Leviticus 13

1 The Lord spake to Moses and Aaron, and said,

2 A man in whose skin and flesh riseth diverse colour, either (a) whelk, either as some shining thing, that is, a wound of leprosy [that is to say, a plague of leprosy], he shall be brought to Aaron the priest, either to one of any of his sons (or to one of his sons);

3 and when he seeth the leprosy, or meselry, in the skin, and the hair changed into white colour, and that the species of leprosy is lower than the other skin and the flesh, it is a wound of leprosy [it is a plague of leprosy], and he shall be separated at the doom of the priest (and the priest shall pronounce him to be unclean).

4 Soothly if the shining whiteness that is in the skin, neither (it) is lower than the tother flesh, and the hairs be of the former colour, the priest shall close him seven days (then the priest shall enclose him for seven days);

5 and the priest shall behold him in the seventh day, and soothly if the leprosy wax not further, neither passeth the former terms in the flesh, again the priest shall close him again seven other days; (and the priest shall examine him on the seventh day, and if the leprosy hath not grown, or not spread, nor it hath passed the original borders in the flesh, the priest shall enclose him again for seven more days;)

6 and he shall behold him in the seventh day; if the leprosy is then dark, and waxeth not in the flesh, the priest shall cleanse him, that is, shall deem him to be clean, for it is a scab; and the man shall wash his clothes, and he shall be clean. (and he shall examine him again on the seventh day; if the leprosy is then dark, and hath not grown, or not spread, in the flesh, the priest shall pronounce him to be clean, for it is a scab; and the man shall wash his clothes, and so he shall be clean.)

7 That if the leprosy waxeth again, after that he is seen of the priest, and is yielded to cleanness, he shall be brought again to the priest, (But if the leprosy groweth again, or spreadeth, after that he was seen by the priest, and was pronounced clean, he shall be brought again to the priest,)

8 and he shall be deemed to be of uncleanness. (and the priest shall pronounce him to be unclean.)

9 If the wound of leprosy is in a man [If the plague of leprosy is in a man], he shall be brought to the priest,

10 and he shall see the man; and when white colour is in the flesh, and it changeth the sight, or former colour, of [the] hairs, and that flesh appeareth quick, or waxing (and that flesh appeareth to be raw),

11 it shall be deemed the eldest leprosy, and grown to the skin; therefore the priest shall defoul him, that is, deem him to be foul, and the priest shall not close him again, for it is of open uncleanness. (it shall be judged to be an old leprosy, or a chronic skin disease, grown in the skin; and so the priest shall pronounce him to be defiled, or unclean, but he shall not enclose him again, for it is an open uncleanness.)

12 But if the leprosy running about in the skin flowereth out, (or spreadeth,) and covereth all the flesh, from the head till to the feet, (on) whatever thing falleth under the sight of (his) eyes;

13 the priest shall behold him, and he shall deem him to be holden with the cleanest leprosy, for all the skin is turned into whiteness, and therefore the man shall be clean. (the priest shall examine him, and he shall pronounce him to be clean, for all the skin hath turned white, and so the man shall be clean.)

14 Soothly when quick flesh appeareth in him, he shall be defouled (But when raw flesh appeareth on him, he shall be pronounced defiled, or unclean,)

15 by the doom of the priest, and he shall be areckoned among unclean men; for quick flesh is unclean, if it is sprinkled with leprosy. (by the priest, and he shall be reckoned among the unclean; for raw flesh is unclean, if it is sprinkled with leprosy.)

16 That if the (raw) flesh is turned again into whiteness, and covereth all the man, (But when the raw flesh healeth, and turneth white, the man shall go to the priest,)

17 the priest shall behold him, and shall deem that he is clean. (and the priest shall examine him, and shall pronounce that he is clean.)

