1 Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, 2 "When a man shall have a rising in his body's skin, or a scab, or a bright spot, and it becomes in the skin of his body the plague of leprosy, then he shall be brought to Aaron the priest, or to one of his sons, the priests: 3 and the priest shall examine the plague in the skin of the body: and if the hair in the plague has turned white, and the appearance of the plague is deeper than the body's skin, it is the plague of leprosy; and the priest shall examine him, and pronounce him unclean. 4 If the bright spot is white in the skin of his body, and its appearance isn't deeper than the skin, and its hair hasn't turned white, then the priest shall isolate the infected person for seven days. 5 The priest shall examine him on the seventh day, and, behold, if in his eyes the plague is arrested, and the plague hasn't spread in the skin, then the priest shall isolate him for seven more days. 6 The priest shall examine him again on the seventh day; and behold, if the plague has faded, and the plague hasn't spread in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him clean. It is a scab. He shall wash his clothes, and be clean. 7 But if the scab spreads on the skin, after he has shown himself to the priest for his cleansing, he shall show himself to the priest again. 8 The priest shall examine him; and behold, if the scab has spread on the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is leprosy. 9 "When the plague of leprosy is in a man, then he shall be brought to the priest; 10 and the priest shall examine him. Behold, if there is a white rising in the skin, and it has turned the hair white, and there is raw flesh in the rising, 11 it is a chronic leprosy in 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 all over the skin, and the leprosy covers all the skin of the infected person from his head even to his feet, as far as it appears to the priest; 13 then the priest shall examine him; and, behold, if the leprosy has covered all his flesh, he shall pronounce him clean of the plague. It has all turned white: he is clean. 14 But whenever raw flesh appears in him, he shall be unclean. 15 The priest shall examine the raw flesh, and pronounce him unclean: the raw flesh is unclean. It is leprosy. 16 Or if the raw flesh turns again, and is changed to white, then he shall come to the priest; 17 and the priest shall examine him; and, behold, if the plague has turned white, then the priest shall pronounce him clean of the plague. He is clean. 18 "When the body has a boil on its skin, and it has healed, 19 and in the place of the boil there is a white rising, or a bright spot, reddish-white, then it shall be shown to the priest; 20 and the priest shall examine it; and behold, if its appearance is lower than the skin, and its hair has turned white, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is the plague of leprosy. It has broken out in the boil. 21 But if the priest examines it, and behold, there are no white hairs in it, and it isn't deeper than the skin, but is dim, then the priest shall isolate him seven days. 22 If it spreads in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is a plague. 23 But if the bright spot stays in its place, and hasn't spread, it is the scar from the boil; and the priest shall pronounce him clean. 24 "Or when the body has a burn from fire on its skin, and the raw flesh of the burn becomes a bright spot, reddish-white, or white, 25 then the priest shall examine it; and behold, if the hair in the bright spot has turned white, and its appearance is deeper than the skin; it is leprosy. It has broken out in the burning, and the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is the plague of leprosy. 26 But if the priest examines it, and behold, there is no white hair in the bright spot, and it isn't lower than the skin, but is faded; then the priest shall isolate him seven days. 27 The priest shall examine him on the seventh day. If it has spread in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is the plague of leprosy. 28 If the bright spot stays in its place, and hasn't spread in the skin, but is faded, it is the swelling from the burn, and the priest shall pronounce him clean; for it is the scar from the burn. 29 "When a man or woman has a plague on the head or on the beard, 30 then the priest shall examine the plague; and behold, if its appearance is deeper than the skin, and the hair in it is yellow and thin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is an itch, it is leprosy of the head or of the beard. 