Bible Strands
Leviticus 13:59
This is the law concerning a mildew contamination in wool or linen fabric, weave, or knit, or any leather article, for pronouncing it clean or unclean.”
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The passage closes a section on textile and leather contamination by establishing a binding standard for declaring materials clean or unclean. This directive follows the washing protocol in Leviticus 13:58 and functions as the concluding summary of the chapter’s material purity regulations.
The words — תּוֹרַת (to.Rat) denotes the legal procedure or law governing the diagnosis. נֶגַע־צָרַעַת (ne.ga'- tza.Ra.'at) literally names the plague or serious disease manifesting on wool, linen, or leather.
The thread — This verse anchors the broader purity framework of Leviticus 13, which systematically addresses mildew contamination in fabrics and leather. The diagnostic and cleansing procedures established here parallel the chapter’s earlier rules for skin disease and mold in dwellings.
Why it lands — The text requires readers to apply a fixed standard for evaluating contaminated materials rather than relying on subjective judgment. It demands strict compliance with the prescribed washing and inspection steps to determine ritual status.
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
This is the law of the plague of leprosy in a garment of woollen or linen, either in the warp, or woof, or any thing of skins, to pronounce it clean, or to pronounce it unclean.