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Leviticus14:33–47

Signs of Home Contamination

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Leviticus 14:33–47 — Signs of Home Contamination. Each verse below carries the full apparatus: the Berean Standard Bible, the vocalized original (tap any word), and a parsed breakdown of every term transcribed from the interlinear. Synthesized commentary, canonical threads, and the reading of Christ gather at the end, over the whole unit.

33

Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron,

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

Yah·weh way·ḏab·bêr ’el- mō·šeh wə·’el- ’a·hă·rōn lê·mōr

Word by word7 · parsed
יְהוָ֔הYah·wehThen the LORDH3068
√ Yᵉhôvâh — Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodNounpropermasculine singular
וַיְדַבֵּ֣רway·ḏab·bêrsaidH1696
√ dâbar — perhaps properly, to arrangeConjunctive wawVerbPielConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular
The Piel dāḇar is the verb of authoritative, ordered speech — the same form that opens whole sections of Sinai legislation. The opening matters: this is law, spoken, not narration.
אֶל־’el-toH413
√ ʼêl — near, with or amongPreposition
מֹשֶׁ֥הmō·šehMosesH4872
√ Môsheh — Mosheh, the Israelite lawgiverNounpropermasculine singular
וְאֶֽל־wə·’el-. . .H413
√ ʼêl — near, with or amongConjunctive wawPreposition
אַהֲרֹ֖ן’a·hă·rōnand AaronH175
√ ʼAhărôwn — Aharon, the brother of MosesNounpropermasculine singular
Aaron the priest is addressed because, as Ellicott and Gill observe, “the affair of the leprosy of houses being what belonged to the priest to examine into and cleanse from.” The law about cleansing the restored leper (14:1) went to Moses alone; the diagnostic priestly laws go to both.
לֵאמֹֽר׃lê·mōr. . .H559
√ ʼâmar — to say (used with great latitude)Preposition-lVerbQalInfinitive construct
lêmōr, the infinitive of ’āmar, is the hinge from the report of speaking to the speech itself.
34

“When you enter the land of Canaan, which I am giving you as your possession, and I put a contamination of mildew into a house in that land,

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

kî ṯā·ḇō·’ū ’el- ’e·reṣ kə·na·‘an ’ă·šer ’ă·nî nō·ṯên lā·ḵem la·’ă·ḥuz·zāh wə·nā·ṯat·tî ne·ḡa‘ ṣā·ra·‘aṯ bə·ḇêṯ ’e·reṣ ’ă·ḥuz·zaṯ·ḵem

Word by word16 · parsed
כִּ֤יWhenH3588
√ kîy — (by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below)Conjunction
תָבֹ֙אוּ֙ṯā·ḇō·’ūyou enterH935
√ bôwʼ — to go or come (in a wide variety of applications)VerbQalImperfectsecond person masculine plural
אֶל־’el-. . .H413
√ ʼêl — near, with or amongPreposition
אֶ֣רֶץ’e·reṣthe landH776
√ ʼerets — the earth (at large, or partitively a land)Nounfeminine singular construct
כְּנַ֔עַןkə·na·‘anof CanaanH3667
√ Kᵉnaʻan — Kenaan, a son a HamNounpropermasculine singular
אֲשֶׁ֥ר’ă·šerwhichH834
√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPronounrelative
אֲנִ֛י’ă·nîIH589
√ ʼănîy — IPronounfirst person common singular
נֹתֵ֥ןnō·ṯênam givingH5414
√ nâthan — to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etcVerbQalParticiplemasculine singular
The participle nōṯēn, “am giving,” presents the land as a gift in process — handed over, not merely promised. The law is prospective: as Benson, Barnes and Gill all stress, Israel “now they were in the wilderness, dwelt in tents, and had no houses.”
לָכֶ֖םlā·ḵemyou
Prepositionsecond person masculine plural
לַאֲחֻזָּ֑הla·’ă·ḥuz·zāhas your possessionH272
√ ʼăchuzzâh — something seized, iPreposition-lNounfeminine singular
וְנָתַתִּי֙wə·nā·ṯat·tîand I putH5414
√ nâthan — to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etcConjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectfirst person common singular
wənāṯattî — “and I put,” first-person Qal perfect with waw, the same root nāṯan that two words earlier gave the land: the Giver of the inheritance is the Giver of the stroke. This is the theological storm-center of the unit. Keil takes the verb as deliberate, insisting God “held it over them, to remind the inhabitants of the house that they owed not only their bodies but also their dwelling-places to the Lord.” Barnes reads it as creation-theology, not penalty: “Yahweh here speaks as the Lord of all created things, determining their decay and destruction as well as their production,” pointing to Isaiah 45:6–7 (the LORD who forms light and creates darkness). JFB and the Pulpit Commentary pull toward providence, that it is “common in Scripture to represent God as doing that which He only permits in His providence to be done.” The Hebrew settles only the directness of the verb, not the metaphysics behind it; the tool records the three readings and adjudicates none.
נֶ֣גַעne·ḡa‘a contaminationH5061
√ negaʻ — a blow (figuratively, infliction)Nounmasculine singular construct
negaʻ, the “stroke” — the governing keyword of the whole pericope, recurring at nearly every verse. To call it a “plague” keeps its punitive edge; to call it “mildew/contamination” keeps its physical one. The Hebrew holds both.
צָרַ֔עַתṣā·ra·‘aṯof mildewH6883
√ tsâraʻath — leprosyNounfeminine singular
ṣāraʻaṯ bound to negaʻ: “a stroke of leprosy.” The yoking of the human-disease word to a building is the literary key — the house is treated as a body that can sicken, be quarantined, and die.
בְּבֵ֖יתbə·ḇêṯinto a houseH1004
√ bayith — a house (in the greatest variation of applications, especially family, etcPreposition-bNounmasculine singular construct
אֶ֥רֶץ’e·reṣin that landH776
√ ʼerets — the earth (at large, or partitively a land)Nounfeminine singular construct
אֲחֻזַּתְכֶֽם׃’ă·ḥuz·zaṯ·ḵemH272
√ ʼăchuzzâh — something seized, iNounfeminine singular constructsecond person masculine plural
35

the owner of the house shall come and tell the priest, ‘Something like mildew has appeared in my house.’

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

’ă·šer- lōw hab·ba·yiṯ ū·ḇā wə·hig·gîḏ lak·kō·hên lê·mōr kə·ne·ḡa‘ nir·’āh lî bab·bā·yiṯ

