Leviticus 13:1-59 - Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

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Leviticus 13:2. Aaron or one of his sons were obliged to inspect every case of leprosy, the priests being best acquainted with the nature and progress of the complaint, and most concerned to keep the congregation pure.

Leviticus 13:6. The priest shall pronounce him clean. He could not heal, as did the prophet Elisha; he could only pronounce upon the case, whether clean or unclean. The mighty ado therefore of the popish priests on this head, comes to nothing, for the Hebrew priesthood could not cleanse. They had only the keys of the sanctuary to admit the pure, or repel the impure, from the altar. It is better to go with a leprous heart to Christ, the great physician and healer of the soul.

REFLECTIONS.

Having in the preseding chapter considered one kind of impurity, we have here another, loathsome in itself, and generally of long duration. The leprosy sometimes came in the course of providence; and sometimes it was inflicted because of sin, as in the cases of Miriam, of Gehazi, and others. It was one of the impurities which our Saviour cleansed; and as he was a spiritual physician, and improved his numerous miracles to that effect, we may affirm that a man covered with leprosy was a most striking figure of the whole human nature depraved by sin. What are those red and bright spots spreading in the flesh, but the crimes of men communicating infection to all around? What are those groups of wicked and ungodly men, but so many lepers all unclean; and whose words, and airs, and actions, spread the impurity to all around? What is all their display of pride, of anger, of voluptuousness, and all their dissipation, infecting the raiment, and the walls of the house, with the contagion of corruption, but a leprosy of long duration in the heart?

The leprosy was a cutaneous disease, loathsome to the sight: a person deeply infected was an object of revolting pity. But how much more loathsome and foul must sin appear in the eyes of God, who is all purity and perfection. Can he, who is kind and good to all, behold the evils which men commit one against another, and not be offended with the sight? No: he is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity; and he has pronounced the sinner all unclean. This impurity separated a man from his house, and from the congregation of the Lord; and the sinner by his depravity is reduced to the same situation. His eyes, his looks, his whole deportment are unfit to be seen of the Lord. Let him dwell in solitude, and remember his sins. Let him consider, that if a cleansing do not follow, his soul shall be shut out from the city and sanctuary of the Lord, and he shall abide in darkness and death.

The leper was compelled to apprize all persons approaching him, of his impurity, by crying, unclean, unclean. So when the Lord's hand shall be on the sinner, when his sins shall be arrayed against him, and when the terrors of God shall make him afraid, he shall no longer conceal, but publish his iniquity, and pray others to take warning by his errors.

It was an impurity which medicine could not remove. The physician could do nothing for his patient; nor could the priest do more than pronounce the man clean, or unclean. No: worldly physicians can do nothing with a conscience afflicted with sin, and fretting like the leprosy in a garment. Let not then the faithful minister be wanting to cleanse the congregation of the Lord, and to pronounce the warnings and denunciations of God against all wicked and ungodly men. In doing this, let him show no respect of persons. His bosom friend, his near kinsman, his own acquaintance must not be spared in his leprosy, which separates the soul from communion with God.

But there were some more favourable cases, in which the plague did not spread; the colour changed to dark, and assumed a healing appearance. In those cases, after a time of separation, the person was pronounced clean. There are also sometimes sins of surprise, highly culpable in themselves, which do not enter deep into the habits, and are abhorred in the heart; these sins, after unfeigned repentance, are forgiven, and the soul is restored to the favour and love of God. But let every man tremble at the idea of sin, for if once the plague be admitted to predominate in the heart, it is not possible to say what the consequences shall be. We conclude therefore by saying, that habitual sin is that impure and spreading leprosy which infects the whole soul, which communicates defilement through the whole circle of society, wherever it is touched, and from which there is no deliverance, but by an entire renovation of heart.

Related Commentaries of Leviticus 13:1

Leviticus 13:1-59

1 And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, saying,

2 When a man shall have in the skin of his flesh a rising,a a scab, or bright spot, and it be in the skin of his flesh like the plague of leprosy; then he shall be brought unto Aaron the priest, or unto one of his sons the priests:

3 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.

4 If the bright spot be white in the skin of his flesh, and in sight be not deeper than the skin, and the hair thereof be not turned white; then the priest shall shut up him that hath the plague seven days:

5 And the priest shall look on him the seventh day: and, behold, if the plague in his sight be at a stay, and the plague spread not in the skin; then the priest shall shut him up seven days more:

6 And the priest shall look on him again the seventh day: and, behold, if the plague be somewhat dark, and the plague spread not in the skin, the priest shall pronounce him clean: it is but a scab: and he shall wash his clothes, and be clean.

7 But if the scab spread much abroad in the skin, after that he hath been seen of the priest for his cleansing, he shall be seen of the priest again:

8 And if the priest see that, behold, the scab spreadeth in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is a leprosy.

9 When the plague of leprosy is in a man, then he shall be brought unto the priest;

10 And the priest shall see him: and, behold, if the rising be white in the skin, and it have turned the hair white, and there be quickb raw flesh in the rising;

11 It is an old leprosy in the skin of his flesh, and the priest shall pronounce him unclean, and shall not shut him up: for he is unclean.

12 And if a leprosy break out abroad in the skin, and the leprosy cover all the skin of him that hath the plague from his head even to his foot, wheresoever the priest looketh;

13 Then the priest shall consider: and, behold, if the leprosy have covered all his flesh, he shall pronounce him clean that hath the plague: it is all turned white: he is clean.