18 The flesh and the skin, in which a botch is bred, and is healed, (The flesh and the skin, in which a boil, or a sore, is bred, and then is healed,)

19 and the place of the botch, or a fell sore (or the sore), appeareth white, either red, the man shall be brought to the priest;

20 and when the priest seeth the place of the leprosy (to be) lower than the other flesh, and the hairs turned into whiteness, the priest shall defoul him, that is, (shall) deem him (to be) foul, (the priest shall pronounce him to be defiled, or unclean); for the wound of leprosy is bred in the botch [for a plague of leprosy is sprung in the botch].

21 That if the hair is of the former colour, and the sign of the wound is some-deal dark, and is not lower than the flesh beside, the priest shall close the man seven days; (But if the hair is of the former colour, and the mark of the plague is somewhat dark, and is not lower than the flesh beside it, the priest shall enclose the man for seven days;)

22 and soothly, if his sore waxeth, the priest shall deem the man to be (a) leper; (and if his sore groweth, or spreadeth, the priest shall pronounce him to be a leper;)

23 forsooth if it standeth in his place, it is a sign of a botch, and the man shall be clean. (but if it standeth in its place, it is the sign of a boil, or of a sore, and the priest shall pronounce him to be clean.)

24 Flesh, and skin, which the fire hath burnt, and is (now) healed, and hath a white, either red, sign of (a) wound, the priest shall behold it (the priest shall examine it),

25 and lo! if it is turned into whiteness, and the place thereof is lower than the tother skin, the priest shall defoul the man (the priest shall pronounce him to be defiled, or unclean), for a wound of leprosy is bred in the sign of (the) wound [for the plague of leprosy is sprung in the fell wound].

26 That if the colour of [the] hairs is not changed, neither the wound, or soreness, is lower than the tother flesh, and that species of leprosy is some-deal dark, the priest shall close the man seven days; (But if the colour of the hairs is not changed, and the sore is not lower than the other flesh, and that kind of leprosy is somewhat dark, the priest shall enclose the man for seven days;)

27 and in the seventh day he shall behold him; if the leprosy waxeth in the flesh, the priest shall defoul the man, (that is, shall deem him to be defiled, or unclean); (and on the seventh day he shall examine him; if the leprosy hath grown, or spread, in the flesh, the priest shall pronounce him to be defiled, or unclean;)

28 else if the whiteness standeth in his place, and is not clear enough, it is a wound, or soreness, of burning, and therefore the man shall be cleansed, for it is a sign of burning. (but if the whiteness standeth in its place, and is light in colour, it is a sore from a burn, and so the man shall be clean, that is, the priest shall pronounce him to be clean, for it is the mark of a burn.)

29 A man or a woman, in whose head or beard leprosy burgeoneth, (A man or a woman, on whose head, or chin, groweth leprosy,)

30 the priest shall see them; and if the place is lower than the tother flesh, and the hair is white, and is subtler, either smaller, than it is wont (to be), the priest shall defoul them, for it is leprosy of the head, and of the beard (the priest shall pronounce them to be defiled, or unclean, for it is a leprosy of the head, or of the chin).

31 Else if he seeth the place of the wem, or the sore, (to be) even with the nigh flesh, and the hair black, the priest shall close them seven days (then the priest shall enclose them for seven days),

32 and he shall see them in the seventh day; if the wem waxeth not, and the hair is of his colour, and the place of wound is even with the tother flesh, (and he shall examine them on the seventh day; if the sore hath not grown, or not spread, and the hair is its proper colour, and the place of the sore is even with the other flesh,)

33 the man shall be shaven, without the place of the wem, and he shall be closed again by seven other days. (the man, or the woman, shall be shaved, except for the place of the sore, and they shall be enclosed again for another seven days.)

34 If in the seventh day the wound, or soreness, is seen to have stand in his place, neither (it) is lower than the tother flesh, the priest shall cleanse the man; and when his clothes be washed, he shall be clean. (If on the seventh day, the sore is seen to have stood in its place, nor is it any lower than the other flesh, the priest shall pronounce them to be clean; and when their clothes be washed, they shall be clean.)

