Regulations About Defiling Molds

47 “As for any fabric that is spoiled with a defiling mold—any woolen or linen clothing, 48 any woven or knitted material of linen or wool, any leather or anything made of leather— 49 if the affected area in the fabric, the leather, the woven or knitted material, or any leather article, is greenish or reddish, it is a defiling mold and must be shown to the priest.(A) 50 The priest is to examine the affected area(B) and isolate the article for seven days. 51 On the seventh day he is to examine it,(C) and if the mold has spread in the fabric, the woven or knitted material, or the leather, whatever its use, it is a persistent defiling mold; the article is unclean.(D) 52 He must burn the fabric, the woven or knitted material of wool or linen, or any leather article that has been spoiled; because the defiling mold is persistent, the article must be burned.(E)

53 “But if, when the priest examines it, the mold has not spread in the fabric, the woven or knitted material, or the leather article, 54 he shall order that the spoiled article be washed. Then he is to isolate it for another seven days. 55 After the article has been washed, the priest is to examine it again, and if the mold has not changed its appearance, even though it has not spread, it is unclean. Burn it, no matter which side of the fabric has been spoiled. 56 If, when the priest examines it, the mold has faded after the article has been washed, he is to tear the spoiled part out of the fabric, the leather, or the woven or knitted material. 57 But if it reappears in the fabric, in the woven or knitted material, or in the leather article, it is a spreading mold; whatever has the mold must be burned. 58 Any fabric, woven or knitted material, or any leather article that has been washed and is rid of the mold, must be washed again. Then it will be clean.”

59 These are the regulations concerning defiling molds in woolen or linen clothing, woven or knitted material, or any leather article, for pronouncing them clean or unclean.

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Infections in Garments, Cloth, or Leather

47 “When a garment has a diseased infection in it,[a] whether a wool or linen garment,[b] 48 or in the warp or woof[c] of the linen or the wool, or in leather or anything made of leather,[d] 49 if the infection[e] in the garment or leather or warp or woof or any article of leather is yellowish green or reddish, it is a diseased infection and it must be shown to the priest. 50 The priest is to examine and then quarantine the article with the infection for seven days.[f] 51 He must then examine the infection on the seventh day. If the infection has spread in the garment, or in the warp, or in the woof, or in the leather—whatever the article into which the leather was made[g]—the infection is a malignant disease. It is unclean. 52 He must burn the garment or the warp or the woof, whether wool or linen, or any article of leather which has the infection in it. Because it is a malignant disease it must be burned up in the fire. 53 But if the priest examines it and[h] the infection has not spread in the garment or in the warp or in the woof or in any article of leather, 54 the priest is to command that they wash whatever has the infection and quarantine it for another seven days.[i] 55 The priest must then examine it after the infection has been washed out, and if[j] the infection has not changed its appearance[k] even though the infection has not spread, it is unclean. You must burn it up in the fire. It is a fungus, whether on the back side or front side of the article.[l] 56 But if the priest has examined it and[m] the infection has faded after it has been washed, he is to tear it out of[n] the garment or the leather or the warp or the woof. 57 Then if[o] it still appears again in the garment or the warp or the woof, or in any article of leather, it is an outbreak. Whatever has the infection in it you must burn up in the fire. 58 But the garment or the warp or the woof or any article of leather which you wash and infection disappears from it[p] is to be washed a second time and it will be clean.”

Summary of Infection Regulations

59 This is the law[q] of the diseased infection in the garment of wool or linen, or the warp or woof, or any article of leather, for pronouncing it clean or unclean.[r]

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Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 13:47 tn Heb “And the garment, if there is in it a mark of disease.”
  2. Leviticus 13:47 tn Heb “in a wool garment or in a linen garment.”
  3. Leviticus 13:48 sn The warp (vertical) and woof (horizontal) thread may be two different sets of thread not yet woven together, or they may refer to two different kinds of thread already woven, in which case one might have the disease in it while the other does not. See the explanation in J. Milgrom, Leviticus (AB), 1:809-10.
  4. Leviticus 13:48 tn Heb “in any handiwork of skin” (cf. KJV, ASV, NRSV); most other modern English versions have “leather.”
  5. Leviticus 13:49 tn Heb “and the infection is.” This clause is conditional in force, and is translated as such by almost all English versions.
  6. Leviticus 13:50 tn Heb “And the priest shall see the infection and he shall shut up the infection seven days.”
  7. Leviticus 13:51 tn Heb “to all which the leather was made into a handiwork.”
  8. Leviticus 13:53 tn Heb “And if the priest sees and behold”; NASB “and indeed.”
  9. Leviticus 13:54 tn Heb “a second seven days.”
  10. Leviticus 13:55 tn Heb “and behold” (so KJV, ASV).
  11. Leviticus 13:55 tn Heb “the infection has not changed its eye.” Smr has “its/his eyes,” as in vv. 5 and 37, but here it refers to the appearance of the article of cloth or leather, unlike vv. 5 and 37 where there is a preposition attached and it refers to the eyes of the priest.
  12. Leviticus 13:55 tn The terms “back side” and “front side” are the same as those used in v. 42 for the “back or front bald area” of a man’s head. The exact meaning of these terms when applied to articles of cloth or leather is uncertain. It could refer, for example, to the inside versus the outside of a garment, or the back versus the front side of an article of cloth or leather. See J. Milgrom, Leviticus (AB), 1:814, for various possibilities.
  13. Leviticus 13:56 tn Heb “And if the priest saw and behold….”
  14. Leviticus 13:56 tn Heb “and he shall tear it from.”
  15. Leviticus 13:57 tn Heb “And if”; NIV, NCV “But if”; NAB “If, however.”
  16. Leviticus 13:58 tn Heb “and the infection turns aside from them.”
  17. Leviticus 13:59 sn The Hebrew term translated “law” (תּוֹרָה, torah) introduces here a summary or colophon for all of Lev 13. Similar summaries are found in Lev 7:37-38; 11:46-47; 14:54-57; and 15:32-33.
  18. Leviticus 13:59 tn These are declarative Piel forms of the verbs טָהֵר (taher) and טָמֵא (tameʾ) respectively (cf. the notes on vv. 3 and 6 above).