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Levítico 13

VBL · Chapter 13/27

1El Señor le dijo a Moisés y a Aarón:

2“Cualquiera que tenga una hinchazón, un sarpullido o una mancha en la piel que pueda ser una enfermedad infecciosa de la piel debe ser llevado a Aarón el sacerdote o a uno de sus descendientes.

3El sacerdote inspeccionará lo que sea que esté en la piel. Si el pelo se ha vuelto blanco y si el problema parece ser más que algo en la superficie, es una enfermedad grave de la piel, y el sacerdote que lo inspeccione declarará a la persona impura.

4“Pero si la mancha es sólo una decoloración blanca y no parece ser más que superficial, y si el pelo de la mancha no se ha vuelto blanco, el sacerdote pondrá a la persona en aislamiento durante siete días.

5Al séptimo día el sacerdote realizará otra inspección, y si descubre que la mancha no ha cambiado y no se ha extendido sobre la piel, el sacerdote debe poner a la persona en aislamiento durante otros siete días.

6Al séptimo día después de esto el sacerdote lo inspeccionará de nuevo. Si la mancha se ha desvanecido y no se ha extendido sobre la piel, el sacerdote declarará a la persona limpia ya que era un sarpullido. Deben lavar su ropa y estarán limpios.

7Sin embargo, si el sarpullido se extiende después de que la persona ha sido inspeccionada por el sacerdote y ha sido declarada limpia, la persona debe volver para ser inspeccionada de nuevo.

8Si el sacerdote descubre que el sarpullido se ha propagado, debe declarar a la persona impura porque es ciertamente una enfermedad de la piel.

9“Cualquier persona que desarrolle una enfermedad infecciosa de la piel debe ser llevada al sacerdote.

10El sacerdote los inspeccionará, y si hay una hinchazón blanca en la piel y el pelo se ha vuelto blanco, y hay una herida abierta en la hinchazón,

11es una enfermedad grave de la piel y el sacerdote debe declararlos inmundos. No necesita poner a la persona en aislamiento porque sea impura.

12“Sin embargo, si la enfermedad de la piel afecta a toda su piel de manera que cubre su piel de la cabeza a los pies, en todos los lugares que el sacerdote pueda ver,

13el sacerdote los inspeccionará, y si la enfermedad ha cubierto todo su cuerpo, declarará a la persona limpia. Como todo se ha vuelto blanco, están limpios.

14Pero si al inspeccionar a alguien se encuentra una herida abierta, serán inmundos.

15Cuando el sacerdote descubre una herida abierta, debe declarar a la persona impura. La herida abierta es impura; es una enfermedad infecciosa de la piel.

16Pero si la herida abierta se cura y se vuelve blanca, la persona debe volver al sacerdote.

17El sacerdote los inspeccionará de nuevo, y si la herida se ha vuelto blanca, el sacerdote debe declarar a la persona limpia; entonces están limpios.

18“Cuando un forúnculo aparece en la piel de una persona y luego se cura,

19y en su lugar aparece una hinchazón blanca o una mancha blanca-rojiza, debe mostrarse al sacerdote.

20El sacerdote lo inspeccionará, y si parece ser más que algo en la superficie, y si el pelo allí se ha vuelto blanco, el sacerdote lo declarará impuro. Es una enfermedad grave de la piel que ha infectado el furúnculo.

21Sin embargo, si cuando el sacerdote lo inspeccione, no tiene pelo blanco en él y no parece ser más que superficial, y se ha desvanecido, el sacerdote deberá poner a la persona en aislamiento durante siete días.

22Si entonces la mancha se ha extendido más en la piel, el sacerdote las declarará impuras; es una enfermedad.

23Pero si la mancha permanece igual y no se extiende, es sólo la cicatriz del furúnculo, y el sacerdote las declarará limpias.

24“Si alguien tiene una quemadura en la piel y donde está abierta se convierte en una mancha blanca o rojiza,

25el sacerdote debe revisarla. Si el vello que crece sobre la mancha se ha vuelto blanco y la mancha parece ser más profunda, es una enfermedad grave de la piel que ha infectado la quemadura, y el sacerdote que la inspeccione declarará a la persona impura. Es una enfermedad infecciosa de la piel.

