J³ M 13:1-46. Leprosy in man.
N o 13:47-57. In a garment.
p 13:58. Cleaning of garment.
q 13:59. Law for garment.
M 14:1-32. Law of Leprosy.
N o 14:33-47. In a house.
p 14:48-53. Cleaning of house.
q 14:54-57. Law for all cases.1490 B.C.
Leviticus 13)
1: And the Lord (Yavaheh) spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,
2: "When a man (Heb. ’adam [without the article] = mankind, or human) shall have in the skin of his flesh a rising, a scab, or a bright spot, and it be in the skin of his flesh like the plague (= spot: mark too weak for person, though suited for houses -14:34: "plague" and "stroke" would be too strong in every case) of leprosy (Heb. zar’ath, from zar'a, to strike down, a leper being one stricken of God. One of the 4 points which Christ endorses Leviticus as being written by Moses: 1. Circumcision, 12:3 [John 7:22,23]; 2. Law of Leper, 14:3-32 [Matt .8:4]; 3. The show-bread, 24:5-9 [Matt .12:4]; 4. Death penalty for cursing parents, 20:9 [Mark 7:10]. Leprosy is the type of what man is by nature. All the offerings relate to what man has done or not done. It has reference to the evil "in" him v.2,9, not the outcome of it. See v.45); then he shall be brought to Aaron the priest, or to one of his sons the priests:
3: And the priest shall look on the spot in the skin of the flesh: and when the hair in the spot is turned white, and the spot in sight be deeper than the skin of his flesh, it is a spot of leprosy: and the priest shall look on him, and declare him unclean.
4: If the bright spot be white in the skin of his flesh, and in sight be not deeper than the skin, and the hair thereof be not turned white; then the priest shall shut up him that has the spot seven days:
5: And the priest shall look on him the seventh day: and, behold, if the spot in his sight be at a stay, and the spot spread not in the skin; then the priest shall shut him up seven days more:
6: And the priest shall look on him again the seventh day: and, behold, if the spot be somewhat dark, and the spot spread not in the skin (this is the criterion here for persons, as for houses and garments, cp. v.55, and 14:44,48. This is the criterion for our judgment of the anti-type ["sin"] our old nature, to which our attention is called by the Fig. "Behold"), the priest shall pronounce him clean: it is but a scab: and he shall wash his clothes, and be clean.
7: But if the scab spread much abroad in the skin, after that he has been seen of the priest for his cleansing, he shall be seen of the priest again:
8: And if the priest see that, behold, the scab spreads in the skin, then the priest shall declare him unclean: it is a leprosy.
9: When the spot of leprosy is in a man, then he shall be brought to the priest;
10: And the priest shall see him: and, behold, if the
rising be white in the skin (see v.30), and it have turned the hair white, and there be living raw flesh in the rising;
11: It is an old leprosy in the skin of his flesh, and the priest shall declare him unclean, and shall not shut him up: for he is unclean. (i.e. is undoubtedly, no further proof being needed.)
12: And if a leprosy break out abroad in the skin (= comes quite out, type of the sinner confessing his totality of evil - then he is clean, 1 John 1:9,10), and the leprosy cover all the skin of him that has the spot from his head even to his foot, wheresoever the priest looks;
13: Then the priest shall consider: and, behold, if the leprosy has covered all his flesh, he shall pronounce him clean that has the plague: it is all turned white: he is clean.
14: But when (= in the day, see Gen.2:17) raw flesh appears in him, he shall be unclean.
15: And the priest shall see the raw flesh, and declare him to be unclean: for the raw flesh is unclean: it is a leprosy.
16: Or if the raw flesh turn again, and be changed to white, he shall come to the priest;
17: And the priest shall see him: and, behold, if the
spot be turned into white; then the priest shall declare him clean that has the spot: he is clean.
18: The flesh also, in which, even in the skin thereof, was a boil, and is healed,
19: And in the place of the boil there be a white rising, or a bright spot, white, and somewhat reddish, and it be showed to the priest;
20: And if, when the priest sees it, behold, it be in sight lower than the skin, and the hair thereof be turned white; the priest shall declare him unclean: it is a spot of leprosy broken out of the boil.
21: But if the priest look on it, and, behold, there is no white hairs therein, and if it be not lower than the skin, but it be faint; then the priest shall shut him up seven days:
22: And if it spread much abroad in the skin, then the priest shall declare him unclean: it is a spot.
23: But if the bright spot stay in his place, and spread not, it is a burning boil; and the priest shall declare him clean.
24: Or if there be any flesh, in the skin whereof there is a hot burning, and the living flesh that burns have a white bright spot, somewhat reddish, or white;
25: Then the priest shall look upon it: and, behold, if the hair in the bright spot be turned white, and it is in sight deeper than the skin; it is a leprosy broken out of the burning: wherefore the priest shall declare him unclean: it is the spot of leprosy.
26: But if the priest look on it, and, behold, there is no white hair in the bright spot, and it be no lower than the other skin, but it be faint; then the priest shall shut him up seven days:
27: And the priest shall look upon him the seventh day: and if it be spread much abroad in the skin, then the priest shall declare him unclean: it is the spot of leprosy.
28: And if the bright spot stay in his place, and spread not in the skin, but it is be somewhat dark; it is a rising of the burning, and the priest shall declare him clean: for it is an inflammation of the burning.