35 Else if after the cleansing, a spot waxeth again in the skin, (But if, after they be pronounced clean, a spot groweth again, or spreadeth, in the skin,)

36 the priest shall no more inquire, whether the hair is changed into white colour, for apertly he is unclean. (the priest shall inquire no more, whether the hair is changed to white colour, or not, for they be openly unclean.)

37 Soothly if the spot standeth still, and the hairs be black, know then the priest that the man is healed, and trustily pronounce he the man clean. (But if the spot standeth still, and the hairs be black, then let the priest know that they be healed, and trustily pronounce he that they be clean.)

38 A man or a woman, in whose skin whiteness appeareth,

39 the priest shall behold them; if he perceiveth, that whiteness some-deal dark shineth in the skin, know he, that it is no leprosy, but a spot of white colour, and that the man is clean. (the priest shall examine them; if he perceiveth that a somewhat dark whiteness shineth in the skin, know he, that it is not leprosy, but a spot of white colour, and they be clean.)

40 A man of whose head the hairs float away, he is bald, and clean; (A man from whose head the hairs float away, he is bald, and is clean;)

41 and if the hairs fall from the forehead, he is bald, and is clean;

42 else if in the baldness before, either in the baldness behind (but if in the baldness at the front, or in the baldness at the back), white either red colour is bred, or is sprung up,

43 and the priest seeth this, he shall condemn the man, without (any) doubt of (him having) leprosy, which is bred in the baldness.

44 Therefore whoever is defouled with leprosy, and is separated from other men, at the doom of the priest (by the priest's pronouncement),

45 he shall have his clothes unsewed (he shall wear torn clothes), and his head (shall be) bare, and his mouth (shall be) covered with a cloth, [and] he shall cry himself (to be) defouled, and vile;

46 in all the time that he is leprous and unclean, he shall dwell alone, without the tents. (and in all the time that he is leprous and unclean, he shall live alone, away from the tents.)

47 A woollen cloth, either linen, (A woollen cloak, or a linen one,)

48 that hath leprosy in the warp, either woof, either certainly a skin, or a pilch, either whatever thing is made of skin,

49 if it is corrupted with a white spot, either red, it shall be areckoned (to be) leprosy, and it shall be showed to the priest;

50 the which when he hath beheld (it), shall close it up seven days (shall enclose it for seven days).

51 And again he shall behold it in the seventh day, and if he perceiveth, that the leprosy therein hath waxed, it shall be deemed [a] continual leprosy; he shall deem that cloth defouled, and all thing(s) in which it is found; (And he shall examine it again on the seventh day, and if he perceiveth, that the leprosy in it hath grown, it shall be judged an abiding leprosy; he shall judge that cloak to be defiled, and all the things in which it is found;)

52 and therefore the cloth shall be burnt with flames of fire. (and so the cloak shall be burned in the fire.)

53 And if the priest seeth that the spot hath waxed not, (And if the priest seeth that the spot hath not grown, or not spread,)

54 he shall command, and they shall wash that thing wherein the leprosy is, and he shall close it again seven other days (and he shall enclose it for another seven days);

55 and when he seeth the former likeness not changed again, nevertheless that neither the leprosy hath waxed, he shall (still) deem that thing (to be) unclean, and he shall burn it in fire, for the leprosy is shed in the over-part of that cloth, either through[out] it all (for there is leprosy on the outer part of that cloak, or on the inside of it).

56 Else if the place of [the] leprosy is darker, after that the cloth is washed, he shall break away that dark place, and he shall part it from the whole. (But if the place of the leprosy is darker, after that the cloak is washed, he shall tear away that dark place, and so he shall part it from the whole.)

57 That if fleeing leprosy and unsteadfast appeareth furthermore in these places, that were unwemmed before, it oughteth to be burnt in fire; (But if a spreading leprosy appeareth again in these places, that before were without blemish, it ought to be burned in the fire;)

58 if it ceaseth, he shall wash the second time those things that be clean, and they shall be clean. (but if it ceaseth, he shall wash those things that be clean a second time, and then they shall be clean.)

