In biblical times, the term "scab" refers to a skin condition that is often associated with impurity and divine judgment. The Hebrew word for scab is "sappachath," which appears in various contexts within the Old Testament, particularly in the books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy.

Biblical References:

1. Leviticus 13:2-3 : "When a person has a swelling or rash or bright spot on his skin that could become an infectious skin disease, he must be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons who is a priest. The priest is to examine the sore on his skin, and if the hair in the sore has turned white and the sore appears to be more than skin deep, it is an infectious skin disease. When the priest examines him, he must pronounce him unclean."

In this passage, the scab is part of a broader category of skin diseases that required examination by a priest. The presence of a scab could indicate a more serious condition, and the priest's role was to determine the level of impurity and the necessary steps for purification.

2. Leviticus 21:20 : "or who is a hunchback or dwarf, or who has an eye defect, a festering rash or scabs, or a crushed testicle."

Here, the mention of scabs is in the context of physical blemishes that disqualified a descendant of Aaron from serving as a priest. This reflects the importance of physical wholeness and purity in the priestly service, symbolizing the holiness required to approach God.

3. Deuteronomy 28:27 : "The LORD will afflict you with the boils of Egypt and with tumors, scabs, and itch, from which you cannot be cured."

In this verse, scabs are listed among the curses that would befall the Israelites if they disobeyed God's commandments. The affliction of scabs is portrayed as a form of divine punishment, emphasizing the consequences of turning away from God's laws.

Theological Significance:

In the biblical context, scabs and other skin conditions are often seen as manifestations of spiritual impurity or divine judgment. The laws concerning skin diseases in Leviticus highlight the importance of holiness and the need for purification before approaching God. The role of the priest in diagnosing and pronouncing someone clean or unclean underscores the mediatory function of the priesthood in maintaining the sanctity of the community.

The association of scabs with divine curses in Deuteronomy serves as a stark reminder of the covenantal relationship between God and His people. Obedience to God's commandments brings blessings, while disobedience results in curses, including physical afflictions like scabs.

Cultural and Historical Context:

In ancient Israel, skin diseases were not only a medical concern but also a social and religious issue. Those afflicted with scabs or other skin conditions were often isolated from the community to prevent the spread of impurity. The detailed regulations in Leviticus reflect the broader ancient Near Eastern understanding of disease and impurity, where physical ailments were often linked to spiritual or moral failings.

The biblical treatment of scabs and other skin conditions illustrates the holistic view of health and holiness in the Scriptures, where physical, spiritual, and communal well-being are interconnected.1. (n.) An incrustation over a sore, wound, vesicle, or pustule, formed by the drying up of the discharge from the diseased part.

2. (n.) The itch in man; also, the scurvy.

3. (n.) The mange, esp. when it appears on sheep.

4. (n.) A disease of potatoes producing pits in their surface, caused by a minute fungus (Tiburcinia Scabies).

5. (n.) A slight irregular protuberance which defaces the surface of a casting, caused by the breaking away of a part of the mold.

6. (n.) A mean, dirty, paltry fellow.

7. (n.) A nickname for a workman who engages for lower wages than are fixed by the trades unions; also, for one who takes the place of a workman on a strike.

8. (v. i.) To become covered with a scab; as, the wound scabbed over.

SCAB, SCABBED

skab, skab'-ed, skabd (yallepheth, micpachath, cappachath, verb sippach; semasia, leichen): These are generic terms for any skin disease in which there are patches of hard crusts on the surface. The commonest of these are the forms now named eczema, herpes and, perhaps, psoriasis, all of which are common in Bible lands. Milder cases in which the disease was localized and in small patches (the semasia of the Septuagint) did not render the bearer unclean, and they were to be distinguished by the priest (Leviticus 13:2, 6) from the more virulent and spreading eruptions which (Leviticus 13:7) were regarded as causes of ceremonial uncleanness. These severer forms are the leichen of Septuagint mentioned in Leviticus 21:20, which disqualified any son of Aaron from serving as a priest, and when affecting an animal rendered it unfit to be offered as a burnt offering (Leviticus 22:22). Hippocrates speaks of these cases as obstinate and persistent, and Galen believed that they might degenerate into leprosy; hence, the terms in which Aeschylus speaks of it (Choephori 281). Celsus, however, recognized that leichen was a papular eruption, not a true scab. The name yallepheth seems to have been given to it on account of the firmness of attachment of the scabs, while the term micpachath refers to its tendency to spread and cover the surface. A cognate word in Ezekiel 13:18 is the name of a large Tallith or prayer veil used by the false prophetesses in Israel (translated "kerchief"). Scabs were especially disfiguring on the head, and this infliction was threatened as a punishment on the daughters of Zion for their wanton haughtiness (Isaiah 3:17). In Middle English, "scab" is used for itch or mange, and as a term of opprobrium, as in Greene, Bacon and Bungay, 35, 1591.

