Lexical Summary
tsaraath: Leprosy, skin disease
Original Word:צָרַעַת
Part of Speech:Noun Feminine
Transliteration:tsara`ath
Pronunciation:tsah-rah-ath
Phonetic Spelling:(tsaw-rah'-ath)
KJV: leprosy
NASB:leprosy, leprous, mark
Word Origin:[fromH6879 (צָּרַע - leper)]
1. leprosy
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
leprosy
Fromtsara'; leprosy -- leprosy.
see HEBREWtsara'
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom an unused word
Definitionleprosy
NASB Translationleprosy (30), leprous (4), mark (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
35 ; — absolute
Deuteronomy 24:3 +,
Leviticus 13:2 +; construct
2 Kings 5:27 +; suffix
2 Kings 5:3,6,7; —
leprosy2 Kings 5:3,6,7,27; 2Chronicles 26:19; elsewhere only in laws:
Deuteronomy 24:8, and
Leviticus 13:14 (P; 29 t.):
Leviticus 14:57; specific of
(as above)Leviticus 13:2 8t.; withoutLeviticus 13:8 10t.
leprosy in a garmentLeviticus 13:47,49,51,52,59 ( ).
Leviticus 14:34 (),Leviticus 14:44; house or garmentLeviticus 14:55. — Exact meaning of
and
dubious, perhaps some fungus or mould; see especially Di Dr-Wh Baen.
Topical Lexicon
Scope of the Wordצָרַעַת (tsaraath) designates an array of divinely diagnosed contaminations that could afflict skin, clothing, and even houses. Scripture never confines the term to modern Hansen’s disease; instead, it functions as a covenant marker of uncleanness that calls for priestly discernment and ritual resolution. The word appears about thirty-five times, with its densest concentration inLeviticus 13–14.
Distribution in the Old Testament
• Levitical legislation:Leviticus 13; 14
• Wilderness narratives:Exodus 4:6;Numbers 12:10;Deuteronomy 24:8
• Monarchical period:2 Samuel 3:29;2 Kings 5:1-27;2 Kings 7:3-8;2 Kings 15:5;2 Chronicles 26:19-23
• Post-exilic reflection:Nehemiah 13:30 (implicit concern for purity)
Levitical Procedures
Leviticus devotes 116 verses to diagnosing and cleansing tsaraath. The priest—not the physician—serves as the public health officer and spiritual arbiter. Examination, quarantine, and final declaration follow a seven-day rhythm reflecting creation’s pattern.
Persons
• Signs: Swellings, scabs, bright spots that sink lower than the skin and turn hair white (Leviticus 13:3-4).
• Outcome: If declared unclean, “He must live alone in a place outside the camp” (Leviticus 13:46).
• Restoration: Two clean birds, cedar, scarlet yarn, hyssop, running water, and an eight-day sacrificial sequence (Leviticus 14:1-20).
Garments
• Fungus-like discoloration on wool, linen, or leather (Leviticus 13:47-59).
• Burning of the affected article when incurable.
Houses
• Greenish or reddish depressions appearing deeper than the wall surface (Leviticus 14:33-48).
• Potential demolition if the plague persists: “The house is unclean. It must be torn down—its stones, timbers, and all the plaster” (Leviticus 14:44-45).
Narrative Examples
Moses (Exodus 4:6-7)
Yahweh momentarily gives the lawgiver a leprous hand “white as snow” to demonstrate divine power over impurity and restoration.
Miriam (Numbers 12:10-15)
Rebellion against Moses’ prophetic authority results in tsaraath until intercession and a seven-day exile restore her.
Naaman and Gehazi (2 Kings 5)
A Gentile commander humbles himself, receives cleansing in the Jordan, and confesses, “Now I know that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel” (2 Kings 5:15). Gehazi’s covetous deceit incurs perpetual tsaraath, showing the moral dimension of the plague (2 Kings 5:27).
Uzziah (2 Kings 15:5;2 Chronicles 26:16-23)
Prideful usurpation of priestly prerogatives leads to lifelong leprosy and isolation—an object lesson in respecting divinely appointed boundaries.
