Leviticus 13

AND the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, saying,

When a man shall have in the skin For there was the seat of the Leprosy. of his flesh a rising, a scab, or bright spot Shining like the s... ale of... fish, as it is in the beginning of a Leprosy., and it be in the skin of his flesh like the plague of leprosy A distemper most frequent in Egypt, and Syria, &c. known also among the Greeks, who note that it was not so properly a disease a... a defilement or distemper in the skin, whence Christ is not said to heal, but to clearse the Lepers that came to him. And this distemper is here provided against, not because it was worse than others, but because it was externally and visibly filthy, and because of its infectious nature, that hereby we might be instructed to avoid converse with such vitious persons who were likely to infect us., then he shall be brought unto Aaron the priest Not to the Physitian, because, as was now said, it needed not so much healing, as cleansing, and was rather a ceremonial pollution than a disease, and because it belonged to the Priest to cleanse him, and therefore to search and discover whether he was defiled and needed cleansing. The Priest also was... o admit to, or exclude from, the Sanctuary, and therefore to examine who were to be excluded. And the discovery of this distemper was not so difficult that it required the Physitians art, but the Priest by experience and the observation of those rules might easily make it., or unto one of his sons the priests.

And the priest shall look on the plague (i. e.) The sign or appearance of the plague of leprosy. And it is observable, that the same signs of it are given by Moses here and by the learned Physitians in their works. in the skin of the flesh, and when the hair in the plague is turned white And when the Leprosy came to its height, not the hair only, but also the skin was turned white, as Exod. 4. 6. Numb. 12. 10. And this change of colour was an evidence both of the abundance of excrementitious humours and of the weakness of nature, as we see in old and sick persons., and the plague in sight is deeper than the skin of his flesh For the Leprosy did consume both the skin and the flesh, as appears from 2 King. 5. 14., it is a plague of leprosy: and the priest shall look on him, and pronounce him unclean Heb. make him unclean, i. e. ministerially and declaratively, in which sense ministers are said to remit si... s, Mat. 16. 19. and to destroy nations, Ier. 1. 10..

If the bright spot be white in the skin of his flesh, and in sight be not deeper than the skin, and the hair thereof be not turned white, then the priest shall shut up him that has the plague For greater assurance: to teach Ministers not to be rash nor hasty in their judgments and censures, but diligently to search and examine all things before-hand. The plague is here put for the man that has the plague, as pride is put for a proud man, Ier. 50. 31. and dreamers, Ier. 27. 9., seven days.

And the priest shall look on him the seventh day: and behold, if the plague in his sight be at a stay This translation is justified by the following clause which is added to explain it. Otherwise the words are and may be rendred thus, stand or abide in its own colour, the Hebrew word being used for colour as well as for sight., and the plague spread not in the skin, then the priest shall shut him up seven days more.

And the priest shall look on him again the seventh day: and behold, if the plague be somewhat dark Which is opposed to the white colour of the leprosy. But the word may be rendred, have contracted it self, or, be restrained or consined to its former place and bigness, and thus the opposition seems to be most clear to the spreading of its self mentioned both in the foregoing verse, and in the following clause., and the plague spread not somewhat in the skin, the priest shall pronounce him clean: it is but a scab: and he shall wash his clothes Though it was no Leprosy, but a scab only: to teach us, that no sin was so small which did not need to be washed by the blood of Christ, which was the thing designed by all these washings., and be clean.

But if the scab spread much abroad in the skin, after that he has been seen of the priest for his cleansing, he shall be seen of the priest again.

And if the priest see, that behold the scab spreadeth in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is a leprosy.

