Leviticus 13:12-13

13:12 If, however, the disease breaks out on the skin so that the disease covers all the skin of the person with the infection from his head to his feet, as far as the priest can see, 13:13 the priest must then examine it, and if the disease covers his whole body, he is to pronounce the person with the infection clean. He has turned all white, so he is clean.

Leviticus 13:16-17

13:16 If, however, the raw flesh once again turns white, then he must come to the priest. 13:17 The priest will then examine it, 10  and if 11  the infection has turned white, the priest is to pronounce the person with the infection clean 12  – he is clean.


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

tn Heb “all the skin of the infection,” but see v. 4 above.

tn Heb “to all the appearance of the eyes of the priest.”

tn Heb “and the priest shall see.” The pronoun “it” is unexpressed, but it should be assumed and it refers to the infection (cf. the note on v. 8 above).

tn Heb “and behold” (so KJV, ASV, NASB).

tn Heb “he shall pronounce the infection clean,” but see v. 4 above. Also, this is another use of the declarative Piel of the verb טָהֵר (taher; cf. the note on v. 6 above).

tn Heb “all of him has turned white, and he is clean.”

tn Heb “Or if/when.”

tn Heb “the living flesh returns and is turned/changed to white.” The Hebrew verb “returns” is שׁוּב (shuv), which often functions adverbially when combined with a second verb as it is here (cf. “and is turned”) and, in such cases, is usually rendered “again” (see, e.g., GKC 386-87 §120.g). Another suggestion is that here שׁוּב means “to recede” (cf., e.g., 2 Kgs 20:9), so one could translate “the raw flesh recedes and turns white.” This would mean that the new “white” skin “has grown over” the raw flesh (B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 79).

10 tn Heb “and the priest shall see it.”

11 tn Heb “and behold” (so KJV, ASV, NASB).

12 tn Heb “the priest shall pronounce the infection clean,” but see v. 4 above. Also, this is another use of the declarative Piel of the verb טָהֵר (taher, cf. the note on v. 6 above).