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1 And the Lord spake vnto Moses and Aaron, saying,
2 When a man shall haue in the skinne of his flesh, a rising, a scabbe, or bright spot, and it bee in the skinne of his flesh like the plague of leprosie, then he shall bee brought vnto Aaron the Priest, or vnto one of his sonnes the Priests.
3 And the Priest shall looke on the plague in the skinne of the flesh: and when the haire in the plague is turned white, and the plague in sight be deeper then the skin of his flesh, it is a plague of leprosie: and the Priest shall looke on him, and pronounce him vncleane.
4 If the bright spot be white in the skinne of his flesh, and in sight bee not deeper then the skinne, and the haire thereof be not turned white, then the Priest shall shut vp him that hath the plague, seuen dayes.
5 And the Priest shall looke on him the seuenth day: and beholde, if the plague in his sight be at a stay, and the plague spread not in the skinne, then the Priest shall shut him vp seuen dayes more.
6 And the Priest shall looke on him againe the seuenth day: and beholde, if the plague be somewhat darke, and the plague spread not in the skin; the Priest shall pronounce him cleane: it is but a scab: and he shall wash his clothes, and be cleane.
7 But if the scab spread much abroad in the skinne after that hee hath beene seene of the Priest, for his cleansing hee shall be seene of the Priest againe.
8 And if the Priest see, that behold, the scab spreadeth in the skin, then the Priest shall pronounce him vncleane: it is a leprosie.
9 ¶ When the plague of leprosie is in a man, then he shall be brought vnto the Priest;
10 And the Priest shall see him: and behold, if the rising be white in the skin, and it haue turned the haire white, and there be quicke raw flesh in the rising:
11 It is an old leprosie in the skinne of his flesh, and the Priest shall pronounce him vncleane, and shal not shut him vp: for he is vncleane.
12 And if a leprosie breake out abroad in the skin, and the leprosie couer all the skin of him that hath the plague, from his head euen to his foot, wheresoeuer the Priest looketh:
13 Then the Priest shall consider: and behold, if the leprosie haue couered al his flesh, he shal pronounce him cleane that hath the plague, it is all turned white; he is cleane.
14 But when raw flesh appeareth in him, he shall be vncleane.
15 And the Priest shall see the raw flesh, and pronounce him to bee vncleane: for the raw flesh is vncleane: it is a leprosie.
16 Or if the raw flesh turne againe, and bee changed vnto white, hee shall come vnto the Priest:
17 And the Priest shall see him: and beholde, if the plague bee turned into white, then the Priest shall pronounce him cleane that hath the plague; hee is cleane.
18 ¶ The flesh also, in which, euen in the skinne thereof was a bile, and is healed,
19 And in the place of the bile 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 then the skinne, and the haire thereof be turned white, the Priest shall pronounce him vncleane: it is a plague of leprosie broken out of the bile.
21 But if the Priest looke on it, and behold, there be no white haires therein, and if it be not lower then the skin, but be somewhat darke; then the Priest shall shut him vp seuen dayes.
22 And if it spread much abroad in the skinne, then the Priest shall pronounce him vncleane; it is a plague.
23 But if the bright spot stay in his place, and spread not, it is a burning bile; and the Priest shall pronounce him cleane.
24 ¶ Or if there be any flesh in the skin whereof there is a hot burning, and the quicke flesh that burneth haue a white bright spot, somewhat reddish, or white;
25 Then the Priest shall looke vpon it: and behold, if the haire in the bright spot be turned white, and it bee in sight deeper then the skinne, it is a leprosie broken out of the burning: wherefore the Priest shal pronounce him vncleane: it is the plague of leprosie.
26 But if the Priest looke on it, and behold, there be no white haire in the bright spot, and it be no lower then the other skin, but be somewhat darke, then the Priest shal shut him vp seuen dayes.
27 And the Priest shall looke vpon him the seuenth day: and if it be spread much abroad in the skin, then the Priest shall pronounce him vncleane; it is the plague of leprosie.
28 And if the bright spot stay in his place, and spread not in the skin, but it be somewhat darke; it is a rising of the burning, and the Priest shall pronounce him cleane: for it is an inflammation of the burning.