The Four Lepers at Samaria’s Gate (2 Kings 7:3-20)
God uses outcasts to announce deliverance, prefiguring the gospel principle that weak and excluded vessels may herald salvation.
Theological Themes
Holiness and Presence
Tsaraath makes visible the incompatibility between impurity and the presence of the Holy One dwelling amid His people (Leviticus 11:44-45). The laws protect the sanctuary from defilement (Leviticus 15:31).
Sin Symbolism
Though not equated with sin, tsaraath graphically portrays its effects—alienation, shame, and death. Isaiah later employs “unclean lips” imagery (Isaiah 6:5), and the prophets treat moral decay as a spreading plague (Hosea 5:12).
Redemptive Pattern
The cleansing ritual points beyond itself: living water, sacrificial blood, and release of a living bird foreshadow atonement, resurrection, and ascension.
Divine Compassion
Levitical law balances holiness with mercy; provision exists for the poor to offer less costly sacrifices (Leviticus 14:21-32).
Inter-Testamental and New Testament Resonance
By the first century, the Septuagint’s use of lepra narrowed popular understanding to chronic skin disease. When Jesus encounters lepers, He honors Mosaic procedure: “Go, show yourselves to the priests” (Luke 17:14). Physical healing and priestly certification confirm His identity as the fulfiller, not abolisher, of the Law (Matthew 5:17).
His touch of the untouchable (Mark 1:40-45) declares the kingdom’s power to reverse impurity and anticipates the comprehensive cleansing accomplished at Calvary: “By His stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5).
Historical Background
Ancient Near Eastern texts mention contagions, but none prescribe detailed priestly diagnostics comparable to Israel’s. The legislation stands unique in linking disease to worship and communal life, testifying to Israel’s covenantal distinctiveness.
Pastoral and Missional Reflections
1. God remains concerned with both the spiritual and physical well-being of His people.
2. Church discipline, like Levitical quarantine, seeks restoration, not mere exclusion (1 Corinthians 5:5;Galatians 6:1).
3. Ministry to the marginalized echoes the Messiah’s pattern; believers are called to extend compassionate touch while holding to holiness (James 1:27).
Summary
Tsaraath functions in Scripture as a tangible reminder of the devastating reach of impurity and the gracious provision of cleansing. From the wilderness to the monarchy, and ultimately to the ministry of Jesus Christ, the theme underscores the necessity of divine intervention to restore fellowship with God and community.
Forms and Transliterations
הַצָּרַ֖עַת הַצָּרַ֗עַת הַצָּרַ֙עַת֙ הַצָּרַ֛עַת הַצָּרָֽעַת׃ הצרעת הצרעת׃ וְ֠הַצָּרַעַת וְצָרַ֤עַת וּלְצָרַ֥עַת והצרעת ולצרעת וצרעת מִצָּֽרַעְתּ֑וֹ מִצָּרַעְתּֽוֹ׃ מצרעתו מצרעתו׃ צָרַ֔עַת צָרַ֖עַת צָרַ֜עַת צָרַ֣עַת צָרַ֤עַת צָרַ֥עַת צָרַ֧עַת צָרַ֨עַת צָרָ֑עַת צרעת haṣ·ṣā·ra·‘aṯ haṣ·ṣā·rā·‘aṯ haṣṣāra‘aṯ haṣṣārā‘aṯ hatztzaRaat miṣ·ṣā·ra‘·tōw miṣṣāra‘tōw mitztzaraTo ṣā·ra·‘aṯ ṣā·rā·‘aṯ ṣāra‘aṯ ṣārā‘aṯ tzaRaat ū·lə·ṣā·ra·‘aṯ ūləṣāra‘aṯ uletzaRaat Vehatztzaraat vetzaRaat wə·haṣ·ṣā·ra·‘aṯ wə·ṣā·ra·‘aṯ wəhaṣṣāra‘aṯ wəṣāra‘aṯ
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