The Meaning of Leviticus 13:2 Explained

Leviticus 13:2

KJV: 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:

YLT: 'When a man hath in the skin of his flesh a rising, or scab, or bright spot, and it hath become in the skin of his flesh a leprous plague, then he hath been brought in unto Aaron the priest, or unto one of his sons the priests;

Darby: When a man shall have in the skin of his flesh a rising or a scab, or bright spot, and it become in the skin of his flesh a sore as of leprosy, then he shall be brought unto Aaron the priest, or unto one of his sons the priests.

ASV: When a man shall have in the skin of his flesh a rising, or a scab, or a bright spot, and it become in the skin of his flesh the plague of leprosy, then he shall be brought unto Aaron the priest, or unto one of his sons the priests:

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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: 

What does Leviticus 13:2 Mean?

Study Notes

Leprosy
Leprosy speaks of sin as
(1) in the blood;
(2) becoming overt in loathsome ways;
(3) incurable by human means. The anti-type as applied to the people of God is "sin," demanding self-judgment 1 Corinthians 11:31 and "sins," demanding confession and cleansing. 1 John 1:9 .

Context Summary

Leviticus 13:1-17 - The Test Of Leprosy
Leprosy was a sort of living death, involving exclusion from the fellowship of the living, and from the sanctuary. Consequently the process of restoration consisted of two stages: re-admission, through the cure of disease, into the fellowship of the living, Leviticus 13:1-59, and then to the camp and sanctuary, through the due performance of prescribed rites, Leviticus 14:1-32. The enumeration of the symptoms is very deliberate. The priest was required to conduct his examination with the greatest care, lest he should pronounce that to be leprosy which was not really so.
How different this to the sweeping and hasty judgments that we pass on each other! We judge by appearances only, and are not especially concerned to judge righteously. Sin, of which leprosy is the type, is not a superficial disease; it is "deeper than the skin." See Leviticus 13:3-4; Leviticus 13:25; Leviticus 13:30-32; Leviticus 13:34. They who know us best are not aware of the secret springs of impure motive, and the polluted things that hold empire within the soul. But the body of sin must be brought to an end at the Cross. See Romans 6:6. [source]

Chapter Summary: Leviticus 13

1  The laws whereby the priest is to be guided in discerning the leprosy

What do the individual words in Leviticus 13:2 mean?

a man when has on the skin of his body a swelling or a scab or a bright spot and it becomes of his body [like] a sore leprous then he shall be brought to Aaron the priest one of his sons the priests
אָדָ֗ם כִּֽי־ יִהְיֶ֤ה בְעוֹר־ בְּשָׂרוֹ֙ שְׂאֵ֤ת אֽוֹ־ סַפַּ֙חַת֙ א֣וֹ בַהֶ֔רֶת וְהָיָ֥ה בְּשָׂר֖וֹ לְנֶ֣גַע צָרָ֑עַת וְהוּבָא֙ אֶל־ אַהֲרֹ֣ן הַכֹּהֵ֔ן אַחַ֥ד מִבָּנָ֖יו הַכֹּהֲנִֽים

אָדָ֗ם  a  man 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אָדָם 
Sense: man, mankind.
בְעוֹר־  on  the  skin 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: עֹור  
Sense: skin, hide.
בְּשָׂרוֹ֙  of  his  body 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: בָּשָׂר  
Sense: flesh.
שְׂאֵ֤ת  a  swelling 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: שְׂאֵת 
Sense: elevation, exaltation, dignity, swelling, uprising.
סַפַּ֙חַת֙  a  scab 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: סַפַּחַת  
Sense: eruption, scab, lesion.
בַהֶ֔רֶת  a  bright  spot 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: בַּהֶרֶת  
Sense: white patch of skin, brightness, bright spot (on skin).
וְהָיָ֥ה  and  it  becomes 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
בְּשָׂר֖וֹ  of  his  body 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: בָּשָׂר  
Sense: flesh.
לְנֶ֣גַע  [like]  a  sore 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: נֶגַע  
Sense: stroke, plague, disease, mark, plague spot.
צָרָ֑עַת  leprous 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: צָרַעַת  
Sense: leprosy.
וְהוּבָא֙  then  he  shall  be  brought 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hofal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
אַהֲרֹ֣ן  Aaron 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אַהֲרֹון  
Sense: brother of Moses, a Levite and the first high priest.
הַכֹּהֵ֔ן  the  priest 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: כֹּהֵן  
Sense: priest, principal officer or chief ruler.
אַחַ֥ד  one 
Parse: Number, masculine singular
Root: אֶחָד  
Sense: one (number).
מִבָּנָ֖יו  of  his  sons 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
הַכֹּהֲנִֽים  the  priests 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: כֹּהֵן  
Sense: priest, principal officer or chief ruler.