Leviticus 13:3

The priest is to examine the infection on his skin, and if the hair in the infection has turned white and the sore appears to be deeper than the skin, it is a skin disease. After the priest examines him, he must pronounce him unclean.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — The text instructs the priest to inspect a person brought forward with a suspected skin lesion. This examination occurs within the established procedure for diagnosing bodily afflictions and determining ritual status.

The words — The Hebrew verb וְרָאָה (ve-ra'ah) means "and he will see," specifying the priest's required visual inspection. The noun הַנֶּגַע (ha-nega') translates literally as "the plague," referring directly to the skin sore under examination.

The thread — This diagnostic protocol aligns with the priestly mandate to separate clean from unclean in Leviticus 10:10. The reliance on external signs to settle legal standing mirrors the law's function to silence human defense in Romans 3:19.

Why it lands — The passage requires the reader to accept that ritual status depends on objective priestly assessment rather than personal judgment. It establishes a clear, observable boundary between contamination and purity that demands immediate adherence.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

וְרָאָ֣הve./ra.'Ahand/ he will see הַכֹּהֵ֣ןha./ko.Henthe/ priest אֶת־'et-<obj.>הַנֶּ֣גַעha./Ne.ga'the/ plague בְּעֽוֹר־be./'or-on/ [the] skin of הַ֠בָּשָׂרHa./ba.sorthe/ flesh וְשֵׂעָ֨רve./se.'Arand/ [the] hair בַּנֶּ֜גַעba./Ne.ga'in the/ plague הָפַ֣ךְ׀ha.Fakhit has turned לָבָ֗ןla.Vanwhite וּמַרְאֵ֤הu./mar.'Ehand/ [the] appearance of הַנֶּ֙גַע֙ha./Ne.ga'the/ plague עָמֹק֙'a.Mok[is] deep מֵע֣וֹרme./'ormore than/ [the] skin of בְּשָׂר֔וֹbe.sa.R/oflesh/ his נֶ֥גַעNe.ga'[is] a plague of צָרַ֖עַתtza.Ra.'ata serious skin disease ה֑וּאHu'it וְרָאָ֥הוּve./ra.'A./huand/ he will see/ it הַכֹּהֵ֖ןha./ko.Henthe/ priest וְטִמֵּ֥אve./ti.Me'and/ he will declare unclean אֹתֽוֹ׃'o.T/o<obj.>/ him

King James Version

And the priest shall look on the plague in the skin of the flesh: and when the hair in the plague is turned white, and the plague in sight be deeper than the skin of his flesh, it is a plague of leprosy: and the priest shall look on him, and pronounce him unclean.

Cross-references

Romans 3:19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God.
Genesis 13:3 From the Negev he journeyed from place to place toward Bethel, until he came to the place between Bethel and Ai where his tent had formerly been pitched,
Leviticus 10:10 You must distinguish between the holy and the common, between the clean and the unclean,
Leviticus 13:2 “When someone has a swelling or rash or bright spot on his skin that may be an infectious skin disease, he must be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons who is a priest.
Ezekiel 16:30 How weak-willed is your heart, declares the Lord GOD, while you do all these things, the acts of a shameless prostitute!
Ezekiel 44:23 They are to teach My people the difference between the holy and the common and show them how to discern between the clean and the unclean.
Hosea 7:9 Foreigners consume his strength, but he does not notice. Even his hair is streaked with gray, but he does not know.
Haggai 2:11 “This is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘Ask the priests for a ruling.
Malachi 2:7 For the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, because he is the messenger of the LORD of Hosts.
Matthew 16:19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”