Leviticus 13, Dealing with Leprosy (1)

Lev. 13-14 deal with the issue of leprosy.  Ch. 13 has to do with diagnosis and treatment of leprosy in humans (13:1-46), garments (13:47-59) and houses (14:33-57).  Lev. 14:1-32 deals with the ritual involved in the cleansing of a leper.  Leprosy is only one skin disease.  Others are included in these chapters.

Lev. 13 is written in technical jargon – a professional textbook on diagnosis for the priest-physician, enabling him to distinguish between ‘acute’ and ‘chronic’ forms of the various diseases.  This is the earliest formulation of quarantine regulations and preventive medicine relating to these diseases so far recovered from the ancient Near East. (Eerdmans)

·       13:1-46: Diagnosing skin diseases.  The basic signs to look for were discoloration of hair, raw flesh and swelling.  The basic exam by the priest was to check the sore, isolate the person for a week, and then re-examine them.  If no change, they were isolated for another week.  If there was a positive diagnosis then v45-46 tells the resulting lifestyle: the leper must live outside the camp in an isolated place, and cry out “unclean” if anyone were to begin to enter his space.

·       13:47-59: Diagnosing mildew (fungus) in clothing (from the skin disease or from other sources).  If the garment was determined to be unclean, then it was to be burned.  If clean, then it was washed and after one week washed again.

·       14:1-32: Cleansing for infectious skin diseases.  This assumes that in some cases healing is possible.  Again, the priest played the central role of determining the person was healed.  Here then is the process.

o   The priest examines the infected person outside the camp.

o   If healed, the person brought two birds for an offering.  One was killed, with the blood sprinkled seven times on the person.  The other was released.

o   Then the person bathed, was shaven, and their clothes were washed.

o   After a week the following was then done:

§  A lamb was offered for a guilt offering.

§  A log of oil was sprinkled before the LORD, and then placed on the person.

§  A lamb was offered for a sin offering.

§  Grain was offered.

§  And finally, a lamb was offered for a burnt offering.

o   14:21-32 gives alternatives for those unable to afford the above.

·       14:33-57: Cleansing from mildew (mildew in a house, cooking utensils, etc.).  The basic idea here was that items were to be cleansed and houses were quarantined for a week (being re-plastered).  If the mildew did not return then all was considered to be okay and the family could return.  It the mildew had spread, then the house must be destroyed.  Eerdmans Handbook of the Bible points out that:

o   … we have a similar system of house inspection and treatment for dry-rot as seen in 14:34ff. 

o   … cedarwood contains a substance used in medicine for skin diseases (v49).

o   … hyssop (v49) was a herb, possibly marjoram, containing a mild antiseptic.

There are a few more things to consider from these chapters which we will do in our next post.