Word by word11 · parsed
אֲשֶׁר־’ă·šer-the ownerH834
√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPronounrelative
The clause “to whom the house [belongs]” uses the relative ’ăšer with the preposition — a Hebrew way of saying “the owner.”
ל֣וֹlōw
Prepositionthird person masculine singular
הַבַּ֔יִתhab·ba·yiṯof the houseH1004
√ bayith — a house (in the greatest variation of applications, especially family, etcArticleNounmasculine singular
וּבָא֙ū·ḇāshall comeH935
√ bôwʼ — to go or come (in a wide variety of applications)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectthird person masculine singular
וְהִגִּ֥ידwə·hig·gîḏand tellH5046
√ nâgad — properly, to front, iConjunctive wawVerbHifilConjunctive perfectthird person masculine singular
nāḡaḏ in the Hiphil is courtroom-adjacent language: to set a matter conspicuously before an authority. The owner’s duty is disclosure, the priest’s is decision.
לַכֹּהֵ֖ןlak·kō·hênthe priestH3548
√ kôhên — literally one officiating, a priestPreposition-l, ArticleNounmasculine singular
לֵאמֹ֑רlê·mōr. . .H559
√ ʼâmar — to say (used with great latitude)Preposition-lVerbQalInfinitive construct
כְּנֶ֕גַעkə·ne·ḡa‘Something like mildewH5061
√ negaʻ — a blow (figuratively, infliction)Preposition-kNounmasculine singular
The careful kə- (“like”) is the heart of v. 35. As Ellicott reports from the second-Temple authorities, the owner — even if certain — must speak provisionally, “because it was the office of the priest to pronounce a positive sentence.” A theology of authority is built into the grammar.
נִרְאָ֥הnir·’āhhas appearedH7200
√ râʼâh — to see, literally or figuratively (in numerous applications, direct and implied, transitive, intransitive and causative)VerbNifalPerfectthird person masculine singular
לִ֖יin my
Prepositionfirst person common singular
בַּבָּֽיִת׃bab·bā·yiṯhouseH1004
√ bayith — a house (in the greatest variation of applications, especially family, etcPreposition-b, ArticleNounmasculine singular
36

The priest must order that the house be cleared before he enters it to examine the mildew, so that nothing in the house will become unclean. After this, the priest shall go in to inspect the house.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

hak·kō·hên wə·ṣiw·wāh hab·ba·yiṯ ū·p̄in·nū ’eṯ- bə·ṭe·rem hak·kō·hên yā·ḇō lir·’ō·wṯ ’eṯ- han·ne·ḡa‘ wə·lō kāl- ’ă·šer bab·bā·yiṯ yiṭ·mā wə·’a·ḥar kên hak·kō·hên yā·ḇō lir·’ō·wṯ ’eṯ- hab·bā·yiṯ

Word by word23 · parsed
הַכֹּהֵ֜ןhak·kō·hênThe priestH3548
√ kôhên — literally one officiating, a priestArticleNounmasculine singular
וְצִוָּ֨הwə·ṣiw·wāhmust order thatH6680
√ tsâvâh — (intensively) to constitute, enjoinConjunctive wawVerbPielConjunctive perfectthird person masculine singular
ṣāwāh (Piel), “command / enjoin” — the priest orders; the owner and household carry it out. Authority and labor are distributed.
הַבַּ֗יִתhab·ba·yiṯthe houseH1004
√ bayith — a house (in the greatest variation of applications, especially family, etcArticleNounmasculine singular
וּפִנּ֣וּū·p̄in·nūbe clearedH6437
√ pânâh — to turnConjunctive wawVerbPielConjunctive perfectthird person common plural
אֶת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
בְּטֶ֨רֶםbə·ṭe·rembeforeH2962
√ ṭerem — properly, non-occurrencePreposition-bAdverb
bəṭerem, “before” — this single adverb is, as Ellicott says, the “benign law”: empty first, inspect second, so the verdict cannot retroactively ruin a man’s goods.
הַכֹּהֵן֙hak·kō·hênheH3548
√ kôhên — literally one officiating, a priestArticleNounmasculine singular
יָבֹ֤אyā·ḇōenters itH935
√ bôwʼ — to go or come (in a wide variety of applications)VerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singular
לִרְא֣וֹתlir·’ō·wṯto examineH7200
√ râʼâh — to see, literally or figuratively (in numerous applications, direct and implied, transitive, intransitive and causative)Preposition-lVerbQalInfinitive construct
אֶת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
הַנֶּ֔גַעhan·ne·ḡa‘the mildewH5061
√ negaʻ — a blow (figuratively, infliction)ArticleNounmasculine singular
וְלֹ֥אwə·lōso that nothingH3808
√ lôʼ — not (the simple or absConjunctive wawAdverbNegative particle
כָּל־kāl-. . .H3605
√ kôl — properly, the wholeNounmasculine singular construct
אֲשֶׁ֣ר’ă·šerH834
√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPronounrelative
בַּבָּ֑יִתbab·bā·yiṯin the houseH1004
√ bayith — a house (in the greatest variation of applications, especially family, etcPreposition-b, ArticleNounmasculine singular
יִטְמָ֖אyiṭ·māwill become uncleanH2930
√ ṭâmêʼ — to be foul, especially in a ceremial or moral sense (contaminated)VerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singular
yiṭmā — “become unclean.” The verb fires only on the priest’s word. Keil draws the conclusion: “the reason for the defilement is not to be sought for in physical infection, but must have been of an ideal or symbolical kind.” This verse is the clearest internal proof that the leprosy here is a ritual category, not a contagion.
וְאַ֥חַרwə·’a·ḥarAfterH310
√ ʼachar — properly, the hind partConjunctive wawAdverb
כֵּ֛ןkênthisH3651
√ kên — properly, set uprightAdverb
הַכֹּהֵ֖ןhak·kō·hênthe priestH3548
√ kôhên — literally one officiating, a priestArticleNounmasculine singular
יָבֹ֥אyā·ḇōshall go inH935
√ bôwʼ — to go or come (in a wide variety of applications)VerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singular
לִרְא֥וֹתlir·’ō·wṯto inspectH7200
√ râʼâh — to see, literally or figuratively (in numerous applications, direct and implied, transitive, intransitive and causative)Preposition-lVerbQalInfinitive construct
אֶת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
הַבָּֽיִת׃hab·bā·yiṯthe houseH1004
√ bayith — a house (in the greatest variation of applications, especially family, etcArticleNounmasculine singular
37

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,

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

wə·rā·’āh ’eṯ- han·ne·ḡa‘ wə·hin·nêh han·ne·ḡa‘ bə·qî·rōṯ hab·ba·yiṯ yə·raq·raq·qōṯ ’ōw ’ă·ḏam·dam·mōṯ šə·qa·‘ă·rū·rōṯ ū·mar·’ê·hen šā·p̄āl min- haq·qîr

Word by word15 · parsed
וְרָאָ֣הwə·rā·’āhHe is to examineH7200
√ râʼâh — to see, literally or figuratively (in numerous applications, direct and implied, transitive, intransitive and causative)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectthird person masculine singular
wərā’āh, the inspecting “see,” is the priest’s defining act across this whole law (it recurs at vv. 36, 37, 39, 44) — the same verb whose Niphal in v. 35 had the mark merely “appear.” Now the trained eye looks.
אֶת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
הַנֶּ֗גַעhan·ne·ḡa‘[the house]H5061
√ negaʻ — a blow (figuratively, infliction)ArticleNounmasculine singular
וְהִנֵּ֤הwə·hin·nêhand ifH2009
√ hinnêh — lo!Conjunctive wawInterjection
הַנֶּ֙גַע֙han·ne·ḡa‘the mildewH5061
√ negaʻ — a blow (figuratively, infliction)ArticleNounmasculine singular
בְּקִירֹ֣תbə·qî·rōṯon the wallsH7023
√ qîyr — a wall (as built in a trench)Preposition-bNounmasculine plural construct
הַבַּ֔יִתhab·ba·yiṯH1004
√ bayith — a house (in the greatest variation of applications, especially family, etcArticleNounmasculine singular
יְרַקְרַקֹּ֔תyə·raq·raq·qōṯconsists of greenH3422
√ yᵉraqraq — yellowishnessAdjectivefeminine plural
On yəraqraqōṯ: Ellicott lists three symptoms paralleling human leprosy — “(1) hollow strakes… (2) a greenish or (3) a reddish spot.” The diagnostic grid is deliberately transferred wall-to-skin.
א֖וֹ’ōworH176
√ ʼôw — desire (and so probably in Proverbs 31:4)Conjunction
אֲדַמְדַּמֹּ֑ת’ă·ḏam·dam·mōṯredH125
√ ʼădamdâm — reddishAdjectivefeminine plural
שְׁקַֽעֲרוּרֹת֙šə·qa·‘ă·rū·rōṯdepressionsH8258
√ shᵉqaʻrûwrâh — a depressionNounfeminine plural
וּמַרְאֵיהֶ֥ןū·mar·’ê·henthat appearH4758
√ marʼeh — a view (the act of seeing)Conjunctive wawNounmasculine plural constructthird person feminine plural
שָׁפָ֖לšā·p̄ālto be beneathH8217
√ shâphâl — depressed, literally or figurativelyAdjectivemasculine singular
šāp̄āl, “low / depressed,” seals the analogy: as the human plague was “deeper than the skin,” the house-plague “appear[s] to be beneath the surface of the wall.”
מִן־min-. . .H4480
√ min — properly, a part ofPreposition
הַקִּֽיר׃haq·qîrthe surface of the wallH7023
√ qîyr — a wall (as built in a trench)ArticleNounmasculine singular
38

