Moses receives divine medical protocols that transform priests into diagnostic specialists, uniquely blending ceremonial law with clinical observation in ancient Israel's healthcare system.
Leviticus 13
Diagnosis of Skin Diseases
1The LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,
2“When a man shall have a swelling in his body’s skin, or a scab, or a bright spot, and it becomes in the skin of his body the plague of leprosy, then he shall be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons, the priests.
3The priest shall examine the plague in the skin of the body. If the hair in the plague has turned white, and the appearance of the plague is deeper than the body’s skin, it is the plague of leprosy; so the priest shall examine him and pronounce him unclean.
4If the bright spot is white in the skin of his body, and its appearance isn’t deeper than the skin, and its hair hasn’t turned white, then the priest shall isolate the infected person for seven days.
5The priest shall examine him on the seventh day. Behold, if in his eyes the plague is arrested and the plague hasn’t spread in the skin, then the priest shall isolate him for seven more days.
6The priest shall examine him again on the seventh day. Behold, if the plague has faded and the plague hasn’t spread in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him clean. It is a scab. He shall wash his clothes, and be clean.
7But if the scab spreads on the skin after he has shown himself to the priest for his cleansing, he shall show himself to the priest again.
8The priest shall examine him; and behold, if the scab has spread on the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is leprosy.
9“When the plague of leprosy is in a man, then he shall be brought to the priest;
10and the priest shall examine him. Behold, if there is a white swelling in the skin, and it has turned the hair white, and there is raw flesh in the swelling,
11it is a chronic leprosy in the skin of his body, and the priest shall pronounce him unclean. He shall not isolate him, for he is already unclean.
12“If the leprosy breaks out all over the skin, and the leprosy covers all the skin of the infected person from his head even to his feet, as far as it appears to the priest,
13then the priest shall examine him. Behold, if the leprosy has covered all his flesh, he shall pronounce him clean of the plague. It has all turned white: he is clean.
14But whenever raw flesh appears in him, he shall be unclean.
15The priest shall examine the raw flesh, and pronounce him unclean: the raw flesh is unclean. It is leprosy.
16Or if the raw flesh turns again, and is changed to white, then he shall come to the priest.
17The priest shall examine him. Behold, if the plague has turned white, then the priest shall pronounce him clean of the plague. He is clean.
18“When the body has a boil on its skin, and it has healed,
19and in the place of the boil there is a white swelling, or a bright spot, reddish-white, then it shall be shown to the priest.
20The priest shall examine it. Behold, if its appearance is deeper than the skin, and its hair has turned white, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is the plague of leprosy. It has broken out in the boil.
21But if the priest examines it, and behold, there are no white hairs in it, and it isn’t deeper than the skin, but is dim, then the priest shall isolate him seven days.
22If it spreads in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is a plague.
23But if the bright spot stays in its place, and hasn’t spread, it is the scar from the boil; and the priest shall pronounce him clean.
24“Or when the body has a burn from fire on its skin, and the raw flesh of the burn becomes a bright spot, reddish-white, or white,
25then the priest shall examine it; and behold, if the hair in the bright spot has turned white, and its appearance is deeper than the skin, it is leprosy. It has broken out in the burning, and the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is the plague of leprosy.
26But if the priest examines it, and behold, there is no white hair in the bright spot, and it isn’t deeper than the skin, but has faded, then the priest shall isolate him seven days.
27The priest shall examine him on the seventh day. If it has spread in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is the plague of leprosy.
28If the bright spot stays in its place, and hasn’t spread in the skin, but is faded, it is the swelling from the burn, and the priest shall pronounce him clean, for it is the scar from the burn.
Diseases of the Head and Beard
29“When a man or woman has a plague on the head or on the beard,
30then the priest shall examine the plague; and behold, if its appearance is deeper than the skin, and the hair in it is yellow and thin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is an itch. It is leprosy of the head or of the beard.
31If the priest examines the plague of itching, and behold, its appearance isn’t deeper than the skin, and there is no black hair in it, then the priest shall isolate the person infected with itching seven days.
32On the seventh day the priest shall examine the plague; and behold, if the itch hasn’t spread, and there is no yellow hair in it, and the appearance of the itch isn’t deeper than the skin,
33then he shall be shaved, but he shall not shave the itch. Then the priest shall isolate the one who has the itch seven more days.
