13; the man that has it on him looks like a plant or tree covered with white flowers, being spread all over him in white swellings, bright spots or scabs, as it follows:

and the leprosy cover all the skin of [him that hath] the plague, from
his head even to his foot;
such an one as the leper was that came to Christ for healing, said to be full of leprosy, ( Luke 5:12 ) ; and such in a mystical sense is every sinner, whether sensible of it or not, even from the Crown of the head to the sole of the foot, full of the wounds, bruises, and putrefying sores of sin, ( Isaiah 1:6 ) ;

wheresoever the priest looketh;
that is, he cannot look any where upon any part of him but he sees the signs of the leprosy on him; and from whence the Jewish writers gather, that a priest that inspects leprous persons ought to have a clear sight, and to have both his eyes, and that the inspection should not be made in a dark house.


FOOTNOTES:

F13 (xrpt xwrp) (anyousa exanyhsh) , Sept. "florendo floruerit", Montanus; so Drusius & Tigurine version.

Leviticus 13:12 In-Context

10 "The priest shall then look, and if there is a white swelling in the skin, and it has turned the hair white, and there is quick raw flesh in the swelling,
11 it is a chronic leprosy on the skin of his body, and the priest shall pronounce him unclean; he shall not isolate him, for he is unclean.
12 "If the leprosy breaks out farther on the skin, and the leprosy covers all the skin of him who has the infection from his head even to his feet, as far as the priest can see ,
13 then the priest shall look, and behold, if the leprosy has covered all his body, he shall pronounce clean him who has the infection; it has all turned white and he is clean.
14 "But whenever raw flesh appears on him, he shall be unclean.

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. Lit "with regard to the whole sight of the priest's eyes"
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