God’s Word Translation
Leviticus 13:45
45“People who come down with a skin disease must wear torn clothes and leave their hair uncombed. They must cover their upper lips and call out, ‘Unclean, unclean!’
Leviticus 13:45 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean.
- New International Version (NIV)“Anyone with such a defiling disease must wear torn clothes, let their hair be unkempt, cover the lower part of their face and cry out, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’
- English Standard Version (ESV)"The leprous person who has the disease shall wear torn clothes and let the hair of his head hang loose, and he shall cover his upper lip and cry out, 'Unclean, unclean.'
- New King James Version (NKJV)“Now the leper on whom the sore is, his clothes shall be torn and his head bare; and he shall cover his mustache, and cry, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’
Context of Leviticus 13:45
43The priest will examine him. If the sore from the disease in the bald places in back or in front is pink like a skin disease somewhere else on the body, 44the man has come down with an infectious skin disease. He is unclean. The priest must declare him unclean because of the skin disease on his head. “People who come down with a skin disease must wear torn clothes and leave their hair uncombed. They must cover their upper lips and call out, ‘Unclean, unclean!’ 46As long as they have the skin disease, they are unclean. They must live outside the camp. 47“Now about clothing—if there is a green or red area on a piece of clothing
Read all of Leviticus 13Leviticus 13:45 word by word
וְהַצָּר֜וּעַ אֲשֶׁר־בּ֣וֹ הַנֶּ֗גַע בְּגָדָ֞יו יִהְי֤וּ פְרֻמִים֙ וְרֹאשׁוֹ֙ יִהְיֶ֣ה פָר֔וּעַ וְעַל־שָׂפָ֖ם יַעְטֶ֑ה וְטָמֵ֥א׀ טָמֵ֖א יִקְרָֽא׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And the leperצָרַעtsâra‛ · be leprousH6879
- in whom the plagueנֶ֫גַעnega‛ · plagueH5061
- his clothesבֶּ֫גֶדbeged · garmentH899
- shall be rentפָּרַםpâram · to tearH6533
- and his headרֹאשׁrô'sh · headH7218
- bareפָּרַעpâra‛ · to neglectH6544
- and he shall put a coveringעָטָה‛âţâh · to enwrapH5844
- upon his upper lipשָׂפָםώâphâm · mustacheH8222
- and shall cryקָרָאqârâ' · to call: call outH7121
- Uncleanטָמֵאţâmê' · uncleanH2931
Cross-references for Leviticus 13:45
- Genesis 37:29When Reuben came back to the cistern and saw that Joseph was no longer there, he tore his clothes in grief.
- 2 Samuel 13:19Tamar put ashes on her head, tore the long-sleeved gown she had on, put her hands on her head, and went away crying.
- Job 1:20Job stood up, tore his robe in grief, and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground and worshiped.
- Jeremiah 3:25We must lie down in our shame and be covered by our disgrace. Ever since we were young, we and our ancestors have sinned against the Lord our God. We haven’t obeyed the Lord our God.
- Jeremiah 36:24The king and all his attendants didn’t show any fear or tear their clothes in fear when they heard everything being read.
- Joel 2:13Tear your hearts, not your clothes. Return to the Lord your God. He is merciful and compassionate, patient, and always ready to forgive and to change his plans about disaster.
- Leviticus 10:6Moses told Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar: “Do not mourn by leaving your hair uncombed or tearing your clothes. If you do, you will die and the Lord will become angry with the whole congregation. All the other Israelites may cry over the fire the Lord sent, but you may not.
- Leviticus 21:10“The priest who is anointed with oil and wears the chief priest’s clothes is chief over his brothers. He must never mourn by leaving his hair uncombed or by tearing his clothes.
- Ezekiel 24:17Groan silently. Don’t grieve for the person who dies. Tie on your turban, and put on your sandals. Don’t cover your face or eat the food that mourners eat.”
- Micah 3:7Seers will be put to shame. Those who practice witchcraft will be disgraced. All of them will cover their faces, because God won’t answer them.
- Job 42:6That is why I take back what I said, and I sit in dust and ashes to show that I am sorry.”
- Psalms 51:3I admit that I am rebellious. My sin is always in front of me.
- Isaiah 6:5So I said, “Oh, no! I’m doomed. Every word that passes through my lips is sinful. I live among people with sinful lips. I have seen the king, the Lord of Armies!”
- Isaiah 52:11Run away! Run away! Get away from there! Do not touch anything unclean. Get away from it! Make yourselves pure, you Levites who carry the utensils for the Lord’s temple.
- Isaiah 64:6We’ve all become unclean, and all our righteous acts are like permanently stained rags. All of us shrivel like leaves, and our sins carry us away like the wind.
- Lamentations 4:15‘Get away! You’re unclean,’ people yelled at them. ‘Get away! Get away! Don’t touch anyone.’ When they fled and wandered around, the people of the nations said, ‘They can’t stay here any longer.’
Commentaries on Leviticus 13:45
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 45His clothes shall be rent, etc. - The leprous person is required to be as one that mourned for the dead, or for some great and public calamity. He was to have his clothes rent in token of extreme sorrow; his head was to be made bare, the ordinary bonnet or turban being omitted; and he was to have a covering upon his upper lip, his jaws being tied up With a linen cloth, after the same manner in which the Jews bind up the dead, which custom is still…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 45The leper was to carry about with him the usual signs of mourning for the dead. Compare Leviticus 10:6 and margin reference. The leper was a living parable in the world of the sin of which death was the wages; not the less so because his suffering might have been in no degree due to his own personal deserts: he bore about with him at once the deadly fruit and the symbol of the sin of his race. Exodus 20:5. As his body slowly perished, first the skin, then…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 45-46Verses 45-46 When the priest had pronounced the leper unclean, it put a stop to his business in the world, cut him off from his friends and relations, and ruined all the comfort he could have in the world. He must humble himself under the mighty hand of God, not insisting upon his cleanness, when the priest had pronounced him unclean, but accepting the punishment. Thus must we take to ourselves the shame that belongs to us, and with broken hearts call…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 45People often tore their clothing, left their hair uncombed, and covered their mouths to show they were mourning (Leviticus 10:6). Unclean, unclean!: This cry indicated both social rejection and a health risk. It warned others that the person's skin disorder might be contagious and that holy items should not touch the ceremonially unclean person.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 4545. the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, &c.--The person who was declared affected with the leprosy forthwith exhibited all the tokens of suffering from a heavy calamity. Rending garments and uncovering the head were common signs of mourning. As to "the putting a covering upon the upper lip," that means either wearing a moustache, as the Hebrews used to shave the upper lip [Calmet], or simply keeping a hand over it. All these…Read the comment
Topics related to Leviticus 13:45
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Leviticus 13
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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