the priest shall go outside the doorway of the house and close it up for seven days.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

hak·kō·hên min- wə·yā·ṣā hab·ba·yiṯ ’el- pe·ṯaḥ hab·bā·yiṯ wə·his·gîr ’eṯ- hab·ba·yiṯ šiḇ·‘aṯ yā·mîm

Word by word12 · parsed
הַכֹּהֵ֛ןhak·kō·hênthe priestH3548
√ kôhên — literally one officiating, a priestArticleNounmasculine singular
מִן־min-. . .H4480
√ min — properly, a part ofPreposition
וְיָצָ֧אwə·yā·ṣāshall go outsideH3318
√ yâtsâʼ — to go (causatively, bring) out, in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively, direct and proximConjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectthird person masculine singular
yāṣā’, “go out” — the priest does not linger inside; the procedure is exact and bounded.
הַבַּ֖יִתhab·ba·yiṯH1004
√ bayith — a house (in the greatest variation of applications, especially family, etcArticleNounmasculine singular
אֶל־’el-H413
√ ʼêl — near, with or amongPreposition
פֶּ֣תַחpe·ṯaḥthe doorwayH6607
√ pethach — an opening (literally), iNounmasculine singular construct
הַבָּ֑יִתhab·bā·yiṯof the houseH1004
√ bayith — a house (in the greatest variation of applications, especially family, etcArticleNounmasculine singular
וְהִסְגִּ֥ירwə·his·gîrand closeH5462
√ çâgar — to shut upConjunctive wawVerbHifilConjunctive perfectthird person masculine singular
sāḡar in the Hiphil is the technical term of the chapter’s diagnostics: the suspect is neither cleared nor condemned but held. Ellicott: “the priest is to put the house in quarantine for seven days… adopting the same treatment as in the case of leprous garments.”
אֶת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
הַבַּ֖יִתhab·ba·yiṯ[it] upH1004
√ bayith — a house (in the greatest variation of applications, especially family, etcArticleNounmasculine singular
שִׁבְעַ֥תšiḇ·‘aṯfor sevenH7651
√ shebaʻ — seven (as the sacred full one)Numbermasculine singular construct
The “seven days” bind the house-law to the rhythm of ch. 13 and to the sabbatical pattern of completion — a full week as the unit of patient discernment.
יָמִֽים׃yā·mîmdaysH3117
√ yôwm — a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an associated term), (often used adverb)Nounmasculine plural
39

On the seventh day the priest is to return and inspect the house. If the mildew has spread on the walls,

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

haš·šə·ḇî·‘î bay·yō·wm hak·kō·hên wə·šāḇ wə·rā·’āh wə·hin·nêh han·ne·ḡa‘ pā·śāh bə·qî·rōṯ hab·bā·yiṯ

Word by word10 · parsed
הַשְּׁבִיעִ֑יhaš·šə·ḇî·‘îOn the seventhH7637
√ shᵉbîyʻîy — seventhArticleNumberordinal masculine singular
בַּיּ֣וֹםbay·yō·wmdayH3117
√ yôwm — a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an associated term), (often used adverb)Preposition-b, ArticleNounmasculine singular
הַכֹּהֵ֖ןhak·kō·hênthe priestH3548
√ kôhên — literally one officiating, a priestArticleNounmasculine singular
וְשָׁ֥בwə·šāḇis to returnH7725
√ shûwb — to turn back (hence, away) transitively or intransitively, literally or figuratively (not necessarily with the idea of return to the starting point)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectthird person masculine singular
šûḇ, “return,” governs the renewed inspection. The patient re-examination after a fixed interval is the law’s built-in fairness — no snap condemnation.
וְרָאָ֕הwə·rā·’āhand inspect [the house]H7200
√ râʼâh — to see, literally or figuratively (in numerous applications, direct and implied, transitive, intransitive and causative)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectthird person masculine singular
וְהִנֵּ֛הwə·hin·nêhIfH2009
√ hinnêh — lo!Conjunctive wawInterjection
הַנֶּ֖גַעhan·ne·ḡa‘the mildewH5061
√ negaʻ — a blow (figuratively, infliction)ArticleNounmasculine singular
פָּשָׂ֥הpā·śāhhas spreadH6581
√ pâsâh — to spreadVerbQalPerfectthird person masculine singular
pāśāh, “spread,” is the hinge of judgment. As in human and garment leprosy, the test is movement: a static mark may be benign; a creeping one is malignant.
בְּקִירֹ֥תbə·qî·rōṯon the wallsH7023
√ qîyr — a wall (as built in a trench)Preposition-bNounmasculine plural construct
הַבָּֽיִת׃hab·bā·yiṯH1004
√ bayith — a house (in the greatest variation of applications, especially family, etcArticleNounmasculine singular
40

he must order that the contaminated stones be pulled out and thrown into an unclean place outside the city.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

hak·kō·hên wə·ṣiw·wāh ’ă·šer bā·hên han·nā·ḡa‘ hā·’ă·ḇā·nîm wə·ḥil·lə·ṣū ’eṯ- wə·hiš·lî·ḵū ’eṯ·hen ’el- ṭā·mê mā·qō·wm mi·ḥūṣ lā·‘îr ’el-