31 If the priest examines the plague of itching, and behold, its appearance isn't deeper than the skin, and there is no black hair in it, then the priest shall isolate him the person infected with itching seven days. 32 On the seventh day the priest shall examine the plague; and behold, if the itch hasn't spread, and there is no yellow hair in it, and the appearance of the itch isn't deeper than the skin, 33 then he shall be shaved, but he shall not shave the itch; and the priest shall shut him up who has the itch seven more days. 34 On the seventh day, the priest shall examine the itch; and behold, if the itch hasn't spread in the skin, and its appearance isn't deeper than the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him clean. He shall wash his clothes, and be clean. 35 But if the itch spreads in the skin after his cleansing, 36 then the priest shall examine him; and behold, if the itch has spread in the skin, the priest shall not look for the yellow hair; he is unclean. 37 But if in his eyes the itch is arrested, and black hair has grown in it; the itch is healed, he is clean. The priest shall pronounce him clean. 38 "When a man or a woman has bright spots in the skin of the body, even white bright spots; 39 then the priest shall examine them; and behold, if the bright spots on the skin of their body are a dull white, it is a harmless rash, it has broken out in the skin; he is clean. 40 "If a man's hair has fallen from his head, he is bald. He is clean. 41 If his hair has fallen off from the front part of his head, he is forehead bald. He is clean. 42 But if there is in the bald head, or the bald forehead, a reddish-white plague; it is leprosy breaking out in his bald head, or his bald forehead. 43 Then the priest shall examine him; and, behold, if the rising of the plague is reddish-white in his bald head, or in his bald forehead, like the appearance of leprosy in the skin of the flesh, 44 he is a leprous man. He is unclean. The priest shall surely pronounce him unclean. His plague is on his head. 45 "The leper in whom the plague is shall wear torn clothes, and the hair of his head shall hang loose. He shall cover his upper lip, and shall cry, 'Unclean! Unclean!' 46 All the days in which the plague is in him he shall be unclean. He is unclean. He shall dwell alone. Outside of the camp shall be his dwelling. 47 "The garment also that the plague of leprosy is in, whether it is a woolen garment, or a linen garment; 48 whether it is in warp, or woof; of linen, or of wool; whether in a skin, or in anything made of skin; 49 if the plague is greenish or reddish in the garment, or in the skin, or in the warp, or in the woof, or in anything made of skin; it is the plague of leprosy, and shall be shown to the priest. 50 The priest shall examine the plague, and isolate the plague seven days. 51 He shall examine the plague on the seventh day. If the plague has spread in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in the skin, whatever use the skin is used for, the plague is a destructive mildew. It is unclean. 52 He shall burn the garment, whether the warp or the woof, in wool or in linen, or anything of skin, in which the plague is: for it is a destructive mildew. It shall be burned in the fire. 53 "If the priest examines it, and behold, the plague hasn't spread in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in anything of skin; 54 then the priest shall command that they wash the thing in which the plague is, and he shall isolate it seven more days. 55 Then the priest shall examine it, after the plague is washed; and behold, if the plague hasn't changed its color, and the plague hasn't spread, it is unclean; you shall burn it in the fire. It is a mildewed spot, whether the bareness is inside or outside. 56 If the priest looks, and behold, the plague has faded after it is washed, 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 appears again in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in anything of skin, it is spreading. You shall burn with fire that in which the plague is. 58 The garment, either the warp, or the woof, or whatever thing of skin it is, which you shall wash, if the plague has departed from them, then it shall be washed the second time, and it will be clean." 59 This is the law of the plague of mildew in a garment of wool or linen, either in the warp, or the woof, or in anything of skin, to pronounce it clean, or to pronounce it unclean.
Leviticus. 13-14: The Laws Relating to Leprosy
The leprosy is the most terrible of all the disorders to which the body of man is subject. There is no disease in which hope of recovery is so nearly extinguished. From a commencement slight in appearance, with but little pain or inconvenience, often in its earlier stage insidiously disappearing and reappearing, it goes on in its strong but sluggish course, generally in defiance of the efforts of medical skill, until it reduces the patient to a mutilated cripple with dulled or obliterated senses, the voice turned to a croak, and with features of ghastly deformity. When it reaches some vital part it generally occasions what seem like the symptoms of a distinct disease (most often dysentery), and so puts an end to the life of the sufferer.