26Sin embargo, si cuando el sacerdote la inspeccione, no tiene pelo blanco en ella y no parece ser más que superficial, y se ha desvanecido, el sacerdote deberá poner a la persona en aislamiento durante siete días.

27Al séptimo día el sacerdote examinará a la persona de nuevo. Si entonces la mancha se ha extendido más en la piel, el sacerdote la declarará impura; es una enfermedad grave de la piel.

28Pero si la mancha permanece igual y no se ha extendido sobre la piel, sino que se ha desvanecido, es la hinchazón de la quemadura, y el sacerdote los declarará limpios porque es sólo la cicatriz de la quemadura.

29“Si alguien, hombre o mujer, tiene una llaga en la cabeza o en el mentón,

30el sacerdote la inspeccionará, y si parece ser más que superficial y el pelo en ella se ha vuelto pálido y fino, el sacerdote debe declararlos inmundos; es una infección que produce costras, una enfermedad grave de la cabeza o del mentón.

31Sin embargo, si el sacerdote inspecciona la infección de la costra y no parece ser más que superficial y no tiene vello pálido, el sacerdote debe poner a la persona en aislamiento durante siete días.

32El séptimo día el sacerdote inspeccionará a la persona de nuevo y si la infección de la costra no se ha extendido y no hay pelo pálido en ella, y no parece ser más que superficial,

33entonces la persona debe afeitarse excepto en la zona escamosa. El sacerdote debe poner a la persona en aislamiento por otros siete días.

34Al séptimo día el sacerdote inspeccionará la infección de la costra, y si no se ha extendido en la piel y no parece ser más que superficial, el sacerdote debe declarar a la persona limpia. Deben lavar su ropa y estarán limpios.

35Sin embargo, si la infección de la costra se ha propagado en la piel después de haber sido declarada limpia,

36el sacerdote debe inspeccionarlos, y si la infección de la costra se ha propagado efectivamente en la piel, el sacerdote no necesita comprobar si hay pelo pálido; la persona está impura.

37Pero si el sacerdote ve que la infección de la costra no ha cambiado, y le ha crecido pelo negro, entonces se ha curado. La persona está limpia, y el sacerdote debe declararlo.

38Si alguien, hombre o mujer, tiene manchas blancas en la piel,

39el sacerdote las inspeccionará, y si las manchas aparecen de un blanco apagado, es sólo un sarpullido que se ha desarrollado en la piel; la persona está limpia.

40“Si un hombre pierde el pelo y se queda calvo, sigue estando limpio.

41Si tiene un retroceso del cabello y se queda calvo en la frente, sigue estando limpio.

42Pero si aparece una llaga rojiblanca en su cabeza o frente calva, es una enfermedad infecciosa que se está desarrollando.

43El sacerdote debe inspeccionarlo, y si la hinchazón de la llaga en su calva o frente se ve rojiblanca como una enfermedad de la piel,

44entonces tiene una enfermedad infecciosa; está sucio. El sacerdote debe declararlo impuro por la infección en su cabeza.

45“Cualquiera que tenga tales enfermedades debe usar desgarrada y dejar que su cabello permanezca despeinado. Debe cubrirse la cara y gritar: ‘¡Inmundo, inmundo!’

46Permanecen inmundos mientras dure la infección. Tienen que vivir solos en algún lugar fuera del campamento.

47“Las siguientes reglamentaciones se refieren a cualquier material que se vea afectado por el moho, como la ropa de lana o lino,

48cualquier cosa tejida o de punto hecha de lino o lana, o cualquier cosa hecha de cuero:

49Si la mancha es verde o roja en el material, ya sea cuero, tejido o tejido de punto o algún otro artículo de cuero, entonces está infectado con moho y debe ser mostrado al sacerdote.

50El sacerdote debe inspeccionar el moho y poner el artículo en aislamiento durante siete días.

51Al séptimo día el sacerdote deberá inspeccionarlo de nuevo, y si la mancha de moho se ha extendido en el material, ya sea cuero, tejido o tejido de punto o algún otro artículo de cuero, entonces es un moho dañino; el artículo está sucio, sea cual sea el uso que se le dé.

