Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Leviticus 13:31
And if the priest look on the plague of the scurf, and, behold, it [be] not in sight deeper than the skin, and [that there is] no black hair in it; then the priest shall shut up [him that hath] the plague of the scurf seven days:
There is no black hair in it More probably, there is no yellow hair in it.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
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, Lev 13:37, as the yellow hair was a sign of unsoundness.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And if the priest look on the plague of the scall,…. As it may appear in another person, brought to him for inspection and examination:
and, behold, it [be] not in the sight deeper than the skin; it do not seem to be got into the flesh, or lower than the skin:
and [that there is] no black hair in it; or, “but no black hair in it”; for, as Jarchi says, if there was a black hair in it, he would be clean, and there would be no need of shutting up; for black hair in scalls is a sign of cleanness, as it is said, Le 13:37; it would be a clear case that such a man had no leprosy on him; for black hair is a token of a strong and healthful constitution; and there could remain no doubt about it, and it would require no further trial and examination: Ben Gersom says it means two black hairs; and further observes, that black hair in the midst of a scall is a sign of cleanness; but this being wanting,
then the priest shall shut up [him that hath] the plague of the scall seven days; from the time of his viewing the scall; and so Ben Gersom, this is the seventh day from the time of looking upon the scall.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(31) It be not in sight deeper than the skin.Better, its appearance is not deeper than the other skin. If the first symptom which manifests itself in the depression of the affected spot is absent.
And that there is no black hair in it.Better, but there is no black hair in it; that is, the healthy black colour of the hair is absent, which is a suspicious sign. The phrase, there is no black hair in it, is another way of saying there is yellow hair in it. The presence of yellow hair, however, on the first inspection, though suspicious, did not necessarily indicate by itself leprosy, since the hair sometimes turned yellow temporarily in the case of an ordinary ulcer, and resumed its natural black colour when the patient returned to his usual health. Hence, the absence of the black hair was simply a suspicious symptom, which required the attention of the priest, for which reason the patient had to be put in quarantine for seven days. The alteration of the word black into yellow, which has been adopted by those commentators who follow the LXX.,is therefore unnecessary. Indeed, if this reading be adopted, both the unfavourable symptoms mentioned in Lev. 13:30, which indicate leprosyviz., (1) the depression of the affected spot, and (2) the discolouring of the hairwould be absent. There would be no reason for quarantine, as the priest in the absence of these criteria would have to pronounce the man clean. (See Lev. 13:37.)
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
31. No black hair It is evident that the word “black” must here refer to the “yellow,” the colour betokening the leprosy. The words are different in the Hebrew, but the Seventy, Luther, Keil, Knobel, and Canon Cook render them both yellow. Thus they make Lev 13:31 harmonize with 30, 32, and 36. Since the original words for yellow and black differ in only one letter, there is, probably, a clerical error in the latter.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
seven days: Lev 13:4-6
Reciprocal: Lev 14:54 – scall
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Lev 13:31; Lev 13:33. No black hair For had that appeared, it had ended the doubt, the black hair being a sign of soundness and strength of nature, as this yellow hair was a sign of unsoundness. He shall be shaven For the more certain discovery of the growth or stay of the plague.