Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Leviticus 13:29
If a man or woman have a plague upon the head or the beard;
Leprosy in the hair of the head or face (29 37)
The treatment is similar to that in the preceding cases, but two periods of confinement are prescribed, and the hair is to be shaven after the first seven days.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 29. A plague upon the head or the beard] This refers to a disease in which, according to the Jews, the hair either on the head or the chin dropped out by the roots.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
If a man or a woman hath a plague upon the head or the beard. Any breaking out in those parts a swelling, scab, or spot, on a man’s beard or on a woman’s head; or on the head of either man or woman; or on a woman’s beard, if she had any, as some have had though not common.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Leprosy upon the head or chin. – If the priest saw a mole upon the head or chin of a man or woman, the appearance of which was deeper than the skin, and on which the hair was yellow ( golden, reddish, fox-colour) and thin, he was to regard it as . Leprosy on the head or chin is called , probably from to pluck or tear, from its plucking out the hair, or causing it to fall off; like , the itch, from , to itch or scratch, and scabies, from scabere . But if he did not observe these two symptoms, if there was no depression of the skin, and the hair was black and not yellow, he was to shut up the person affected for seven days. In (Lev 13:31) there is certainly an error of the text: either must be retained and dropped, or must be altered into , according to Lev 13:37. The latter is probably the better of the two.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
Verses 29-37:
The method of determining leprosy of the head or beard was the same as that for the ulcer and burn scar. The leprosy symptoms were the same, except that the hairs in the affected area were a yellowish tint rather than white. The treatment was the same, with the addition of shaving the head or beard except for the affected area.
If there were any doubt as to the diagnosis, the priest was to “shut up” or bandage the victim for a seven-day period. At the end of this time, an accurate diagnosis could be made.
The presence or absence of “black” or dark hair was an important factor in the diagnosis. Absence of black hair was reason to suspect leprosy. Presence of black hair was reason to declare the victim clean.
“Scaly” netheq, probably indicates such skin diseases as eczema, psoriasis, and impetigo. The latter is the only one of these which is highly contagious.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
29 If a man or woman. What is here spoken of is not the baldness which so often occurs in old age; but that loss of hair, which is the consequence of leprosy, is distinguished from any other, the cause of which may be some indisposition, and which yet does not pollute a man. But, inasmuch as some kinds of baldness do not so greatly differ at first sight from leprosy, — such, for instance, as ophiasis and alopecia (8) — it is therefore necessary to distinguish them.
(8) “Ophiasis, ( ὀφιασις Gr.,) a disease, in which the hair grows thin, and falls off, leaving the parts smooth and winding like the folds of a serpent.”
“Alopecia, ( ἀλωπεκια of ἀλωπηξ, a fox, Gr., the fox-evil,) a disease called the scurf, when the hairs fall from the head by the roots. ” — Bailey’s Dictionary.
“These regulations will be better understood from the fact, that the Orientals distinguish two sorts of baldness. The first is that which begins from the forehead, and the other that which begins from behind. The Hebrew has a distinct name for each of these. By the Arabian poets also, the former is distinguished as the ‘noble baldness,’ because it generally proceeded from the wearing of a helmet; whilst the latter was stigmatized as ‘servile baldness.’ With this understanding, let us read the terms ‘bald’ קרח, ( kareach) in verse 40, and ‘forehead-bald’ גבח ( gibeach) in verse 41. (See Michaelis, iii. 285.) ” — Illustrated Comment., in loco.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
e. THE FIFTH CASE 13:2937
TEXT 13:2937
29
And when a man or woman hath a plague upon the head or upon the beard,
30
then the priest shall look on the plague; and, behold, if the appearance thereof be deeper than the skin, and there be in it yellow thin hair, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is a scall, it is leprosy of the head or of the beard.
