In this chapter an account is given of the various sorts of leprosy, and the rules by which they were to be judged of, Lev. 13:1–3 of the bright spot and scab, Lev. 13:4–8 of the rising or swelling, Lev. 13:9–17 of the bile or hot ulcer, Lev. 13:18–23 of the hot burning or inflammation, Lev.

And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron Aaron is addressed again, though left out in the preceding law, because the laws concerning leprosy chiefly concerned the priests, whose business it was to judge of it, and cleanse from it; and so Ben Gersom observes, mention is made of Aaron here,…

When a man shall have in the skin of his flesh Rules are here given, by which a leprosy might be judged of; which, as a disease, was frequent in Egypt, where the Israelites had dwelt a long time, and from whence they were just come; and is doubtless the reason, as learned men have observed, that…

And the priest shall look on the plague in the skin of the flesh Whether it be a swelling, scab, or a bright spot that appears, and judge of it by the following rules, and none but a priest might do this: and when the hair in the plague is turned white; it arising in a place where hair grows, and…

If the bright spot be white in the skin of his flesh The Targum of Jonathan is, white as chalk in the skin of his flesh; but other Jewish writers make the whiteness of the bright spot to be the greatest of all, like that of snow; (See Gill on Lev.

And the priest shall look on him the seventh day In the day, and not in the night, as Maimonides, but not on the seventh day, if it happened to be on the sabbath [[5]], then it was put off till after it; and, according to the Jewish canons [[6]], they do not look upon plagues in the morning, nor in…

And the priest shall look on him again the seventh day, &c.] On the second seventh day, at the end of a fortnight from his being first presented to him, and shut up: and, behold, if the plague be somewhat dark; the spot be not so bright, or so white as it was at first; though Aben Ezra observes,…

But if the scab spread much abroad in the skin Or “in spreading spread” [[9]]; spreads, and proceeds to spread more and more: after that he hath been seen of the priest for his cleansing: even after he had been viewed upon the first presentation of him to him, and after he had been twice seen by…

And if the priest see that, behold, the scab spreadeth in the skin Is not at a stay, as when he looked at it a second and third time: then the priest shall pronounce him unclean; a leprous person; to be absolutely so, as Jarchi expresses it; and so obliged to the birds (to bring birds for his…

When the plague of leprosy is in a man He has all the signs of it, and it is pretty manifest both to himself and others that it is upon him; then he shall be brought unto the priest; by his friends and neighbours, if he is not willing to come of himself: a sinner insensible of the leprosy of sin,…

And the priest shall see him Look at him, and closely and narrowly inspect and examine his case: and, behold, if the rising be white in the skin; this is another appearance of the leprosy; the preceding were a bright spot, and the scab of it; but this a rising or white swelling in the skin, as…

It is an old leprosy in the skin of his flesh An inveterate one, of long standing and continuance, an obstinate one, not to be cured by medicine; as this sort of leprosy was, and therefore the person was sent not to a physician, but to the priest: the leprosy of sin is an old disease, brought by…

And if a leprosy break out abroad in the skin Or, if flowering it flowers [[11]]; 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…

Then the priest shall consider Look wistly upon it, and well weigh the matter in his own mind, that he may make a true judgment and pronounce a right sentence: and, behold, if the leprosy have covered all his flesh; from head to foot, so that no quick, raw, or sound flesh appear in him: he shall…

But when raw flesh appeareth in him Between the white spots, scabs, or swellings, or in the midst of them: he shall be unclean; be pronounced unclean, and be subject to all the prescriptions of the law concerning lepers.

And the priest shall see the raw flesh Or when he sees it, the person being brought to him to be viewed: and pronounce him to be unclean; or shall pronounce him to be unclean: for the raw flesh is unclean; made a man so in a ceremonial sense; (See Gill on Lev.

Or if the raw flesh turn again Changes its colour, from redness, which is in raw flesh: and be changed unto white: and does not look ruddy as flesh in common does, nor red and fiery, as raw and proud flesh, but is white, of the same colour with the swelling or scab: he shall come unto the priest;…

And the priest shall see him Review him, and examine him thoroughly: and, behold, if the plague be turned into white; the raw flesh in the swelling, which looked red, is become white: then the priest shall pronounce him clean that hath the plague; that was supposed to have the plague of leprosy;…

The flesh also, in which, even in the skin thereof, was a boil Or hot ulcer, by which, says Maimonides [[12]] you may understand any stroke by a stone, stick, or iron, or any other thing: and in the Misnah [[13]], it is asked, what is an ulcer (or boil)? a stroke by wood, stone, pitch, or hot…

