John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 4. If the bright spot be white in the skin of his flesh , etc.] The Targum of Jonathan is, white as chalk in the skin of his flesh; but other Jewish writers make the whiteness of the bright spot to be the greatest of all, like that of snow; (see Gill on “ Leviticus 13:2”): and in sight [be] not deeper than the skin, and the hair thereof be not turned white ; though it be a bright spot, and be very white, yet these two marks not appearing, it cannot be judged a leprosy, at most it is only suspicious: wherefore then the priest, shall shut up [him that hath] the plague seven days ; in whom the bright spot is, and of whom there is a suspicion of the plague of leprosy, but it is not certain; and therefore, in order to take time, and get further knowledge, the person was to be shut up from all company and conversation for the space of seven days; by which time it might be supposed, as Ben Gersom observes, that the case and state of the leprosy (if it was one) would be altered; and Aben Ezra remarks, that most diseases change or alter on the seventh day.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-17 - The plague of leprosy was an uncleanness, rather than a disease. Chris is said to cleanse lepers, not to cure them. Common as the leprosy wa among the Hebrews, during and after their residence in Egypt, we have no reason to believe that it was known among them before. Their distressed state and employment in that land must have rendered the liable to disease. But it was a plague often inflicted immediately by the hand of God. Miriam's leprosy, and Gehazi's, and king Uzziah's were punishments of particular sins; no marvel there was care taken to distinguish it from a common distemper. The judgment of it was referre to the priests. And it was a figure of the moral pollutions of men' minds by sin, which is the leprosy of the soul, defiling to the conscience, and from which Christ alone can cleanse. The priest coul only convict the leper, (by the law is the knowledge of sin,) but Christ can cure the sinner, he can take away sin. It is a work of grea importance, but of great difficulty, to judge of our spiritual state We all have cause to suspect ourselves, being conscious of sores an spots; but whether clean or unclean is the question. As there wer certain marks by which to know it was leprosy, so there are marks of such as are in the gall of bitterness. The priest must take time i making his judgment. This teaches all, both ministers and people, no to be hasty in censures, nor to judge anything before the time. If some men's sins go before unto judgment, the sins of others follow after and so do men's good works. If the person suspected were found to be clean, yet he must wash his clothes, because there had been ground for the suspicion. We have need to be washed in the blood of Christ from our spots, though not leprosy spots; for who can say, I am pure from sin?
Original Hebrew ואם518 בהרת934 לבנה3836 הוא1931 בעור5785 בשׂרו1320 ועמק6013 אין369 מראה4758 מן4480 העור5785 ושׂערה8181 לא3808 הפך2015 לבן3836 והסגיר5462 הכהן3548 את853 הנגע5061 שׁבעת7651 ימים׃3117
