Leviticus 13:1-59

Leviticus

*Worship the *LORD in the Beauty of *Holiness

Leviticus

Gordon Churchyard

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Words in boxes are from the Bible, except for the words in brackets (…).

Chapter 13

Chapter s 13 to 15 – Rules about various *unclean things

Section 1 Diseases of the skin, 13:1-46

Chapter 13 v1 The *LORD said (this) to Moses and to Aaron.

v2 ‘Someone may have a lump on their skin. Or their skin may become red. Or it may shine and become very white. These things may become diseases of the skin that strike a person. (People) must bring (the ill person) to Aaron the priest, or to one of his sons who is a priest.

v3 The priest must look carefully at the bad place on the person’s skin. If the hair on the bad place has become white, it is a bad disease of the skin. Also, if the bad place is deeper than the surface of the skin, (it is a bad disease). That disease has struck (the person). When the priest looks carefully at it, he must declare the person to be *unclean.

v4 The spot on (the person’s) skin may be white, but the hair is not white. Also, the spot may not be deeper than the skin. The priest must tell the person to stay away from other people for 7 days.

v5 On the 7^th day, the priest must look carefully at him. He may see that the spot has not changed. Also, the spot has not spread in the skin. Then he must tell the person to stay away from other people for another 7 days.

v6 On the 7^th day, the priest must look carefully at him again. The spot may have lost colour and it may not have spread in the skin. Then the priest must say that (the person) is *clean. Only his skin is red. The person must wash his clothes. Then he will be *clean.

v7 But the red (colour) may spread in his skin after he has gone to the priest. The priest may have said that he was *clean. Then he must come in front of the priest again.

v8 The priest must look carefully at him. If the red (part) has spread, (the priest) must say this. (The priest must say) that he is *unclean. A disease has struck that person.

v9 Someone may have a bad disease, which has struck his skin. People must bring him to the priest.

v10 The priest must look carefully at him. (The priest may find these three things.)

• There is a white lump in the skin.

• The hair (in the skin) has turned white.

• The part of the body under the skin is red.

v11 (If the priest finds these things) then the person (with them) has a bad disease of the skin. The priest must say that this person is *unclean. (The priest) need not tell the person to live by himself (while he waits to examine the skin again). (He must say that) the person is *unclean immediately.

v12 A disease may happen to all of a person’s skin. The priest may see that it is on all the skin of the person with the illness. (It affects his whole body,) from his head to his feet.

v13 The priest must look at him carefully. The disease may cover all that person’s body. Then (the priest) must say that the person is *clean. He is *clean because all (the skin) is white.

v14 But if red places appear (on his skin), the person will be *unclean.

v15 The priest may see red places (on the person’s skin). Then the priest must say that the person is *unclean. The red places (on his skin) make him *unclean. The disease has struck (his skin).

v16 If the red places (on the skin) change to white, (the person) must go to the priest.

v17 The priest must look (at the person) carefully. The bad places may have turned white. Then the priest must say that the person with the illness is *clean. Then he will be *clean.

v18 Someone may have a *boil on his skin, which heals.

v19 A white lump or a red and white spot may then appear where the *boil was. (If this happens), the person must go to the priest.

v20 The priest must look carefully (at the place where the *boil was). (The lump or spot) may be deeper than the skin and the hair on it may have turned white. Then the priest must say that (the person) is *unclean. He has a disease of the skin that has struck him. It is where the *boil was.

v21 But there may be no white hair (on the skin) when the priest looks carefully at it. Also, (the spot) may not be deeper than the skin and it may have disappeared. Then the priest must tell the person to live by himself for 7 days.

v22 But perhaps (after 7 days) it has spread on the skin. Then the priest must say that (the person) is *unclean. A disease has struck that person.

v23 But the spot may not change or spread (after 7 days). It is only a mark where the *boil was. The priest must then say that he is *clean.

v24 Someone may have a burn on his skin. A red or a white spot may appear where his body has the burn.

v25 The priest must look carefully at the spot. The hair in it may have become white. Also, it may be deeper than the skin. Then a disease has struck the person. It has started in the burn. The priest must say that the person is *unclean.