59 This is the law of leprosy of a cloth, woollen and linen, of warp and woof, and of all purtenance of skin, how it oughteth to be cleansed, either to be defouled. (This is the law for leprosy in a cloak, woollen or linen, and of warp and woof, and of all purtenances of skins, and how they ought to be pronounced clean, or unclean.)

Leviticus 13 Commentary

Chapter 13

Directions to the priest to judge concerning leprosy. (1-17) Further directions. (18-44) How the leper must be disposed of. (45,46) The leprosy in garments. (47-59)

Verses 1-17 The plague of leprosy was an uncleanness, rather than a disease. Christ is said to cleanse lepers, not to cure them. Common as the leprosy was among the Hebrews, during and after their residence in Egypt, we have no reason to believe that it was known among them before. Their distressed state and employment in that land must have rendered them liable to disease. But it was a plague often inflicted immediately by the hand of God. Miriam's leprosy, and Gehazi's, and king Uzziah's, were punishments of particular sins; no marvel there was care taken to distinguish it from a common distemper. The judgment of it was referred to the priests. And it was a figure of the moral pollutions of men's minds by sin, which is the leprosy of the soul, defiling to the conscience, and from which Christ alone can cleanse. The priest could only convict the leper, (by the law is the knowledge of sin,) but Christ can cure the sinner, he can take away sin. It is a work of great importance, but of great difficulty, to judge of our spiritual state. We all have cause to suspect ourselves, being conscious of sores and spots; but whether clean or unclean is the question. As there were certain marks by which to know it was leprosy, so there are marks of such as are in the gall of bitterness. The priest must take time in making his judgment. This teaches all, both ministers and people, not to be hasty in censures, nor to judge anything before the time. If some men's sins go before unto judgment, the sins of others follow after, and so do men's good works. If the person suspected were found to be clean, yet he must wash his clothes, because there had been ground for the suspicion. We have need to be washed in the blood of Christ from our spots, though not leprosy spots; for who can say, I am pure from sin?

Verses 18-44 The priest is told what judgment to make, if there were any appearance of a leprosy in old sores; and such is the danger of those who having escaped the pollutions of the world are again entangled therein. Or, in a burn by accident, ver. ( 24 ) . The burning of strife and contention often occasions the rising and breaking out of that corruption, which proves that men are unclean. Human life lies exposed to many grievances. With what troops of diseases are we beset on every side; and thy all entered by sin! If the constitution be healthy, and the body lively and easy, we are bound to glorify God with our bodies. Particular note was taken of the leprosy, if in the head. If the leprosy of sin has seized the head; if the judgment be corrupted, and wicked principles, which support wicked practices, are embraced, it is utter uncleanness, from which few are cleansed. Soundness in the faith keeps leprosy from the head.

Verses 45-46 When the priest had pronounced the leper unclean, it put a stop to his business in the world, cut him off from his friends and relations, and ruined all the comfort he could have in the world. He must humble himself under the mighty hand of God, not insisting upon his cleanness, when the priest had pronounced him unclean, but accepting the punishment. Thus must we take to ourselves the shame that belongs to us, and with broken hearts call ourselves "Unclean, unclean;" heart unclean, life unclean; unclean by original corruption, unclean by actual transgression; unclean, therefore deserving to be for ever shut out from communion with God, and all hope of happiness in him; unclean, therefore undone, if infinite mercy do not interpose. The leper must warn others to take heed of coming near him. He must then be shut out of the camp, and afterward, when they came to Canaan, be shut out of the city, town, or village where he lived, and dwell with none but those that were lepers like himself. This typified the purity which ought to be in the gospel church.

Verses 47-59 The garment suspected to be tainted with leprosy was not to be burned immediately. If, upon search, it was found that there was a leprous spot, it must be burned, or at least that part of it. If it proved to be free, it must be washed, and then might be used. This also sets forth the great evil there is in sin. It not only defiles the sinner's conscience, but it brings a stain upon all he has and all that he does. And those who make their clothes servants to their pride and lust, may see them thereby tainted with leprosy. But the robes of righteousness never fret, nor are moth-eaten.

Chapter Summary

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.