LEV 14

Leviticus 14:37

WEB

He shall examine the plague; and behold, if the plague is in the walls of the house with hollow streaks, greenish or reddish, and it appears to be deeper than the wall,

BSB

He is to examine the house, and if the mildew on the walls consists of green or red depressions that appear to be beneath the surface of the wall,

KJV

And he shall look on the plague, and, behold, if the plague be in the walls of the house with hollow strakes, greenish or reddish, which in sight are lower than the wall;

Matthew Henry

Verses 33–53

Leviticus 14:33–53

This is the law concerning the leprosy in a house. Now that they were in the wilderness they dwelt in tents, and had no houses, and therefore the law is made only an appendix to the former laws concerning the leprosy, because it related, not to their present state, but to their future settlement. The leprosy in a house is as unaccountable as the leprosy in a garment; but, if we see not what natural causes of it can be assigned, we may resolve it into the power of the God of nature, who here says, I put the leprosy in a house (Lev 14:34), as his curse is said to enter into a house, and consume it with the timber and stones thereof, Zac 5:4. Now, 1. It is supposed that even in Canaan itself, the land of promise, their houses might be infected with a leprosy. Though it was a holy land, this would not secure them from this plague, while the inhabitants were many of them so unholy. Thus a place and a name in the visible church will not secure wicked people from God's judgments. 2. It is likewise taken for granted that the owner of the house will make the priest acquainted with it, as soon as he sees the least cause to suspect the leprosy in his house: It seemeth to me there is as it were a plague in the house, Lev 14:35. Sin, where that reigns in a house, is a plague there, as it is in a heart. And masters of families should be aware and afraid of the first appearance of gross sin in their families, and put away the iniquity, whatever it is, far from their tabernacles, Job 22:23. They should be jealous with a godly jealousy concerning those under their charge, lest they be drawn into sin, and take early advice, if it but seem that there is a plague in the house, lest the contagion spread, and many be by it defiled and destroyed. 3. If the priest, upon search, found that the leprosy had got into the house, he must try to cure it, by taking gout that part of the building that was infected, Lev 14:40, Lev 14:41. This was like cutting off a gangrened limb, for the preservation of the rest of the body. Corruption should be purged out in time, before it spread; for a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. If thy right hand offend thee, cut it off. 4. If yet it remained in the house, the whole house must be pulled down, and all the materials carried to the dunghill, Lev 14:44, Lev 14:45. The owner had better be without a dwelling than live in one that was infected. Note, The leprosy of sin, if it be obstinate under the methods of cure, will at last be the ruin of families and churches. If Babylon will not be healed, she shall be forsaken and abandoned, and (according to the law respecting the leprous house), they shall not take of her a stone for a corner, nor a stone for foundations, Jer 51:9, Jer 51:26. The remainders of sin and corruption in our mortal bodies are like this leprosy in the house; after all our pains in scraping and plastering, we shall never be quite clear of it, till the earthly house of this tabernacle be dissolved and taken down; when we are dead we shall be free from sin, and not till then, Rom 6:7. 5. If the taking out the infected stones cured the house, and the leprosy did not spread any further, then the house must be cleansed; not only aired, that it might be healthful, but purified from the ceremonial pollution, that it might be fit to be the habitation of an Israelite. The ceremony of its cleansing was much the same with that of cleansing a leprous person, Lev 14:49, etc. This intimated that the house was smitten for the man's sake (as bishop Patrick expresses it), and he was to look upon himself as preserved by divine mercy. The houses of Israelites are said to be dedicated (Deu 20:5), for they were a holy nation, and therefore they ought to keep their houses pure from all ceremonial pollutions, that they might be fit for the service of that God to whom they were devoted. And the same care should we take to reform whatever is amiss in our families, that we and our houses may serve the Lord; see Gen 35:2. Some have thought the leprosy in the house was typical of the idolatry of the Jewish church, which did strangely cleave to it; for, though some of the reforming kings took away the infected stones, yet still it broke out again, till by the captivity of Babylon God took down the house, and carried it to an unclean land; and this proved an effectual cure of their inclination to idols and idolatrous worships.