Word by word16 · parsed
הַכֹּהֵ֔ןhak·kō·hên[he]H3548
√ kôhên — literally one officiating, a priestArticleNounmasculine singular
וְצִוָּה֙wə·ṣiw·wāhmust orderH6680
√ tsâvâh — (intensively) to constitute, enjoinConjunctive wawVerbPielConjunctive perfectthird person masculine singular
אֲשֶׁ֥ר’ă·šerthatH834
√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPronounrelative
בָּהֵ֖ןbā·hên
Prepositionthird person feminine plural
הַנָּ֑גַעhan·nā·ḡa‘the contaminatedH5061
√ negaʻ — a blow (figuratively, infliction)ArticleNounmasculine singular
הָ֣אֲבָנִ֔יםhā·’ă·ḇā·nîmstonesH68
√ ʼeben — a stoneArticleNounfeminine plural
’eben, “stones,” plural — the rabbinic tradition Gill cites required at least two affected stones for the law to engage; the structural integrity of the house is preserved while the disease is cut out.
וְחִלְּצוּ֙wə·ḥil·lə·ṣūbe pulled outH2502
√ châlats — to pull offConjunctive wawVerbPielConjunctive perfectthird person common plural
אֶת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
וְהִשְׁלִ֤יכוּwə·hiš·lî·ḵūand thrownH7993
√ shâlak — to throw out, down or away (literally or figuratively)Conjunctive wawVerbHifilConjunctive perfectthird person common plural
šālaḵ, “cast,” pairs with the unclean place: removal is also a verdict — these stones may never be reused. Benson reads the whole act typologically of Israel’s idolatry, the “infected stones” taken away by reforming kings yet breaking out again.
אֶתְהֶן֙’eṯ·henH853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object markerthird person feminine plural
אֶל־’el-intoH413
√ ʼêl — near, with or amongPreposition
טָמֵֽא׃ṭā·mêan uncleanH2931
√ ṭâmêʼ — foul in a religious senseAdjectivemasculine singular
The “unclean place outside the city” is the counter-space to the sanctuary’s “clean place” (cf. 4:11–12) — every defilement has an appointed exile.
מָק֖וֹםmā·qō·wmplaceH4725
√ mâqôwm — properly, a standing, iNounmasculine singular
מִח֣וּץmi·ḥūṣoutsideH2351
√ chûwts — properly, separate by awall, iPreposition-mNounmasculine singular construct
לָעִ֔ירlā·‘îrthe cityH5892
√ ʻîyr — a city (a place guarded by waking or a watch) in the widest sense (even of a mere encampment or post)Preposition-l, ArticleNounfeminine singular
אֶל־’el-. . .H413
√ ʼêl — near, with or amongPreposition
41

And he shall have the inside of the house scraped completely and the plaster that is scraped off dumped into an unclean place outside the city.

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Hebrew — tap a word ↓

wə·’eṯ- hab·ba·yiṯ mib·ba·yiṯ yaq·ṣi·a‘ sā·ḇîḇ he·‘ā·p̄ār ’ă·šer hiq·ṣū wə·šā·p̄ə·ḵū ’eṯ- ’el- ṭā·mê mā·qō·wm mi·ḥūṣ lā·‘îr ’el-

Word by word16 · parsed
וְאֶת־wə·’eṯ-AndH853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Conjunctive wawDirect object marker
הַבַּ֛יִתhab·ba·yiṯ{he shall have} the insideH1004
√ bayith — a house (in the greatest variation of applications, especially family, etcArticleNounmasculine singular
מִבַּ֖יִתmib·ba·yiṯof the houseH1004
√ bayith — a house (in the greatest variation of applications, especially family, etcPreposition-mNounmasculine singular
יַקְצִ֥עַyaq·ṣi·a‘scrapedH7106
√ qâtsaʻ — to strip off, iVerbHifilImperfectthird person masculine singular
qāṣaʻ (scrape) is one of the rarest verbs in the unit — a verbal thread the Verifier ties to Ezekiel 46:22. Gill: “that, should there be any infection in them, which as yet was not seen, it might be removed, and a spread prevented.”
סָבִ֑יבsā·ḇîḇcompletelyH5439
√ çâbîyb — (as noun) a circle, neighbour, or environsAdverb
הֶֽעָפָר֙he·‘ā·p̄ārand the plasterH6083
√ ʻâphâr — dust (as powdered or gray)ArticleNounmasculine singular
ʻāp̄ār, “dust” — the reduction of solid plaster to powder echoes the language of mortality; the cure begins by returning the corruption to dust outside the city.
אֲשֶׁ֣ר’ă·šerthatH834
√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPronounrelative
הִקְצ֔וּhiq·ṣūis scraped offH7096
√ qâtsâh — to cut offVerbHifilPerfectthird person common plural
וְשָׁפְכ֗וּwə·šā·p̄ə·ḵūdumpedH8210
√ shâphak — to spill forth (blood, a libation, liquid metalConjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectthird person common plural
šāp̄aḵ, “pour out,” treats pulverized plaster as a fluid of defilement, disposed of with the same gesture as poured blood.
אֶת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
אֶל־’el-intoH413
√ ʼêl — near, with or amongPreposition
טָמֵֽא׃ṭā·mêan uncleanH2931
√ ṭâmêʼ — foul in a religious senseAdjectivemasculine singular
מָק֖וֹםmā·qō·wmplaceH4725
√ mâqôwm — properly, a standing, iNounmasculine singular
מִח֣וּץmi·ḥūṣoutsideH2351
√ chûwts — properly, separate by awall, iPreposition-mNounmasculine singular construct
לָעִ֔ירlā·‘îrthe cityH5892
√ ʻîyr — a city (a place guarded by waking or a watch) in the widest sense (even of a mere encampment or post)Preposition-l, ArticleNounfeminine singular
אֶל־’el-. . .H413
√ ʼêl — near, with or amongPreposition
42

So different stones must be obtained to replace the contaminated ones, as well as additional mortar to replaster the house.

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Hebrew — tap a word ↓

’ă·ḥê·rō·wṯ ’ă·ḇā·nîm wə·lā·qə·ḥū wə·hê·ḇî·’ū ’el- ta·ḥaṯ hā·’ă·ḇā·nîm yiq·qaḥ ’a·ḥêr wə·‘ā·p̄ār wə·ṭāḥ ’eṯ- hab·bā·yiṯ

Word by word13 · parsed
אֲחֵר֔וֹת’ă·ḥê·rō·wṯSo differentH312
√ ʼachêr — properly, hinderAdjectivefeminine plural
The emphatic fronting of ’ăḥêrōṯ (“other”) signals that genuine renewal requires new material — a structural picture later writers (Gill) read of replacing corrupt members with “lively stones.”
אֲבָנִ֣ים’ă·ḇā·nîmstonesH68
√ ʼeben — a stoneNounfeminine plural
וְלָקְחוּ֙wə·lā·qə·ḥūmust be obtainedH3947
√ lâqach — to take (in the widest variety of applications)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectthird person common plural
lāqaḥ, “take / obtain,” opens the repair; the house is given a second chance before any sentence of death.
וְהֵבִ֖יאוּwə·hê·ḇî·’ūto replaceH935
√ bôwʼ — to go or come (in a wide variety of applications)Conjunctive wawVerbHifilConjunctive perfectthird person common plural
אֶל־’el-. . .H413
√ ʼêl — near, with or amongPreposition
תַּ֣חַתta·ḥaṯ. . .H8478
√ tachath — the bottom (as depressed)Preposition
הָאֲבָנִ֑יםhā·’ă·ḇā·nîmthe [contaminated] onesH68
√ ʼeben — a stoneArticleNounfeminine plural
יִקַּ֖חyiq·qaḥH3947
√ lâqach — to take (in the widest variety of applications)VerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singular
אַחֵ֛ר’a·ḥêras well as additionalH312
√ ʼachêr — properly, hinderAdjectivemasculine singular
וְעָפָ֥רwə·‘ā·p̄ārmortarH6083
√ ʻâphâr — dust (as powdered or gray)Conjunctive wawNounmasculine singular
וְטָ֥חwə·ṭāḥto replasterH2902
√ ṭûwach — to smear, especially with limeConjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectthird person masculine singular
ṭûaḥ, “to plaster,” is the verb of hopeful covering — the same root that returns in v. 43 (hiṭṭôaḥ, “replastered”) when the question becomes whether the covering held.
אֶת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
הַבָּֽיִת׃hab·bā·yiṯthe houseH1004
√ bayith — a house (in the greatest variation of applications, especially family, etcArticleNounmasculine singular
43

