Leviticus 13:29-37

Scall on the Head or in the Beard

13:29 “When a man or a woman has an infection on the head or in the beard, ¹  13:30 the priest is to examine the infection, ²  and if ³  it appears to be deeper than the skin ⁴  and the hair in it is reddish yellow and thin, then the priest is to pronounce the person unclean. ⁵  It is scall, ⁶  a disease of the head or the beard. ⁷  13:31 But if the priest examines the scall infection and it does not appear to be deeper than the skin, ⁸  and there is no black hair in it, then the priest is to quarantine the person with the scall infection for seven days. ⁹  13:32 The priest must then examine the infection on the seventh day, and if ¹⁰  the scall has not spread, there is no reddish yellow hair in it, and the scall does not appear to be deeper than the skin, ¹¹  13:33 then the individual is to shave himself, ¹²  but he must not shave the area affected by the scall, ¹³  and the priest is to quarantine the person with the scall for another seven days. ¹⁴  13:34 The priest must then examine the scall on the seventh day, and if ¹⁵  the scall has not spread on the skin and it does not appear to be deeper than the skin, ¹⁶  then the priest is to pronounce him clean. ¹⁷  So he is to wash his clothes and be clean. 13:35 If, however, the scall spreads further ¹⁸  on the skin after his purification, 13:36 then the priest is to examine it, and if ¹⁹  the scall has spread on the skin the priest is not to search further for reddish yellow hair. ²⁰  The person ²¹  is unclean. 13:37 If, as far as the priest can see, the scall has stayed the same ²²  and black hair has sprouted in it, the scall has been healed; the person is clean. So the priest is to pronounce him clean. ²³ 

[13:29]  ¹ tn Heb “And a man or a woman if there is in him an infection in head or in beard.”

[13:30]  ² tn Heb “and the priest shall see the infection.”

[13:30]  ³ tn Heb “and behold.”

[13:30]  ⁴ tn Heb “its appearance is deep ‘from’ (comparative מִן, min, “deeper than”) the skin.”

[13:30]  ⁵ tn This is the declarative Piel of the verb טָמֵא (tame’; cf. the note on v. 3 above).

[13:30]  ⁶ tn The exact identification of this disease is unknown. Cf. KJV “dry scall”; NASB “a scale”; NIV, NCV, NRSV “an itch”; NLT “a contagious skin disease.” For a discussion of “scall” disease in the hair, which is a crusty scabby disease of the skin under the hair that also affects the hair itself, see J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 192-93, and J. Milgrom, Leviticus (AB), 1:793-94. The Hebrew word rendered “scall” (נֶתֶק, neteq) is related to a verb meaning “to tear; to tear out; to tear apart.” It may derive from the scratching and/or the tearing out of the hair or the scales of the skin in response to the itching sensation caused by the disease.

[13:30]  ⁷ tn Heb “It is scall. It is the disease of the head or the beard.”

[13:31]  ⁸ tn Heb “and behold there is not its appearance deep ‘from’ (comparative מִן, min, meaning “deeper than”) the skin.”

[13:31]  ⁹ tn Heb “and the priest will shut up the infection of the scall seven days.”

[13:32]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and behold” (so KJV, ASV).

[13:32]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and the appearance of the scall is not deep ‘from’ (comparative מִן, min, meaning “deeper than”) the skin.”

[13:33]  ¹² tn The shaving is done by the one who has the infection. Although KJV, ASV have the passive “he shall be shaven” here, most modern English versions have the reflexive “shall shave himself” (so NAB).

[13:33]  ¹³ tn Heb “but the scall shall he not shave” (so KJV, ASV); NIV “except for the diseased area.”

[13:33]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “and the priest will shut up the scall a second seven days.”

[13:34]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “and behold” (so KJV, ASV).

[13:34]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “and its appearance is not deep ‘from’ (comparative מִן, min, meaning “deeper than”) the skin.”

[13:34]  ¹⁷ tn This is the declarative Piel of the verb טָהֵר (taher, cf. the note on v. 6 above).

[13:35]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “And if spreading (infinitive absolute) it spreads further (finite verb).” For the infinitive absolute used to highlight contrast rather than emphasis see GKC 343 §113.p.

[13:36]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “and behold.”

[13:36]  ²⁰ tn Heb “the priest shall not search to the reddish yellow hair.”

[13:36]  ²¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the affected person) is specified in the translation for clarity (likewise in the following verse).

[13:37]  ²² tn Heb “and if in his eyes the infection has stood.”

[13:37]  ²³ tn This is the declarative Piel of the verb טָהֵר (taher, cf. the note on v. 6 above).