When the plague of leprosy is in a man, then he shall be brought unto the priest;

And the priest shall see him, and behold, if the rising be white To wit, with a preternatural and extraordinary whiteness, as N.... 12. 14. in the skin, and it have turned the hair white, and Or rather, o... the... opulative put for the dis-junctive, as has been noted before: for either of these were signs of a Leprosy, and one of these may seem inconsistent with the other, the former sign of white hair supposing the skin in which the hair was to remain, and the latter of live flesh supposing the skin to be consumed by the Leprosy, there be quick raw flesh Which showed that this was not a superficial Leprosy, but one of a deeper and more malignant nature that had eaten into the very flesh, for which cause it is in the next verse called an old or invet... rate or grown leprosy. in the rising:

It is an old leprosy in the skin of his flesh, and the Priest shall pronounce him unclean, and shall not shut him up for he is unclean.

And if a leprosy break out abroad in the skin, and the leprosy cover all the skin of him that has the plague, from his head even to his foot, wheresoever the priest looketh:

Then the priest shall consider, and behold, if the leprosy (i. e) The sign or appearance of the leprosy: or the scab is called a leprosy, because at first view it seemed to be so to the Priest and to other beholders. have covered all his flesh When it appeared in some one part it discovered the ill humour which lurked within, and withal the inability of nature to expel it, but when it overspread all, it manifested the strength of nature conquering the distemper and purging out the ill humours into the outward parts., he shall pronounce him clean that has the plague: it is all turned white: he is clean:

But when the raw flesh appeareth in him Or rather, in it, i. e. in the place where the sign or appearance of leprosy was, when the flesh was partly changed into a whiter colour, and partly kept its natural colour, this variety of colours was an evidence of the leprosy, as one and the same colour continuing was a sign of soundness., he shall be unclean.

And the priest shall see the raw flesh, and pronounce him to be unclean: for the raw flesh is unclean This is repeated again and again, because raw or living flesh might rather seem a sign of soundness, and the Priest might easily be deceived by it, and therefore he was more narrowly to look into it and to observe the place and manner and other circumstances in which it appeared.: it is a leprosy.

Or if the raw flesh turn again, and be changed unto white As it is usual with sores, when they begin to be healed, the skin, which is white, coming upon the flesh. he shall come unto the priest:

And the priest shall see him: and behold, if the plague be turned into white, then the priest shall pronounce him clean that has the plague: he is clean.

The flesh also, in which, even in the skin thereof was a bile, and is healed:

And in the place of the bile there be a white rising, or a bright spot white, and somewhat reddish (i. e.) White mixed with red, as when blood and milk are mixed together. A late learned writer renders the words thus, white and very bright or light, which indeed is the true colour of leprosy, to wit, when it is in its perfection, as Exod. 4. 6. &c. But here it was only beginning and arising out of a bile, in which together with the white, which was the colour of the leprosy, there might be some mixture of redness arising from the bile, o... that part of it which was not yet turned into the nature and colour of leprosy., and it be showed to the priest:

And if when the priest seeth it, behold, it be in sight lower than the skin, and the hair thereof be turned white, the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is a plague of leprosy broken out of the bile.

But if the priest look on it and behold, there be no white hairs therein, and if it be not lower than the skin, but be somewhat dark Or, and be contracted of which see ver. 6., then the priest shall shut him up seven days.

And if it spread much abroad in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is a plague Or, the plague, to wit, of Leprosy, of which he is speaking..

But if the bright spot stay in his p... e, and spread not, it is a burning bile, and the priest shall pronounce him clean.

Or if there be any flesh in the skin, whereof there is a hot burning Heb. a burning of fire, by the touch of any hot iron, or burning coals, which does naturally and usually make an ulcer or sore in which the following spot is., and the quick flesh that burneth have a white bright spot, somewhat reddish or white (i. e.) Or, only white, without any mixture of red in it. This clause seems to overthrow that exposition of the Hebrew word adamdam which is given by a learned man, ver. 19. because this colour which is here said to be only white is distinguished from that which is here called adamdam, which therefore must be some other colour than that of snow, which though very light or bright, yet is only white.;

Then the priest shall look upon it: and behold, if the hair in the bright spot be turned white, and it be in sight deeper than the skin, it is a leprosy broken out of the burning: wherefore the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is the plague of leprosy.