And in the place of the boil there be a white rising In the place where the boil was, a white swelling appears: or a bright spot, white, and somewhat reddish; white and red mixed, as the Targum of Jonathan; and so Aben Ezra interprets the word “reddish”, of the bright spot being mixed of two…

And if, when the priest seeth it And has thoroughly viewed it and considered it: behold, it be in sight lower than the skin; having eaten into and taken root in the flesh under the skin: and the hair thereof be turned white; which are the signs of leprosy before given, ; the priest shall pronounce…

But if the priest look on it Upon a person in a like case as first described, having had a boil, and that healed, and afterwards a white swelling, or a bright spot in the place of it: and, behold, there be no white hairs therein; not two hairs turned white, as Gersom interprets it: and if it be not…

And if it spread much abroad in the skin Upon viewing it on the seventh day, though it is not expressed, the swelling or bright spot; or “in spreading spread”; (See Gill on Lev.

But if the bright spot stay in his place, and spread not, &c.] Continues as it was when first viewed: it is a burning boil; but not a plague of leprosy: and the priest shall pronounce him clean; as clear of a leprosy, and so not bound by the law of it, though attended with an inflammation or…

Or if there be any flesh, in the skin whereof there is a hot burning Or “a burning of fire” [[16]]: it is asked, what is a burning? that which is burnt with a coal or with hot ashes; all that is from the force of fire is burning [[17]]; that is, whatever sore, pustule, or blister, is occasioned by…

Then the priest shall look upon it And examine it, whether it has the marks and signs of a leprosy or not, such as follow: behold, if the hair in the bright spot be turned white; which before was black, or of another colour from white, and is now, turned into the whiteness of chalk, as the Targum…

But if the priest look on it On the hot burning and bright spot in it, in another person: and, behold, there be no white hair on the white spot, and it be no lower than the other skin; why the word “other” should be supplied I know not, any more than in ; but be somewhat dark; or “contracted”, (See…

And the priest shall look upon him the seventh day When that is come, any time on that day; not needing to wait until the end of it, or till, the seven days are precisely up; the same is to be understood in all places in this chapter where the like is used: and if it be spread much abroad in the…

And if the bright spot stay in his place, and spread not in the skin If, after being shut up, seven days, it appears that the spot is no larger than, when it was first viewed, but is as it was, and not at all increased: but it be somewhat dark; either not so bright as it was, or more contracted: it…

If a man or a woman hath a plague upon the head or the beard. ] Any breaking out in those parts a swelling, scab, or spot, on a man’s beard or on a woman’s head; or on the head of either man or woman; or on a woman’s beard, if she had any, as some have had though not common.

Then the priest shall see the plague The person on whom it is shall come or be brought unto him; and he shall look upon it and examine it: and, behold, if it be in sight deeper than the skin; which is always one sign of leprosy; and there be in it a yellow thin hair; like the appearance of thin…

And if the priest look on the plague of the scall As it may appear in another person, brought to him for inspection and examination: and, behold, it be not in the sight deeper than the skin; it do not seem to be got into the flesh, or lower than the skin: and that there is no black hair in it; or,…

And in the seventh day the priest shall look on the plague, &c.] To see whether it has got any deeper, or spread any further, and has any hair growing in it, and of what colour, that he might be also able to judge whether it was a leprosy or not: and, behold, if the scall spread not; was neither…

He shall be shaven His head or beard, where the scall was, as Aben Ezra; and so Ben Gersom, who adds, the law is not solicitous whether this shaving is by a priest or not; so it seems any one might shave him: but the scall shall he not shave; that is, the hair that is in it, but that was to…

And in the seventh day the priest shall look on the scall, &c.] That is, according to Ben Gersom, on the thirteenth day from the first inspection of him by the priest: and, behold, if the scall be not spread in the skin, nor be in sight deeper than the skin; neither appears spread on the surface of…

But if the scall spread much in his skin after cleansing. ] After he has been declared clean by the priest; for it was possible that it might spread after this, though so much precaution had been used, and so much time taken to observe it: with this compare .