If the mildew reappears in the house after the stones have been torn out and the house has been scraped and replastered,

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Hebrew — tap a word ↓

wə·’im- han·ne·ḡa‘ ū·p̄ā·raḥ yā·šūḇ bab·ba·yiṯ ’a·ḥar hā·’ă·ḇā·nîm ḥil·lêṣ ’eṯ- wə·’a·ḥă·rê hab·ba·yiṯ wə·’a·ḥă·rê hiq·ṣō·wṯ ’eṯ- hiṭ·ṭō·w·aḥ

Word by word15 · parsed
וְאִם־wə·’im-IfH518
√ ʼim — used very widely as demonstrative, lo!Conjunction
הַנֶּ֙גַע֙han·ne·ḡa‘the mildewH5061
√ negaʻ — a blow (figuratively, infliction)ArticleNounmasculine singular
וּפָרַ֣חū·p̄ā·raḥ. . .H6524
√ pârach — to break forth as a bud, iConjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectthird person masculine singular
יָשׁ֤וּבyā·šūḇreappearsH7725
√ shûwb — to turn back (hence, away) transitively or intransitively, literally or figuratively (not necessarily with the idea of return to the starting point)VerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singular
šûḇ, “return” — the plague’s comeback after the priest’s own return (v. 39) closes a grim loop: every human remedy has been applied, and the evil still turns back.
בַּבַּ֔יִתbab·ba·yiṯin the houseH1004
√ bayith — a house (in the greatest variation of applications, especially family, etcPreposition-b, ArticleNounmasculine singular
אַחַ֖ר’a·ḥarafterH310
√ ʼachar — properly, the hind partPreposition
הָאֲבָנִ֑יםhā·’ă·ḇā·nîmthe stonesH68
√ ʼeben — a stoneArticleNounfeminine plural
חִלֵּ֣ץḥil·lêṣhave been torn outH2502
√ châlats — to pull offVerbPielPerfectthird person masculine singular
אֶת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
וְאַחֲרֵ֛יwə·’a·ḥă·rêandH310
√ ʼachar — properly, the hind partConjunctive wawPreposition
הַבַּ֖יִתhab·ba·yiṯthe houseH1004
√ bayith — a house (in the greatest variation of applications, especially family, etcArticleNounmasculine singular
וְאַחֲרֵ֥יwə·’a·ḥă·rê. . .H310
√ ʼachar — properly, the hind partConjunctive wawPreposition
הִקְצ֥וֹתhiq·ṣō·wṯhas been scrapedH7096
√ qâtsâh — to cut offVerbHifilInfinitive construct
qāṣāh, “cut off,” is the rare verb the Verifier links outward to Habakkuk 2:10 and 2 Kings 10:32 — language of a house or border being shorn. The thread is verbal, on a low-frequency root.
אֶת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
הִטּֽוֹחַ׃hiṭ·ṭō·w·aḥand replasteredH2902
√ ṭûwach — to smear, especially with limeVerbNifalInfinitive construct
ṭûaḥ (Niphal hiṭṭôaḥ, “replastered”) recalls v. 42’s hopeful covering — named here only to be declared insufficient.
44

the priest must come and inspect it. If the mildew has spread in the house, it is a destructive mildew; the house is unclean.

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Hebrew — tap a word ↓

hak·kō·hên ū·ḇā wə·rā·’āh wə·hin·nêh han·ne·ḡa‘ pā·śāh bab·bā·yiṯ hî mam·’e·reṯ ṣā·ra·‘aṯ bab·ba·yiṯ ṭā·mê hū

Word by word13 · parsed
הַכֹּהֵ֔ןhak·kō·hênthe priestH3548
√ kôhên — literally one officiating, a priestArticleNounmasculine singular
וּבָא֙ū·ḇāmust comeH935
√ bôwʼ — to go or come (in a wide variety of applications)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectthird person masculine singular
וְרָאָ֕הwə·rā·’āhand inspect itH7200
√ râʼâh — to see, literally or figuratively (in numerous applications, direct and implied, transitive, intransitive and causative)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectthird person masculine singular
וְהִנֵּ֛הwə·hin·nêhIfH2009
√ hinnêh — lo!Conjunctive wawInterjection
הַנֶּ֖גַעhan·ne·ḡa‘the mildewH5061
√ negaʻ — a blow (figuratively, infliction)ArticleNounmasculine singular
פָּשָׂ֥הpā·śāhhas spreadH6581
√ pâsâh — to spreadVerbQalPerfectthird person masculine singular
pāśāh — the spreading that condemns. The structure mirrors v. 39 exactly: priest comes, examines, and behold it has spread. Repetition is the law’s way of marking finality.
בַּבָּ֑יִתbab·bā·yiṯin the houseH1004
√ bayith — a house (in the greatest variation of applications, especially family, etcPreposition-b, ArticleNounmasculine singular
הִ֛ואit [is]H1931
√ hûwʼ — he (she or it)Pronounthird person feminine singular
מַמְאֶ֥רֶתmam·’e·reṯa destructiveH3992
√ mâʼar — to be bitter or (causatively) to embitter, iVerbHifilParticiplefeminine singular
mam’ereṯ, “malignant / fretting,” is the technical verdict. It carries the bitter, pricking nuance of its root; the same participle classifies the garment-plague in 13:51 — a rare word that verbally binds the two laws.
צָרַ֨עַתṣā·ra·‘aṯmildewH6883
√ tsâraʻath — leprosyNounfeminine singular
בַּבַּ֖יִתbab·ba·yiṯthe houseH1004
√ bayith — a house (in the greatest variation of applications, especially family, etcPreposition-b, ArticleNounmasculine singular
טָמֵ֥אṭā·mêis uncleanH2931
√ ṭâmêʼ — foul in a religious senseAdjectivemasculine singular
ṭāmê, “unclean” — the irreversible declaration. Once spread persists through every cure, the house is condemned, exactly as the incurable leper is.
הֽוּא׃. . .H1931
√ hûwʼ — he (she or it)Pronounthird person masculine singular
45

It must be torn down with its stones, its timbers, and all its plaster, and taken outside the city to an unclean place.