34On the seventh day, the priest shall examine the itch; and behold, if the itch hasn’t spread in the skin, and its appearance isn’t deeper than the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him clean. He shall wash his clothes and be clean.
35But if the itch spreads in the skin after his cleansing,
36then the priest shall examine him; and behold, if the itch has spread in the skin, the priest shall not look for the yellow hair; he is unclean.
37But if in his eyes the itch is arrested and black hair has grown in it, then the itch is healed. He is clean. The priest shall pronounce him clean.
38“When a man or a woman has bright spots in the skin of the body, even white bright spots,
39then the priest shall examine them. Behold, if the bright spots on the skin of their body are a dull white, it is a harmless rash. It has broken out in the skin. He is clean.
40“If a man’s hair has fallen from his head, he is bald. He is clean.
41If his hair has fallen off from the front part of his head, his forehead is bald. He is clean.
42But if a reddish-white plague is in the bald head or the bald forehead, it is leprosy breaking out in his bald head or his bald forehead.
43Then the priest shall examine him. Behold, if the swelling of the plague is reddish-white in his bald head, or in his bald forehead, like the appearance of leprosy in the skin of the body,
44he is a leprous man. He is unclean. The priest shall surely pronounce him unclean. His plague is on his head.
Isolation of the Diseased and Mildewed Garments
45“The leper in whom the plague is shall wear torn clothes, and the hair of his head shall hang loose. He shall cover his upper lip, and shall cry, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’
46All the days in which the plague is in him he shall be unclean. He is unclean. He shall dwell alone. His dwelling shall be outside of the camp.
47“The garment also that the plague of leprosy is in, whether it is a woolen garment, or a linen garment;
48whether it is in warp or woof; of linen or of wool; whether in leather, or in anything made of leather;
49if the plague is greenish or reddish in the garment, or in the leather, or in the warp, or in the woof, or in anything made of leather; it is the plague of leprosy, and shall be shown to the priest.
50The priest shall examine the plague, and isolate the plague seven days.
51He shall examine the plague on the seventh day. If the plague has spread in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in the skin, whatever use the skin is used for, the plague is a destructive mildew. It is unclean.
52He shall burn the garment, whether the warp or the woof, in wool or in linen, or anything of leather, in which the plague is, for it is a destructive mildew. It shall be burned in the fire.
53“If the priest examines it, and behold, the plague hasn’t spread in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in anything of skin;
54then the priest shall command that they wash the thing that the plague is in, and he shall isolate it seven more days.
55Then the priest shall examine it, after the plague is washed; and behold, if the plague hasn’t changed its color, and the plague hasn’t spread, it is unclean; you shall burn it in the fire. It is a mildewed spot, whether the bareness is inside or outside.
56If the priest looks, and behold, the plague has faded after it is washed, then he shall tear it out of the garment, or out of the skin, or out of the warp, or out of the woof;
57and if it appears again in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in anything of skin, it is spreading. You shall burn what the plague is in with fire.
58The garment, either the warp, or the woof, or whatever thing of skin it is, which you shall wash, if the plague has departed from them, then it shall be washed the second time, and it will be clean.”
59This is the law of the plague of mildew in a garment of wool or linen, either in the warp, or the woof, or in anything of skin, to pronounce it clean, or to pronounce it unclean.
Font Size 17pt
Line Spacing
Theme
Leviticus 13 establishes detailed procedures for priests to diagnose and manage various skin diseases, particularly what is translated as 'leprosy' but likely encompasses multiple skin conditions. The chapter outlines specific criteria for determining ritual uncleanness, including examination protocols, isolation periods, and signs of healing or progression. These laws served both public health and religious purity purposes, ensuring community safety while providing pathways for restoration to fellowship when healing occurred.
Context
This chapter follows the general purity laws of Leviticus 11-12 and precedes chapter 14's cleansing rituals, forming part of the comprehensive holiness code.