31
And if the priest look on the plague of the scall, and, behold, the appearance thereof be not deeper than the skin, and there be no black hair in it, then the priest shall shut up him that hath the plague of the scall seven days:
32
and in the seventh day the priest shall look on the plague; and behold, if the scall be not spread, and there be in it no yellow hair, and the appearance of the scall be not deeper than the skin,
33
then he shall be shaven, but the scall shall he not shave; and the priest shall shut up him that hath the scall seven days more:
34
and in the seventh day the priest shall look on the scall; and, behold, if the scall be not spread in the skin, and the appearance thereof be not deeper than the skin; then the priest shall pronounce him clean: and he shall wash his clothes, and be clean.
35
But if the scall spread abroad in the skin after his cleansing,
36
then the priest shall look on him; and, behold, if the scall be spread in the skin, the priest shall not seek for the yellow hair; he is unclean.
37
But if in his eyes the scall be at a stay, and black hair be grown up therein; the scall is healed, he is clean: and the priest shall pronounce him clean.
THOUGHT QUESTIONS 13:2937
254.
What is meant by the word scall in Lev. 13:30 ff?
255.
What does thin yellow hair have to do with leprosy?
256.
Who do you suppose paid the expenses of the man or woman who was shut away from home and job for a possible 14 days? Discuss.
257.
When and why was a person to be shaved?
258.
The return or reactivating of the sore called for special treatmentwhat was it?
PARAPHRASE 13:2937
If a man or woman has a sore on the head or chin, the priest must examine him; if the infection seems to be below the skin and yellow hair is found in the sore, the priest must pronounce him a leper. But if the priests examination reveals that the spot seems to be only in the skin and that there is black hair in it, then he shall be quarantined for seven days, and examined again on the seventh day. If the spot has not spread and no yellow hair has appeared, and if the infection does not seem to be deeper than the skin, he shall shave off all the hair around the spot (but not on the spot itself) and the priest shall quarantine him for another seven days. He shall be examined again on the seventh day, and if the spot has not spread, and it appears to be no deeper than the skin, the priest shall pronounce him well, and after washing his clothes, he is free. Then the priest must examine him again and, without waiting to see if any yellow hair develops, declare him a leper, But if it appears that the spreading has stopped and black hairs are found in the spot, then he is healed and is not a leper, and the priest shall declare him healed.
COMMENT 13:2937
Lev. 13:29-37 The depression of the affected spot is a sure symptom of concern. This indicates that the flesh is affected and not just the skin. In other areas of the body white hair was an indication of leprosy, but on the head or beard, yellow or golden hair was a cause for concern. The word thin could also be translated short. The normally heavy black hair has been replaced by short yellow hair. There is much traditional material of those who exercised these laws during the time of the second Temple or the one Herod built for the Jews. C. D. Ginsburg says concerning this: By the thin hair those authorities who came in contact with the disorder understood small or short hair. Hence they laid down the following rule: The condition of the hair constituting one of the signs of leprosy is its becoming short. But if it be long, though it is yellow as gold, it is no sign of uncleanness. Two yellow and short hairs, whether close to one another or far from each other, whether in the center of the affected spot or on the edge thereof, no matter whether the affection on the spot precedes the yellow hair, or the yellow hair precedes the affection on the spot, are symptoms of uncleanness.
The word scall means dryness, it describes the condition after the hair has fallen out and leaves the affected area somewhat bare.
Yellow hair by itself could be but a sign of an ordinary ulcer, hence a seven-day quarantine is necessary to allow the leprosy to develop or the ulcer to heal.
Shaving the area will make it much easier to examine and will give a clear indication of the color of the hair growing back. The spread of the afflicted area after a 14-day examination is a positive indication of leprosyno yellow hair need be consideredhe is a leper!
Probably even after such careful precautions some were pronounced unclean who did not have leprosy and some were freed who did have it, but the mistakes must have been at a minimum.
FACT QUESTIONS 13:2937
306.
What is indicated by the depression of the flesh around a sore spot?
307.