v26 But there may be no white hair in the spot when the priest looks carefully at it. Also, it may not be deeper than the skin and it may have started to disappear. Then the priest must tell the person to live by himself for 7 days.

v27 On the 7^th day, the priest must look carefully (at the burn). It may have started to spread in the (person’s) skin. Then the priest must say that (the person) is *unclean. A disease has struck that person.

v28 But the spot may not have changed. It may not have spread in the (person’s) skin. It may have started to disappear. Then it is a lump after the burn. The priest must say that (the person) is *clean. It is only a mark from the burn.

v29 A man or a woman may have a sore place on their head or on their chin.

v30 The priest must look carefully at the sore place. It may be deeper than (the person’s) skin and the hair in it may be yellow and thin. The priest must then say that the person is *unclean. A disease has struck that person’s head or chin. It is called an *itch.

v31 But when the priest looks carefully at this sore place, it may not be deep in the skin. There may be no black hair in it. Then the priest must tell the person who has the sore place to live alone for 7 days.

v32 On the 7^th day, the priest must look carefully at the sore place. The *itch may not have spread and there may be no yellow hair in it. It may not seem to be deeper than the skin.

v33 The person must shave himself, except for the sore place. Then the priest must order the person to live alone for another 7 days.

v34 On the 7^th day, the priest must look carefully at the *itch. It may not have spread in the skin and it may not seem to be deeper than the skin. Then the priest shall say that (the person) is *clean. He must wash his clothes and he will be *clean.

v35 But the *itch may spread in the skin after (the priest) declares the person to be *clean.

v36 Then the priest must look carefully at him again. If the *itch has spread in the skin, the priest need not look for yellow hair. The person is *unclean.

v37 But the priest may decide that (the *itch) has not changed. Black hair may have grown on it. The *itch may have gone; the place may be healthy again. The person is *clean. The priest must say that (the person) is *clean.

v38 A man or a woman may have white spots on their skin. The spots may shine.

v39 The priest must look carefully at them. If the white spots do not shine, it is not a dangerous disease of the skin. The person is *clean.

v40 If a man loses his hair, he becomes bald. But he remains *clean.

v41 If he loses his hair from the front of his head, he has a bald *forehead. But he is *clean.

v42 But he may have a red or white sore place on his bald head or *forehead. This is a bad disease that is starting on his head or *forehead.

v43 The priest must look carefully at him. The sore lump on the (person’s) head or *forehead may be red or white. It may be like a bad disease of the skin.

v44 Then the person has a disease and he is *unclean. The priest must say that he is *unclean. This is because the (person has a) sore place on his head.

v45 Any person with a bad disease of the skin must wear clothes (that someone has) torn. His hair must be untidy. He must cover the lower part of his face. He must shout “*Unclean! *Unclean!”

v46 He remains *unclean for as long as he has the disease. He must live alone. He must live outside the camp.’

Notes on Section 1, 13:1-46

This section is about various diseases of the skin. Bible students are not sure what the modern names of these diseases are. Even as there are many forms of cancer, so there are many diseases of the skin. Some priests said there were 72 types of bad diseases of the skin. Some modern writers call them all ‘*leprosy’. This comes from a *Greek word, lepros, which means rough. In many diseases of the skin, people’s skin becomes rough. It does not stay smooth. As we are not sure what the diseases in 13:1-46 are, we have not given most of them medical names.

In most of the verses in this section, the *Hebrew words suggest (seem to say) that a man has the disease. But the rules probably affect women also. In verses 29 and 38 the *Hebrew words actually include women. This may be because verse 33 says that people must shave. Moses wrote Leviticus in the *Hebrew language.

The word ‘*unclean’ does not mean that these people are dirty. It does not mean that they have not washed themselves. It means that they must not go to God’s house. Before the *Israelites came to their own country, God’s house was a tent. About 400 years later, Solomon built a house for God in Jerusalem. It was called the *temple. The priests said whether people could go to God’s house or not. The priests did not cure people. They were not doctors. (Of course, the people had doctors too.)

