Leviticus 13

Updated
2001-05-26; 14:31:58utc

Diagnosis, Treatment and Purification of Leprosy
Chapters 13 and 14

These chapters can easily be divided in four parts:

a. Leprosy in people 13:1-44

b. Leprosy in objects 13:45-59

c. Purification after healing of leprosy 14:1-32 and

d. Leprosy in houses 14:33-57

a. Leprosy in people 13:1-44

Vs. 1-8 deal with the diagnosis of possible leprosy, vs. 9-17 with leprosy that has run its course, vs. 18-25 with the diagnosis of possible leprosy in a healed boil, vs. 24-28 in a healed burn, vs. 29-44 with the diagnosis of the sickness on the head, under the hair on the head, or in the beard.

The NIV does not use the word leprosy, but "infectious skin disease." The RSV says "leprous disease," but the KJV and even TLB use the word leprosy. The Hebrew word is tsara'ath.

The diagnosis of leprosy was carried out with great caution. In most cases the person suspected of having the disease was quarantined for one or two weeks. The presence of the sickness was determined by the fact that the rash was deeper than the skin, that it discolored the hair, and that it had a tendency to spread.

There are some important lessons to be learned from these chapters. In the first place, there was the role the priest played in connection with this sickness. The man who stood between God and man had to diagnose the sickness.

God had revealed himself to Israel as Jehovah Raffa, "I am the LORD, who heals you."[ 1 ] This revelation placed this section in a different light. The priest made no effort to bring about healing. As far as I know, the sickness was considered incurable. From a medical viewpoint the sickness may have been incurable, yet, in these chapters it was not treated as such. Although the emphasis in these chapters was on the diagnosis, the whole atmosphere is one of hope of healing. The point was, obviously, that man would become conscious of his condition. Undoubtedly, leprosy was used as a symbol of sin in this context.

The discoloration of the hair and the growth of "proud flesh" were important. The chapter opens with a man who asked himself the question, "Am I a leper or not?" The way to receive an answer to this question was to be taken to the priest. This presupposed help from others. The man asked himself what was wrong with his body, and the community asked in what respect he was a danger to his fellowmen. The place to receive an answer was at the priest's in the presence of the Lord. It was not important what other people in general thought about him, but what God thinks about him.

When it appeared that the problem was not a superficial irritation of the skin, but something that went deeper than the skin, the sickness was diagnosed as leprosy.

All this made leprosy the symbol "par excellence" of sin in man. Sin is not a deviation from the general behavioral pattern of the society in which we live, but a deviation from God's holiness. It is the presence of the Lord that reveals sin. Sin is not a superficial deviation that is only skin deep; it is a corruption of the inside of our being. Ch. 12 shows us how we inherit sin from our parents, and chapters 13 and 14 show us how deep sin goes.

Some commentators doubt that the sickness described here is the same as what we know as leprosy,[ 2 ] but the question here is not sick or healthy but clean or unclean. Most likely, what is called leprosy here is a name for a group of sicknesses that have certain symptoms in common. The symptoms described in 13:9-11 probably point to a form of skin cancer.

Vs. 12,13 come as a surprise to us: "If the disease breaks out all over his skin and, so far as the priest can see, it covers all the skin of the infected person from head to foot, the priest is to examine him, and if the disease has covered his whole body, he shall pronounce that person clean. Since it has all turned white, he is clean." Leprosy that had run its course and had made the whole body white made the patient ritually clean. A man who confesses before the Lord that sin has done a complete work in him, that he is sinful through and through, is saved. It is, of course, not the confession that makes him clean, but the confession creates the condition in which God's salvation of man can become effective. Sins that are confessed are no longer contagious. They lose their power.

Leprosy could erupt at a place where previous injuries had healed. In vs. 18 we read about a boil and in vs. 24 about a burn. Certain conditions that had weakened the skin could form a fertile soil for leprosy. Sin will reveal itself where the defenses of our soul are undermined. Boils are infections caused by an inward source, but in some cases the infection may have outside causes. Burns are damages of the skin that have an outward cause. Scars are places where the victory over the infection was won, but former victories do not make us immune to later attacks.

A special section is devoted to the human head. The head is examined to see if a rash develops into leprosy. This is the subject of the verses 29-37. Vs. 38 and 39 deal with light spots on the body. Being baldheaded myself, vs. 40 is one of my favorite verses in the Bible. "When a man has lost his hair and is bald, he is clean!" This testimony is given about no other heads.

Vs. 45 and 46 tell briefly how a leper should live. He has to rend his clothes, as a sign of mourning, and he must let his hair hang down. The covering of the upper lip is probably an effort to prevent infection of other people. Medical science confirms that the breath of a leper can be contagious. He has to make known his presence and the danger of contamination by calling out: "Unclean, Unclean!" And he has to live isolated from his fellowmen. The rent clothes, the demonstration of mourning, the danger of contamination, and the isolation are clear pictures of the damage sin does in human life.

b. Leprosy in objects 13:45-59

At first sight, it seems as if this sections deals with some kind of primitive superstition in that it links a fungus on garments and leather object to be related to the sickness we call leprosy. First of all, it is not certain that the leprosy in chapter 13 is the same sickness that we know today. Also, medical science has come to the conclusion that there are certain fungi that can vegetate on objects as well as on human skin.

The way affected objects are dealt with shows a great respect for the ownership of the people. Garments and leather objects are not just confiscated and burned.

It also becomes clear that both, man and the objects he uses, have to be clean before the Lord. It may be difficult to ascribe a moral value to leather and textile, but there is a connection between the moral behavior of man and the objects he uses. For instance, the writer to the Hebrews says: "Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure."[ 3 ]

[ 1 ] Exod 15:26

[ 2 ] A Dutch Biblical Encyclopedia (De Bijbelse Encyclopedie - Bosch en Keuning)

[ 3 ] Heb. 13:4