Leviticus 13:9-28
A Swelling on the Skin
9 “When someone has a diseased infection, ▼ he must be brought to the priest. 10The priest will then examine it, ▼ and if ▼▼tn Heb “and behold” (so KJV, ASV).
a white swelling is on the skin, it has turned the hair white, and there is raw flesh in the swelling, ▼▼tn Heb “and rawness [i.e., something living] of living flesh is in the swelling”; KJV, NASB, NRSV “quick raw flesh.”
11it is a chronic ▼▼tn The term rendered here “chronic” is a Niphal participle meaning “grown old” (HALOT 448 s.v. II ישׁן nif.2). The idea is that this is an old enduring skin disease that keeps on developing or recurring.
disease on the skin of his body, ▼ so the priest is to pronounce him unclean. ▼ The priest ▼▼tn Heb “he”; the referent (the priest) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
must not merely quarantine him, for he is unclean. ▼▼sn Instead of just the normal quarantine isolation, this condition calls for the more drastic and enduring response stated in Lev 13:45-46. Raw flesh, of course, sometimes oozes blood to one degree or another, and blood flows are by nature impure (see, e.g., Lev 12 and 15; cf. J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 191).
12If, however, the disease breaks out ▼▼tn Heb “And if spreading [infinitive absolute] it spreads out [finite verb].” For the infinitive absolute used to highlight contrast rather than emphasis see GKC 343 §113.p.
on the skin so that the disease covers all the skin of the person with the infection ▼ from his head to his feet, as far as the priest can see, ▼▼tn Heb “to all the appearance of the eyes of the priest.”
13the priest must then examine it, ▼ and if ▼▼tn Heb “and behold” (so KJV, ASV, NASB).
the disease covers his whole body, he is to pronounce the person with the infection clean. ▼ He has turned all white, so he is clean. ▼▼tn Heb “all of him has turned white, and he is clean.”
14But whenever raw flesh appears in it, ▼▼tn Heb “and in the day of there appears in it living flesh.” Some English versions render this as “open sores” (cf. NCV, TEV, NLT).
he will be unclean, 15so the priest is to examine the raw flesh ▼▼tn Heb “and the priest shall see the living flesh.”
and pronounce him unclean ▼ —it is diseased. 16If, however, ▼▼tn Heb “Or if/when.”
the raw flesh once again turns white, ▼▼tn Heb “the living flesh returns and is turned/changed to white.” The Hebrew verb “returns” is שׁוּב (shuv), which often functions adverbially when combined with a second verb as it is here (cf. “and is turned”) and, in such cases, is usually rendered “again” (see, e.g., GKC 386-87 §120.g). Another suggestion is that here שׁוּב means “to recede” (cf., e.g., 2 Kgs 20:9), so one could translate “the raw flesh recedes and turns white.” This would mean that the new “white” skin “has grown over” the raw flesh (B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 79).
then he must come to the priest. 17The priest will then examine it, ▼▼tn Heb “and the priest shall see it.”
and if ▼▼tn Heb “and behold” (so KJV, ASV, NASB).
the infection has turned white, the priest is to pronounce the person with the infection clean ▼ —he is clean. A Boil on the Skin
18 “When someone’s body has a boil on its skin ▼▼tc Heb (MT) reads, “And flesh if/when there is in it, in its skin, a boil.” Smr has only “in it,” not “in its skin,” and a few medieval Hebrew mss as well as the LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate have only “in its skin” (cf. v. 24 below), not “in it.” It does not effect the meaning of the verse, but one is tempted to suggest that “in it” (בוֹ, vo) was added in error as a partial dittography from the beginning of “in its skin” (בְעֹרוֹ, veʿoro).
and it heals, 19and in the place of the boil there is a white swelling or a reddish white bright spot, he must show himself to the priest. ▼▼tn Some English versions translate “it shall be shown to [or “be seen by”] the priest,” taking the infection to be the subject of the verb (e.g., KJV, NASB, RSV, NRSV). Based on the Hebrew grammar there is no way to be sure which is intended.
20The priest will then examine it, ▼ and if ▼▼tn Heb “and behold.”
it appears to be deeper than the skin ▼▼tn Heb “and behold its appearance is low (שָׁפָל, shafal) ‘from’ (comparative מִן, min, “lower than”) the skin.” Compare “deeper” in v. 3 above where, however, a different word is used (עָמֹק, ʿamoq), and see the note on “swelling” in v. 1 above (cf. J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 192; note that, contrary to the MT, one Hebrew ms (Cairo Geniza) has עָמֹק in this verse as well as v. 4). The alternation of these two terms (i.e., “deeper” and “lower”) in vv. 25-26 below shows that they both refer to the same phenomenon. Some have argued that “this sore was lower than the surrounding skin” (J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:773, 788), in which case “swelling” would be an inappropriate translation of שְׂאֵת (seʾet) in v. 19. It seems unlikely, however, that the surface of a “boil” would sink below the surface of the surrounding skin. The infectious pus etc. that makes up a boil normally causes swelling.
and its hair has turned white, then the priest is to pronounce the person unclean. ▼ It is a diseased infection that has broken out in the boil. ▼ 21If, however, ▼▼tn Heb “and if.”
the priest examines it, and ▼▼tn Heb “and behold” (so KJV, ASV, NASB).
there is no white hair in it, it is not deeper than the skin, and it has faded, then the priest is to quarantine him for seven days. ▼▼tn Heb “and the priest will shut him up seven days.”
22If ▼▼tn Heb “and if.”
it is spreading farther ▼▼tn Heb “is indeed spreading.”
on the skin, then the priest is to pronounce him unclean. ▼ It is an infection. 23But if the bright spot stays in its place and has not spread, ▼▼tn Heb “and if under it the bright spot stands, it has not spread.”
it is the scar of the boil, so the priest is to pronounce him clean. ▼ A Burn on the Skin
24 “When a body has a burn on its skin ▼▼tn Heb “Or a body, if there is in its skin a burn of fire.”
and the raw area of the burn becomes a reddish white or white bright spot, 25the priest must examine it, ▼▼tn Heb “and the priest shall see it.”
and if ▼▼tn Heb “and behold” (so KJV, ASV).
the hair has turned white in the bright spot and it appears to be deeper than the skin, ▼▼tn Heb “and its appearance is deep ‘from’ [comparative מִן (min) meaning ‘deeper than’] the skin.”
it is a disease that has broken out in the burn. ▼▼tn Heb “it is a disease. In the burn it has broken out.”
The priest is to pronounce the person unclean. ▼ It is a diseased infection. ▼ 26If, however, ▼▼tn Heb “and if.”
the priest examines it and ▼▼tn Heb “and behold” (so KJV, ASV); NASB “and indeed.”
there is no white hair in the bright spot, it is not deeper than the skin, ▼ and it has faded, then the priest is to quarantine him for seven days. ▼▼tn Heb “and the priest will shut him up seven days.”
27The priest must then examine it on the seventh day, and if it is spreading further ▼▼tn Heb “is indeed spreading.”
on the skin, then the priest is to pronounce him unclean. It is a diseased infection. ▼ 28But if the bright spot stays in its place, has not spread on the skin, ▼▼tn Heb “and if under it the bright spot stands, it has not spread in the skin.”
and it has faded, then it is the swelling of the burn, so the priest is to pronounce him clean, ▼ because it is the scar of the burn.
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