Leviticus 13:5-8

13:5 The priest must then examine it on the seventh day, and if, ¹  as far as he can see, the infection has stayed the same ²  and has not spread on the skin, ³  then the priest is to quarantine the person for another seven days. ⁴  13:6 The priest must then examine it again on the seventh day, ⁵  and if ⁶  the infection has faded and has not spread on the skin, then the priest is to pronounce the person clean. ⁷  It is a scab, ⁸  so he must wash his clothes ⁹  and be clean. 13:7 If, however, the scab is spreading further ¹⁰  on the skin after he has shown himself to the priest for his purification, then he must show himself to the priest a second time. 13:8 The priest must then examine it, ¹¹  and if ¹²  the scab has spread on the skin, then the priest is to pronounce the person unclean. ¹³  It is a disease.

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¹ tn Heb “and behold” (so KJV, ASV).

² tn Heb “the infection has stood in his eyes”; ASV “if in his eyes the plague be at a stay.”

³ tn Although there is no expressed “and” at the beginning of this clause, there is in the corresponding clause of v. 6, so it should be assumed here as well.

⁴ tn Heb “a second seven days.”

⁵ tn That is, at the end of the second set of seven days referred to at the end of v. 5, a total of fourteen days after the first appearance before the priest.

⁶ tn Heb “and behold.”

⁷ tn Heb “he shall make him clean.” The verb is the Piel of טָהֵר (taher, “to be clean”). Here it is a so-called “declarative” Piel (i.e., “to declare clean”), but it also implies that the person is put into the category of being “clean” by the pronouncement itself (J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 176; cf. the corresponding opposite in v. 3 above).

⁸ tn On the term “scab” see the note on v. 2 above. Cf. NAB “it was merely eczema”; NRSV “only an eruption”; NLT “only a temporary rash.”

⁹ tn Heb “and he shall wash his clothes.”

¹⁰ tn Heb “And if spreading [infinitive absolute] it spreads [finite verb].” For the infinitive absolute used to highlight contrast rather than emphasis see GKC 343 §113.p.

¹¹ tn The “it” is not expressed but is to be understood. It refers to the “infection” (cf. the note on v. 2 above).

¹² tn Heb “and behold” (so KJV, ASV).

¹³ tn This is the declarative Piel of the verb טָמֵא (tame’, cf. the note on v. 3 above).