2 - Bible Commentary | Karuna Sadan

Chapter 13

Book / 2 / 398 chapter - 13

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When the leprous sore is on a person, then he shall be brought to the priest. (Leviticus 13:9)

When the Bible uses this term, it is not merely referring to the disease that we call leprosy today, Hansen's disease.

That is included in the term, but the Hebrew word translated leprosy here also includes other contagious and infectious skin diseases. They all were recognized to be dangerous and damaging, a serious threat not only to the individual but to the whole camp of Israel, and so they were to be detected.

Spiritually speaking, very often we are blind to our own failings. We all have these blind spots. That is why we need each other. And so the Israelite was instructed, when he had a manifestation of disease, to bring it to a priest.

The condition of a leper in bible days

“Now the leper on whom the sore is, his clothes shall be torn and his head bare; and he shall cover his mustache, and cry, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ He shall be unclean. All the days he has the sore he shall be unclean. He is unclean, and he shall dwell alone; his dwelling shall be outside the camp (Leviticus 13:45-46)