Leviticus 13:42

And if there be in the bald head, or bald forehead, a white reddish sore; it [is] a leprosy sprung up in his bald head, or his bald forehead.

And if there be in the bald head {H7146}, or bald forehead {H1372}, a white {H3836} reddish {H125} sore {H5061}; it is a leprosy {H6883} sprung {H6524} up in his bald head {H7146}, or his bald forehead {H1372}.

But if on the bald scalp or forehead there is a reddish-white sore, it is tzara'at breaking out on his bald scalp or forehead.

But if there is a reddish-white sore on the bald head or forehead, it is an infectious disease breaking out on it.

But if there be in the bald head, or the bald forehead, a reddish-white plague; it is leprosy breaking out in his bald head, or his bald forehead.

Commentary

Leviticus 13:42 is part of a detailed set of instructions given by God to Moses for the Israelite priests, outlining how to diagnose and manage various skin diseases, particularly what the King James Version translates as "leprosy" (Hebrew: tsara'at).

Context

Chapter 13 of Leviticus provides an extensive medical and ritual code for discerning between "clean" and "unclean" skin conditions within the Israelite community. These regulations were crucial for maintaining the camp's hygiene and, more importantly, its ritual purity in the presence of a holy God. Verses 40-44 specifically address the diagnosis of tsara'at on the head or forehead, including cases of baldness. Verse 42 pinpoints a specific symptom – a "white reddish sore" on a bald area – as a definitive sign of this severe skin affliction, leading to a declaration of ritual uncleanness by the priest.

Key Themes

  • Purity and Holiness: The overarching concern of Leviticus is the maintenance of God's holiness among His people. These laws ensured that anything potentially defiling, like a contagious skin condition, was identified and separated to protect the community's spiritual and physical well-being.
  • Divine Authority in Diagnosis: The complex and detailed nature of these laws underscores that God Himself provided the criteria for distinguishing clean from unclean, with the priests acting as His authorized diagnosticians and enforcers of the law.
  • Community Protection: The isolation of individuals with tsara'at, as detailed in Leviticus 13:45-46, served to prevent the spread of disease and maintain the ritual purity of the camp.

Linguistic Insights

The Hebrew term translated as "leprosy" is tsara'at (Χ¦ΦΈΧ¨Φ·Χ’Φ·Χͺ). It is important to note that this term likely encompassed a wider range of severe, chronic skin conditions than what is known today as Hansen's disease (modern leprosy). It could also refer to mildew on clothes or houses. The primary focus of tsara'at in the Old Testament was not merely medical, but profoundly ritualistic, rendering a person "unclean" and requiring separation from the community until cleansed, as seen in the cleansing rituals described in Leviticus 14.

Significance and Application

While these specific laws are part of the old covenant and do not apply literally to Christians today, they offer valuable insights:

  • God's Attention to Detail: This passage reveals God's meticulous care for the physical and spiritual health of His people, even down to specific symptoms of skin conditions.
  • The Nature of Defilement: Just as tsara'at rendered a person ritually unclean and separated them from the community, so too does sin defile us spiritually and separate us from God and from the fellowship of His people. The need for a "priest" to diagnose and declare clean finds its ultimate fulfillment in Christ, who has the power to cleanse us from all defilement (e.g., Mark 1:40-42 where Jesus heals a leper).
  • Wisdom in Health: The principles of hygiene and isolation for contagious diseases, embedded in these ancient laws, reflect timeless wisdom for public health.
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Cross-References

No cross-references found.