Key Themes
Outline
- 1-8 Initial Skin Disease Examination Basic procedures for priestly diagnosis of skin conditions, including isolation periods and criteria for clean or unclean status
- 9-17 Chronic and Spreading Conditions Guidelines for examining advanced cases, including the paradoxical ruling that complete coverage indicates cleanness
- 18-28 Boils and Secondary Infections Specific protocols for examining healed boils that develop suspicious secondary symptoms
- 29-37 Diseases of Head and Beard Specialized examination procedures for scalp and facial hair conditions with distinct diagnostic criteria
- 38-39 White Spots on Skin Brief instructions for harmless white spots that do not require isolation or unclean status
- 40-44 Baldness and Head Sores Distinction between natural baldness and diseased conditions requiring priestly evaluation
- 45-46 Requirements for the Unclean Social and ritual obligations of those declared unclean, including isolation outside the camp
- 47-59 Mildew in Garments Procedures for examining and treating contaminated clothing and fabric materials
Diagnosis of Skin Diseases
13:1–13:28 law instruction contemplative
God provides detailed procedures for priests to diagnose and manage skin diseases, particularly leprosy. The laws establish criteria for determining ritual uncleanness and procedures for isolation and examination of affected individuals.
person_contrast
Moses receives divine medical protocols that transform priests into diagnostic specialists, uniquely blending ceremonial law with clinical observation in ancient Israel's healthcare system.
Diseases of the Head and Beard
13:29–13:44 law instruction solemn
Detailed priestly instructions for diagnosing and managing skin diseases of the head and beard, including isolation periods and cleansing procedures. These laws establish ritual purity standards for the community.
theme_rarity
Yellow hair serves as the sole diagnostic criterion distinguishing scalp infections from other skin conditions, revealing ancient Israel's sophisticated understanding of disease-specific symptoms.
Isolation of the Diseased and Mildewed Garments
13:45–13:59 law instruction solemn
Laws governing the isolation of those with skin diseases and procedures for dealing with mildewed garments. Establishes protocols for maintaining ritual purity in clothing and community separation.
theme_rarity
Leviticus uniquely parallels human skin disease and garment mildew using identical Hebrew terminology, suggesting ritual contamination operates beyond biological boundaries to encompass material possessions.
Insights
Yellow hair serves as the sole diagnostic criterion distinguishing scalp infections from other skin conditions, revealing ancient Israel's sophisticated understanding of disease-specific symptoms.
Leviticus uniquely parallels human skin disease and garment mildew using identical Hebrew terminology, suggesting ritual contamination operates beyond biological boundaries to encompass material possessions.
Cross-References
Connected passages across Scripture
Leviticus 13:2 1 reference
Leviticus 13:4 3 references
Lexicals 3
Genesis 41:4 Lexical
The ugly and thin cattle ate up the seven sleek and fat cattle. So Pharaoh awoke.
Genesis 41:3 Lexical
Behold, seven other cattle came up after them out of the river, ugly and thin, and stood by the other cattle on the brin…
Genesis 41:2 Lexical
Behold, seven cattle came up out of the river. They were sleek and fat, and they fed in the marsh grass.
Leviticus 13:5 1 reference
Leviticus 13:6 5 references
Lexicals 5
Numbers 31:24 Lexical
You shall wash your clothes on the seventh day, and you shall be clean. Afterward you shall come into the camp.”
Numbers 19:19 Lexical
The clean person shall sprinkle on the unclean on the third day, and on the seventh day. On the seventh day, he shall pu…
Leviticus 14:9 Lexical
It shall be on the seventh day, that he shall shave all his hair off his head and his beard and his eyebrows. He shall s…
Leviticus 14:48 Lexical
“If the priest shall come in, and examine it, and behold, the plague hasn’t spread in the house, after the house was pla…
Leviticus 14:39 Lexical
The priest shall come again on the seventh day, and look. If the plague has spread in the walls of the house,
Leviticus 13:11 1 reference
Leviticus 13:19 1 reference
Leviticus 13:20 1 reference
Leviticus 13:24 4 references
Lexicals 4
Leviticus 16:27 Lexical
The bull for the sin offering, and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the Ho…
Leviticus 9:11 Lexical
The meat and the skin he burned with fire outside the camp.
Exodus 29:14 Lexical
But the meat of the bull, and its skin, and its dung, you shall burn with fire outside of the camp. It is a sin offering…
Leviticus 8:17 Lexical
But the bull, and its skin, and its meat, and its dung, he burned with fire outside the camp, as the LORD commanded Mose…
Leviticus 13:27 2 references
Leviticus 13:28 1 reference
Leviticus 13:30 3 references
Lexicals 3
Leviticus 14:54 Lexical
This is the law for any plague of leprosy, and for an itch,
Leviticus 14:37 Lexical
He shall examine the plague; and behold, if the plague is in the walls of the house with hollow streaks, greenish or red…
Leviticus 11:32 Lexical
Anything they fall on when they are dead shall be unclean; whether it is any vessel of wood, or clothing, or skin, or sa…
Leviticus 13:32 1 reference
Leviticus 13:34 5 references
Lexicals 5
Numbers 31:24 Lexical
You shall wash your clothes on the seventh day, and you shall be clean. Afterward you shall come into the camp.”
