Lev. 13 Laws touching leprosies; its different kinds how to be known and judged of by the priest, Lev. 13:1–8. Of the swelling, Lev. 13:9–17. Of the sores or boils, Lev. 13:18–23. Of the fiery inflammation, Lev. 13:21–28. Of the scall, Lev. 13:29–37. Of the blisters, Lev. 13:38–39.

In the skin, for there was the seat of the leprosy. Bright spot, shining like the scale of a fish, as it is in the beginning of a leprosy. Leprosy was a distemper most frequent in Egypt and Syria, &c., known also among the Greeks, who note that it was not so properly a disease as a defilement or…

On the plague, i.e. the sign or appearance of the plague of leprosy. And it is observable, that the same signs of it are given by Moses here, and by the learned physicians in their works. And when the leprosy came to its height, not the hair only, but also the skin was turned white, as Ex.

For greater assurance; to teach ministers not to be rash nor hasty in their judgments and censures, but diligently to search and examine all things beforehand. The plague is here put for the man that hath the plague, as pride is put for a proud man, Jer. 50:31, and dreams for the dreamers, Jer.

If the plague be at a stay: this translation is justified by the following clause, which is added to explain it. Otherwise the words are and may be rendered thus, stand or abide in its own colour; the Hebrew word being used for colour as well as for sight.

If the plague be somewhat dark; which is opposed to the white colour of the leprosy. But the word may be rendered, have contracted itself, or, be restrained or confined to its former place and bigness; and thus the opposition seems to be most clear to the spreading of itself, mentioned both in the…

If the rising be white, to wit, with a preternatural and extraordinary whiteness, as Num. 12:10. And there be; or rather, or, the copulative put for the disjunctive, as hath been noted before; for either of these were signs of a leprosy, and one of these may seem inconsistent with the other; the…

If the leprosy, i.e. the sign or appearance of the leprosy; or the scab is called a leprosy, because at first view it seemed to be so to the priest, and to other beholders.

In him, or rather, in it, i.e. in the place where the sign or appearance of leprosy was, when the flesh was partly changed into a whiter colour, and partly kept its natural colour; this variety of colours was an evidence of the leprosy, as one and the same colour continuing was a sign of soundness.

The raw flesh is unclean: this is repeated again and again, because raw or living flesh might rather seem a sign of soundness, and the priest might easily be deceived by it, and therefore he was more narrowly to look into it, and to observe the place and manner and other circumstances in which it…

Be changed unto white; it is usual with sores, when they begin to be healed, the skin, which is white, coming upon the flesh.

Somewhat reddish, i.e. white mixed with red, as when blood and milk are mixed together. A late learned writer renders the words thus, white and very bright, or light, which indeed is the true colour of leprosy, to wit, when it is in its perfection, as Ex. 4:6;c.

But be somewhat dark, or, and be contracted; of which Lev. 13:6.

Or, the plague, to wit, of leprosy, of which he is speaking.

A hot burning, Heb. a burning of fire, by the touch of any hot iron, or burning coals, which doth naturally and usually make an ulcer or sore in which the following spot is. Or white, i.e. or only white, without any mixture of red in it.

Somewhat dark, or, contracted, i.e. not spreading. See Lev. 13:6.

i.e. Arising from the burning mentioned Lev. 13:24.

The leprosy in the body turned the hair white, in the head or beard it turned it yellow. And if a man’s hair was yellow before, this might easily be distinguished from the rest, either by the thinness or smallness of it, which is here noted, or by its peculiar kind of yellow, for there are divers…

And that there is no black hair in it; for had that appeared, it had ended the doubt, the black hair being a sign of soundness and strength of nature, Lev. 13:37, as the yellow hair was a sign of unsoundness.

He shall be shaven, for the more certain discovery of the growth or stay of the plague.

He need not search for the hair, or any other sign, the spreading or running of it being a sure sign of leprosy, without any other evidence.

The truth of the thing, and not the sentence of the priest, made him clean; and if the priest had partially pronounced one clean who was not clean, his sentence had been null.

Darkish white, or contracted, or confined to the place where they are, and white.

It is a sign that such baldness came not from age or any accident, but from the leprosy.

His clothes shall be rent, to wit, in the upper and former parts, which were most visible. This was done, partly, as a token of sorrow, Ezra 9:3, Ezra 9:5, Job 2:12, because though this was not a sin, yet it was an effect of sin, and a sore punishment, whereby he was cut off both from converse with…

Partly, for his humiliation; partly, to prevent the infection of others; and partly, to show the danger of converse with spiritual lepers or notorious sinners. This rule excludes the society of sound persons, but not of lepers. See 2 Kings 15:5, 2 Chron. 26:21. Without the camp; so Num.

Leprosy in garments and houses is unknown in these times and places, which is not strange, there being some diseases or distempers peculiar to some ages and countries, as the learned have noted.

In the warp, or woof; a learned man renders it, in the outside, or in the inside of it. If the signification of these words be doubtful or unknown now, as some of those of the living creatures and precious stones are confessed to be, it is not material to us, this law being abolished; it sufficeth…

If the plague have not changed his colour; if washing doth not take away that vicious colour, and restore it to its own native colour. Bare within or without; in the outside of the garment, which is here called the forehead or foreside, as being most visible, or in the inside of it.