*Unclean people could not live with other people. They lived outside the *Israelites’ camp while the *Israelites were travelling through the desert (verses 45-46). When the *Israelites lived in cities, *unclean people lived outside the city gates. There was a practical reason for this. Some of these diseases can spread from one person to another person. But the main reason was that God’s law told these people to live away from other people. And even kings had to obey this rule (2 Kings 15:5).

There are several types of diseases of the skin in verses 2-46.

Verses 2-8: A lump on the skin. The *Hebrew word here for ‘someone’ is ‘adam’. Although it usually means ‘a man’, here it means everyone: men, women and children. We have translated the *Hebrew word for the disease as ‘lump’. It is probably better to say that the skin breaks open. Bad, watery material may come out from it.

The priest tells the person to live alone for 7 days, then for another 7 days. This gives the disease time to grow. If it does not grow, the person is *clean. He must wash his clothes, then he can go to God’s house.

The *Hebrew Bible uses male words, even when it includes women, as in the verses after 29 and 38. So these rules were for both men and women.

Verses 9-11: A bad disease in the skin. This was probably *leprosy. The white part of the skin became watery, with bad stuff in it. The priest did not have to wait for the disease to develop. He knew that it was *leprosy. So he did not have to tell the person to live alone before he declared that person *unclean. He declared that the person was *unclean immediately. So the person must go and live outside the camp.

Verses 12-17: There are two diseases here:

• In verses 12-13, the person’s skin is white, but there is no watery material. So, other people cannot get the disease from the person who has it. Probably the material that colours the skin has gone. It is not a real disease.

• In verses 14-17, the person’s skin probably has red places that contain a watery material. The *unclean person must live outside the camp. So, really, the priest must go to him. If the red places are white, he is *clean. If not, he is *unclean and he must remain outside the camp.

Verses 18-23: A *boil on the skin. A *boil is a lump on the skin. Inside the lump is a yellow, watery material. We call it *pus. The priest must decide whether it is only a *boil, or *leprosy. *Boils soon heal, but *leprosy does not.

Verses 24-28: A burn on the skin. The red or white spot appears because the burn does not heal. Again the priest must decide whether it is dangerous to other people or not. Some Bible students think that we now call this disease *psoriasis.

Verses 29-37: A sore place on the head or on the chin. The modern name for this disease is probably *ringworm. Children get it more often than adults. If someone has it, other people may get it from him. An *itch is something that makes us want to rub it or to scratch it.

Verses 38-39: White spots that do not shine. This may be something that we now call *acne. It is not dangerous, but it may not look healthy.

Verses 40-44: A bald place on the head. The priest must make a decision. Perhaps the person is just bald. But perhaps the person has *leprosy.

Verses 45-46: These verses include all the diseases that make people *unclean in verses 2-44. The person with the disease had to leave the camp. He had to stay away from other people. He had to warn anyone who came near him about his disease. If he wanted to see the priest, then the priest had to come to him ‘outside the camp’.

The reasons for the rules about diseases of the skin

Bible students have given us three possible reasons why these rules are here. Probably, all three reasons are correct!

(1) God may have given these rules to protect the health of the *Israelites. Some of these diseases are very dangerous, and they could spread quickly, especially in a camp. So, God told the priests to examine people with skin diseases carefully. They must separate anyone who seemed to have such a disease.

(2) These rules may exist for social reasons. People may be afraid of someone who has a bad skin disease. They may be cruel to that person. But these rules protect that person. There would be a separate place where the person could live safely. It was clear what the person had to do in order to obey God’s law. The priests would make sure that other people dealt with that person in a proper manner.

(3) God wanted to teach the *Israelites about *sin. Of course, disease is not *sin. And most people who suffered these diseases were not ill because of any particular *sin. But the nature of these types of disease teach lessons about the nature of *sin. For example, the priests had to check whether the disease seemed deeper than the skin. So we cannot know a person’s true character if we merely look at that person. *Sin enters right into a person. It goes beyond that person’s body into their spirit. Another example is that serious diseases would spread. And in the same manner, *sin takes control of a person. Its effects always grow worse until it has ruined that person’s life. Also, it was necessary to separate a person from other people while that person had the disease. In the same manner, *sin separates us both from God, and from a right relationship with other people.

