Leviticus 13:40 (KJV)

What does Leviticus 13:40 mean?

Leviticus 13:40 says that if a man loses the hair on his head and becomes bald, he is still considered clean according to the law. Baldness by itself is not a sign of disease or impurity in this context.

This verse is part of a larger section where God, through Moses, gives instructions to the priests of Israel about how to identify various skin diseases. The focus here is on distinguishing normal baldness from symptoms of infectious skin conditions, which were a concern for ritual purity in ancient Israel.

The Hebrew behind Leviticus 13:40

• בָּלָד (qareach, H7142) — "bald": This word specifically refers to someone who has lost hair on the top of the head. Its use here clarifies that ordinary baldness is not viewed as a disease.
• טָהוֹר (tahor, H2889) — "clean": This term means ritually pure or acceptable. The verse emphasizes that baldness alone does not make a person unclean or exclude them from community worship.

Why Leviticus 13:40 matters

• Leviticus 13:40 clears up any confusion that might have existed about baldness being a sign of disease or impurity, which was important in a culture where visible skin conditions could lead to social exclusion.
• The verse highlights the careful distinctions the law makes between different physical conditions, showing that not every visible change in appearance was cause for concern.
• This instruction helps the priests avoid unnecessary isolation of people who were simply bald, focusing their attention on actual cases of disease described elsewhere in the chapter.