29 ¶ If a man or woman hath a plague vpon the head or the beard,
30 Then the Priest shall see the plague: and behold, if it be in sight deeper then the skin, and there be in it a yellow thin haire, then the Priest shall pronounce him vncleane, it is a dry skall, euen a leprosie vpon the head or beard.
31 And if the Priest looke on the plague of the skall, and behold, it be not in sight deeper then the skin, and that there is no blacke haire in it; then the Priest shall shut vp him that hath the plague of the skall, seuen dayes.
32 And in the seuenth day the Priest shall looke on the plague: and behold, if the skall spread not, and there be in it no yellow haire, and the skall be not in sight deeper then the skin;
33 He shall be shauen, but the skall shall he not shaue: and the Priest shall shut vp him that hath the skall, seuen dayes more.
34 And in the seuenth day the Priest shall looke on the skall: and behold, if the skall be not spread in the skin, nor be in sight deeper then the skin, then the Priest shall pronounce him cleane: and he shall wash his clothes, and be cleane.
35 But if the skall spread much in the skinne after his cleansing,
36 Then the Priest shall looke on him, and behold, if the skall be spread in the skinne, the Priest shall not seeke for yellow haire: he is vncleane.
37 But if the skall be in his sight at a stay, and that there is blacke haire growen vp therein: the skall is healed, he is cleane, and the Priest shall pronounce him cleane.
38 ¶ If a man also or a woman haue in the skinne of their flesh bright spots, euen white bright spots,
39 Then the Priest shall looke: and behold, if the bright spots in the skinne of their flesh bee darkish white, it is a freckled spot that groweth in the skin: he is cleane.
40 And the man whose haire is fallen off his head, he is bald: yet is hee cleane.
41 And he that hath his haire fallen off from the part of his head toward his face, he is forehead-bald: yet is hee cleane.
42 And if there be in the bald head, or bald forehead a white reddish sore, it is a leprosie sprung vp in his bald-head, or his bald forehead.
43 Then the Priest shall looke vpon it: and beholde, if the rising of the sore bee white reddish in his balde head, or in his bald forehead, as the leprosie appeareth in the skinne of the flesh,
44 Hee is a leprous man, he is vncleane: the Priest shall pronounce him vtterly vncleane, 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 couering vpon his vpper lip, and shall cry, Uncleane, vncleane.
46 All the dayes wherein the plague shall bee in him, he shall bee defiled, hee is vncleane: he shall dwell alone, without the campe shall his habitation be.
47 ¶ The garment also, that the plague of leprosie is in, whether it bee a woollen garment, or a linnen garment,
48 Whether it bee in the warpe, or woofe of linnen or of woollen, whether in a skin, or in any thing made of skinne:
49 And if the plague be greenish or reddish in the garment, or in the skin, either in the warpe, or in the woofe, or in any thing of skinne, it is a plague of leprosie, and shall be shewed vnto the Priest.
50 And the Priest shall looke vpon the plague, and shut vp it that hath the plague, seuen dayes.
51 And he shall looke on the plague on the seuenth day: if the plague be spread in the garment, either in the warpe, or in the woofe, or in a skin, or in any worke that is made of skinne, the plague is a fretting leprosie; it is vncleane.
52 Hee shall therefore burne that garment, whether warpe or woofe, in wollen or in linnen, or any thing of skinne, wherein the plague is: for it is a fretting leprosie; it shall bee burnt in the fire.
53 And if the Priest shall looke, and behold the plague be not spread in the garment, either in the warpe, or in the woofe, or in any thing of skinne;
54 Then the Priest shall command that they wash the thing wherein the plague is, and he shall shut it vp seuen dayes more.
55 And the Priest shall looke on the plague after that it is washed: and behold, if the plague haue not changed his colour, and the plague be not spread, it is vncleane, thou shalt burne it in the fire, it is fret inward, whether it be bare within or without.
56 And if the Priest looke, and behold, the plaine be somewhat darke after the washing of it, then he shall rend it out of the garment, or out of the skin, or out of the warpe, or out of the woofe.
57 And if it appeare still in the garment, either in the warpe, or in the woofe, or in any thing of skinne, it is a spreading plague, thou shalt burne that wherein the plague is, with fire.