29: If a man or woman have a spot upon the head or the beard;
30: Then the priest shall see the spot: and, behold, if it be in sight deeper than the skin; and there be in it a yellow short hair (an infallible sign of leprosy. A long hair, even though "yellow", no sign. In other parts of the body the hairs would be short and white, cp. v.19); then the priest shall declare him unclean: it is a dry scab, even a leprosy upon the head or beard.
31: And if the priest look on the spot of the scab, and, behold, it be not in sight deeper than the skin, and that there is no black hair in it; then the priest shall shut up him that has the spot of the scab seven days:
32: And in the seventh day the priest shall look on the spot: and, behold, if the scab spread not, and there is in it no yellow hair, and the scall be not in sight deeper than the skin;
33: He shall be shaven, but the scab shall he not shave; and the priest shall shut up him that has the scab seven days more:
34: And in the seventh day the priest shall look on the scab: and, behold, if the scab be not spread in the skin, nor be in sight deeper than the skin; then the priest shall declare him clean: and he shall wash his clothes, and be clean.
35: But if the scab spread much in the skin after his cleansing;
36: Then the priest shall look on him: and, behold, if the scab be spread in the skin, the priest shall not seek for yellow hair; he is unclean.
37: But if the scab be in his sight at a stay, and that there is black hair grown up therein; the scab is healed, he is clean: and the priest shall declare him clean.
38: If a man also or a woman have in the skin of their flesh bright spots, even white bright spots;
39: Then the priest shall look: and, behold, if the bright spots in the skin of their flesh be faintness (or dead white; a harmless eruption or "tetter"); it is a freckled spot that grows in the skin; he is clean.
40: And the man whose hair is falls off his head, he is bald; yet is he clean.
41: And he that has his hair fallen off from the part of his head toward his face, he is forehead bald: yet is he clean.
42: And if there be in the bald head, or bald forehead, a white reddish sore; it is a leprosy sprung up in his bald head, or his bald forehead.
43: Then the priest shall look upon it: and, behold, if the rising of the sore be white reddish in his bald head, or in his bald forehead, as the leprosy appears in the skin of the flesh;
44: He is a leprous man, he is unclean: the priest shall declare him utterly unclean; his spot is in his head.
45: And the leper in whom the spot is, his clothes shall be torn (see 10:6), and his head bare, and he shall put a covering (= muffler) upon his upper lip, and shall cry, 'Unclean, unclean.' (Fig. to emphasize the condition. Leprosy is the great type of sin: and teaches that the sinner is not only lost and ruined on account of what he has done, but on account of what he is. The former needed atonement to procure judicial righteousness, but the latter requires a Divine act and cleansing to give him imputed righteousness. The former we have through Christ's atonement, the latter we have God in Christ. It is not enough to confess what we "have done" or "left undone"; there must also be the confession "there is no health in us". Cp. Isa. 6:5. Job 40:4; 42:6. Ps. 51:5. Luke 5:8 &c.)
46: All the days wherein the spot shall be in him he shall be defiled; he is unclean: he shall dwell alone; outside the camp shall his habitation be. (See Num. 5:2; 12:10-15)
47: The garment (type of habits and ways seen by others, cp. Jude 23) also that the spot of leprosy is in, whether it be a woolen garment, or a linen garment;
48: Whether it be in the warp (Anglo-Saxon wearpen, to cast or throw = the longitudinal lines in the loom, through which the shuttle passes. Heb. shattah, to drink in. So called because of its drinking in the thread thrown by the shuttle), or woof (Anglo-Saxon to weave in. Heb. ‘årab, to intermingle. Hence used of what is mingled or woven in by the shuttle); of linen, or of woolen; whether in a skin, or in any thing made of skin;
49: And if the spot is greenish or reddish in the garment, or in the skin, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in any thing of skin; it is a spot of leprosy, and shall be showed to the priest:
50: And the priest shall look upon the plague, and shut up it that has the spot seven days:
51: And he shall look on the spot on the seventh day: if the spot is spread in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in a skin, or in any work that is made of skin; the spot is a rankling leprosy (only of what is malignant; occ. only here, v.52; 14:14, and Ezek. 28:24); it is unclean.
52: He shall therefore burn that garment, whether warp or woof, in woolen or in linen, or any thing of skin, wherein the spot is: for it is a festering leprosy; it shall be burnt (down) in the fire.
53: And if the priest shall look, and, behold, the
spot is not spread in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in any thing of skin;
54: Then the priest shall command that they wash the thing wherein the spot is, and he shall shut it up seven days more:
55: And the priest shall look on the spot, after that it is washed: and, behold, if the spot have not changed his appearance (Heb. eye, eye put for appearance), and the spot be not spread; it is unclean; you shall burn it in the fire; it is rank inside, whether it is bare within or without.
56: And if the priest look, and, behold, the spot
is faint after the washing of it; then he shall tear it out of the garment, or out of the skin, or out of the warp, or out of the woof:
57: And if it appear still in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in any thing of skin; it is a spreading spot: you shall burn (down) that wherein
the spot is with fire.
58: And the garment, either warp, or woof, or whatsoever thing of skin it be, which you shall wash, if the spot is departed from them, then it shall be washed the second time, and shall be clean.
59: This is the law of the spot of leprosy in a garment of woollen or linen, either in the warp, or woof, or any thing of skins, to pronounce it clean, or to declare it unclean."