Then the priest shall look on him Again, and which is no less than the fourth time; for notwithstanding his being pronounced clean, he was still subject to the inspection of the priest, if any alteration appeared: and, behold, if the scall be spread in the skin; which was a certain sign of a…

But if the scall be in his sight at a stay If in a few days, or in a short space of time after this, it should appear that the scall is at a full stop, and does not spread any further at all: and that there is black hair grown up therein; which is a sign of health and soundness, and so of purity;…

If a man also, or a woman One or the other, for the law concerning leprosy respecteth both: have in the skin of their flesh bright spots; and them only; not any rising or swelling, nor scab, nor scall, nor boil, nor burning, only bright spots, a sort of freckles or morphew: even white bright spots;…

Then the priest shall look Upon the man or woman that has these spots, and upon the spots themselves, and examine them of what kind they are: and, behold, if the bright spots in the skin of their flesh be darkish white; their whiteness is not strong, as Jarchi observes; but dusky and obscure, or…

And the man whose hair is fallen off his head That is, from the back part of his head, from the crown of his head toward his neck behind: he is bald; in that spot of the head where the hair is fallen off; and it denotes such a baldness as is occasioned by that, for it signifies one that had hair,…

And he that hath his hair fallen off from the part of his head towards his face That is, from the crown of his head towards his forehead and temples, the fore part of his head; and so the Misnic doctors distinguish baldness, which is from the crown of the head descending behind to the channel of…

And if there be Or, “but if there be”, or, “when there shall be” [[23]], 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,…

Then the priest shall look upon it The white reddish sore: and, behold, if the rising of the sore; or the swelling of it: be white reddish in his bald head, or in his bald forehead; (See Gill on Lev.

He is a leprous man, he is unclean And so to be pronounced and accounted; only a leprous man is mentioned, there being no leprous women, having this sort of leprosy, their hair not falling off, or they becoming bald, usually; unless, as Ben Gersom observes, in a manner strange and wonderful: the…

And the leper in whom the plague is Meaning not he only that has the plague of leprosy in his head, but every sort of leper before mentioned in this chapter: his clothes shall be rent; not that he might the more easily put on his clothes without hurting him, as some have thought; or that the…

All the days wherein the plague shall be in him he shall be defiled Reckoned an unclean person, and avoided as such: he is unclean; in a ceremonial sense, and pronounced as such by the priest, and was to be looked upon as such by others during the time of his exclusion and separation, until he was…

The garments also, that the plague of leprosy is in Whether this sort of leprosy proceeded from natural causes, or was extraordinary and miraculous, and came immediately from the hand of God, and was peculiar to the Jews, and unknown to other nations, is a matter of question; the latter is…

Whether it be in the warp, or woof, of linen, or of woollen When these are woven and mixed together, it seems difficult, if not impossible, to judge whether the plague of leprosy was in the one or in the other; one would think it should be unavoidably in both; wherefore Castalio renders the words,…

And if the plague be greenish or reddish the garment, or in the skin Either of these two colours were signs of leprosy in garments; but it is not agreed whether stronger or weaker colours are designed; the radicals of both these words being doubled, according to some, and particularly Aben Ezra,…

And the priest shall look upon the plague The green or red spot in the garment and shut up it that hath the plague seven days; the woollen or linen garment, the warp or the woof, or skins, and those things that were made of them.

And he shall look on the plague on the seventh day To see whether there is any alteration in it in that space of time: if the plague be 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 green and red spot be spread more and more in…

He shall therefore burn that garment That there may be no more use of it, nor profit from it; and this was done without the city, as Ben Gersom asserts: whether in warp or woof, in woollen or in linen, or anything of skin, wherein the plague is; all and either of them were to be burnt: for it is a…

And if the priest shall look On the seventh day as before, after shutting up: and, behold, the plague be not spread in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in anything of skin; but is at an entire stay, that it may be hoped it is not a fretting leprosy: so when men do not proceed to…

Then the priest shall command that they wash the thing wherein the plague is The priest did not wash it himself, but ordered others to do it; and this was either the part in which the plague was, or the whole garment or skin in which it was; which may be typical of the washing of the garments of…

And the priest shall look on the plague after it is washed, &c.] That is, on the second seventh day, or thirteenth day from his first inspection of it: and, behold, if the plague has not changed its colour; and the plague be not spread, it is unclean, thou shalt burn it in the fire; if it remains…

And if the priest look, and, behold, the plague be somewhat dark after the washing of it Is become of a weaker colour, either not quite so green, or not quite so red as it was, or is “contracted”, and does not spread itself, (See Gill on Lev.

And if it appear still in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in anything of skin After the piece has been rent out, in another part of the garment where before it was not seen: it is a spreading plague; or leprosy; a flourishing one, as the word signifies, a growing and increasing…

And the garment, either warp or woof, or whatsoever thing of skin it be, which thou shalt wash After it had been shut up seven days, and viewed by the priest again: if the plague be departed from them: upon a review of them: then it shall be washed the second time, and shall be clean; and so…

This is the law of the plague of leprosy The rules by which it was to be judged of; whether or no it was in a garment of woollen, or linen, either the warp or woof, or any thing of skins; which include everything in which this sort of leprosy was: to pronounce it clean, or to pronounce it unclean;…