### Core Meaning & Semantic Range
The Greek term λεπρός (leprós, `{{G3015}}`) is an adjective derived from λέπρα (leprá, `{{G3014}}`), which refers to the skin condition itself. Its core meaning is "scaly" or "leprous," describing a person afflicted with what was understood as leprosy in the ancient world. This condition was characterized by various skin manifestations, often leading to disfigurement and social ostracization. While not always identical to modern Hansen's disease, λεπρός encompassed a range of serious and often chronic skin diseases that rendered an individual ritually unclean and socially isolated according to Mosaic Law. Thus, the semantic range extends beyond mere physical symptoms to include the profound social and religious implications of the disease.
### Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis
The term λεπρός (leprós) appears exclusively in the New Testament, primarily in the Synoptic Gospels, where it describes individuals whom Jesus encounters and heals. These narratives are crucial for understanding Jesus' ministry and identity:
* **[[Matthew 8:2]] / [[Mark 1:40]] / [[Luke 5:12]]:** A leper approaches Jesus, demonstrating remarkable faith and humility, asking to be made clean. Jesus' response is immediate and profound: He *touches* the leper. This act was ritually defiling according to Mosaic Law (Leviticus 13-14), yet Jesus' touch transmits not defilement but cleansing and healing, demonstrating His divine authority over impurity and disease. He then instructs the healed man to show himself to the priest and offer the prescribed sacrifice, fulfilling the Law and enabling his reintegration into society.
* **[[Matthew 10:8]]:** When sending out His twelve disciples, Jesus explicitly commands them to "cleanse lepers," alongside casting out demons and healing other diseases. This commission highlights the importance of ministering to the most marginalized and confirms the disciples' participation in Jesus' restorative mission.
* **[[Matthew 11:5]] / [[Luke 7:22]]:** In response to John the Baptist's inquiry about His identity, Jesus cites the cleansing of lepers as one of the signs of His messianic arrival, fulfilling Old Testament prophecy (e.g., [[Isaiah 35:5-6]]).
* **[[Matthew 26:6]] / [[Mark 14:3]]:** Jesus is identified as being in the house of Simon the leper in Bethany. This suggests that Simon was either a former leper who had been healed (perhaps by Jesus Himself) or someone still known by that designation, further illustrating Jesus' willingness to associate with those considered unclean or outcast.
* **[[Luke 4:27]]:** Jesus references the prophet Elisha cleansing Naaman the Syrian, a non-Israelite leper. This serves as a prophetic foreshadowing of God's redemptive work extending beyond Israel, a theme further developed in the New Testament.
* **[[Luke 17:12-19]]:** The powerful account of the ten lepers healed by Jesus, where only one, a Samaritan, returns to give thanks. This narrative underscores the importance of gratitude, highlights the nature of true faith, and subtly breaks down ethnic and social barriers, as the "foreigner" is the one who demonstrates proper piety.
In all these contexts, λεπρός signifies not just a medical condition but a state of profound social and religious alienation. Jesus' interactions with lepers consistently demonstrate His compassion, His power to heal and restore, and His challenging of conventional purity laws through His own inherent holiness.
### Related Words & Concepts
* **Hebrew Counterpart:** The primary Old Testament term for "leprosy" and related skin afflictions is צָרַעַת (tsara'at, `{{H6883}}`). This Hebrew word is broader than the modern medical definition of leprosy, encompassing various skin conditions, mildew in houses, and even mold on garments, all of which rendered a person or object ritually unclean. The Septuagint (LXX) often translates צָרַעַת with λέπρα (leprá) and λεπρός (leprós).
* **Greek Cognates:** The noun λέπρα (leprá, `{{G3014}}`) directly refers to the disease itself.
* **Thematic Connections:**
* **Ritual Uncleanness and Purity:** Leprosy was the quintessential state of ritual impurity in ancient Israel, requiring separation from the community and the sanctuary. Jesus' ability to cleanse lepers demonstrates His ultimate authority over all forms of defilement.
* **Exclusion and Inclusion:** Lepers were cast out from society. Jesus' healing ministry consistently brings the excluded back into community and fellowship.
* **Suffering and Compassion:** The physical and social suffering endured by lepers was immense. Jesus' interactions with them are marked by profound compassion (σπλαγχνίζομαι - splagchnizomai, to be moved with pity, e.g., [[Mark 1:41]]).
* **Messianic Signs:** The cleansing of lepers was understood as a specific sign of the Messiah's coming, validating Jesus' claims.
* **Faith and Obedience:** Many lepers approach Jesus with faith, and their healing often involves an act of obedience, such as showing themselves to the priests.
### Theological Significance
The theological significance of λεπρός and Jesus' interactions with those afflicted is multifaceted:
* **Divine Authority and Purity:** In the Old Testament, only God could truly "cleanse" a leper, usually through a miraculous departure of the disease followed by priestly declaration. Jesus, by directly touching and healing, demonstrates inherent divine authority. His holiness is not compromised by contact with impurity; rather, His purity is so potent that it *overcomes* and *transforms* defilement. This redefines the very nature of purity.
* **Messianic Fulfillment:** Jesus' repeated acts of cleansing lepers are direct fulfillments of Old Testament prophecies concerning the signs of the Messiah (e.g., [[Isaiah 35:5-6]]). These miracles serve as irrefutable evidence of His divine commission and identity as the Christ.
* **Compassion for the Outcast:** Jesus' ministry is consistently characterized by His radical compassion for the marginalized, the sick, and the ritually unclean. His willingness to physically touch and restore lepers exemplifies His mission to seek out and save those whom society had rejected, demonstrating God's boundless love for humanity in its most broken state.
* **Symbolism of Sin:** The progressive, disfiguring, and isolating nature of leprosy serves as a powerful biblical metaphor for sin. Just as leprosy separates an individual from the community and from God's presence (in the temple system), so too does sin separate humanity from God and from one another. Jesus' cleansing of lepers thus prefigures His ultimate work of cleansing humanity from the defilement of sin through His atoning sacrifice, bringing about spiritual restoration and reconciliation with God.
* **Wholeness and Restoration:** The healing of a leper was not merely a physical cure but a complete restoration—physical, social, and spiritual. It represented being made whole and reintegrated into the community and the covenant relationship with God.
### Summary
The Greek word λεπρός (leprós, `{{G3015}}`) refers to an individual afflicted with leprosy, a condition that brought about profound physical suffering, ritual uncleanness, and social ostracization in the ancient world. Its occurrences in the New Testament, particularly in the Gospel accounts of Jesus' ministry, are highly significant. Jesus' compassionate encounters with lepers, His willingness to touch them, and His powerful acts of healing demonstrate His divine authority over disease and impurity, fulfilling Old Testament messianic prophecies. Beyond the physical cure, these healings underscore Jesus' radical compassion for the marginalized, His ability to restore the outcast to full community, and symbolically, His ultimate work of cleansing humanity from the defilement of sin. The cleansing of lepers serves as a profound testament to Jesus' transformative holiness, which overrides defilement and brings about complete restoration and wholeness—body, soul, and spirit.
TRV