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Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary On The Bible

Leviticus 13

Leviticus 13:1

LEVITICUS CHAPTER 13 Laws touching leprosies; its different kinds how to be known and judged of by the priest, LEVITICUS 13:1. Of the swelling, LEVITICUS 13:9. Of the sores or boils, LEVITICUS 13:18. Of the fiery inflammation, LEVITICUS 13:21. Of the scall, LEVITICUS 13:29. Of the blisters, LEVITICU... [ Continue Reading ]

Leviticus 13:2

IN THE SKIN, for there was the seat of the leprosy. BRIGHT SPOT, shining like the scale of a fish, as it is in the beginning of a leprosy. LEPROSY was a distemper most frequent in Egypt and Syria, &c., known also among the Greeks, who note that it was not so properly a disease as a defilement or dis... [ Continue Reading ]

Leviticus 13:3

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 EXODUS 4:6 NU... [ Continue Reading ]

Leviticus 13:4

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, JEREMIAH 50:31, and _dreams_ for the _dreamers... [ Continue Reading ]

Leviticus 13:5

IF THE PLAGUE BE AT A STAY: this translation is justified by the following clause, which is added to explain it. Otherwise the words are and may be rendered thus, _stand_ or _abide in its own colour_; the Hebrew word being used for _colour_ as well as for _sight_.... [ Continue Reading ]

Leviticus 13:6

IF THE PLAGUE BE SOMEWHAT DARK; which is opposed to the white colour of the leprosy. But the word may be rendered, _have contracted itself_, or, _be restrained_ or _confined_ to its former place and bigness; and thus the opposition seems to be most clear to the _spreading_ of itself, mentioned both... [ Continue Reading ]

Leviticus 13:10

IF THE RISING BE WHITE, to wit, with a preternatural and extraordinary whiteness, as NUMBERS 12:10. _And there be_; or rather, or, the copulative put for the disjunctive, as hath been noted before; for either of these were signs of a leprosy, and one of these may seem inconsistent with the other; th... [ Continue Reading ]

Leviticus 13:13

IF THE LEPROSY, i.e. the sign or appearance of the leprosy; or the scab is called _a leprosy_, because at first view it seemed to be so to the priest, and to other beholders. HAVE COVERED ALL HIS FLESH: when it appeared in some one part, it discovered the ill humour which lurked within, and withal t... [ Continue Reading ]

Leviticus 13:14

IN HIM, or rather, in it, i.e. in the place where the sign or appearance of leprosy was, when the flesh was partly changed into a whiter colour, and partly kept its natural colour; this variety of colours was an evidence of the leprosy, as one and the same colour continuing was a sign of soundness.... [ Continue Reading ]

Leviticus 13:15

THE RAW FLESH IS UNCLEAN: this is repeated again and again, because raw or living flesh might rather seem a sign of soundness, and the priest might easily be deceived by it, and therefore he was more narrowly to look into it, and to observe the place and manner and other circumstances in which it ap... [ Continue Reading ]

Leviticus 13:19

SOMEWHAT REDDISH, i.e. white mixed with red, as when blood and milk are mixed together. A late learned writer renders the words thus, _white and very bright_, or _light_, which indeed is the true colour of leprosy, to wit, when it is in its perfection, as EXODUS 4:6, &c. But here it was only beginni... [ Continue Reading ]

Leviticus 13:24

A HOT BURNING, Heb. _a burning of fire_, by the touch of any hot iron, or burning coals, which doth naturally and usually make an ulcer or sore in which the following spot is. _Or white_, i.e. or only white, without any mixture of red in it. This clause seems to overthrow that exposition of the Hebr... [ Continue Reading ]

Leviticus 13:30

The leprosy in the body turned the hair white, in the head or beard it turned it yellow. And if a man's hair was yellow before, this might easily be distinguished from the rest, either by the thinness or smallness of it, which is here noted, or by its peculiar kind of yellow, for there are divers ki... [ Continue Reading ]

Leviticus 13:31

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, LEVITICUS 13:37, as the yellow hair was a sign of unsoundness.... [ Continue Reading ]

Leviticus 13:36

He need not search for the hair, or any other sign, the spreading or running of it being a sure sign of leprosy, without any other evidence.... [ Continue Reading ]

Leviticus 13:37

The truth of the thing, and not the sentence of the priest, made him clean; and if the priest had partially pronounced one clean who was not clean, his sentence had been null. And therefore it is a fond and dangerous conceit to think that the absolution given to any sinner by a priest will stand him... [ Continue Reading ]

Leviticus 13:45

HIS CLOTHES SHALL BE RENT, to wit, in the upper and former parts, which were most visible. This was done, partly, as a token of sorrow, EZRA 9:3,5 JOB 2:12, because though this was not a sin, yet it was an effect of sin, and a sore punishment, whereby he was cut off both from converse with men, and... [ Continue Reading ]

Leviticus 13:46

Partly, for his humiliation; partly, to prevent the infection of others; and partly, to show the danger of converse with spiritual lepers or notorious sinners. This rule excludes the society of sound persons, but not of lepers. See 2 KINGS 15:5 2 CHRONICLES 26:21. WITHOUT THE CAMP; so NUMBERS 12:14;... [ Continue Reading ]

Leviticus 13:47

Leprosy in garments and houses is unknown in these times and places, which is not strange, there being some diseases or distempers peculiar to some ages and countries, as the learned have noted. And that such a thing was among the Jews cannot reasonably be doubted; for if Moses had been a deceiver,... [ Continue Reading ]

Leviticus 13:48

IN THE WARP, OR WOOF; a learned man renders it, _in the outside, or in the inside of it_. If the signification of these words be doubtful or unknown now, as some of those of the living creatures and precious stones are confessed to be, it is not material to us, this law being abolished; it sufficeth... [ Continue Reading ]

Leviticus 13:55

IF THE PLAGUE HAVE NOT CHANGED HIS COLOUR; if washing doth not take away that vicious colour, and restore it to its own native colour. BARE WITHIN OR WITHOUT; in the outside of the garment, which is here called the forehead or foreside, as being most visible, or in the inside of it. Some of the Jewi... [ Continue Reading ]

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