Section 2 *Mildew in clothes, 13:47-59

v47 ‘Clothes that someone has made from wool or *linen may have *mildew on them.

v48 It may be on any clothes that people made from wool, *linen or leather.

v49 If the disease makes the clothes green or red, people must show them to the priest. It is a *mildew that will spread. (This is so whether the clothes are) wool, *linen or leather.

v50 The priest must look carefully at the *mildew. He must put the clothes with *mildew on them apart for 7 days.

v51 On the 7^th day, (the priest) must look carefully at (the clothes) again. If the *mildew has spread in the clothes, it is a bad *mildew. It will destroy anything that someone has made from wool, *linen or leather. The clothes are *unclean.

v52 He must burn the clothes that have the *mildew on them. The *mildew will destroy anything that someone made from wool, *linen or leather. He must burn the clothes.

v53 But the priest may look carefully at the clothes and the *mildew may not have spread. (This may be so whether the clothes are) wool, *linen or leather.

v54 Then the priest must order someone to wash the dirty clothes. Then he must put (the clothes) apart for another 7 days.

v55 After that person has washed the clothes with *mildew on them, the priest must look carefully at them again. If the *mildew looks the same, (the clothes) are *unclean. (They are *unclean) even if (the *mildew) has not spread. You must burn them with fire, whether the *mildew is on one side or the other side (of the clothes).

v56 But the *mildew may lose colour after someone has washed (the clothes). So, when the priest looks carefully at the clothes, he must tear the bad part from the clothes. (This is so whether the clothes are) leather, *linen or wool.

v57 But the *mildew may appear again on the clothes (that somebody made from) leather, *linen or wool. So, it is (a *mildew that is) spreading. You must burn everything that has the *mildew with fire.

v58 The clothes (that somebody has) washed may now have no *mildew on them. You must wash them again and then they will be *clean. (This is so whether the clothes are) leather, *linen or wool.’

v59 These are the rules about clothes that have *mildew on them. (These rules are for the clothes that people have made from) leather, wool or *linen. (The rules) decide whether the clothes are *clean or *unclean.

Notes

Verse 47 People made *linen clothes from a plant called flax. *Mildew is a disease. It grows on plants as well as cloth and leather. It is like the skin diseases in verses 1-46 because it changes the colour. It spreads through the cloth, and can pass to other clothes. In the end, it will destroy the clothes. It will not only make the clothes *unclean. It will make the person that touches them *unclean.

Verses 48-59 The *Hebrew words here for *linen and wool also tell us how people made the clothes.

• Sometimes they knitted the clothes. People use a long needle to knit. ‘Knit’ means to join the threads (lines) of wool together.

• Or they *weaved (wove) the lines together. Weave means ‘make into cloth’. People usually need a simple machine to do this. They set out many rows of thread (lines of *linen). Then they pass one thread forwards and back through the rows.

The rules are similar to those for diseases of the skin. The priest has to decide if the clothes are *unclean. It is necessary to destroy the *mildew so that it does not spread.

First, the priest must wait to see if the *mildew spreads (verses 50-51). If it does not spread, the owner must try to wash the *mildew out of the clothes (verses 54 and 56). The priest must burn the clothes if the *mildew spreads (verses 52 and 57). But even if the *mildew does not spread, he cannot allow it to remain in the clothes. He must tear out any piece of the cloth that has changed colour because of the *mildew (verse 56). Then of course, the owner has to repair the hole.

The reasons for the rules about *mildew on clothes

There are two possible reasons for these rules. Probably both these reasons are correct:

(1) God gave these rules for a practical reason. It was a lot of work to make clothes by hand. People would not want to destroy clothes if they had just a small amount of *mildew. But that *mildew could spread and it could cause great damage. It was better to deal with the problem as soon as possible.