Numbers 19:19 Lexical
The clean person shall sprinkle on the unclean on the third day, and on the seventh day. On the seventh day, he shall pu…
Leviticus 14:9 Lexical
It shall be on the seventh day, that he shall shave all his hair off his head and his beard and his eyebrows. He shall s…
Leviticus 17:15 Lexical
“‘Every person that eats what dies of itself, or that which is torn by animals, whether he is native-born or a foreigner…
Numbers 8:21 Lexical
The Levites purified themselves from sin, and they washed their clothes; and Aaron offered them for a wave offering befo…
Leviticus 13:42 1 reference
Leviticus 13:43 1 reference
Leviticus 13:45 5 references
Lexicals 5
Leviticus 10:6 Lexical
Moses said to Aaron, and to Eleazar and to Ithamar, his sons, “Don’t let the hair of your heads go loose, and don’t tear…
Leviticus 21:10 Lexical
“‘He who is the high priest among his brothers, upon whose head the anointing oil is poured, and who is consecrated to p…
Micah 3:7 Lexical
The seers shall be disappointed, and the diviners confounded. Yes, they shall all cover their lips, for there is no answ…
Ezekiel 24:22 Lexical
You will do as I have done. You won’t cover your lips or eat mourner’s bread.
Ezekiel 24:17 Lexical
Sigh, but not aloud. Make no mourning for the dead. Bind your headdress on you, and put your sandals on your feet. Don’t…
Leviticus 13:46 3 references
Lexicals 3
Leviticus 14:40 Lexical
then the priest shall command that they take out the stones in which is the plague, and cast them into an unclean place…
Leviticus 14:3 Lexical
and the priest shall go out of the camp. The priest shall examine him. Behold, if the plague of leprosy is healed in the…
Numbers 5:3 Lexical
You shall put both male and female outside of the camp so that they don’t defile their camp, in the midst of which I dwe…
Leviticus 13:47 3 references
Lexicals 3
Ezekiel 44:17 Lexical
“‘“It will be that when they enter in at the gates of the inner court, they shall be clothed with linen garments. No woo…
Proverbs 31:13 Lexical
She seeks wool and flax, and works eagerly with her hands.
Deuteronomy 22:11 Lexical
You shall not wear clothes of wool and linen woven together.
Leviticus 13:48 4 references
Lexicals 4
Leviticus 11:32 Lexical
Anything they fall on when they are dead shall be unclean; whether it is any vessel of wood, or clothing, or skin, or sa…
Proverbs 31:13 Lexical
She seeks wool and flax, and works eagerly with her hands.
Ezekiel 44:17 Lexical
“‘“It will be that when they enter in at the gates of the inner court, they shall be clothed with linen garments. No woo…
Deuteronomy 22:11 Lexical
You shall not wear clothes of wool and linen woven together.
Leviticus 13:49 4 references
Lexicals 4
Leviticus 14:37 Lexical
He shall examine the plague; and behold, if the plague is in the walls of the house with hollow streaks, greenish or red…
Leviticus 11:32 Lexical
Anything they fall on when they are dead shall be unclean; whether it is any vessel of wood, or clothing, or skin, or sa…
Numbers 31:20 Lexical
You shall purify every garment, and all that is made of skin, and all work of goats’ hair, and all things made of wood.”
Numbers 4:12 Lexical
“They shall take all the vessels of ministry with which they minister in the sanctuary, and put them in a blue cloth, co…
Leviticus 13:51 4 references
Lexicals 4
Leviticus 14:44 Lexical
then the priest shall come in and look; and behold, if the plague has spread in the house, it is a destructive mildew in…
Leviticus 11:32 Lexical
Anything they fall on when they are dead shall be unclean; whether it is any vessel of wood, or clothing, or skin, or sa…
Leviticus 14:39 Lexical
The priest shall come again on the seventh day, and look. If the plague has spread in the walls of the house,
Numbers 19:19 Lexical
The clean person shall sprinkle on the unclean on the third day, and on the seventh day. On the seventh day, he shall pu…
Leviticus 13:52 5 references
Lexicals 5
Leviticus 14:44 Lexical
then the priest shall come in and look; and behold, if the plague has spread in the house, it is a destructive mildew in…
Leviticus 11:32 Lexical
Anything they fall on when they are dead shall be unclean; whether it is any vessel of wood, or clothing, or skin, or sa…
Ezekiel 44:17 Lexical
“‘“It will be that when they enter in at the gates of the inner court, they shall be clothed with linen garments. No woo…
Leviticus 9:11 Lexical
The meat and the skin he burned with fire outside the camp.
