What Does Leviticus 13:6 Mean?
And the priest shall see him again on the seventh day; and behold, if the stroke is somewhat dim, and the stroke has not spread in the skin, the priest shall declare him clean; it is only a scab; and he shall wash his garments, and be clean.
Key words are shown with the Hebrew or Greek and what each word meant.
Selah Decoded Version The Selah Decoded Version renders what the Hebrew and Greek words meant to the people who first heard them.
King James wording
King James Version
And the priest shall look on him again the seventh day: and, behold, if the plague be somewhat dark, and the plague spread not in the skin, the priest shall pronounce him clean: it is but a scab: and he shall wash his clothes, and be clean.THE KEY
The priest reads the mark by its direction: it is dim, it has not spread, and that trajectory shapes the verdict.
THE MEANING
Your visible condition receives a second look: the priest weighs the mark’s dimness and whether it has spread. The clean verdict is followed by washing the clothes, and the person is clean.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
One appearance fixes the whole judgment; here, a second look and the condition’s course matter to the verdict.
THE ROOT
פָשָׂה
pāśāh
GROWS FROM
פשה
To spread or extend outward.
The verse says the mark has not פָשָׂה (pāśāh, spread). The next verse repeats this root for a mark that spreads abroad, making outward movement the dividing clue between the two verdicts.
ALSO GROWS
pāśōh: Spreading greatly; an infinitive form in Leviticus 13:7.
פָּשֹׂה
Its pairing with the next form intensifies the contrast with the absence of spreading here.
tiphśeh: It spreads; the verb form in Leviticus 13:7.
תִּפְשֶׂה
The same root describes the mark’s movement outward, which prompts another priestly examination.
כֵּהָה
kēhāh
GROWS FROM
כהה
To grow dim, faint, or weak.
“somewhat dim” in this verse is kēhāh. The word rendered “somewhat dark” also carries the sense of dimness or weakness. The same root describes Eli’s eyes growing dim in 1 Samuel 3:2, so here the mark’s subdued intensity is part of what the priest observes.
ALSO GROWS
kēhāh: Dim or faint; the form used in Leviticus 13:6.
כֵּהָה
It describes the mark’s subdued appearance alongside the fact that it has not spread.
kēhōt: Growing dim; used of Eli’s eyes in 1 Samuel 3:2.
כֵּהוֹת
The shared root links the mark’s dimness with a loss of intensity in sight.
וְטִהֲרוֹ
vetiharo
GROWS FROM
טהר
To be clean or pure; to cleanse.
“declare him clean” in this verse is vetiharo. The priest’s declaration and the final “be clean” use forms of טהר (tāhēr, be clean or purify). The shared root holds the verdict and the resulting state together, with washing immediately following.
ALSO GROWS
tāhôr: Clean or pure; for example, Leviticus 11:47.
טָהוֹר
This form names the state the priest declares.
tohorah: Purification or cleansing; for example, Leviticus 12:4.
טָהֳרָה
This related form names a cleansing process, echoing the washing that follows the verdict.
THE PATTERN
A sound judgment waits for a condition’s course, weighing what changes and what remains unchanged.
And the priest shall look upon him on the seventh day; and behold, if the stroke in its sight stands, and the stroke has not spread in the skin; then the priest shall shut him in seven days more;The one who returns a word before he hears it, folly and shame are his.For every tree is known by its own fruit. For people do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush.THE THREAD
But if the scab spreads far in the skin, after he has been seen by the priest for his cleansing, he shall be seen by the priest again;Verse 6 says the mark has not פָשָׂה (pāśāh, spread); the next verse repeats that root in “spread much abroad.” The changed direction of the mark reverses the outcome and brings another examination.
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