Indicate where white and yellow hair were dangerous symptoms.
308.
Describe the careful regulations of those who administered this law in the time of our Lord.
309.
Why shave some people?
f. THE SIXTH CASE 13:38, 39
TEXT 13:38, 39
38
And when a man or a woman hath in the skin of the flesh bright spots, even white bright spots;
39
then the priest shall look; and, behold, if the bright spot in the skin of their flesh be of a dull white, it is a tetter, it hath broken out in the skin; he is clean.
THOUGHT QUESTIONS 13:38, 39
259.
There is a difference in each of these cases or they would not be mentioned separately. What is the distinction here?
260.
The color of the spots is very important. Which color is dangerous?
PARAPHRASE 13:38, 39
If a man or a woman has white, transparent areas in the skin, but these spots are growing dimmer, this is not leprosy, but an ordinary infection that has broken out in the skin.
COMMENT 13:38, 39
Lev. 13:38-39 A bothersome but harmless type of ringworm infection is here described. Such a problem lasted from two months to two years but it was not leprosy and would heal with treatment. If anyone had a choice of the seven cases, this would be the one.
FACT QUESTIONS 13:38, 39
310.
This could be a serious case. What decided it?
311.
Why no period of quarantine?
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(29) If a man or woman.The fourth case, discussed in Lev. 13:29-37, is leprosy on the head or chin. Cases where this distemper attacks first the hairy parts are not uncommon.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
29, 30. Beard Since the woman has no beard, and since the beard could not have the leprosy, it is evident that the beard is by metonymy put for the chin.
Yellow thin hair This is a new symptom. White hairs on the head or chin of an elderly person are natural, and hence they could not betoken leprosy. But yellow short hair on these parts is the peculiar mark of this scourge. Dr. Davidson, after carefully inspecting nearly a hundred lepers in Madagascar, says: “The hairs upon the part become yellow and stunted, and, after a time, fall off, leaving the hair bulbs empty and enlarged, especially on the face, so as to present one of the most diagnostic signs of the malady.”
Dry scall The word “dry” is not in the original. “Scall” occurs thirteen times in this chapter and once in the next, and nowhere else in the Bible. It signifies a scurf, scab, or mange. The Hebrews call it nethek, and describe it thus: “The plague of head or beard is, when the hair that is on them falleth off by the roots, and the place of the hair remaineth bare.” Since the scall is a different disease from leprosy it would have been better to have transferred the Hebrew nethek into our English version.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Dealing With Sores ( Lev 13:29-37 ).
Lev 13:29-30
“And when a man or woman has a plague on the head or on the beard, then the priest shall look on the plague, and, behold, if its appearance is deeper than the skin, and there is yellow thin hair in it, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is an itch. It is a suspicious skin disease of the head or of the beard.”
This is not just a ‘suspicious skin disease’ but a suspected ‘plague’. It could be favus or psoriasis. The person has an itch on their head or beard. If it seems to go below the skin and there is yellowish thin hair in it, then the person is proclaimed unclean. It is a suspicious skin disease, the suspicion being that it will be permanent.
Lev 13:31-34
“And if the priest look on the plague, and, behold, its appearance is not deeper than the skin, and there is no black hair in it, then the priest shall shut up the one who has the plague for seven days, and on the seventh day the priest shall look on the disease, and, behold, if the itch has not spread, and there is no yellow hair in it, and the appearance of the itch is not deeper than the skin, then he shall be shaved, but will not shave the itch, and the priest shall shut up the one who has the itch for seven days more, and on the seventh day the priest shall look on the itch, and, behold, if the itch has not spread in the skin, and its appearance is not deeper than the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him clean, and he shall wash his clothes, and be clean.”