52El sacerdote debe quemarlo, ya sea que el artículo afectado sea de lana, lino o cuero. Debido a que el moho es dañino, el artículo debe ser quemado.

53Sin embargo, si cuando el sacerdote lo inspeccione de nuevo, el moho no se ha extendido,

54el sacerdote ordenará que el artículo afectado se lave y se ponga en aislamiento durante otros siete días.

55Una vez lavado, el sacerdote debe inspeccionarlo de nuevo, y si el objeto con el molde no ha cambiado su aspecto, está sucio. Aunque el moho no se haya extendido, debe quemar el artículo, tanto si el daño del moho está en el interior como en el exterior.

56Si el sacerdote lo inspecciona y la mancha de moho se ha desvanecido después de lavarlo, debe cortar la parte afectada el material, ya sea cuero, tejido o tejido de punto.

57Sin embargo, si el moho regresa, entonces se está extendiendo. En ese caso debe quemar la parte afectada.

58Si el moho desaparece después de lavarlo, entonces hay que lavarlo de nuevo, y estará limpio.

59“Estas son las normas sobre lo que hay que hacer cuando el moho contamina la lana o el lino, ya sea tejido o tejido de punto, o cualquier artículo de cuero, para declararlo limpio o sucio”.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Detailed rules for the priest to diagnose 'leprosy' (a broad term for skin diseases) in people and even in fabrics, with precise visual criteria for declaring someone clean or unclean.

Explanation

The Hebrew term tsara'at covered a range of skin conditions, not just modern-day leprosy (Hansen's disease), and could also affect clothing — likely mold or fungus. The priest acted as a kind of public health officer, temporarily isolating suspected cases for observation, a quarantine principle remarkably advanced for its time. The diagnosed person had to live outside the camp and announce their condition, which seems harsh at first glance, but it protected the community from contagion and preserved the holiness of the camp where God dwelt. This shows God's concern both for the community's physical health and for the need for order and social responsibility in the face of serious disease.

