Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Leviticus 13:4
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 hath] the plague seven days:
4. If any of the symptoms are not found, the man is to be shut up seven days and again examined.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
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 beforehand.
The plague is here put for the man that hath the plague, as pride is put for a proud man, Jer 50:31, and dreams for the dreamers, Jer 27:9.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
If the bright spot be white in the skin of his flesh,…. The Targum of Jonathan is, white as chalk in the skin of his flesh; but other Jewish writers make the whiteness of the bright spot to be the greatest of all, like that of snow; [See comments on Le 13:2]:
and in sight [be] not deeper than the skin, and the hair thereof be not turned white; though it be a bright spot, and be very white, yet these two marks not appearing, it cannot be judged a leprosy, at most it is only suspicious: wherefore
then the priest, shall shut up [him that hath] the plague seven days; in whom the bright spot is, and of whom there is a suspicion of the plague of leprosy, but it is not certain; and therefore, in order to take time, and get further knowledge, the person was to be shut up from all company and conversation for the space of seven days; by which time it might be supposed, as Ben Gersom observes, that the case and state of the leprosy (if it was one) would be altered; and Aben Ezra remarks, that most diseases change or alter on the seventh day.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(4) If the bright spot be white.But if upon inspection there merely appeared a white spot in the skin, and the above named two symptoms were absent, the case was not to be decided.
Then the priest shall shut up him that hath the plague.The individual thus suspected was to be separated from the rest of the community for seven days, during which time it would be seen whether it actually developed itself into this disorder. According to the canons which obtained during the second Temple, if a bridegroom was seized with this distemper he could not be shut up during the nuptial week. It will be seen that the words him that hath are in italics, thus indicating that they are not in the text; but plague here, as we have seen in Lev. 13:3, denotes plagued person.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
4. Shut up seven days The community, and not the suspected leper, was to have the benefit of the doubt. Every safeguard against the ceremonial impurity was to be taken. Precisely the same measures were adopted in the island of Barbadoes when the leprosy broke out there. The patients were at first shut up seven days in order to determine between the leprosy and the crowcrow, an African itch. At Guadaloupe the citizens petitioned the authorities for a universal inspection of suspected persons, and their confinement in quarantine, and, in the case of the lepers, their removal to permanent pest-houses. It was found that the board of health had in this chapter a code of laws framed to their hand and ready for use with only the change of the word “priest” to physician.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
And how sweetly is the case of a fearful, doubting mind, described by this supposed uncertainly of the disease? Reader! how often when the HOLY GHOST hath been leading you to JESUS, your high priest, how often have you afterwards doubted whether the thing be real? Joh 5:13 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Lev 13:4 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 hath] the plague seven days:
Ver. 4. Shall shut up him. ] For further trial of truth, that daughter of time. We may not precipitate a censure, but be slow to speak, slow to wrath. The leper must be shut up from week to week, till the thing were certain: so till men’s perverseness be made “manifest,” 2Ti 3:9 we must suspend our censures. Many are like candles whose tallow is mixed with brine; no sooner lighted, but they spit up and down the room.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
plague = plagued person. Hebrew “shut up the plague”. Figure of speech Metonymy (of Adjunct). App-6. The meaning is supplied in italics.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
shut up: Num 12:15, Deu 13:14, Eze 44:10, 1Co 4:5, 1Ti 5:24
Reciprocal: Lev 13:10 – shall see him Lev 13:25 – turned white Lev 13:26 – then the priest Lev 13:31 – seven days
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Lev 13:4. Seven days For greater assurance; to teach ministers not to be hasty in their judgments, but diligently to search and examine all things beforehand. The plague is here put in the original for the man that hath the plague.