### Core Meaning & Semantic Range
The Hebrew word **pâsâh**, represented by `{{H6581}}`, is a primitive root meaning to **spread**. It appears 22 times across 18 unique verses in the Bible, and its usage is highly specific, relating almost exclusively to the expansion of disease or contamination.
### Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis
In the biblical narrative, `{{H6581}}` is a technical term used within the priestly laws outlined in Leviticus. Its primary function is to serve as a key diagnostic indicator for **leprosy** `{{H6883}}` and other contaminating conditions. The priest would **see** `{{H7200}}` if a **plague** `{{H5061}}` had **spread** `{{H6581}}` upon the **skin** `{{H5785}}`, in a garment, or on the walls of a house. If an affliction did not **spread** `{{H6581}}` but remained at a **stay** `{{H5975}}`, the person or object could be pronounced clean [[Leviticus 13:23]]. Conversely, if a scab was seen to **spread much abroad** `{{H6581}}`, it was a definitive sign of uncleanness requiring separation [[Leviticus 13:7]].
### Related Words & Concepts
Several related words provide a fuller context for the concept of spreading defilement:
* `{{H5061}}` **negaʻ** (plague, sore, wound): This word, meaning a "blow" or "infliction," refers to the affliction that **spreads**. It is used for diseases in a field [[1 Kings 8:37]], the plague of a person's heart [[1 Kings 8:38]], and as a form of chastening [[2 Samuel 7:14]].
* `{{H6883}}` **tsâraʻath** (leprosy): This is the specific malady most often identified by the action of `{{H6581}}`. If a plague was found to have **spread** `{{H6581}}` in a house, it was declared a **fretting** `{{H3992}}` **leprosy** `{{H6883}}` [[Leviticus 14:44]].
* `{{H2930}}` **ṭâmêʼ** (to be foul, unclean, defile): This describes the state that results from the spreading. If a priest saw that a scab **spreadeth** `{{H6581}}` in the skin, he was to **pronounce him unclean** `{{H2930}}`, for it is a leprosy [[Leviticus 13:8]]. The concept extends to moral defilement with idols [[Ezekiel 37:23]].
### Theological Significance
The theological weight of `{{H6581}}` is centered on the concepts of purity, contagion, and separation.
* **A Sign of Contamination:** The act of spreading is the critical evidence of an active, uncontrolled impurity. The physical expansion of a **plague** `{{H5061}}` on skin, clothing, or a house was the objective sign that confirmed a state of ritual defilement [[Leviticus 13:51]].
* **The Boundary of Purity:** The word establishes a clear dividing line. If an affliction did not **spread** `{{H6581}}`, it was contained and could be deemed clean [[Leviticus 13:6]]. If it did spread, it had breached a boundary and was, by definition, an encroaching impurity.
* **Pervasiveness of Defilement:** The application of `{{H6581}}` to people, clothing, and houses illustrates a theological understanding that defilement is not isolated. It can permeate one's body, possessions, and dwelling, rendering the entire sphere **unclean** `{{H2930}}` and requiring decisive action [[Leviticus 14:44]].
### Summary
In summary, `{{H6581}}` is far more than a simple verb for expansion. It is a crucial legal and theological term in the Old Testament, functioning as the primary diagnostic tool for identifying active, contagious uncleanness. Its presence or absence determines the boundary between the clean and the unclean, demonstrating how the physical process of spreading was a visible marker for a state of ritual impurity that necessitated judgment and separation from the community.
TRV