Leviticus 13:20 - and the priest shall examine it; and behold, if its appearance is lower than the skin, and its hair has turned white, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is the plague of leprosy. It has broken out in the boil.
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What does "Leviticus 13:20" mean?
This verse from Leviticus 13:20 is part of a detailed set of instructions for priests to diagnose skin diseases, specifically those that might be leprosy (now known as Hansen's disease). Let's break down the meaning:
"and the priest shall examine it": The priest's role was to inspect the affected area and determine if it met the criteria for leprosy as outlined in the Torah.
"and behold, if its appearance is lower than the skin": This refers to a depression or sunken area in the skin around the lesion. This indentation was a sign of potential concern.
"and its hair has turned white": A change in hair color to white in the affected area was another key indicator. Leprosy can affect pigment cells, causing hair to lose its color.
"then the priest shall pronounce him unclean": If both the depression and the white hair were present, the priest had to declare the person ritually unclean. This wasn't merely a medical diagnosis; it had significant social and religious implications.
"It is the plague of leprosy. It has broken out in the boil.": This identifies the condition as tsaraat (translated as leprosy, although the definition is not equivalent to modern-day leprosy), and specifies that it developed from a previous boil. The boils themselves did not indicate leprosy. If leprosy formed from the boil, then it would mean it had broken out in the boil.
Key takeaways:
Diagnosis based on observation: The diagnosis relied on visual inspection, not on modern medical tests.
Ritual uncleanliness: The term "unclean" doesn't necessarily mean someone was considered dirty or morally corrupt. It meant they were temporarily excluded from certain religious and social activities, possibly to prevent the spread of disease (though the understanding of contagion at the time was different from modern science).
Not modern leprosy: The term "leprosy" in Leviticus likely encompassed a variety of skin conditions, not just what we know as Hansen's disease today.
Context matters: This verse is part of a larger system of ritual purity and impurity in ancient Israel. It's important to understand it within that framework.
Essentially, this verse describes specific symptoms (depression in the skin and white hair) that, when found in conjunction with each other after a boil, would lead a priest to diagnose the person as having tsaraat and declare them ritually unclean.
Leviticus 13:20 - and the priest shall examine it; and behold, if its appearance is lower than the skin, and its hair has turned white, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is the plague of leprosy. It has broken out in the boil.
What does "Leviticus 13:20" mean?
This verse from Leviticus 13:20 is part of a detailed set of instructions for priests to diagnose skin diseases, specifically those that might be leprosy (now known as Hansen's disease). Let's break down the meaning:
"and the priest shall examine it": The priest's role was to inspect the affected area and determine if it met the criteria for leprosy as outlined in the Torah.
"and behold, if its appearance is lower than the skin": This refers to a depression or sunken area in the skin around the lesion. This indentation was a sign of potential concern.
"and its hair has turned white": A change in hair color to white in the affected area was another key indicator. Leprosy can affect pigment cells, causing hair to lose its color.
"then the priest shall pronounce him unclean": If both the depression and the white hair were present, the priest had to declare the person ritually unclean. This wasn't merely a medical diagnosis; it had significant social and religious implications.
"It is the plague of leprosy. It has broken out in the boil.": This identifies the condition as tsaraat (translated as leprosy, although the definition is not equivalent to modern-day leprosy), and specifies that it developed from a previous boil. The boils themselves did not indicate leprosy. If leprosy formed from the boil, then it would mean it had broken out in the boil.
Key takeaways:
Diagnosis based on observation: The diagnosis relied on visual inspection, not on modern medical tests.
Ritual uncleanliness: The term "unclean" doesn't necessarily mean someone was considered dirty or morally corrupt. It meant they were temporarily excluded from certain religious and social activities, possibly to prevent the spread of disease (though the understanding of contagion at the time was different from modern science).
Not modern leprosy: The term "leprosy" in Leviticus likely encompassed a variety of skin conditions, not just what we know as Hansen's disease today.
Context matters: This verse is part of a larger system of ritual purity and impurity in ancient Israel. It's important to understand it within that framework.
Essentially, this verse describes specific symptoms (depression in the skin and white hair) that, when found in conjunction with each other after a boil, would lead a priest to diagnose the person as having tsaraat and declare them ritually unclean.