Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Leviticus 13:3
And the priest shall look on the plague in the skin of the flesh: and [when] the hair in the plague is turned white, and the plague in sight [be] deeper than the skin of his flesh, it [is] a plague of leprosy: and the priest shall look on him, and pronounce him unclean.
3. The distinctive marks of leprosy are the hair, which is generally very dark among Jews, turns while, and the swelling appears deep-seated; in that case the priest is at once to declare the man unclean.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The hair in the plague is turned white – The sparing growth of very fine whitish hair on leprous spots in the place of the natural hair, appears to have been always regarded as a characteristic symptom.
the plague in sight be deeper than the skin of his flesh – Rather The stroke appears to be deeper than the scarf skin. The bright spot changed to a brownish color with a metallic or oily luster, and with a clearly-defined edge. This symptom, along with the whitish hair, at once decided the case to be one of leprosy.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 3. The priest shall – pronounce him unclean.] vetimme otho; literally, shall pollute him, i. e., in the Hebrew idiom, shall declare or pronounce him polluted; and in Le 13:23, it is said, the priest shall pronounce him clean, vetiharo haccohen, the priest shall cleanse him, i. e., declare him clean. In this phrase we have the proper meaning of Mt 16:19: Whatsoever ye bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever ye loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. By which our Lord intimates that the disciples, from having the keys, i. e., the true knowledge of the doctrine, of the kingdom of heaven, should, from particular evidences, be at all times able to distinguish between the clean and the unclean, the sincere and the hypocrite; and pronounce a judgment as infallible as the priest did in the case of the leprosy, from the tokens already specified. And as this binding and loosing, or pronouncing fit or unfit for fellowship with the members of Christ, must in the case of the disciples be always according to the doctrine of the kingdom of heaven, the sentence should be considered as proceeding immediately from thence, and consequently as Divinely ratified. The priest polluted or cleansed, i. e., declared the man clean or unclean, according to signs well known and infallible. The disciples or ministers of Christ bind or loose, declare to be fit or unfit for Church fellowship, according to unequivocal evidences of innocence or guilt. In the former case, the priest declared the person fit or unfit for civil society; in the latter, the ministers of Christ declare the person against whom the suspicion of guilt is laid, fit or unfit for continued association with the Church of God. The office was the same in both, a declaration of the truth, not from any power that they possessed of cleansing or polluting, of binding or of loosing, but by the knowledge they gained from the infallible signs and evidences produced on the respective cases.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
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 physicians in their works. And when the leprosy came to its height, not the hair only, but also the skin was turned white, as Exo 4:6; Num 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. Deeper than the skin; for the leprosy did consume both the skin and the flesh, as appears from 2Ki 5:14.
Pronounce him unclean, Heb. make him unclean, i. e ministerially and declaratively, in which sense ministers are said to remit sins, Mat 16:19, and to destroy nations, Jer 1:10.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
3-6. the priest shall look on theplague in the skin of the flesh, c.The leprosy, as coveringthe person with a white, scaly scurf, has always been accounted anoffensive blemish rather than a serious malady in the East, unlesswhen it assumed its less common and malignant forms. When a Hebrewpriest, after a careful inspection, discovered under the cutaneousblemish the distinctive signs of contagious leprosy, the person wasimmediately pronounced unclean, and is supposed to have been sent outof the camp to a lazaretto provided for that purpose. If the symptomsappeared to be doubtful, he ordered the person to be kept in domesticconfinement for seven days, when he was subjected to a secondexamination and if during the previous week the eruption had subsidedor appeared to be harmless, he was instantly discharged. But if theeruption continued unabated and still doubtful, he was put undersurveillance another week; at the end of which the character of thedisorder never failed to manifest itself, and he was either doomed toperpetual exclusion from society or allowed to go at large. A personwho had thus been detained on suspicion, when at length set atliberty, was obliged to “wash his clothes,” as having beentainted by ceremonial pollution; and the purification through whichhe was required to go was, in the spirit of the Mosaic dispensation,symbolical of that inward purity it was instituted to promote.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And the priest shall look on the plague in the skin of the flesh,…. Whether it be a swelling, scab, or a bright spot that appears, and judge of it by the following rules, and none but a priest might do this:
and [when] the hair in the plague is turned white; it arising in a place where hair grows, and which hair is not naturally white, but of another colour, but changed through the force of the plague; and there were to be two hairs at least, which were at first black, but turned white; so Jarchi and Ben Gersom: and these hairs, according to the Misnah e, must be white at bottom; if the root (or bottom) is black, and the head (or top) white, he is clean; if the root white, and the head black, he is defiled; for hairs turning white is a sign of a disorder, of weakness, of a decay of nature, as may be observed in ancient persons:
and the plague in sight [be] deeper than the skin of his flesh; appears plainly to view to be more than skin deep, to have corroded and eat into the flesh below the skin:
it [is] a plague of leprosy; when these two signs were observed, hair turned white, and the plague was more than skin deep, then it was a plain case that it was the leprosy of which [See comments on Mt 8:2] [See comments on Mt 8:3] [See comments on Lu 5:12]. This was an emblem of sin, and the corruption of nature, which is an uncleanness, and with which every man is defiled, and which renders him infectious, nauseous, and abominable; and of which he is only to be cured and cleansed by Christ, the great High Priest, through his blood, which cleanses from all sin. The above signs and marks of leprosy may be observed in this; the white hair denoting a decay of strength, see Ho 7:9 may be seen in sinners, as in the leper, who are without moral and spiritual strength to keep the law of God, to do anything that is spiritually good, to regenerate, renew, convert, and sanctify themselves, or to bring themselves out of the state of pollution, bondage, and misery, in which they are; and, like the leprosy, sin lies deep in man; it is in his flesh, in which dwells no good thing, and in which there is no soundness; it does not lie merely in outward actions, but it is in the heart, which is desperately wicked; for the inward part of man is very wicked:
and the priest shall look on him, and pronounce him unclean; and so should be obliged to rend his clothes, make bare his head, put a covering on his upper lip, and cry, unclean, unclean; dwell alone without the camp, and at a proper time bring the offering for his cleansing, and submit to the several rites and ceremonies prescribed,
Le 13:45.
