Bible Strands
Leviticus 13:42
But if there is a reddish-white sore on the bald head or forehead, it is an infectious disease breaking out on it.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Moses conveys divine diagnostic instructions to Aaron and the priests for evaluating suspected skin conditions during the wilderness period. The verse specifies a procedural rule for identifying lesions on bald areas of the head.
The words — נֶגַע (Ne.ga') denotes a plague or infectious outbreak, while אֲדַמְדָּם ('a.dam.Dam) describes the specific reddish discoloration that triggers the diagnostic alert.
The thread — This criterion functions as a recurring diagnostic marker throughout Leviticus 13, appearing alongside parallel examination rules for hair, skin, and household materials.
Why it lands — It requires the reader to recognize that ritual status depends on observable physical signs rather than personal assessment, mandating official priestly verification before any condition is declared clean or unclean.
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
And if there be in the bald head, or bald forehead, a white reddish sore; it is a leprosy sprung up in his bald head, or his bald forehead.