Exodus 29:14 Lexical
But the meat of the bull, and its skin, and its dung, you shall burn with fire outside of the camp. It is a sin offering…
Leviticus 13:53 3 references
Lexicals 3
Leviticus 11:32 Lexical
Anything they fall on when they are dead shall be unclean; whether it is any vessel of wood, or clothing, or skin, or sa…
Numbers 31:20 Lexical
You shall purify every garment, and all that is made of skin, and all work of goats’ hair, and all things made of wood.”
Numbers 4:12 Lexical
“They shall take all the vessels of ministry with which they minister in the sanctuary, and put them in a blue cloth, co…
Leviticus 13:55 2 references
Lexicals 2
Leviticus 13:56 2 references
Leviticus 13:57 5 references
Lexicals 5
Leviticus 11:32 Lexical
Anything they fall on when they are dead shall be unclean; whether it is any vessel of wood, or clothing, or skin, or sa…
Leviticus 8:17 Lexical
But the bull, and its skin, and its meat, and its dung, he burned with fire outside the camp, as the LORD commanded Mose…
Leviticus 16:27 Lexical
The bull for the sin offering, and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the Ho…
Leviticus 9:11 Lexical
The meat and the skin he burned with fire outside the camp.
Exodus 29:14 Lexical
But the meat of the bull, and its skin, and its dung, you shall burn with fire outside of the camp. It is a sin offering…
Leviticus 13:58 5 references
Lexicals 5
Leviticus 11:32 Lexical
Anything they fall on when they are dead shall be unclean; whether it is any vessel of wood, or clothing, or skin, or sa…
Numbers 8:7 Lexical
You shall do this to them to cleanse them: sprinkle the water of cleansing on them, let them shave their whole bodies wi…
Leviticus 14:8 Lexical
“He who is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, and shave off all his hair, and bathe himself in water; and he shall b…
Leviticus 15:13 Lexical
“‘When he who has a discharge is cleansed of his discharge, then he shall count to himself seven days for his cleansing,…
Leviticus 17:15 Lexical
“‘Every person that eats what dies of itself, or that which is torn by animals, whether he is native-born or a foreigner…
Leviticus 13:59 5 references
Lexicals 5
Leviticus 11:32 Lexical
Anything they fall on when they are dead shall be unclean; whether it is any vessel of wood, or clothing, or skin, or sa…
Ezekiel 44:17 Lexical
“‘“It will be that when they enter in at the gates of the inner court, they shall be clothed with linen garments. No woo…
Leviticus 14:54 Lexical
This is the law for any plague of leprosy, and for an itch,
Leviticus 14:32 Lexical
This is the law for him in whom is the plague of leprosy, who is not able to afford the sacrifice for his cleansing.
Leviticus 17:15 Lexical
“‘Every person that eats what dies of itself, or that which is torn by animals, whether he is native-born or a foreigner…
Interlinear
Word-by-word original language
v. 1
v. 2
v. 3
v. 4
v. 5
v. 6
v. 7
v. 8
v. 9
v. 10
v. 11
v. 12
v. 13
v. 14
v. 15
v. 16
v. 17
v. 18
v. 19
v. 20
v. 21
v. 22
v. 23
v. 24
v. 25
v. 26
v. 27
v. 28
v. 29
v. 30
v. 31
v. 32
v. 33
v. 34
v. 35
v. 36
v. 37
v. 38
v. 39
v. 40
v. 41
v. 42
v. 43
v. 44
v. 45
v. 46
v. 47
v. 48
v. 49
v. 50
v. 51
v. 52
v. 53
v. 54
v. 55
v. 56
v. 57
v. 58
v. 59
Lemma
Morphology
Semantic Range
Theological Significance
Translation Notes
Key Passages