Cross-references: Lev 14:34 · Zech 5:4 · Lev 14:35 · Job 22:23 · Lev 14:40 · Lev 14:41 · Lev 14:44 · Lev 14:45 · Jer 51:9 · Jer 51:26 · Rom 6:7 · Lev 14:49 · Deut 20:5 · Gen 35:2

Hebrew interlinear

H7200

רָאָהrâʼâh/raw-aw'/

v — see

Derivation: a primitive root;

to see, literally or figuratively (in numerous applications, direct and implied, transitive, intransitive and causative)

KJV: advise self, appear, approve, behold, × certainly, consider, discern, (make to) enjoy, have experience, gaze, take heed, × indeed, × joyfully, lo, look (on, one another, one on another, one upon another, out, up, upon), mark, meet, × be near, perceive, present, provide, regard, (have) respect, (fore-, cause to, let) see(-r, -m, one another), shew (self), × sight of others, (e-) spy, stare, × surely, × think, view, visions.

רָאָה

vb — see

רָאָה 1315 vb. see

Qal 1141

1.

a. see, subj.

b. see, c. acc. rei

2. see, sq. acc. cl. or phr. of closer design

3. see, so as to learn to know

4. abs. see, have (power of) vision

5. see = perceive

6. look at, see, by direct volition

7. of mental observation

8.

a. c. ב, lit., look into, hence look at with interest

b. see, c. acc. rei

Niph.

1. appear

2. be seen

3. be visible

Pu. appar. his bones are not detected

Hithp. recipr. look at each other

Hiph.

1.

a. cause one to see something, shew

b. cause to experience something

2. cause to look intently at, to behold

Hoph.

1. be caused to see, be shewn

2. be exhibited to

H853

אֵתʼêth/ayth/

prt — self, even, namely

Derivation: apparent contracted from 226 in the demonstrative sense of entity;

properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)

KJV: [as such unrepresented in English].

אֵת

mark of the accusative

אֵת the mark of the accusative, prefixed as a rule only to nouns that are definite

H5061

נֶגַעnegaʻ/neh'-gah/

n-m — blow, spot

Derivation: from 5060;

a blow (figuratively, infliction); also (by implication) a spot (concretely, a leprous person or dress)

KJV: plague, sore, stricken, stripe, stroke, wound.

נֶ֫גַע

n.m — stroke

נֶ֫גַע 78 n.m. stroke, plague, mark, plague-spot

H2009

הִנֵּהhinnêh/hin-nay'/

dp — lo!

Derivation: prolongation for 2005;

lo!

KJV: behold, lo, see.

הִנֵּה

demonstr.part — lo!

הִנֵּה, once הִנֶּה־ Gn 19:2, demonstr.part. lo!, behold!

H7023

קִירqîyr/keer/

n-m — wall, trench

Derivation: or קִר; (Isaiah 22:5), or (feminine) קִירָה; from 6979;

a wall (as built in a trench)

KJV: mason, side, town, × very, wall.

קִיר

n.m — wall

קִיר 74 n.m. wall (√ unknown)

H1004

בַּיִתbayith/bah'-yith/

n-m — a house

Derivation: probably from 1129 abbreviated;

a house (in the greatest variation of applications, especially family, etc.)

KJV: court, daughter, door, + dungeon, family, + forth of, × great as would contain, hangings, home(born), (winter) house(-hold), inside(-ward), palace, place, + prison, + steward, + tablet, temple, web, + within(-out).

בֵּית

prep — between

בֵּית fem. of בַּיִן, בֵּין prep. between

בַּ֫יִת

n.m — house

בַּ֫יִת 2034 n.m. house

1. house

2. place

3. receptacle

4. of house as containing a family

5. household, family (592 t.)

6. house, including household affairs

7. lit. housewards, hence metaph. inwards

8. מִבַּיִת

a. adv. on the inside

b. prep. within

H8258

שְׁקַעְרוּרָהshᵉqaʻrûwrâh/shek-ah-roo-raw'/

n-f — depression

Derivation: from 8257;

a depression

KJV: hollow strake.