14 But when raw flesh appeareth in him, he shall be unclean.

15 And the priest shall see the raw flesh, and pronounce him to be unclean: for the raw flesh is unclean: it is a leprosy.

16 Or if the raw flesh turn again, and be changed unto white, he shall come unto the priest;

17 And the priest shall see him: and, behold, if the plague be turned into white; then the priest shall pronounce him clean that hath the plague: he is clean.

18 The flesh also, in which, even in the skin thereof, was a boil, and is healed,

19 And in the place of the boil there be a white rising, or a bright spot, white, and somewhat reddish, and it be shewed to the priest;

20 And if, when the priest seeth it, behold, it be in sight lower than the skin, and the hair thereof be turned white; the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is a plague of leprosy broken out of the boil.

21 But if the priest look on it, and, behold, there be no white hairs therein, and if it be not lower than the skin, but be somewhat dark; then the priest shall shut him up seven days:

22 And if it spread much abroad in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is a plague.

23 But if the bright spot stay in his place, and spread not, it is a burning boil; and the priest shall pronounce him clean.

24 Or if there be any flesh, in the skin whereof there is a hotc burning, and the quick flesh that burneth have a white bright spot, somewhat reddish, or white;

25 Then the priest shall look upon it: and, behold, if the hair in the bright spot be turned white, and it be in sight deeper than the skin; it is a leprosy broken out of the burning: wherefore the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is the plague of leprosy.

26 But if the priest look on it, and, behold, there be no white hair in the bright spot, and it be no lower than the other skin, but be somewhat dark; then the priest shall shut him up seven days:

27 And the priest shall look upon him the seventh day: and if it be spread much abroad in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is the plague of leprosy.

28 And if the bright spot stay in his place, and spread not in the skin, but it be somewhat dark; it is a rising of the burning, and the priest shall pronounce him clean: for it is an inflammation of the burning.

29 If a man or woman have a plague upon the head or the beard;

30 Then the priest shall see the plague: and, behold, if it be in sight deeper than the skin; and there be in it a yellow thin hair; then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is a dry scall, even a leprosy upon the head or beard.

31 And if the priest look on the plague of the scall, and, behold, it be not in sight deeper than the skin, and that there is no black hair in it; then the priest shall shut up him that hath the plague of the scall seven days:

32 And in the seventh day the priest shall look on the plague: and, behold, if the scall spread not, and there be in it no yellow hair, and the scall be not in sight deeper than the skin;

33 He shall be shaven, but the scall shall he not shave; and the priest shall shut up him that hath the scall seven days more:

34 And in the seventh day the priest shall look on the scall: and, behold, if the scall be not spread in the skin, nor be in sight deeper than the skin; then the priest shall pronounce him clean: and he shall wash his clothes, and be clean.

35 But if the scall spread much in the skin after his cleansing;

36 Then the priest shall look on him: and, behold, if the scall be spread in the skin, the priest shall not seek for yellow hair; he is unclean.

37 But if the scall be in his sight at a stay, and that there is black hair grown up therein; the scall is healed, he is clean: and the priest shall pronounce him clean.

38 If a man also or a woman have in the skin of their flesh bright spots, even white bright spots;

39 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.

40 And the man whose hair is fallen off his head, he is bald; yet is he clean.

41 And he that hath his hair fallen off from the part of his head toward his face, he is forehead bald: yet is he clean.

42 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.

43 Then the priest shall look upon it: and, behold, if the rising of the sore be white reddish in his bald head, or in his bald forehead, as the leprosy appeareth in the skin of the flesh;

44 He is a leprous man, he is unclean: the priest shall pronounce him utterly unclean; his plague is in his head.

45 And the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean.

46 All the days wherein the plague shall be in him he shall be defiled; he is unclean: he shall dwell alone; without the camp shall his habitation be.

47 The garment also that the plague of leprosy is in, whether it be a woollen garment, or a linen garment;

48 Whether it be in the warp, or woof; of linen, or of woollen; whether in a skin, or in any thing made of skin;

49 And if the plague be greenish or reddish in the garment, or in the skin, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in any thingd of skin; it is a plague of leprosy, and shall be shewed unto the priest:

50 And the priest shall look upon the plague, and shut up it that hath the plague seven days:

51 And he shall look on the plague on the seventh day: if the plague be spread in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in a skin, or in any work that is made of skin; the plague is a fretting leprosy; it is unclean.

52 He shall therefore burn that garment, whether warp or woof, in woollen or in linen, or any thing of skin, wherein the plague is: for it is a fretting leprosy; it shall be burnt in the fire.

53 And if the priest shall look, and, behold, the plague be not spread in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in any thing of skin;

54 Then the priest shall command that they wash the thing wherein the plague is, and he shall shut it up seven days more:

55 And the priest shall look on the plague, after that it is washed: and, behold, if the plague have not changed his colour, and the plague be not spread; it is unclean; thou shalt burn it in the fire; it is fret inward, whether it be bare within or without.

56 And if the priest look, and, behold, the plague be somewhat dark after the washing of it; then he shall rend it out of the garment, or out of the skin, or out of the warp, or out of the woof:

57 And if it appear still in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in any thing of skin; it is a spreading plague: thou shalt burn that wherein the plague is with fire.

58 And the garment, either warp, or woof, or whatsoever thing of skin it be, which thou shalt wash, if the plague be departed from them, then it shall be washed the second time, and shall be clean.

59 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.