Bible Strands
Leviticus 13:39
the priest shall examine them, and if the spots are dull white, it is a harmless rash that has broken out on the skin; the person is clean.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The narrator records Moses relaying Yahweh’s diagnostic instructions to Aaron and the priests. This directive occurs within the broader legal code for evaluating skin discolorations in Leviticus 13.
The words — The text highlights כֵּה֣וֹת (ke.Hot), meaning "dull" or "faded," paired with לְבָנֹ֑ת (le.va.Not), meaning "white." These terms specify the exact visual marker that distinguishes a harmless rash from a spreading disease.
The thread — The examination of skin conditions continues in the immediate context of Leviticus 13:38 and 13:40, while the principle of priestly diagnosis determining ritual status echoes throughout Leviticus 13–14. The supplied cross-references (Ecclesiastes 7:20; Romans 7:22; James 3:2) address human moral failure rather than dermatological law.
Why it lands — The passage requires the reader to accept that visible imperfections do not automatically equate to ritual defilement. It establishes a procedural standard where objective observation, not assumption or fear, determines a person’s standing.
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
King James Version
Then the priest shall look: and, behold, if the bright spots in the skin of their flesh be darkish white; it is a freckled spot that groweth in the skin; he is clean.
Cross-references
- Ecclesiastes 7:20 Surely there is no righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.
- Romans 7:22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law.
- James 3:2 We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to control his whole body.