Leviticus Chapter 13    

“disease.” The Hebrew noun is nega (#05061 נֶגַע), and it most literally means a stroke or stripes (related to “to strike or hit”), but it was used metaphorically of a plague, disease, or mark, and can be used that way depending on the context. The large range of meanings explains the many different translations in the English versions.

“leprosy.” The Hebrew word is tsaraath (#06883 צָרַעַת), and it refers to any seemingly infectious or spreading skin disease, not just the disease “leprosy.” The term “leprosy” has been used from the earliest English versions. William Tyndale used the word leprosy in his Bible in 1530, and the Geneva Bible (1599) and King James Bible (1611) used it as well. The word “leprosy” continued to be used in some Bibles in modern times (cp. NASB, 1977), but there was a trend to get away from the word “leprosy” and use “skin disease” or something similar.

Skin diseases, including classical leprosy, were used typologically of sin in the Old Testament. Of course, not much was known about disease and there was concern the disease might be contagious, but beyond that, it made a person ritually unclean before God.

“if the leprosy has covered all his flesh...It has all turned white.” If the person who had the disease no longer has any sores that are oozing or open or has scales falling off, but his body is an even color all over, then the person is not contagious and is to be considered clean before God.

“spread, yes, spread.” The text uses the figure of speech polyptoton for emphasis (see commentary on Gen. 2:16).

“a scall.” The exact identity of this disease is not known, which explains the different translations in the different English versions (cp. “scall” ASV; “scabies” CEB; “crusted area” CJB; “scaly outbreak” CSB; “leprosy” JPS; “leprous disease” ESV). It appears to be some sort of scale on the skin, and could be something like psoriasis.

“unclean, yes, unclean.” This is the figure of speech polyptoton, where the verb is repeated twice for emphasis, but the verb is in different cases. [For more on the figure polyptoton and the emphasis it brings, as well as the way it is translated, see commentary on Genesis 2:16].

“where he lives must be outside of the camp.” Israel was living in a tent-camp at that time since they had just come out of Egypt. Once Israel was settled in the Promised Land the people with skin diseases had to live outside of town.