1371. gibbeach

Lexical Summary

gibbeach: Bald, bald-headed

Original Word: גִּבֵּחַ
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: gibbeach
Pronunciation: ghib-bay'-akh
Phonetic Spelling: (ghib-bay'-akh)
KJV: forehead bald
NASB: bald on the forehead
Word Origin: [from an unused root meaning to be high (in the forehead)]

1. bald in the forehead

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

forehead bald

From an unused root meaning to be high (in the forehead); bald in the forehead -- forehead bald.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from an unused word
Definition
having a bald forehead
NASB Translation
bald on the forehead (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

גִּבֵּחַ adjective having a bald forehead, הוּא ׳ג Leviticus 13:41 (P "" קֵרֵחַ הוּא Leviticus 13:40).

Topical Lexicon

Biblical Occurrence

Leviticus 13:41 contains the sole use of גִּבֵּחַ. In the wider passage on dermatological inspections, the priest evaluates various skin and scalp conditions to distinguish contagious disease from benign loss of hair:

“Yet if the man loses the hair of his forehead and becomes bald around the front, he is still clean.” (Leviticus 13:41)

Context in Levitical Purity Laws

1. Function of Diagnosis
• The priest served as public health inspector and spiritual guardian.
• Clean or unclean status determined participation in worship and communal life (Leviticus 13:45–46).
2. Distinction Without Stigma
• גִּבֵּחַ marks a naturally receding hairline, differentiated from infectious eruptions.
• The law protects the individual from unnecessary quarantine, balancing holiness with compassion.

Historical and Cultural Background

• In the Ancient Near East, hair symbolized vigor and dignity. Sudden or patchy loss could signal disease, grief, or divine judgment (Isaiah 3:24; Jeremiah 48:37).
• Israel’s law, however, refuses superstition. Ordinary baldness is neither cursed nor disgraceful; it carries no ritual penalty.

Theological Implications

1. Holiness Demands Accurate Discernment
• Scripture distinguishes moral and ceremonial categories with precision. The priest must neither minimize contagion nor burden the healthy with false guilt.
2. God’s Care for Bodily Particulars
• By legislating even a receding hairline, the Law testifies that the Creator values every detail of human embodiment (compare Matthew 10:30).
3. Anticipation of Christ’s Ministry
• The priestly examination foreshadows the Lord Jesus, who discerns the heart and offers cleansing beyond ceremonial limits (Mark 1:40–42).

Ministry Applications

• Pastoral Counseling: Those wrestling with visible imperfections or aging can be reminded that Scripture calls such conditions “clean.” Personal worth rests on divine declaration, not cultural standards.
• Medical Ethics: Health professionals and church leaders can pattern holistic care after the Levitical model—combining accurate diagnosis with restoration to community.
• Teaching on Identity: Use Leviticus 13:41 to illustrate how God separates physical appearance from spiritual standing.

Cross-References and Related Themes

• Ordinary Baldness: 2 Kings 2:23-24 (Elisha is mocked as “baldhead”); Isaiah 15:2; Ezekiel 7:18.
• Priestly Inspection: Leviticus 14:54-57.
• Divine Knowledge of Hair: Psalm 139:1-4; Matthew 10:30.
• Cleansing in Christ: Hebrews 9:13-14; 1 John 1:7.

Forms and Transliterations

גִּבֵּ֥חַ גבח gib·bê·aḥ gibBeach gibbêaḥ

Englishman's Concordance

Leviticus 13:41
HEB: יִמָּרֵ֖ט רֹאשׁ֑וֹ גִּבֵּ֥חַ ה֖וּא טָה֥וֹר
NAS: and sides, he is bald on the forehead; he is clean.
KJV: toward his face, he [is] forehead bald: [yet is] he clean.
INT: becomes his head is bald he is clean

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 1371
1 Occurrence

gib·bê·aḥ — 1 Occ.