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Hebrew — tap a word ↓

hab·ba·yiṯ ’eṯ- wə·nā·ṯaṣ ’eṯ- ’ă·ḇā·nāw wə·’eṯ- ‘ê·ṣāw wə·’êṯ kāl- hab·bā·yiṯ ‘ă·p̄ar wə·hō·w·ṣî mi·ḥūṣ lā·‘îr ’el- ’el- ṭā·mê mā·qō·wm

Word by word18 · parsed
הַבַּ֗יִתhab·ba·yiṯItH1004
√ bayith — a house (in the greatest variation of applications, especially family, etcArticleNounmasculine singular
אֶת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
וְנָתַ֣ץwə·nā·ṯaṣmust be torn downH5422
√ nâthats — to tear downConjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectthird person masculine singular
nāṯaṣ, “tear down,” is covenant-judgment vocabulary — the verb for razing the high places. Henry: the owner “had better be without a dwelling, than live in one that was infected.”
אֶת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
אֲבָנָיו֙’ă·ḇā·nāwwith its stonesH68
√ ʼeben — a stoneNounfeminine plural constructthird person masculine singular
וְאֶת־wə·’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Conjunctive wawDirect object marker
עֵצָ֔יו‘ê·ṣāwits timbersH6086
√ ʻêts — a tree (from its firmness)Nounmasculine plural constructthird person masculine singular
וְאֵ֖תwə·’êṯH853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Conjunctive wawDirect object marker
כָּל־kāl-and allH3605
√ kôl — properly, the wholeNounmasculine singular construct
הַבָּ֑יִתhab·bā·yiṯitsH1004
√ bayith — a house (in the greatest variation of applications, especially family, etcArticleNounmasculine singular
עֲפַ֣ר‘ă·p̄arplasterH6083
√ ʻâphâr — dust (as powdered or gray)Nounmasculine singular construct
ʻăp̄ar, “dust/plaster,” closes the triad (stones, timber, dust) — the same three materials the tradition required for a house to be liable at all; all three are now exiled together.
וְהוֹצִיא֙wə·hō·w·ṣîand takenH3318
√ yâtsâʼ — to go (causatively, bring) out, in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively, direct and proximConjunctive wawVerbHifilConjunctive perfectthird person masculine singular
yāṣā’ (Hiphil), “bring out,” enacts the same exile imposed on the leprous person (13:46) — removal beyond the boundary is the unified logic of the whole leprosy code.
מִח֣וּץmi·ḥūṣoutsideH2351
√ chûwts — properly, separate by awall, iPreposition-mNounmasculine singular construct
לָעִ֔ירlā·‘îrthe cityH5892
√ ʻîyr — a city (a place guarded by waking or a watch) in the widest sense (even of a mere encampment or post)Preposition-l, ArticleNounfeminine singular
אֶל־’el-. . .H413
√ ʼêl — near, with or amongPreposition
אֶל־’el-toH413
√ ʼêl — near, with or amongPreposition
טָמֵֽא׃ṭā·mêan uncleanH2931
√ ṭâmêʼ — foul in a religious senseAdjectivemasculine singular
מָק֖וֹםmā·qō·wmplaceH4725
√ mâqôwm — properly, a standing, iNounmasculine singular
46

Anyone who enters the house during any of the days that it is closed up will be unclean until evening.

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Hebrew — tap a word ↓

wə·hab·bā ’el- hab·ba·yiṯ kāl- yə·mê his·gîr ’ō·ṯōw yiṭ·mā ‘aḏ- hā·‘ā·reḇ

Word by word10 · parsed
וְהַבָּא֙wə·hab·bāAnyone who entersH935
√ bôwʼ — to go or come (in a wide variety of applications)Conjunctive waw, ArticleVerbQalParticiplemasculine singular
The participle hab-bā, “the one entering,” makes a category out of an action — the law addresses a type, not a named individual.
אֶל־’el-. . .H413
√ ʼêl — near, with or amongPreposition
הַבַּ֔יִתhab·ba·yiṯthe houseH1004
√ bayith — a house (in the greatest variation of applications, especially family, etcArticleNounmasculine singular
כָּל־kāl-during anyH3605
√ kôl — properly, the wholeNounmasculine singular construct
יְמֵ֖יyə·mêof the daysH3117
√ yôwm — a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an associated term), (often used adverb)Nounmasculine plural construct
הִסְגִּ֣ירhis·gîrthat it is closed upH5462
√ çâgar — to shut upVerbHifilPerfectthird person masculine singular
sāḡar (quarantine) recurs; Gill records the rabbinic maximum of three weeks of shutting-up. Entry during that window carries the mildest grade of uncleanness.
אֹת֑וֹ’ō·ṯōwH853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object markerthird person masculine singular
יִטְמָ֖אyiṭ·māwill be uncleanH2930
√ ṭâmêʼ — to be foul, especially in a ceremial or moral sense (contaminated)VerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singular
עַד־‘aḏ-untilH5704
√ ʻad — as far (or long, or much) as, whether of space (even unto) or time (during, while, until) or degree (equally with)Preposition
הָעָֽרֶב׃hā·‘ā·reḇeveningH6153
√ ʻereb — duskArticleNounmasculine singular
hāʻereḇ, “the evening” — “unclean until evening” is the lightest tier of ritual defilement, lifting at sundown. Its very mildness is the strongest argument (Ellicott, Pulpit) that the law is symbolic, not sanitary.
47

And anyone who sleeps in the house or eats in it must wash his clothes.

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Hebrew — tap a word ↓

wə·haš·šō·ḵêḇ bab·ba·yiṯ yə·ḵab·bês ’eṯ- bə·ḡā·ḏāw wə·hā·’ō·ḵêl bab·ba·yiṯ yə·ḵab·bês ’eṯ- bə·ḡā·ḏāw

Word by word10 · parsed
וְהַשֹּׁכֵ֣בwə·haš·šō·ḵêḇAnd anyone who sleepsH7901
√ shâkab — to lie down (for rest, sexual connection, decease or any other purpose)Conjunctive waw, ArticleVerbQalParticiplemasculine singular
The two participles (the lier-down, the eater) escalate v. 46’s “enterer.” Degrees of contact yield degrees of defilement — a graded, not binary, system.
בַּבַּ֔יִתbab·ba·yiṯin the houseH1004
√ bayith — a house (in the greatest variation of applications, especially family, etcPreposition-b, ArticleNounmasculine singular
יְכַבֵּ֖סyə·ḵab·bêsH3526
√ kâbaç — to trampleVerbPielImperfectthird person masculine singular
kāḇas, “to wash (by treading),” is the constant verb of garment-purification in the leprosy code. The required laundering marks a defilement one step heavier than the enterer’s.
אֶת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
בְּגָדָ֑יוbə·ḡā·ḏāwH899
√ beged — a covering, iNounmasculine plural constructthird person masculine singular
וְהָאֹכֵ֣לwə·hā·’ō·ḵêlor eatsH398
√ ʼâkal — to eat (literally or figuratively)Conjunctive waw, ArticleVerbQalParticiplemasculine singular
Eating in the house, paired with sleeping, defines settled presence; Gill cites the rabbinic measure of how long a stay counts — the law weighs duration and intimacy, not bare contact.
בַּבַּ֔יִתbab·ba·yiṯin itH1004
√ bayith — a house (in the greatest variation of applications, especially family, etcPreposition-b, ArticleNounmasculine singular
יְכַבֵּ֖סyə·ḵab·bêsmust washH3526
√ kâbaç — to trampleVerbPielImperfectthird person masculine singular
אֶת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
בְּגָדָֽיו׃bə·ḡā·ḏāwhis clothesH899
√ beged — a covering, iNounmasculine plural constructthird person masculine singular

The verse-by-verse work is done. What follows gathers the whole unit. All three layers below are machine-generated (⚙). Weigh them; they have no authority.