It was an all but universal impression that the leprosy, above all other diseases, came upon man as an irresistible stroke of superhuman power, either in the way of punishment for personal sin or of an affliction with some definite purpose. This natural suggestion was confirmed and realized upon several occasions in the history of the Israelites. A stroke of leprosy was the mark of the divine displeasure at the slow faith of Moses Exodus 4:6, at the contumacy of Miriam Numbers 12:10, at the dishonesty of Gehazi 2-Kings 5:27, and at the impious presumption of Uzziah 2-Chronicles 26:19-20. One of the denunciations against Joab, on account of the death of Abner, was that his children should be lepers 2-Samuel 3:29.
It is now considered by all the best authorities that the Hebrew word for the disease does not denote the disease which is more properly called the leprosy (see Leviticus 13:12), but that which is known to physicians as the elephantiasis: the origin of which is ascribed to an animal poison generated in or received into the blood, and accumulated therein probably by a process analogous to fermentation. This poison primarily affects either the skin, or the nerves and nervous centers. In this way, two forms of elephantiasis are distinguished, the "Tuberculated," and the "anaesthetic" or "non-tuberculated," of which the former is the more common.
Medical skill appears to have been more completely foiled by elephantiasis than by any other malady. The anaesthetic form alone seems to be in some degree amenable to remedies and regimen.
The question as to whether elephantiasis is contagious or not, is one of most unique interests in connection with the Levitical law. Many facts tend to prove that, as a rule, it was not; but that under certain circumstances (e. g. when the ulcers are running) contagion might be developed.
Laws relative to the leprosy. It is to be known by a rising in the flesh, a scab, or a bright spot, Leviticus 13:1, Leviticus 13:2. When the priest sees these signs he shall pronounce the man unclean, infected with the leprosy, and unfit for society, Leviticus 13:3. Dubious or equivocal signs of this disorder, and how the person is to be treated in whom they appear, Leviticus 13:4-8. In what state of this disorder the priest may pronounce a man clean or unclean, Leviticus 13:9-13. Of the raw flesh, the sign of the unclean leprosy, Leviticus 13:14, Leviticus 13:15. Of the white flesh, the sign of the leprosy called clean, Leviticus 13:16, Leviticus 13:17. Of the leprosy which succeeds a boil, Leviticus 13:18-20. Equivocal marks relative to this kind of leprosy, Leviticus 13:21, Leviticus 13:22. Of the burning boil, Leviticus 13:23. Of the leprosy arising out of the burning boil, Leviticus 13:24, Leviticus 13:25. Equivocal marks relative to this kind of leprosy, Leviticus 13:26-28. Of the plague on the head or in the beard, Leviticus 13:29. Of the scall, and how it is to be treated, Leviticus 13:30-37. Of the plague of the bright white spots, Leviticus 13:38, Leviticus 13:39. Of the bald head, Leviticus 13:40, Leviticus 13:41. Of the white reddish sore in the bald head, Leviticus 13:42-44. The leper shall rend his clothes, put a patch on his upper lip, and cry unclean, Leviticus 13:45. He shall be obliged to avoid society, and live by himself without the camp, Leviticus 13:46. Of the garments infected by the leprosy, and the signs of this infection, Leviticus 13:47-52. Equivocal marks relative to this infection, and how the garment is to be treated, by washing or by burning, Leviticus 13:53-58. Conclusion relative to the foregoing particulars, Leviticus 13:59.
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, Leviticus 13:1 of the bright spot and scab, Leviticus 13:4 of the rising or swelling, Leviticus 13:9 of the bile or hot ulcer, Leviticus 13:18 of the hot burning or inflammation, Leviticus 13:24 of the plague of the scall, Leviticus 13:29 of bright spots or blisters, Leviticus 13:38 and of shedding the hair, and baldness, Leviticus 13:40 of what the leper was to do, and to be done unto, Leviticus 13:45 of the leprosy in garments made of linen, woollen, or of skin, Leviticus 13:47.
(v. 1-17) Directions to the priest to judge concerning leprosy.
(v. 18-44) Further directions.
(Leviticus 13:45, Leviticus 13:46) How the leper must be disposed of.
(Leviticus 13:47-59) The leprosy in garments.
*More commentary available by clicking individual verses.