58 And the garment, either warpe, or woofe, or whatsoeuer thing of skin it bee, which thou shalt wash, if the plague be departed from them, then it shall be washed the second time, and shalbe cleane.
59 This is the law of the plague of leprosie in a garment of woollen or linnen, either in the warpe, or woofe, or any thing of skinnes, to pronounce it cleane, or to pronounce it vncleane.
Directions to the priest to judge concerning leprosy. (1-17) Further directions. (18-44) How the leper must be disposed of. (45,46) The leprosy in garments. (47-59)1-17 The plague of leprosy was an uncleanness, rather than a disease. Christ is said to cleanse lepers, not to cure them. Common as the leprosy was among the Hebrews, during and after their residence in Egypt, we have no reason to believe that it was known among them before. Their distressed state and employment in that land must have rendered them liable to disease. But it was a plague often inflicted immediately by the hand of God. Miriam's leprosy, and Gehazi's, and king Uzziah's, were punishments of particular sins; no marvel there was care taken to distinguish it from a common distemper. The judgment of it was referred to the priests. And it was a figure of the moral pollutions of men's minds by sin, which is the leprosy of the soul, defiling to the conscience, and from which Christ alone can cleanse. The priest could only convict the leper, (by the law is the knowledge of sin,) but Christ can cure the sinner, he can take away sin. It is a work of great importance, but of great difficulty, to judge of our spiritual state. We all have cause to suspect ourselves, being conscious of sores and spots; but whether clean or unclean is the question. As there were certain marks by which to know it was leprosy, so there are marks of such as are in the gall of bitterness. The priest must take time in making his judgment. This teaches all, both ministers and people, not to be hasty in censures, nor to judge anything before the time. If some men's sins go before unto judgment, the sins of others follow after, and so do men's good works. If the person suspected were found to be clean, yet he must wash his clothes, because there had been ground for the suspicion. We have need to be washed in the blood of Christ from our spots, though not leprosy spots; for who can say, I am pure from sin?
18-44 The priest is told what judgment to make, if there were any appearance of a leprosy in old sores; and such is the danger of those who having escaped the pollutions of the world are again entangled therein. Or, in a burn by accident, ver. #24|. The burning of strife and contention often occasions the rising and breaking out of that corruption, which proves that men are unclean. Human life lies exposed to many grievances. With what troops of diseases are we beset on every side; and thy all entered by sin! If the constitution be healthy, and the body lively and easy, we are bound to glorify God with our bodies. Particular note was taken of the leprosy, if in the head. If the leprosy of sin has seized the head; if the judgment be corrupted, and wicked principles, which support wicked practices, are embraced, it is utter uncleanness, from which few are cleansed. Soundness in the faith keeps leprosy from the head.
45,46 When the priest had pronounced the leper unclean, it put a stop to his business in the world, cut him off from his friends and relations, and ruined all the comfort he could have in the world. He must humble himself under the mighty hand of God, not insisting upon his cleanness, when the priest had pronounced him unclean, but accepting the punishment. Thus must we take to ourselves the shame that belongs to us, and with broken hearts call ourselves "Unclean, unclean;" heart unclean, life unclean; unclean by original corruption, unclean by actual transgression; unclean, therefore deserving to be for ever shut out from communion with God, and all hope of happiness in him; unclean, therefore undone, if infinite mercy do not interpose. The leper must warn others to take heed of coming near him. He must then be shut out of the camp, and afterward, when they came to Canaan, be shut out of the city, town, or village where he lived, and dwell with none but those that were lepers like himself. This typified the purity which ought to be in the gospel church.
47-59 The garment suspected to be tainted with leprosy was not to be burned immediately. If, upon search, it was found that there was a leprous spot, it must be burned, or at least that part of it. If it proved to be free, it must be washed, and then might be used. This also sets forth the great evil there is in sin. It not only defiles the sinner's conscience, but it brings a stain upon all he has and all that he does. And those who make their clothes servants to their pride and lust, may see them thereby tainted with leprosy. But the robes of righteousness never fret, nor are moth-eaten.
Commentary by Matthew Henry, 1710.