Grand Commentary — the unit, read whole

synthesis · verify

AI synthesis — woven from the public-domain voices above and the original text; generated and fallible.

i. The law delivered, and the hand that puts the plague — 33–34

The unit opens, like Joshua, on the seam of speech: “And the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron.” Ellicott notes that the diagnostic house-law, like the laws of leprous garments and persons, is “delivered to Moses and Aaron conjointly” — Aaron is named because, as Gill says, “the affair of the leprosy of houses being what belonged to the priest to examine into and cleanse from.” Then comes the verse that has unsettled every commentator: wənāṯattî, “and I put,” the same root nāṯan that gave the land. The Geneva note reads it flatly — “no plague nor punishment comes to man without God's providence and his sending.” Keil presses it as deliberate theology: the LORD “held it over them, to remind the inhabitants of the house that they owed not only their bodies but also their dwelling-places to the Lord.” JFB and the Pulpit Commentary pull the other way: it is, JFB says, “common in Scripture to represent God as doing that which He only permits in His providence to be done.” Barnes splits the difference, hearing not penalty but creation-sovereignty — God “speaks as the Lord of all created things, determining their decay and destruction as well as their production.” The tool does not adjudicate; it records that the Hebrew verb is first-person and blunt, and that the house is struck with ṣāraʻaṯ — the very word for human leprosy.

ii. The grammar of restraint — diagnosis, not contagion — 35–38

What follows is a procedure built to protect, not to quarantine a pathogen. The owner must speak provisionally — kə-negaʻ, “like a plague” — because, Ellicott reports from the authorities in the time of Christ, even an expert who knows certainly that it is leprosy “is not to say positively to the priest, “The plague has appeared in my house,” but “It seemeth to me . . . as it were,” &c, because it was the office of the priest to pronounce a positive sentence on the subject.” The priest then orders the house ūp̄innū, emptied, before he enters — Ellicott’s “benign law,” Poole’s witness that nothing was “polluted till the leprosy was discovered and declared by the priest, to show what great difference God makes between sins of ignorance, and sins against knowledge.” Keil draws the decisive inference: since the contents defile only on the priest’s word, “the reason for the defilement is not to be sought for in physical infection, but must have been of an ideal or symbolical kind.” The house is then wəhisgîr — put under the same seven-day quarantine (sāḡar) as a leprous body.

iii. The threefold remedy — extract, scrape, raze — 39–45

The disease is met in three escalating stages, each keyed to the verb pāśāh, “spread” — for, as Gill says, “spreading was always a sign of leprosy, both in the bodies of men, and in garments.” First the infected stones are wəḥilləṣū, drawn out (Gill: “in such manner as not to endanger the fall of the house”), and the interior scraped sāḇîḇ, all around. If the plague yāšûḇreturns, using the priest’s own “return” verb from v. 39, and indeed ūp̄āraḥ, breaks out / blossoms — it is judged mam’ereṯ, a fretting, malignant evil, and the house is wənāṯaṣ, razed. The Pulpit Commentary closes the analogy with the leper: “As the leper was removed from the camp, so the leprous house is to be utterly pulled down… carried forth… into an unclean place.” Benson and Gill alike hear it as a parable: of “the idolatry which did strangely cleave to the Jewish Church,” and of “a visible church… into which sometimes the leprosy of immorality and profaneness gets and spreads, or of errors and heresies, which creep in unawares.”

iv. The lightness of the defilement — 46–47

The last two verses quietly confirm the whole unit’s logic. Whoever enters the shut-up house is unclean only ʻad-hāʻereḇ, “until the evening” — the mildest grade of defilement, lifting at sundown. The Pulpit Commentary draws the conclusion the tool finds hard to resist: “Such a regulation would have been ineffectual for preventing the spread of infection, if that had been its purpose.” Sleeping or eating in the house — settled, intimate presence — raises it one degree, requiring the clothes be yəḵabbês, laundered. The graded scale (enter / lodge / eat) shows a system measuring nearness to a symbol of corruption, not viral load. The whole law treats the house as a body that can sicken and die — and the man who would dwell with the dying must wash.

v. Read under Sola Scriptura — this tool’s own fallible reading (⚙) — 33–47

Set against the rule that Scripture alone is final, three things stand out — offered to be tested, not trusted. God claims the house, body and roof-beam. Whether one reads “I put” as direct infliction (Keil) or providential permission (Pulpit, JFB), the text refuses to let the home fall outside the LORD’s rule; a man owes his walls to God as truly as his body. Uncleanness is a declared status, not a germ. Nothing defiles until the priest speaks; the defilement is light and self-clearing; the goods are spared if removed in time. This is a theology of holiness and boundary, dramatized in plaster and stone — which is exactly why the older voices reach for sin: Henry’s “sin, where that reigns in a house, is a plague there, as it is in a heart.” The remedy runs toward death and exile. Extract, scrape, raze, carry outside the city — the same path the leper walked. The cure for what cannot be cleansed is removal beyond the camp. The tool notes the danger in the typological reading: the older expositors press it confidently toward idolatry and the church; the text itself states a procedure and leaves the figure implicit. Hold the figure loosely; hold the procedure as written.

Read under Sola Scriptura — this tool’s own fallible reading (⚙)

The house-leprosy law is the clearest case in the whole code that Israel’s uncleanness was never mere hygiene. A plague that defiles only when a priest names it, that lifts at sundown for a passer-by, that spares the furniture if you act before the verdict — this is a grammar of holiness, not a quarantine manual. Read whole, it says that the living God lays claim to the place a man sleeps and eats, that corruption left to spread must finally be carried outside the camp, and that the only house which never has to be torn down is the one whose true Owner has cleansed it. That is the tool’s reading; weigh it against the text and keep what Scripture supports.

A house, like a heart, is judged not by the first stain but by whether the stain keeps spreading after every cure.

Canonical Threads — out to the whole of Scripture

cross-refs · verify

AI-generated connections. Each carries a verification badge with a recorded basis; contested links are flagged.

The house-leprosy law ↔ the garment-leprosy law verbal / quotation — confirmed

The whole pericope is consciously modeled on the law of leprous clothing just before it: the same diagnostic colors (greenish or reddish), the same seven-day shut-up, the same test of spreading, and — most tellingly — the same rare verdict-word mam’ereṯ, a fretting / malignant leprosy. Ellicott makes the link explicit: the house “must be pulled down, just as the garment was destroyed under similar circumstances (see Leviticus 13:51).” Both bodies, garment and house, are surrogates for the human frame.

Leviticus 13:51 · Leviticus 14:44

basis: rare shared lexeme H3992 mâʼar ("fretting/malignant," in only 4 vv), with H6581 pâsâh ("spread," 18 vv) and the governing keywords H6883 tsâraʻath + H5061 negaʻ

The diagnostic grid carried from skin to garment to wall structural / thematic — confirmed

The keywords that govern the human-leprosy diagnosis in ch. 13 — ṣāraʻaṯ (leprosy) and negaʻ (the stroke) — are deliberately re-used here for a house. The transfer is the point: a wall is examined exactly as a body is, so that, as Keil notes of the signs in v. 37, the appearance is “so similar to that of leprosy in the human body, as to derive its name from the latter by analogy.” The shared negaʻ is common across the code (62 verses), so this is a structural-thematic kinship, not a pointed quotation.

Leviticus 13:49 · Leviticus 14:34

basis: shared governing lexemes H6883 tsâraʻath (33 vv) and H5061 negaʻ (62 vv); high-frequency, so a shared diagnostic pattern rather than a verbal quotation

The cleansing rite that completes the law structural / thematic — confirmed

This unit ends with the verdict of uncleanness (vv. 44–47); the immediately following verses (14:48–53) supply the counterpart — the rite for a house pronounced clean, performed (Cambridge) “the same… as that prescribed for the leper in Leviticus 14:4–7.” The thread is held only by the common word bayith (house), which is everywhere in the chapter, so the connection is structural: judgment and cleansing are the two halves of one law.

