The flesh also, in which, even in the skin thereof, was a boil, and is healed,

LEVITICUS 13:18KJV
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Leviticus 13:18 (KJV)

What does Leviticus 13:18 mean?

Leviticus 13:18 introduces a situation where a person’s skin had a boil that has now healed, setting up instructions for what to do if a new problem appears in that spot. This verse is part of a larger section where God, through Moses, gives the priests guidelines for examining skin diseases among the Israelites.

Here, Moses is speaking to the priests about how to handle cases of skin problems that might be infectious. The verse describes a healed boil in the flesh (meaning the body’s skin), which is important because it signals the start of a new inspection process. The focus is on careful observation to determine if the healed area has become diseased again, which was a serious concern in ancient Israel.

The Hebrew behind Leviticus 13:18

  • flesh (בָּשָׂר, basar): This word refers to the physical body or skin. Its use here emphasizes that the instructions are about visible, bodily conditions, not just internal illness.
  • skin (עוֹר, ‘or): This word means the outer layer of the body. The verse highlights that the issue is specifically in the skin, which the priests are to examine.
  • boil (שְׁחִין, shechin): This refers to a swelling or sore, often an inflamed spot. Mentioning a healed boil sets the stage for checking if a new problem has developed in the same area.
  • healed (רָפָא, rapha’): This word means to be restored or made well. The verse notes that the boil is no longer active, but there is still a need for vigilance in case of recurrence.

Why Leviticus 13:18 matters

  • Leviticus 13:18 clarifies that even after a skin problem seems to be healed, the area must still be watched for new signs of disease, showing the seriousness of maintaining community health.
  • The verse connects to the wider passage by introducing a specific scenario for priestly examination, which helps the reader understand the careful, step-by-step process required for diagnosing skin conditions.
  • This verse helps prevent misunderstanding by showing that not all skin marks were immediately considered unclean; there was a process for determining the true nature of the problem.

Where else these words appear

“boil” Hebrew H7822 · used in 12 verses

  • Exodus 9:9 And it shall become small dust in all the land of Egypt, and shall be a boil breaking forth with blains upon man, and upon beast, throughout all the land of Egypt.
  • Leviticus 13:19 And in the place of the boil there be a white rising, or a bright spot, white, and somewhat reddish, and it be shewed to the priest;
  • Deuteronomy 28:35 The LORD shall smite thee in the knees, and in the legs, with a sore botch that cannot be healed, from the sole of thy foot unto the top of thy head.

“which” Hebrew H3588 · used in 43 verses

  • Genesis 1:4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
  • Exodus 13:17 And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt:
  • Joshua 2:24 And they said unto Joshua, Truly the LORD hath delivered into our hands all the land; for even all the inhabitants of the country do faint because of us.

“healed” Hebrew H7495 · used in 62 verses

  • Genesis 20:17 So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children.
  • 2 Chronicles 16:12 And Asa in the thirty and ninth year of his reign was diseased in his feet, until his disease was exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not to the LORD, but to the physicians.
  • Jeremiah 6:14 They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.

“skin” Hebrew H5785 · used in 82 verses

  • Genesis 3:21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.
  • Leviticus 13:12 And if a leprosy break out abroad in the skin, and the leprosy cover all the skin of him that hath the plague from his head even to his foot, wheresoever the priest looketh;
  • Leviticus 15:17 And every garment, and every skin, whereon is the seed of copulation, shall be washed with water, and be unclean until the even.