Leviticus 13:4-8

A Bright Spot on the Skin

13:4 “If ¹  it is a white bright spot on the skin of his body, but it does not appear to be deeper than the skin, ²  and the hair has not turned white, then the priest is to quarantine the person with the infection for seven days. ³  13:5 The priest must then examine it on the seventh day, and if, ⁴  as far as he can see, the infection has stayed the same ⁵  and has not spread on the skin, ⁶  then the priest is to quarantine the person for another seven days. ⁷  13:6 The priest must then examine it again on the seventh day, ⁸  and if ⁹  the infection has faded and has not spread on the skin, then the priest is to pronounce the person clean. ¹⁰  It is a scab, ¹¹  so he must wash his clothes ¹²  and be clean. 13:7 If, however, the scab is spreading further ¹³  on the skin after he has shown himself to the priest for his purification, then he must show himself to the priest a second time. 13:8 The priest must then examine it, ¹⁴  and if ¹⁵  the scab has spread on the skin, then the priest is to pronounce the person unclean. ¹⁶  It is a disease.

[13:4]  ¹ tn Heb “and if.”

[13:4]  ² tn Heb “and deep is not its appearance from the skin”; cf. NAB “does not seem to have penetrated below the skin.”

[13:4]  ³ tn Heb “and the priest will shut up the infection seven days.”

[13:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “and behold” (so KJV, ASV).

[13:5]  ⁵ tn Heb “the infection has stood in his eyes”; ASV “if in his eyes the plague be at a stay.”

[13:5]  ⁶ tn Although there is no expressed “and” at the beginning of this clause, there is in the corresponding clause of v. 6, so it should be assumed here as well.

[13:5]  ⁷ tn Heb “a second seven days.”

[13:6]  ⁸ tn That is, at the end of the second set of seven days referred to at the end of v. 5, a total of fourteen days after the first appearance before the priest.

[13:6]  ⁹ tn Heb “and behold.”

[13:6]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “he shall make him clean.” The verb is the Piel of טָהֵר (taher, “to be clean”). Here it is a so-called “declarative” Piel (i.e., “to declare clean”), but it also implies that the person is put into the category of being “clean” by the pronouncement itself (J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 176; cf. the corresponding opposite in v. 3 above).

[13:6]  ¹¹ tn On the term “scab” see the note on v. 2 above. Cf. NAB “it was merely eczema”; NRSV “only an eruption”; NLT “only a temporary rash.”

[13:6]  ¹² tn Heb “and he shall wash his clothes.”

[13:7]  ¹³ tn Heb “And if spreading [infinitive absolute] it spreads [finite verb].” For the infinitive absolute used to highlight contrast rather than emphasis see GKC 343 §113.p.

[13:8]  ¹⁴ tn The “it” is not expressed but is to be understood. It refers to the “infection” (cf. the note on v. 2 above).

[13:8]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “and behold” (so KJV, ASV).

[13:8]  ¹⁶ tn This is the declarative Piel of the verb טָמֵא (tame’, cf. the note on v. 3 above).