Leviticus 14:45 · Leviticus 14:48

basis: shared lexeme H1004 bayith (1709 vv) only — a very high-frequency word, so the link is the shared subject (the house) and the law's bipartite structure, not a verbal echo

“Scraping / cornering” — a rare verb to Ezekiel’s temple verbal / quotation — confirmed

The verb for scraping the defiled wall, yaqṣiaʻ (root qāṣaʻ), occurs in only two passages in the whole Hebrew Bible. Its sole sibling is Ezekiel 46:22, where the temple’s outer courts are “cornered / set in corners.” The same rare root frames both the stripping of an unclean house and the precise squaring of holy space — a verbal curiosity binding defilement-removal to sanctuary-architecture. The link is real but slender; the tool offers it as a lexical thread, not a developed typology.

Leviticus 14:41 · Ezekiel 46:22

basis: rare shared lexeme H7106 qâtsaʻ — occurs in only 2 verses in the entire OT, making the verbal link statistically pointed

“Cutting off your house” — the curse on a built house verbal / quotation — confirmed

The rare verb hiqṣôṯ (root qāṣāh, “to cut off,” five passages) that describes scraping the house reappears, with bayith, in Habakkuk 2:10 — “you have devised shame for your house, cutting off many peoples, and forfeiting your soul.” Where Leviticus cuts away a plague to save a house, Habakkuk indicts a man who builds a house by violence and so cuts off his own life — the same verbal pair (cut-off + house) turned toward judgment. Compare 2 Kings 10:32, where the LORD “began to cut off” parts of Israel. Note: this is a verbal kinship of a single rare root, not a quotation of Leviticus.

Leviticus 14:43 · Habakkuk 2:10 · 2 Kings 10:32

basis: rare shared lexeme H7096 qâtsâh ("cut off," in only 5 vv); the Habakkuk pairing adds H1004 bayith. Confirmed as verbal on the low-frequency root, though the sense is analogical, not citational

“Greenish” — the rare color word, and why it is only a coincidence flagged — verify source

The faint sickly green of the wall-plague, yəraqraqōṯ (root yᵉraqraq), is one of only three occurrences in the Hebrew Bible. One sibling is the gold-green sheen of a dove’s wings in Psalm 68:13 — the same rare reduplicated color word stretched from a plague-stain to a thing of beauty. By raw frequency the Verifier would tag this “verbal,” but the tool deliberately downgrades it: there is no shared motif, structure, or quotation — only a homonym of color, and the senses (corruption vs. iridescence) point in opposite directions. A rare word alone, with no shared meaning, does not earn a “confirmed verbal” badge. It is offered as a lexical curiosity to be checked, not a connection to be trusted.

Leviticus 14:37 · Psalm 68:13

basis: the only shared lexeme is H3422 yᵉraqraq (in 3 vv) — rare by count, but the meanings diverge sharply (plague-stain vs. dove-iridescence) with no shared motif or citation, so the verbal coincidence is flagged rather than confirmed

Christ in the Unittypology · verify

AI-generated reading; weigh it against the text.

The house torn down and built again novel

The condemned house could not be cleansed; it had to be razed and carried outside the city (v. 45) — as the leper was put outside the camp. The older voices already read the house as a body and a temple. Gill calls it “an emblem of a visible church… compared to an house.” The Gospel presses past the figure: at His own body Jesus said, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19), and He “suffered outside the gate” (Hebrews 13:12), the very place to which the unclean house and the leper were carried. The house that man must demolish prefigures the temple that God tears down and raises incorruptible. The tool offers this as a reading to be weighed, not a claim the text makes outright.

Leviticus 14:45 · John 2:19 · Hebrews 13:12

The leprosy that no scraping could cure widely-held

Every human remedy is applied — stones pulled, walls scraped, fresh plaster laid — and still the plague returns (v. 43). The law diagnoses a corruption that the law itself cannot finally remove; the house must die. This is leprosy as Scripture’s standing emblem of sin (Henry: “The leprosy of sin ruins families and churches,” and “Thus sin is so interwoven with the human body, that it must be taken down by death”), and it is precisely what only Christ can do: He touched the leper and was not defiled but cleansed him (Matthew 8:3), doing what the priest, who could only declare, never could — He makes clean. The typology of leprosy-as-sin is ancient and widely held; the specific reach to Christ’s cleansing touch is the tool’s application of it.

Leviticus 14:43 · Matthew 8:2-3 · Leviticus 13:45-46

Apparatus & Provenance

The biblical text is the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain (CC0). Hebrew/Greek text, transliteration, morphology and Strong’s are transcribed from the Berean interlinear (CC0) + Strong’s lexicons (PD); the literal renderings, divergence notes, word notes and all synthesis are this tool’s own work (⚙) — fallible; verify them.

Named voices, quoted verbatim from public-domain works:

  • Albert Barnes, Notes on the Bible (1834)
  • Charles Ellicott, Commentary for English Readers (1878)
  • Geneva Study Bible, Marginal Notes (1599)
  • Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory (1871)
  • John Gill, Exposition of the Entire Bible (1746–63)
  • Joseph Benson, Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1810s)
  • Keil & Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1860s)
  • Matthew Henry, Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible (1706)
  • Matthew Poole, Annotations upon the Holy Bible (1685)
  • The Pulpit Commentary, Spence & Exell, eds. (1880s)

This is a prospective, never-yet-applied law (vv. 33–34): Israel was still in tents, so the statute is, as Benson, Barnes, and Gill all note, “an appendix” awaiting the settlement of Canaan. Two interpretive questions are genuinely unsettled and left open here rather than decided: (1) the nature of the plague — saltpetre, mineral salts, fungus, lichen, or a strictly supernatural infliction (Keil, JFB, Gill survey the options without consensus); and (2) the force of “I put the plague” — direct divine infliction (Keil, Geneva) versus providential permission expressed in the idiom of Scripture (Pulpit Commentary, JFB). The tool records both and adjudicates neither.

The cross-Testament Christ readings carry no Strong’s-number basis: links from a Hebrew text to Greek New-Testament passages cannot share Hebrew lexemes, so they are offered as typology/thematic reading, explicitly marked, never as “verbal.” Several within-Hebrew threads above are tagged verbal only because the Verifier found a genuinely rare shared root (qâtsaʻ, 2 vv; qâtsâh, 5 vv; yᵉraqraq, 3 vv; mâʼar, 4 vv); where the shared word is high-frequency (negaʻ, bayith) the link is downgraded to structural/thematic on purpose. The yᵉraqraq ↔ Psalm 68:13 thread is the one case where the tool overrides the Verifier’s frequency-based “verbal”: the rare word is matched but its senses diverge (plague-stain vs. dove-iridescence) with no shared motif or citation, so the badge is set to flagged — verify source rather than confirmed — a caution against over-reading a coincidence of a rare word.

Several public-domain voices carry OCR artifacts preserved verbatim (e.g., “flora” for “from” at 14:34; “eat” for “out” at 14:45); these are noted in the editorial_note for each and were left unaltered to keep every excerpt a true substring of the source. Matthew Henry’s note is a single comment on the whole pericope (14:33–53) and recurs across verses in the source; it is quoted once or twice, not on every verse. The Berean Standard Bible (CC0) supplies the base text; the parses are Berean/Strong’s and are not contradicted here.

= human, public-domain source, quoted and named. = machine synthesis, to be verified. Flagged cross-references are left visible on purpose — the verifier working in the open. “Search the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:11)