Leviticus 13:12

13:12 If, however, the disease breaks out ¹  on the skin so that the disease covers all the skin of the person with the infection ²  from his head to his feet, as far as the priest can see, ³ 

Leviticus 13:20

13:20 The priest will then examine it, ⁴  and if ⁵  it appears to be deeper than the skin ⁶  and its hair has turned white, then the priest is to pronounce the person unclean. ⁷  It is a diseased infection that has broken out in the boil. ⁸ 

Leviticus 13:4

A Bright Spot on the Skin

13:4 “If ⁹  it is a white bright spot on the skin of his body, but it does not appear to be deeper than the skin, ¹⁰  and the hair has not turned white, then the priest is to quarantine the person with the infection for seven days. ¹¹ 

[13:12]  ¹ 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.

[13:12]  ² tn Heb “all the skin of the infection,” but see v. 4 above.

[13:12]  ³ tn Heb “to all the appearance of the eyes of the priest.”

[13:20]  ⁴ tn Heb “and the priest shall see.” The pronoun “it” is unexpressed, but it should be assumed and it refers to the infection (cf. the note on v. 8 above).

[13:20]  ⁵ tn Heb “and behold.”

[13:20]  ⁶ 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, ’amoq), and see the note on “swelling” in v. 1 above (cf. J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 192; note that, contrary to the MT, Tg. Onq. 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 (sÿ’et) 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.

[13:20]  ⁷ tn The declarative Piel of the verb טָמֵא (tame’, cf. the note on v. 3 above).

[13:20]  ⁸ tn Heb “It is an infection of disease. In the boil it has broken out.” For the rendering “diseased infection” see the note on v. 2 above.

[13:4]  ⁷ tn Heb “and if.”

[13:4]  ⁸ tn Heb “and deep is not its appearance from the skin”; cf. NAB “does not seem to have penetrated below the skin.”

[13:4]  ⁹ tn Heb “and the priest will shut up the infection seven days.”