e Negaim, c. 4. sect. 4.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(3) When the hair in the plague is turned white.Better, and the hair in the plagued spot, &c. The first symptom indicating the existence of the disorder is that the hair, which is generally jet-black among the Hebrews, turns white on the affected spot. The authorities during the second Temple defined it that there must at least be two hairs white, at the root and in the body of the bright spot, before the patient can be declared unclean. The word plague, in accordance with a usage common in Hebrewto put the abstract for the concretedenotes here the plagued spot, or the spot affected by the plague, whilst in Lev. 13:4 it means the person affected by this disorder. Thus in Lev. 19:32, the hoary head stands for hoary-headed person.
And the plague in sight be deeper than the skin.Better, and the appearance of the plagued spot be deeper, &c. The second symptom which shows the development of the disorder is that the spot affected by this plague appears to be deeper than the rest of the skin.
Pronounce him unclean.Literally, make him unclean. According to the frequently occurring phraseology a man is said to do that which in his official capacity he pronounces as done, or orders to be done. Thus Ezekiel is said to destroy the city when he simply foretold its destruction (Eze. 43:3). The existence of these two symptoms made it incumbent upon the priest to declare the person unclean, and hence imparting defilement.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
3. The priest shall look The eye is still the chief instrument in the diagnosis of diseases. The microscope has greatly enhanced the accuracy of its reports, especially in cutaneous diseases, each of which has its peculiar manifestations. In practice the inspection took place on clear days from nine o’clock to twelve, and from one to four, because colours were best discerned then.
Hair turned white The leprosy is so radical in its nature that it whitens the hairs in the leprous spots. “There must be at least two in the body of the white spot.” Maimonides.
Deeper than the skin Deeper than the general level of the skin. White spots frequently appear from some defect in the pigments which lie immediately beneath the transparent cuticle. The leprosy must be carefully distinguished from this cutaneous whiteness.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Lev 13:3. And pronounce him unclean Hebrew, shall pollute him, “that is,” says Dr. Beaumont, “by his word he maketh him clean or unclean: and in this sense the ministers of Christ in the Gospel are said to bind and to loose sinners, when they declare them so to be by the word of God; so this Hebrew phrase to pollute him or cleanse him, meaneth, to pronounce him to be so.”
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
How sweetly is the SPIRIT’s work here pointed out in the priest’s looking into the case of the diseased Israelite. JESUS’S SPIRIT is that blessed gift to a poor sinner, which first convinceth of sin. Joh 16:8 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Lev 13:3 And the priest shall look on the plague in the skin of the flesh: and [when] the hair in the plague is turned white, and the plague in sight [be] deeper than the skin of his flesh, it [is] a plague of leprosy: and the priest shall look on him, and pronounce him unclean.
Ver. 3. The plague in the skin of the flesh. ] That is, the white bright spot. Lev 13:2 Compare Exo 4:6 Num 12:10 .
Is turned white.
Be deeper than the skin of his flesh.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
pronounce. Hebrew “shall make him”. Figure of speech Metonymy (of Subject) = pronounce or declare him to be. App-6. Compare Eze 43:3, &c.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
priest
Some have found in the regulations of this chapter concerning an inquest by the priest of a case of leprosy, elaborate provisions for the exercise of discipline in the local church. No little self-righteousness and cruelty have come in thereby. The explicit instructions of the N.T. are the alone and sufficient rule of discipline.
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
shall look: Lev 13:2, Lev 10:10, Eze 44:23, Hag 2:11, Mal 2:7, Act 20:28, Rom 3:19, Rom 3:20, Rom 7:7, Heb 13:7, Rev 2:23
turned: Eze 16:30, Hos 7:9
deeper: Gen 13:3, 2Ti 2:16, 2Ti 2:17, 2Ti 3:13
pronounce: Mat 16:19, Mat 18:17, Mat 18:18, Joh 20:23, Rom 3:19, Rom 3:20, 1Co 5:4-6, 2Th 3:14, 2Th 3:15, 1Ti 1:20
Reciprocal: Lev 13:8 – General Lev 13:10 – shall see him Lev 13:20 – in sight Lev 14:37 – General Lev 22:4 – a leper Num 12:10 – leprous 2Ki 5:1 – a leper
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Lev 13:3. The priest shall look on the plague In some dubious cases, the priest might find it convenient to take the judgment of physicians, or of persons who understood the theory of diseases better than himself; but, as he was to admit to or exclude from the sanctuary, he alone was to give judgment, and pronounce who were clean or unclean, and, as such, to be admitted or excluded. When the hair is turned white He begins with the last of the three marks of a leprosy, namely, the bright spot. The reason of the hairs turning white is thus assigned by Calmet, in his Dissertation on the Leprosy: The flesh, says he, ceasing to receive its proper nourishment from the blood, which gave it its former vivid colour, the hair, which has its root in the corrupted, empoverished glands, becomes likewise ill-nourished, and so grows whitish and slender, like a plant in stony, parched ground. His flesh For the leprosy consumed both the skin and the flesh.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
13:3 And the priest shall look on the plague in the skin of the flesh: and [when] the hair in the plague is turned white, and the plague in sight [be] {b} deeper than the skin of his flesh, it [is] a plague of leprosy: and the priest shall look on him, and pronounce him unclean.
(b) That is, shrunken in, and be lower than the rest of the skin.