And the priest shall come again the seventh day, and shall look: and, behold, if the plague be spread in the walls of the house;

LEVITICUS 14:39KJV
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Leviticus 14:39 (KJV)

What does Leviticus 14:39 mean?

Leviticus 14:39 describes how, after seven days, the priest returns to inspect a house that may have a spreading disease or mold in its walls. If the problem has spread, the priest will see it and take further action according to the law.

In this verse, God is giving instructions to Moses and Aaron about how priests should handle cases of suspected contamination in houses. The priest (not the homeowner) is responsible for examining the house after a waiting period, showing that the process is careful and deliberate. This inspection is part of a larger set of laws about purity and health in the community.

The Hebrew behind Leviticus 14:39

  • כֹּהֵן (kohen, "priest"): This word highlights that the inspection is a priestly duty, not just a civil matter, emphasizing the spiritual as well as physical concern.
  • נֶגַע (negaʿ, "plague" or "affliction"): This term often refers to a mark or spot that could be a sign of ritual impurity, not just a medical issue, showing the seriousness of the situation.
  • פָּרַח (parach, "spread"): The word means to break out or spread, indicating that the concern is not just the presence of a spot, but whether it is actively getting worse.
  • קִיר (qir, "walls"): This word makes it clear that the inspection is focused on the structure of the house itself, not just its contents.

Why Leviticus 14:39 matters

  • Leviticus 14:39 shows that the process for dealing with house contamination was careful and involved a waiting period, not immediate judgment or destruction.
  • The verse emphasizes the role of the priest as both a spiritual and practical leader in the community, responsible for public health as well as ritual purity.
  • This inspection is part of a larger pattern in Leviticus where careful observation and time are given before declaring something unclean, showing a balance of caution and mercy.

Where else these words appear

“spread” Hebrew H6581 · used in 18 verses

  • Leviticus 13:5 And the priest shall look on him the seventh day: and, behold, if the plague in his sight be at a stay, and the plague spread not in the skin; then the priest shall shut him up seven days more:
  • Leviticus 13:23 But if the bright spot stay in his place, and spread not, it is a burning boil; and the priest shall pronounce him clean.
  • Leviticus 13:36 Then the priest shall look on him: and, behold, if the scall be spread in the skin, the priest shall not seek for yellow hair; he is unclean.

“plague” Hebrew H5061 · used in 62 verses

  • Genesis 12:17 And the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram's wife.
  • Leviticus 13:43 Then the priest shall look upon it: and, behold, if the rising of the sore be white reddish in his bald head, or in his bald forehead, as the leprosy appeareth in the skin of the flesh;
  • Leviticus 14:36 Then the priest shall command that they empty the house, before the priest go into it to see the plague, that all that is in the house be not made unclean: and afterward the priest shall go in to see the house:

“walls” Hebrew H7023 · used in 64 verses

  • Exodus 30:3 And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, the top thereof, and the sides thereof round about, and the horns thereof; and thou shalt make unto it a crown of gold round about.
  • 1 Kings 14:10 Therefore, behold, I will bring evil upon the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel, and will take away the remnant of the house of Jeroboam, as a man taketh away dung, till it be all gone.
  • Ezekiel 8:10 So I went in and saw; and behold every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, pourtrayed upon the wall round about.

“seventh” Hebrew H7637 · used in 94 verses

  • Genesis 2:2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
  • Leviticus 23:24 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation.
  • 1 Kings 18:44 And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not.