Lexical Summary pasah: To pass over, to spare Original Word: פָשָׂה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance spread A primitive root; to spread -- spread. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina prim. root Definition to spread NASB Translation spread (14), spreads farther (4). Brown-Driver-Briggs מָּשָׂה21 verb spread, intransitive (Late Hebrew מָּסָה id.; Arabic  ( ) be divulged, spread, be extensive); — Qal Perfect3masculine singular ׳פ Leviticus 13:5 +, 3 feminine singular פָֽשְׂתָה Leviticus 13:8, מָּשָׂ֑תָה Leviticus 13:23; Imperfect3masculine singular יִפְשֶׂה Leviticus 13:35, 3feminine singular תּפְשֶׂה Leviticus 13:7 +; infinitive absolute מָּשׂה Leviticus 13:7 +; — only Leviticus 13; Leviticus 14, of leprosy and like eruptions: with בָּעוֺר, בַּבֶּגֶּד, etc., Leviticus 13:5 7t. 13, Leviticus 14:39,44,48 + ) בָּעוֺר׳מָּשׂה יִפְשֶׂה(תִּפ Leviticus 13:7,22,27,35; absolute Leviticus 13:23,32,55. Topical Lexicon Meaning and Imagery פָשָׂה portrays movement that enlarges or advances. In Leviticus it always describes an eruption, spot, mold, or mildew that has increased in size. The image is organic and relentless: what was once confined presses outward, silently claiming new territory. Canonical Distribution All twenty-two occurrences lie within Leviticus 13–14, the priestly regulations for human skin disease, fabric contamination, and house infestation. Because the term never appears elsewhere, its whole scriptural weight is concentrated on the theology of purity. Diagnostic Function in Levitical Law The priest was commanded to watch for פָשָׂה as the decisive indicator of uncleanness. Stagnation meant hope; expansion meant defilement, demolition, or burning. The growth-test prevented hasty judgments while safeguarding the camp from hidden contagion. Spiritual Symbolism of Progressive Defilement The spread of tzaraath illustrates the moral progress of sin. What begins as a single blemish, tolerated or hidden, soon invades every surface it can reach (Psalm 38:3-5; Isaiah 1:5-6). The Lord therefore calls His people to immediate confession and decisive separation from evil before it enlarges. Priestly Oversight and the Community The priest served as watchman, examining, isolating, re-examining, and finally declaring either restoration or exclusion. This process upheld corporate holiness (Numbers 5:2-3). Israel learned that purity involved patient vigilance, honest self-examination, and submission to God-appointed authority. Foreshadowing the Ministry of Christ Where the Levitical priest could only diagnose, Jesus heals. He “stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, ‘I am willing; be cleansed.’ And immediately his leprosy was cleansed” (Matthew 8:3). The Lord confronts the deepest spread of corruption—sin itself—and stops it at the cross. His atoning work answers every inspection in Leviticus with definitive cleansing (Hebrews 9:13-14). Echoes in the New Testament Church Paul adopts the same imagery when warning of unjudged immorality: “Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole batch of dough?” (1 Corinthians 5:6). Persistent false teaching likewise “will spread like gangrene” (2 Timothy 2:17). The apostles derive their pastoral strategy from Leviticus: cautious inquiry, appeals to repentance, and, if necessary, removal from fellowship for the sake of purity. Homiletical and Pastoral Applications • Early detection: cultivate tender consciences that notice the first sign of spiritual erosion. Select Passages for Study Leviticus 13:5, 7-8, 22-23; 13:35-36; 13:51-55; 14:39-48. Forms and Transliterations יִפְשֶׂ֛ה יפשה פָּשְׂתָ֥ה פָּשָׂ֥ה פָּשֹׂ֤ה פָּשֹׂ֥ה פָּשֹׂ֨ה פָשְׂתָ֤ה פָשָׂ֔ה פָשָׂ֔תָה פָשָׂ֣ה פָשָׂ֤ה פָשָׂ֥ה פשה פשתה תִפְשֶׂ֖ה תִפְשֶׂ֤ה תִפְשֶׂה֙ תפשה faSah faSatah faseTah p̄ā·śā·ṯāh pā·śāh p̄ā·śāh pā·śə·ṯāh p̄ā·śə·ṯāh pā·śōh paSah pāśāh p̄āśāh p̄āśāṯāh paseTah pāśəṯāh p̄āśəṯāh paSoh pāśōh tifSeh ṯip̄·śeh ṯip̄śeh yifSeh yip̄·śeh yip̄śehLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Leviticus 13:5 HEB: בְּעֵינָ֔יו לֹֽא־ פָשָׂ֥ה הַנֶּ֖גַע בָּע֑וֹר NAS: [and] the infection has not spread on the skin, KJV: [and] the plague spread not in the skin; INT: his eyes has not spread the infection the skin Leviticus 13:6 Leviticus 13:7 Leviticus 13:7 Leviticus 13:8 Leviticus 13:22 Leviticus 13:22 Leviticus 13:23 Leviticus 13:27 Leviticus 13:27 Leviticus 13:28 Leviticus 13:32 Leviticus 13:34 Leviticus 13:35 Leviticus 13:35 Leviticus 13:36 Leviticus 13:51 Leviticus 13:53 Leviticus 13:55 Leviticus 14:39 Leviticus 14:44 Leviticus 14:48 22 Occurrences |
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