What Does Leviticus 13:44 Mean in the King James?
He is a leprous man, he is unclean: the priest shall pronounce him utterly unclean; his plague is in his head.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
The affliction is located in the head, while “unclean” is the priest’s declared status.
THE MEANING
The man’s affliction is present on his head, and the priest pronounces him unclean; both the condition and its status are stated plainly. The verse holds the bodily mark and the ruling together without softening either.
THE ROOT
נִגְעוֹ
nigʿo
GROWS FROM
נגע
n-g-ʿ
To touch or strike; as a noun, a stroke or affliction.
“plague” in this verse is nigʿo. The word נֶגַע (negaʿ, “stroke” or “affliction”) carries the concrete force of a touch or strike. Here the affliction is pinned to the head, while the priest’s declaration names its status.
ALSO GROWS
nāgaʿ: To touch, reach, or strike.
נָגַע
This verb supplies the movement beneath the noun: the affliction is a mark of impact.
negaʿ: A stroke, mark, or affliction.
נֶגַע
This noun names the condition located in the man’s head.
טָמֵא
ṭāmēʾ
GROWS FROM
טמא
ṭ-m-ʾ
To be unclean, especially in ritual status.
The Hebrew line repeats this root: the man is unclean, and the priest declares him unclean. That repetition gives the ruling emphatic force, while the separate word for the affliction identifies its location.
ALSO GROWS
ṭumʾāh: Uncleanness or ritual impurity.
טֻמְאָה
This noun names the status stated over the man.
yəṭamməʾennû: He shall declare him unclean.
יְטַמְּאֶנּוּ
The priest’s ruling repeats the same root, making the status explicit.
THE PATTERN
A visible bodily condition is observed, named, and given an explicit status.
And the priest shall look on the plague in the skin of the flesh: and when the hair in the plague is turned white, and the plague in sight be deeper than the skin of his flesh, it is a plague of leprosy: and the priest shall look on him, and pronounce him unclean.And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and, behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous.And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.THE THREAD
And the priest shall look on the plague in the skin of the flesh: and when the hair in the plague is turned white, and the plague in sight be deeper than the skin of his flesh, it is a plague of leprosy: and the priest shall look on him, and pronounce him unclean.Leviticus 13:3 uses the same word translated “plague” for the mark the priest inspects, then repeats the declaration of uncleanness. It opens this verse as the succinct outcome of an examination: the affliction is in view, and its status is spoken.
Read the SDV Bible.
Every verse has a Deep Dive in the app.
The iPhone Bible app with the Selah Decoded Version.
Does something in this reading look wrong? Tell us