But if the priest look on it, and behold, there be no bright hair in the bright spot, and it be no lower than the other skin, but be somewhat dark Or, contracted, i. e. not spreading. See on ver. 6., then the priest shall shut him up seven days.

And the priest shall look upon him the seventh day: and if it be spread much abroad in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean, it is the plague of leprosy.

And if the bright spot stay in his place, and spread not in the skin, but it be somewhat dark, it is a rising of the burning, and the priest shall pronounce him clean: for it is an inflammation of the burning (i. e.) arising from the burning mentioned, ver. 24..

If a man or woman has a plague upon the head or the beard,

Then the priest shall see the plague, and behold, if it be in sight deeper than the skin, and there be in it a yellow thin hair The leprosy in the body turned the hair white, in the head or beard it turned it yellow. And if a mans hair was yellow before, this might easily be distinguished from the rest, either by the thinness or smallness of it, which is here noted, or by its peculiar kind of yellow, for there are divers kinds or degrees of the same colour manifestly differing one from another, as in green colours, &c., then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is a dry scall, even a leprosy upon the head, or beard.

And if the priest look on the plague of the scall, and behold, it be not in fight deeper than the skin, and that there is no black hair in it For had that appeared, it had ended the doubt, the black hair being a sign of soundness and strength of nature, ver. 37. as the yellow hair was a sign of unsoundness.: then the priest shall shut up him that has the plague of the scall, seven days.

And in the seventh day the priest shall look on the plague: and behold if the scall spread not, and there be in it no yellow hair, and the scall be not in sight deeper than the skin,

He shall be shaven For the more certain discovery of the growth or stay of the plague.: but the scall shall he not shave: and the priest shall shut up him that has the scall, seven days more.

And in the seventh day the priest shall look on the scall: and behold, if the scall be not spread in the skin, nor be in sight deeper than the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him clean: and he shall wash his clothes, and be clean.

But if the scall spread much in the skin after his cleansing,

Then the priest shall look on him, and behold, if the scall be spread in the skin, the priest shall not seek for yellow hair He need not search for the hair or any other sign, the spreading or running of it being a sure sign of leprosie, without any other evidence.: he is unclean.

But if the scall be in his sight at a stay: and that there is black hair grown up therein; the scall is healed, he is clean, and the priest shall pronounce him clean The truth of the thing, and not the sentence of the priest, made him clean, and if the priest had partially pronounced one clean who was not clean his sentence had been null. And therefore it is a fond and dangerous conceit to think that the Absolution given to any sinner by a priest will stand him in any stead if he do not truly repent..

If a man also, or a woman, have in the skin of their flesh bright spots, even white bright spots,

Then the priest shall look: and behold, if the bright spots in the skin of their flesh be darkish white Or, contracted, or consined to the place where they are, and white., it is a freckled spot that groweth in the skin: he is clean.

And the man whose hair is fallen of his head, he is bald, yet is he clean.

And he that has his hair fallen off from the part of his head toward his face, he is forehead bald: yet is he clean.

And if there be in the bald head, or bald forehead, a white reddish sore, it is a leprosie It is a sign that such baldness came not from age, or any accident, but from the leprosie. sprung up in his bald head, or his bald forehead.

Then the priest shall look upon it: and behold, if the rising of the sore be white reddish in his bald head, or in his bald forehead, as the leprosie appeareth in the skin of the flesh,

He is a leprous man, he is unclean, the priest shall pronounce him utterly unclean: his plague is in his head.