Fun facts

  • The procedure of 'shutting up' the person for seven days of observation is one of the earliest documented quarantine protocols in history, millennia before modern medicine formalized the concept.
  • Jesus touched lepers to heal them (Matthew 8:3), a shocking gesture by the standards of the time, since touching a leper normally made a person unclean too — showing Jesus' power to reverse impurity instead of being contaminated by it.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Levítico 13:1This instruction was given to Moses and Aaron together, repeating the pattern from chapter 11 — another purity matter that directly involved the priests’ technical judgment.
  2. Levítico 13:2The word translated “leprosy” here is much broader than today’s Hansen’s disease: it covers blotches, swellings, scabs, and skin sores in general — anything suspicious went through the same examination by the priest, who acted as a kind of public health inspector, not a doctor treating one specific disease.
  3. Levítico 13:3White hair inside the spot and a sore that looked deeper than the surrounding skin were the two signs that led the priest to declare impurity right at the first exam, without needing a waiting period.
  4. Levítico 13:4When the skin mark didn’t show the more serious signs, the priest didn’t decide on the spot — he shut the person away for seven days to see whether the mark grew or stayed the same. It was a quarantine-by-observation system, with no definitive diagnosis at the first exam.
  5. Levítico 13:5If after the first week of quarantine the mark hadn’t changed or grown, the priest still didn’t decide: he confined the person for seven more days, giving extra time to be sure.
  6. Levítico 13:6If after the two weeks of observation the mark had faded, the case was considered a simple passing swelling, not the serious condition — the person washed their clothes and returned to normal life.
  7. Levítico 13:7But if after being declared clean the mark started spreading again, the person had to present themselves to the priest again — the initial diagnosis wasn’t final forever; it could be revisited.
  8. Levítico 13:8Seeing that the mark had genuinely spread after all that, the priest then confirmed the impurity — the continued growth of the mark was what settled the more serious diagnosis.
  9. Levítico 13:9A new case begins here within the chapter: whenever this kind of mark appeared on someone, the person had to be brought to the priest for evaluation, no exceptions.
  10. Levítico 13:10White hair in the mark and exposed raw flesh inside it were the most serious signs of all — unlike the other marks in the chapter, this combination left no doubt.
  11. Levítico 13:11When there was exposed raw flesh, the priest didn’t even need to confine the person for seven days to observe — the case was already considered serious and chronic enough to declare impurity on the spot.
  12. Levítico 13:12It seems contradictory: if the mark covered the person’s whole body from head to foot, they were declared clean. The more widely accepted reading is that, without exposed raw flesh, the sign considered dangerous wasn’t present — the standard here was an open sore inside the mark, not the size of the mark itself.
  13. Levítico 13:13Here comes the formal confirmation of the paradox from verse 12: if the white mark had covered the entire body without any raw flesh appearing, the priest declared the person clean.
  14. Levítico 13:14But the decisive standard appears here: on the day any raw flesh showed up inside that white mark, the person came to be considered unclean — an open sore always outweighed the standard of the mark’s size.
  15. Levítico 13:15Seeing exposed raw flesh, the priest confirmed the impurity without hesitation — the same decisive standard repeats, reinforcing that an open sore was the most serious sign in the whole system.
  16. Levítico 13:16But the process allowed for recovery: if that exposed flesh healed and turned white like the rest, the person could return to the priest to be reassessed.
  17. Levítico 13:17Seeing that the sore had genuinely healed and turned white, the priest reversed the diagnosis and declared the person clean — the system didn’t lock anyone into a permanent label without checking again.
  18. Levítico 13:18This passage deals with a different case: a boil or sore that had already healed but left a mark on the skin afterward — one more variation within the same examination system.
  19. Levítico 13:19If a white or reddish swelling appeared where the healed sore had been, the person needed to show this new sign to the priest for evaluation, even though they had already healed before.
  20. Levítico 13:20If this new sign looked deeper than the skin and had white hair, the priest declared impurity — the same two standards as always, now applied to an old scar.
  21. Levítico 13:21If the sign had no white hair and didn’t look deeper, but was shrinking, the priest still didn’t decide: he confined the person for seven days, the same waiting process seen at the start of the chapter.
  22. Levítico 13:22If after the week of waiting the sign had spread significantly, then the priest confirmed the impurity — continued growth decided the case.
  23. Levítico 13:23But if the mark had stayed in the same place without growing, it was just a normal inflammation of the old scar — the priest declared the person clean, no mystery behind it.
  24. Levítico 13:24A new scenario: a burn from fire that, while healing, develops a white or reddish mark — the examination system extends even to marks left by burns.
  25. Levítico 13:25White hair in the mark and an appearance deeper than the skin — the same standards as always — here indicated that the serious condition had “sprouted” from the burn, not just an ordinary scar.
  26. Levítico 13:26Without these more serious signs, the priest again didn’t decide on the spot: he confined the person for seven days to observe whether the burn mark changed.
  27. Levítico 13:27If after the week the burn mark had spread significantly, the priest confirmed the serious condition — the same standard of continued growth used throughout the chapter.
  28. Levítico 13:28If the mark had stopped spreading, it was just an ordinary sign of the burn healing, without seriousness — the person was declared clean.
