Bible Strands
Leviticus 14:38
the priest shall go outside the doorway of the house and close it up for seven days.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The text records a command given to the priest during the ritual inspection of a house suspected of contamination. This instruction occurs immediately after the priest identifies suspicious green or red depressions in the walls (Leviticus 14:37).
The words — The Hebrew verb הִסְגִּיר (hiSGIR) literally means "to shut up" or "isolate," describing the priest's action of sealing the house's entrance. This matches the root used for quarantining contaminated materials elsewhere in the law.
The thread — The same seven-day isolation period appears in Leviticus 13:50 when the priest examines mildew on fabric. Both passages establish a standardized waiting period before a final determination of purity or defilement.
Why it lands — The text requires the reader to recognize that suspected contamination must be contained and observed before a judgment is rendered. It demands a procedural discipline that prioritizes verification over immediate action.
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 go out of the house to the door of the house, and shut up the house seven days:
Cross-references
- Leviticus 13:50 And the priest is to examine the mildew and isolate the contaminated fabric for seven days.