(2) Like the rules about skin diseases, there are lessons here about the nature of *sin. *Sin does not just spoil our lives, it also spoils the products of our work, including our work for God. It was not wise to neglect even a little *mildew on clothes. And it is foolish to allow any *sin to remain in our lives. It can only ever cause damage and trouble.

worship ~ to praise someone (usually God). You tell him that you believe him to be very, very great. Also, you love him and you will obey him.
LORD ~ a special name for God. In the Hebrew Bible it translates YHWH. YHWH probably means ‘he is always alive’. So the word LORD (which means ‘master’) is not a proper translation.

Hebrew ~ the language that the Jews spoke.

Jews ~ another word for the Israelites.

Israelites ~ the LORD’s people whom Moses led out of Egypt. Afterwards, they lived in the countries called Judah and Israel.

Judah ~ the name of the southern part of the country where the Jews went to live.

Israel ~ the name of the country where the Jews went to live, especially the northern part of that country.
holiness ~ the quality of somebody who is holy, or very, very good.

holy ~ very, very good; only God is really holy. Or, a description of something that belongs to God.
unclean ~ unsuitable for God or for God’s people. When someone was unclean, that person was unable to worship at God’s house.

worship ~ to praise someone (usually God). You tell him that you believe him to be very, very great. Also, you love him and you will obey him.
clean ~ suitable for God or for God’s people. A clean person could go to God’s house to worship him.

worship ~ to praise someone (usually God). You tell him that you believe him to be very, very great. Also, you love him and you will obey him.
boil ~ a lump on the skin. Inside the lump is a yellow, watery material. We call it pus.

pus ~ yellow, watery material inside a boil.
itch ~ a problem with the skin that makes us want to rub it or to scratch it.
forehead ~ the front of the head.
unclean ~ unsuitable for God or for God’s people. When someone was unclean, that person was unable to worship at God’s house.

worship ~ to praise someone (usually God). You tell him that you believe him to be very, very great. Also, you love him and you will obey him.
leprosy ~ a serious skin disease.
Greek ~ the language of the people who live in Greece.
Hebrew ~ the language that the Jews spoke.

Jews ~ another word for the Israelites.

Israelites ~ the LORD’s people whom Moses led out of Egypt. Afterwards, they lived in the countries called Judah and Israel.

LORD ~ a special name for God. In the Hebrew Bible it translates YHWH. YHWH probably means ‘he is always alive’. So the word LORD (which means ‘master’) is not a proper translation.

Judah ~ the name of the southern part of the country where the Jews went to live.

Israel ~ the name of the country where the Jews went to live, especially the northern part of that country.
Israelites ~ the LORD’s people whom Moses led out of Egypt. Afterwards, they lived in the countries called Judah and Israel.

LORD ~ a special name for God. In the Hebrew Bible it translates YHWH. YHWH probably means ‘he is always alive’. So the word LORD (which means ‘master’) is not a proper translation.

Judah ~ the name of the southern part of the country where the Jews went to live.

Israel ~ the name of the country where the Jews went to live, especially the northern part of that country.

Hebrew ~ the language that the Jews spoke.

Jews ~ another word for the Israelites.
temple ~ God’s house in Jerusalem.
pus ~ yellow, watery material inside a boil.

boil ~ a lump on the skin. Inside the lump is a yellow, watery material. We call it pus.
boil ~ a lump on the skin. Inside the lump is a yellow, watery material. We call it pus.

pus ~ yellow, watery material inside a boil.
psoriasis ~ a type of disease of the skin.
ringworm ~ a type of disease of the skin; children often have it.
acne ~ a disease that causes spots on the skin; young people often get it.
sin ~ to do wrong things; not to obey God’s rules. Or, the things we do when we sin. Evil thoughts, words and deeds are all sin, whether we do them on purpose or not.
sin ~ to do wrong things; not to obey God’s rules. Or, the things we do when we sin. Evil thoughts, words and deeds are all sin, whether we do them on purpose or not.
mildew ~ a disease that may grow on plants. There are similar diseases that affect clothes and even buildings.
linen ~ a material that people make from a plant called flax: it was usually white.
mildew ~ a disease that may grow on plants. There are similar diseases that affect clothes and even buildings.
weave ~ to make into cloth.