Word Study for H1372 (גַּבַּחַת)

gabbachath /gab-bakh'-ath/ Ask about this word

Meaningbaldness in the forehead; by analogy, a bare spot on the right side of cloth

KJV usagebald forehead

Idioms & phrasesidiom without.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of gabbachath — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Hebrew word gabbachath, represented by H1372, refers specifically to baldness in the forehead. It appears 4 times across 3 unique verses in the Bible. Its use is highly specialized, defining a precise location on the body for diagnostic purposes, and by analogy, a bare spot on the front side of a piece of cloth.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In its biblical occurrences, H1372 is found exclusively in the legal context of Leviticus, chapter 13, concerning the identification of leprosy. It is used to distinguish a sore appearing on a bald forehead (Leviticus 13:42, Leviticus 13:43) from one appearing on a "bald head," or the back of the head. The term is also applied metaphorically to a garment that has a blemish, where it signifies a bare spot on the front or "without" side of the cloth Leviticus 13:55, demonstrating how the principle was extended from people to objects.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words are essential for understanding the context of H1372:

H5061 negaʻ: This word means a plague, sore, stricken, stripe, stroke, wound. It is the blemish or affliction, such as a "white reddish sore," that the priest must examine on the bald forehead Leviticus 13:42.
H6883 tsâraʻath: Defined simply as leprosy, this is the specific disease being diagnosed. The appearance of a sore on the bald forehead is a potential sign of leprosy Leviticus 13:43.
H7146 qârachath: This term for a bald head, bare within refers to a bald spot on the back of the head. It is used in direct contrast to H1372 in every instance, highlighting the detailed anatomical distinctions required by Levitical law Leviticus 13:42.

Theological Significance

The significance of H1372 is rooted in the biblical system of ritual purity and diagnosis.

Diagnostic Precision: The law's specific mention of both the bald forehead H1372 and the bald head H7146 underscores the meticulous detail required by priests when inspecting a sore H5061 to determine if it is leprosy H6883. This precision was critical for community health and ritual status.
Human and Object Purity: By applying H1372 to both a person's forehead and the "right side" of cloth Leviticus 13:55, the text shows that the principles of identifying and dealing with defiling blemishes extended beyond the human body to personal possessions.
Priestly Authority: The term functions within a legal framework where a priest's visual inspection was paramount. The location of a blemish on the bald forehead was a key piece of evidence in the priest's judgment of clean or unclean Leviticus 13:43.

Summary

In summary, H1372 is a precise anatomical and descriptive term rather than a broad theological one. Its importance comes from its role in the practical application of purity laws in Leviticus. By specifying baldness in the forehead, it allowed for careful and systematic diagnosis of leprosy, distinguishing it from other conditions and locations. The word illustrates the comprehensive and detailed nature of the biblical laws governing what was considered clean and unclean in ancient Israelite life.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Hebrew Old Testament, this word appears as a noun across 4 occurrences, inflected in 2 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form. Select any form to read what each part of its name means, and to filter the occurrence list to it.

גַבַּחְתּ
גַּבַּחַת

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

3 verses, all in Leviticus — and none of the other 38 Old Testament books.

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, by grammatical form, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.