  29. Levítico 13:29Here begins a section specifically for sores on the head or beard, handled with slightly different standards than marks on the rest of the body.
  30. Levítico 13:30The “scall” on the head or beard, likely a fungal infection of the scalp, followed a similar standard but with thin yellow hair instead of white hair — a sign that the text is cataloguing different skin conditions, not treating everything as a single disease.
  31. Levítico 13:31Without black hair and without a deeper appearance, the priest confined the person with a scall on the head for seven days, the same waiting system applied to this scalp condition.
  32. Levítico 13:32If after the week the scall hadn’t grown and no thin yellow hair had appeared, the process moved on to one more verification step before any final decision.
  33. Levítico 13:33The person shaved the hair around it, but not over the mark itself — a practical precaution so as not to interfere with the exact observation of the affected area during one more week of waiting.
  34. Levítico 13:34If after this second week the scall was still not spreading, the priest finally declared the person clean, and they washed their clothes to close the process.
  35. Levítico 13:35But if after already being declared clean the scall started spreading again, the case had to be reopened and reassessed — the same principle of review seen elsewhere in the chapter.
  36. Levítico 13:36In this case of recurrence, the priest no longer even needed to look for thin yellow hair: the simple fact that it had started growing again was already enough to confirm the impurity.
  37. Levítico 13:37But if the scall had genuinely stopped and even black hair had grown back there, it was a sign of complete healing — black hair returning meant the skin had gone back to normal.
  38. Levítico 13:38A new condition appears here: white spots on the skin of men or women, a category apart from the previous ones.
  39. Levítico 13:39If these white spots were merely dull-looking and receding, it was a kind of harmless skin rash — the priest declared the person clean without any quarantine at all.
  40. Levítico 13:40Common baldness, without swelling or a reddish mark, was declared clean without exam or quarantine. The text makes clear that baldness by itself had nothing unclean about it — it only became a problem if a suspicious mark appeared on top of the bald spot.
  41. Levítico 13:41Baldness at the front of the head, just like the common baldness of the previous verse, was also declared clean on its own — losing hair wasn’t a sign of impurity.
  42. Levítico 13:42Only when a reddish-white mark appeared on the bald spot did the case become grounds for examination — baldness itself was never the problem, only a suspicious mark over it.
  43. Levítico 13:43The priest examined this mark on the bald spot with the same standards used on the rest of the body: a reddish-white color similar to that of skin with hair.
  44. Levítico 13:44With the signs confirmed, the person was declared a leper even though the mark was only on the bald head — the same diagnostic system applied regardless of where the mark appeared.
  45. Levítico 13:45Torn clothes, an uncovered head, and crying “Unclean, unclean” when approaching someone weren’t punishment — they were a mandatory public warning, a kind of ancient public health system meant to prevent accidental contact for as long as the condition lasted.
  46. Levítico 13:46For as long as the condition lasted, the person had to live isolated, outside the camp — a temporary measure of separation, tied to the length of the illness, not a permanent sentence.
  47. Levítico 13:47In the most widely accepted reading today, “leprosy” in wool, linen, or leather clothing is mold, fungus, or some blight that degrades the fabric, showing up as greenish or reddish patches. The same name and the same examination process applied both to a mold stain on clothing and to a mark on skin, because the ritual logic — something “eating away” at what should be whole — was the same.
  48. Levítico 13:48The same examination logic extended to fabrics: warp or woven thread, of linen or wool, and even leather items could “catch” this kind of mark, treated with the same process as human skin.
  49. Levítico 13:49A greenish or reddish mark on clothing or leather was the warning sign that required showing the item to the priest — probably mold or fungus, but treated with the same protocol as skin.
  50. Levítico 13:50Just as he did with people, the priest also shut away suspicious objects for seven days before deciding anything — the same quarantine-by-observation system, now applied to fabric.
  51. Levítico 13:51If after the week the mark had spread through the fabric or leather, it was considered a blight that “eats away” at the material, and the item was declared ruined.
  52. Levítico 13:52The solution for a condemned piece of clothing or leather was simple and final: burn it — there was no middle ground once the mark had truly spread.
  53. Levítico 13:53If the mark hadn’t grown after the week of waiting, the process moved to one more step before discarding the item for good.
  54. Levítico 13:54In this case the priest had the affected item washed and shut it away again for seven more days — giving it another chance before deciding between saving or burning it.
  55. Levítico 13:55If after washing the mark still looked the same, even without growing further, the item was still burned — the fact that it didn’t disappear with washing was enough to condemn the fabric.
  56. Levítico 13:56But if the mark had faded after washing, the priest had just the affected piece torn out of the fabric, saving the rest of the item.
  57. Levítico 13:57If after that the mark appeared again in another part of the same item, then the final solution was to burn everything — the material was considered permanently compromised.
  58. Levítico 13:58But if the washing had actually solved the problem, one more wash was enough and the item was cleared as clean — the process allowed saving clothes that had only been stained on the surface.
  59. Levítico 13:59This verse closes the chapter by summing up its purpose: to give the priests a clear standard for declaring fabric or leather clean or unclean, the same way it was done with human skin.

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