And the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent To wit, in the upper and former parts, which were most visible. This was done partly as a token of sorrow, Ezra 9. 3, 5. Iob 2. 12. because though this was not a sin, yet it was an effect of sin, and a sore punishment, whereby he was cut off both from converse with men, and from the enjoyment of God in his Ordinances; partly as a warning to others to keep at a due distance from him wheresoever he came; and partly, as some adde, that it might conduce to his cure by giving the freer vent to the ill humours. But the exposing of the affected part to the cold would rather hinder than further evaporation., and his head bare Another sign of mourning, as appears from Levit. 10. 6. God would have men though not overwhelmed with, yet deeply sensible of, his judgments., and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip Partly as another badge of his sorrow and shame, as Ezek. 24. 17, 22. Mic. 3. 7. and partly for the preservation of others from his infectious breath or touch, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean As begging the pity and prayers of others, and confessing his own infirmity, and cautioning those who came near him to keep at a distance from him..

All the days wherein the plague shall be in him, he shall be defiled, he is unclean, he shall dwell alone, Partly for his humiliation; partly to prevent the infection of others; and partly to show the danger of converse with spiritual lepers, or notorious sinners. This rule excludes the society of sound persons, but not of lepers. See 2 King. 15. 5. 2 Chron. 26. 21. without the camp So Numb. 12. 14. and afterward without Cities and Places of great concourse, whereof we have examples, 2 King. 7. 3. Luk. 17. 12. shall his habitation be.

The garment also that the plague of leprosie is in Leprosie in garments and houses is unknown in these times and places, which is not strange, there being some diseases or distempers peculiar to some ages and countries, as the learned have noted. And that such a thing was among the Jews cannot reasonably be doubted, for, if Moses had been a deceiver, as some have impudently affirmed, a man of his wisdom would not have exposed himself to the disbelief and contempt of his people by giving laws about that which their experience showed to be but a fiction., whether it be a woollen garment, or a linen garment These two sorts are put by a Synecdoche for any other garments..

Whether it be in the warp, or woof A learned man renders it, in the outside, or in the inside of it. If the signification of those words be doubtful or unknown now, as some of those of the living creatures and pretious stones are confessed to be, it is not material to us, this law being abolished: it sufficeth that the Jews understood these things by frequent experience. of linen or of woollen, whether in a skin, or in any thing made of skin:

And if the plague be greenish or reddish in the garment, or in the skin, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in any thing of skin, it is a plague of leprosie, and shall be showed unto the priest.

And the priest shall look upon the plague and shut up it that has the plague, seven days.

And he shall look on the plague on the seventh day: if the plague be spread in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in a skin, or in any work, that is made of skin, the plague is a fretting leprosie, it is unclean.

He shall therefore burn that garment, whether warp, or woof, in woollen, or in linen, or any thing of skin, wherein the plague is: for it is a fretting leprosie, it shall be burnt in the fire.

And if the priest shall look, and behold, the plague be not spread in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in any thing of skin:

Then the priest shall command that they wash the thing wherein the plague is, and he shall shut it up seven days more.

And the priest shall look on the plague after that it is washed: and behold, if the plague have not changed his colour If washing does not take away that vitious colour and restore it to its own native colour., and the plague be not spread, it is unclean, thou shalt burn it in the fire, it is fret inward, whether it be bare within, or without In the outside of the garment, which is here called the forehead or foreside, as being most visible, or in the inside of it. Some of the Jewish Doctors understood it thus, whether the garment was made threadbare by the leprosie, or by former wearing of it..

And if the priest look, and behold, the plague be somewhat dark after the washing of it, then he shall rend it out of the garment, or out of the skin, or out of the warp, or out of the woof.

And if it appear still in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in any thing of skin, it is a spreading plague, thou shalt burn that wherein the plague is, with fire.

And the garment, either warp, or woof, or whatsoever thing of skin it be, which thou shalt wash, if the plague be departed from them, then it shall be washed the second time, and shall be clean.

This is the law of the plague of leprosie, in a garment of woollen, or linen, either in the warp, or woof, or any thing of skins, to pronounce it clean, or to pronounce it unclean.