But if the plague does not go deeper than the skin, and there are no black hairs in it the person is to be quarantined for seven days, after which the priest will look at it again, and if the itch has still not spread and there are no yellowish hairs in it, and it does not go more than skin deep, the person may shave everywhere but where the itch is. Thus up to this time they have not been allowed to shave, and the men at least would be feeling very uncomfortable and shabby. But once they have shaved something of their self-confidence will be restored. This is another indication of God’s concern for the details of our lives.
Then they will be quarantined for another seven days. If on this second viewing the itch has still not spread in the skin, and it does not appear to be more than skin deep, the person is pronounced clean. They must wash their clothes and will then be clean.
Lev 13:35-37
“But if the itch spreads abroad in the skin after his cleansing, then the priest shall look on him; and, behold, if the itch has spread in the skin, the priest shall not seek for the yellow hair, he is unclean. But if in his eyes the itch is at a standstill and black hair has grown up in it, the itch is healed, he is clean, and the priest shall pronounce him clean.”
But if the person comes back and says that the itch is spreading that is all that is required for him to be declared unclean and excluded from the camp. The priest, however, with his experience may consider that the itch has not spread, and if he sees that new black hair has grown on the itch the person will be pronounced clean.
Sin can be like an itch. And when it begins to itch it is in order to remind us to go to our great High Priest, Jesus Christ, for the itch may be the symptom of something deeper. It needs to be examined before Him so as to ensure what is its cause and that it is properly dealt with. This person may in fact have judged his own position harshly, but the priest with his experience had saved him from the consequences of his error. We too sometimes judge ourselves too harshly. How good it is then when we learn from the Master that He is satisfied with us as we are. We often think that we have become so unclean, that there is little hope for us now, but He assures us that He has dealt with any uncleanness, and that really He is pleased with our progress, and that if we will but trust Him He will see us through. He is the One Who makes holy (Heb 2:11). We need to be able to learn to accept forgiveness and to respond to His work within (Php 2:13).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Lev 13:29. If a man or woman hath a plague upon the head or the beard Maimonides tells us, that in this sort of leprosy the hair on the head or beard fell off by the roots, and the place of the hair remained bare. Bishop Patrick observes, that this seems to have been that kind of disease which, Pliny says, came into Italy in the middle of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, and was called mentagra, because it commonly began in the chin, and was so loathsome, that any death was preferable to it.
REFLECTIONS.What bodies of corruption do we bear about with us! How abominable to be proud of that which may be shortly so loathsome! Other appearances of leprosy are mentioned in an old ulcer, or burn, or scald-head, with directions for the priest’s judgment. Note; 1. Old sins breaking out afresh are very bad symptoms of the uncured leprosy of sin. 2. A froward spirit, like the burn in the flesh, continuing unsubdued, is a plain proof of the unsoundness of the heart.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
plague: better, “spot”. See note on Lev 13:2.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
1Ki 8:38, 1Ki 12:28, 2Ch 6:29, Psa 53:4, Isa 1:5, Isa 5:20, Isa 9:15, Mic 3:11, Mat 6:23, Mat 13:14, Mat 13:15, Joh 16:2, Joh 16:3, Act 22:3, Act 22:4, Act 26:9, Act 26:10, 2Co 4:3, 2Co 4:4, 2Th 2:11, 2Th 2:12
Reciprocal: Isa 3:17 – smite
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Lev 13:29. Upon the head or beard Pliny tells us, that a kind of disease came into Italy in the middle of the reign of Tiberius Cesar, which commonly began in the chin, and was therefore called mentagra, and was so filthy, that any death was preferable to it. It was a foul tetter, scab, or scurf, not unlike a ring-worm, which, from the chin, often ran over the face, the neck, the breast, and the hands. Was not this similar to this plague of leprosy in the beard and head here spoken of? Bishop Patrick thinks it was. And Maimonides tells us that, in this sort of leprosy, the hair on the head or beard fell off by the roots, and the place of the hair remained bare.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Yellowing hair indicated another skin abnormality. Black hair in the suspected area indicated that there was no serious skin disease there, so the person was clean.