Matthew Poole and continuators on Leviticus 13

2 When a man shall have in the skin of his flesh a rising, 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.

For there was the seat of the Leprosy.

Shining like the s[illegible: 1+ letters]ale of [illegible: 1+ letters] fish, as it is in the beginning of a Leprosy.

A distemper most frequent in Egypt, and Syria, &c. known also among the Greeks, who note that it was not so properly a disease a[illegible: 1+ letters] a defilement or distemper in the skin, whence Christ is not said to heal, but to clearse the Lepers that came to him. And this distemper is here provided against, not because it was worse than others, but because it was externally and visibly filthy, and because of its infectious nature, that hereby we might be instructed to avoid converse with such vitious persons who were likely to infect us.

Not to the Physitian, because, as was now said, it needed not so much healing, as cleansing, and was rather a ceremonial pollution than a disease, and because it belonged to the Priest to cleanse him, and therefore to search and discover whether he was defiled and needed cleansing. The Priest also was [illegible: 1+ letters]o admit to, or exclude from, the Sanctuary, and therefore to examine who were to be excluded. And the discovery of this distemper was not so difficult that it required the Physitians art, but the Priest by experience and the observation of those rules might easily make it.

Marginal references: Or, swilling.; Deut. 17. 8. and 24. 8.

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 is deeper than the skin of his flesh , it is a plague of leprosy: and the priest shall look on him, and pronounce him unclean .

(i. e.) The sign or appearance of the plague of leprosy. And it is observable, that the same signs of it are given by Moses here and by the learned Physitians in their works.

And when the Leprosy came to its height, not the hair onely, but also the skin was turned white, as Exod. 4. 6. Numb. 12. 10. And this change of colour was an evidence both of the abundance of excrementitious humours and of the weakness of nature, as we see in old and sick persons.

For the Leprosy did consume both the skin and the flesh, as appears from 2 King. 5. 14.

Heb. make him unclean, i. e. ministerially and declaratively, in which sense ministers are said to remit si[illegible: 1+ letters]s, Mat. 16. 19. and to destroy nations, Ier. 1. 10.

Marginal references: Heb. pollu[illegible: 1+ letters] him.

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 dayes.

For greater assurance: to teach Ministers not to be rash nor hasty in their judgments and censures, but diligently to search and examine all things before-hand. The plague is here put for the man that hath the plague, as pride is put for a proud man, Ier. 50. 31. and dreamers, Ier. 27. 9.

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 dayes more.

This translation is justified by the following clause which is added to explain it. Otherwise the words are and may be rendred thus, stand or abide in its own colour, the Hebrew word being used for colour as well as for sight.

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 somewhat in the skin, the priest shall pronounce him clean: it is but a scab: and he shall wash his clothes , and be clean.

Which is opposed to the white colour of the leprosy. But the word may be rendred, have contracted it self, or, be restrained or consined to its former place and bigness, and thus the opposition seems to be most clear to the spreading of its self mentioned both in the foregoing verse, and in the following clause.

Though it was no Leprosy, but a scab onely: to teach us, that no sin was so small which did not need to be washed by the blood of Christ, which was the thing designed by all these washings.

Marginal references: Heb. cleanse him.

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 quick raw flesh in the rising:

To wit, with a preternatural and extraordinary whiteness, as N[illegible: 1+ letters]. 12. 14.

Or rather, o[illegible: 1+ letters] the [illegible: 1+ letters]opulative put for the dis-junctive, as hath been noted before: for either of these were signs of a Leprosy, and one of these may seem inconsistent with the other, the former sign of white hair supposing the skin in which the hair was to remain, and the latter of live flesh supposing the skin to be consumed by the Leprosy,

Which shewed that this was not a superficial Leprosy, but one of a deeper and more malignant nature that had eaten into the very flesh, for which cause it is in the next verse called an old or invet[illegible: 1+ letters]rate or grown leprosy.

Marginal references: Heb the quickning of living f[illegible: 1+ letters]h.

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:

(i. e) The sign or appearance of the leprosy: or the scab is called a leprosy, because at first view it seemed to be so to the Priest and to other beholders.

When it appeared in some one part it discovered the ill humour which lurked within, and withal the inability of nature to expel it, but when it overspread all, it manifested the strength of nature conquering the distemper and purging out the ill humours into the outward parts.

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

Or rather, in it, i. e. in the place where the sign or appearance of leprosy was, when the flesh was partly changed into a whiter colour, and partly kept its natural colour, this variety of colours was an evidence of the leprosy, as one and the same colour continuing was a sign of soundness.

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.

This is repeated again and again, because raw or living flesh might rather seem a sign of soundness, and the Priest might easily be deceived by it, and therefore he was more narrowly to look into it and to observe the place and manner and other circumstances in which it appeared.

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

As it is usual with sores, when they begin to be healed, the skin, which is white, coming upon the flesh.

