Vayikra 13:42

42 And if there be in the bald head, or bald forehead, a white reddish nega, it is a tzara’at breaking out in his bald head, or his bald forehead.

Vayikra 13:42 Meaning and Commentary

Leviticus 13:42

And if there be
Or, "but if there be", or, "when there shall be" ^F25, or shall appear to be:

in the bald head, or in the bald forehead, a white reddish sore;
white and red mixed, as the Targum of Jonathan, having something of both colours, neither a clear white nor thorough red; though, according to Bochart, it should be rendered "a white sore exceeding bright"; (See Gill on Leviticus 13:19);

it [is] a leprosy sprung up in his bald head, or in his bald forehead;
the signs of which were raw flesh and spreading; so it is said in the Misnah ^F26,

``those two sorts of baldness defile in two weeks, by two signs, by quick raw flesh and by spreading;''

if there was the bright spot and no quick flesh, then he was to be shut up seven days, and looked upon at the end of them; and if there was either quick flesh or a spreading, he was pronounced unclean, but if neither, he was shut up seven days more; and if either of the above signs appeared he was pronounced unclean, if not he was set free.

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FOOTNOTES:

F25 (ykw) "sin autem", V. L. "quum autem", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator Drusius.
F26 Ut supra. (Misn. Negaim, c. 10. sect. 10.)

Vayikra 13:42 In-Context

40 And the man whose hair is fallen off his head, he is bald; yet is he tahor.

41 And he that hath his hair fallen off from the front of his scalp, he is bald at the forehead; yet is he tahor.

42 And if there be in the bald head, or bald forehead, a white reddish nega, it is a tzara’at breaking out in his bald head, or his bald forehead.

43 Then the kohen shall examine it; and, hinei, if the swelling of the nega be white reddish in his bald head, or in his bald forehead, as the tzara’at appeareth in the skin of the basar,

44 He is an ish tzaru’a, he is tamei; the kohen shall pronounce him utterly tamei; his nega is in his head.