שְׁקַעֲרוּרָה

n.f — depression

[שְׁקַעֲרוּרָה] n.f. depression, hollow;—pl. Lv 14:37 in wall.

H3422

יְרַקְרַקyᵉraqraq/yer-ak-rak'/

a — yellowishness

Derivation: from the same as 3418;

yellowishness

KJV: greenish, yellow.

יְרַקְרַק

adj — greenish

יְרַקְרַק adj. greenish, pale-green

H176

אוֹʼôw/o/

conj — desire, or, if

Derivation: presumed to be the 'constructive' or genitival form of אַו ; short for 185;

desire (and so probably in Proverbs 31:4); hence (by way of alternative) or, also if

KJV: also, and, either, if, at the least, × nor, or, otherwise, then, whether.

אֵו

n.m — desire

[אֵו] n.m. אוֹ, Kt Pr 31:4 desire, so Thes MV; but < Qr אֵי q.v.

אוֹ

conj — or

אוֹ 320 conj. or

1. sometimes implying a preference, nearly or rather

2. introducing a sentence, esp. a particular case under a general principle, or = or if

3. if perchance

4. once, with the juss. = except

H125

אֲדַמְדָּםʼădamdâm/ad-am-dawm'/

a — reddish

Derivation: reduplicated from 119;

reddish

KJV: (somewhat) reddish.

אֲדַמְדָּם

adj — reddish

אֲדַמְדָּם adj. reddish of leprous sores

H4758

מַרְאֶהmarʼeh/mar-eh'/

n-m — view, appearance

Derivation: from 7200a;

a view (the act of seeing); also an appearance (the thing seen), whether (real) a shape (especially if handsome, comeliness; often plural the looks), or (mental) a vision

KJV: × apparently, appearance(-reth), × as soon as beautiful(-ly), countenance, fair, favoured, form, goodly, to look (up) on (to), look(-eth), pattern, to see, seem, sight, visage, vision.

מַרְאֶה

n.m — sight

מַרְאֶה 102 n.m. sight, appearance, vision

1.

a. sight, phenomenon, spectacle

b. appearance

c. appearance, sight, vision

2. in gen. what is seen

3. specif. a (supernat.) vision

4. sight, vision = power of seeing (and enjoying), late

H8217

שָׁפָלshâphâl/shaw-fawl'/

a — depressed

Derivation: from 8213;

depressed, literally or figuratively

KJV: base(-st), humble, low(-er, -ly).

שָׁפָל

adj — low

שָׁפָל adj. low

1. low, in height

2. of a modest, unambitious kingdom

3. humiliated

4. lowly, as subst.

H4480

מִןmin/min/

prep — part, from, out of

Derivation: or מִנִּי; or מִנֵּי; (constructive plural) (Isaiah 30:11); for 4482;

properly, a part of; hence (prepositionally), from or out of in many senses

KJV: above, after, among, at, because of, by (reason of), from (among), in, × neither, × nor, (out) of, over, since, × then, through, × whether, with.

מִן־

prep — out of

מִן־, and מִ, before יְ, prep. expressing the idea of separation, hence out of, from, on account of, off, on the side of, since, above, than, so that not

1. with verbs expressing (or implying) separation or removal

a. from, against

b. מן also, without a verb of similar significance, sometimes expresses the idea of separation, away from, far from

c. of position, off, on the side of, on

2. Out of, Gk. ἐκ, Lat. ex

3. Partitively

4. Of time

a. as marking the terminus a quo, the anterior limit of a continuous period from, since

b. as marking the period immediately succeeding the limit after

c. towards, to

5. (וְעַד) עַדמִן from … even to

6. In comparisons, beyond, above

7. מן is prefixed to an infin.:

a. with causal force, from, on account of, through

b. after verbs implying restraint, prevention, cessation, etc.

c. with a temporal force, since, after

8. Once as a conj. before a finite verb. that

9. In compounds:

מֵן

n. [m.] — portion

[מֵן] n. [m.] portion

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