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:

(i. e.) White mixed with red, as when blood and milk are mixed together. A late learned writer renders the words thus, white and very bright or light, which indeed is the true colour of leprosy, to wit, when it is in its perfection, as Exod. 4. 6. &c. But here it was onely beginning and arising out of a bile, in which together with the white, which was the colour of the leprosy, there might be some mixture of redness arising from the bile, o[illegible: 1+ letters] that part of it which was not yet turned into the nature and colour of leprosy.

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 dayes.

Or, and be contracted▪ of which see ver. 6.

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

Or, the plague, to wit, of Leprosy, of which he is speaking.

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

Heb. a burning of fire, by the touch of any hot iron, or burning coals, which doth naturally and usually make an ulcer or sore in which the following spot is.

(i. e.) Or, onely white, without any mixture of red in it. This clause seems to overthrow that exposition of the Hebrew word adamdam which is given by a learned man, ver. 19. because this colour which is here said to be onely white is distinguished from that which is here called adamdam, which therefore must be some other colour than that of snow, which though very light or bright, yet is onely white.

Marginal references: Heb. a [illegible: 1 word] ing of fire.

26 But if the priest look on it, and behold, there be no bright 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 dayes.

Or, contracted, i. e. not spreading. See on ver. 6.

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 .

(i. e.) arising from the burning mentioned, ver. 24.

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.

The leprosy in the body turned the hair white, in the head or beard it turned it yellow. And if a mans hair was yellow before, this might easily be distinguished from the rest, either by the thinness or smallness of it, which is here noted, or by its peculiar kind of yellow, for there are divers kinds or degrees of the same colour manifestly differing one from another, as in green colours, &c.

31 And if the priest look on the plague of the scall, and behold, it be not in fight 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 dayes.

For had that appeared, it had ended the doubt, the black hair being a sign of soundness and strength of nature, ver. 37. as the yellow hair was a sign of unsoundness.

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

For the more certain discovery of the growth or stay of the plague.

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.

He need not search for the hair or any other sign, the spreading or running of it being a sure sign of leprosie, without any other evidence.

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 .

The truth of the thing, and not the sentence of the priest, made him clean, and if the priest had partially pronounced one clean who was not clean his sentence had been null. And therefore it is a fond and dangerous conceit to think that the Absolution given to any sinner by a priest will stand him in any stead if he do not truly repent.

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.

Or, contracted, or consined to the place where they are, and white.

42 And if there be in the bald head, or bald forehead, a white reddish sore, it is a leprosie sprung up in his bald head, or his bald forehead.

It is a sign that such baldness came not from age, or any accident, but from the leprosie.

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 .

To wit, in the upper and former parts, which were most visible. This was done partly as a token of sorrow, Ezra 9. 3, 5. Iob 2. 12. because though this was not a sin, yet it was an effect of sin, and a sore punishment, whereby he was cut off both from converse with men, and from the enjoyment of God in his Ordinances; partly as a warning to others to keep at a due distance from him wheresoever he came; and partly, as some adde, that it might conduce to his cure by giving the freer vent to the ill humours. But the exposing of the affected part to the cold would rather hinder than further evaporation.

Another sign of mourning, as appears from Levit. 10. 6. God would have men though not overwhelmed with, yet deeply sensible of, his judgments.

Partly as another badge of his sorrow and shame, as Ezek. 24. 17, 22. Mic. 3. 7. and partly for the preservation of others from his infectious breath or touch▪

As begging the pity and prayers of others, and confessing his own infirmity, and cautioning those who came near him to keep at a distance from him.

46 All the dayes 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.

Partly for his humiliation; partly to prevent the infection of others; and partly to shew the danger of converse with spiritual lepers, or notorious sinners. This rule excludes the society of sound persons, but not of lepers. See 2 King. 15. 5. 2 Chron. 26. 21.

So Numb. 12. 14. and afterward without Cities and Places of great concourse, whereof we have examples, 2 King. 7. 3. Luk. 17. 12.

Marginal references: Numb. 5. 2. and 12. 14.

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

Leprosie in garments and houses is unknown in these times and places, which is not strange, there being some diseases or distempers peculiar to some ages and countries, as the learned have noted. And that such a thing was among the Jews cannot reasonably be doubted, for, if Moses had been a deceiver, as some have impudently affirmed, a man of his wisdom would not have exposed himself to the disbelief and contempt of his people by giving laws about that which their experience shewed to be but a fiction.

These two sorts are put by a Synecdoche for any other garments.

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:

A learned man renders it, in the outside, or in the inside of it. If the signification of those words be doubtful or unknown now, as some of those of the living creatures and pretious stones are confessed to be, it is not material to us, this law being abolished: it sufficeth that the Jews understood these things by frequent experience.

Marginal references: Heb. work of.

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 .

If washing doth not take away that vitious colour and restore it to its own native colour.

In the outside of the garment, which is here called the forehead or foreside, as being most visible, or in the inside of it. Some of the Jewish Doctors understood it thus, whether the garment was made threadbare by the leprosie, or by former wearing of it.

Marginal references: [illegible: 1 span].