Alexander Macalister

5597. sappachath -- an eruption, scab
... 5596, 5597. sappachath. 5598 . an eruption, scab. Transliteration: sappachath
Phonetic Spelling: (sap-pakh'-ath) Short Definition: scab. ...
/hebrew/5597.htm - 6k

4556. mispachath -- scab
... 4555, 4556. mispachath. 4557 . scab. Transliteration: mispachath Phonetic
Spelling: (mis-pakh'-ath) Short Definition: scab. Word ...
/hebrew/4556.htm - 6k

1618. garab -- an itch, a scab
... 1617, 1618. garab. 1619 . an itch, a scab. Transliteration: garab Phonetic
Spelling: (gaw-rawb') Short Definition: eczema. ... scab, scurvy. ...
/hebrew/1618.htm - 5k

6867. tsarebeth -- scab, scar (of a sore)
... 6866b, 6867. tsarebeth. 6868 . scab, scar (of a sore). Transliteration: tsarebeth
Phonetic Spelling: (tsaw-reh'-beth) Short Definition: scar. ...
/hebrew/6867.htm - 6k

3217. yallepheth -- scab, scurf (an eruptive disease)
... 3216, 3217. yallepheth. 3218 . scab, scurf (an eruptive disease). Transliteration:
yallepheth Phonetic Spelling: (yal-leh'-feth) Short Definition: scabs. ...
/hebrew/3217.htm - 6k

8197c. sippach -- to cause a scab upon
... 8197b, 8197c. sippach. 8198 . to cause a scab upon. Transliteration:
sippach Short Definition: afflict. Word Origin denominative ...
/hebrew/8197c.htm - 5k

5424. netheq -- scab
... 5423, 5424. netheq. 5425 . scab. Transliteration: netheq Phonetic Spelling:
(neh'-thek) Short Definition: scale. Word Origin from ...
/hebrew/5424.htm - 6k

5596. saphach -- to join, attach to
... abiding, gather together, cleave, smite with the scab. Or saphach (Isaiah
3:17) {saw-fakh'}; a primitive root; properly, to scrape ...
/hebrew/5596.htm - 6k

7613. seeth -- exaltation, dignity, swelling, uprising
... From nasa'; an elevation or leprous scab; figuratively, elation or cheerfulness;
exaltation in rank or character -- be accepted, dignity, excellency, highness ...
/hebrew/7613.htm - 6k

'the Angel Adjutant'
... I saw many children with sores and boils; I saw some children whose eyes
looked out at me from a face that was nothing but a scab. ...
/.../carpenter/the angel adjutant of twice born men/x the angel adjutant.htm

How Bishop John Cured a Dumb Man by his Blessing. [687 AD ]
... He had never been able to speak one word; besides, he had so much scurf and scab
on his head, that no hair could ever grow on the top of it, but only some ...
/.../bede/bedes ecclesiastical history of england/chap ii how bishop john.htm

How those are to be Admonished who Commit Very Small but Frequent ...
... of rain; and bilge-water, increasing secretly, has the same effect as a storm raging
openly; and the sores that break out on the members in scab are minute; but ...
/.../leo/writings of leo the great/chapter xxxiii how those are.htm

But, Supposing that These Things do not at all Hinder or Prevent ...
... to call the dead back to life; to put an end to the sufferings of years; but"and
this is much easier [3475] "to heal by one rebuke a boil, a scab, or a ...
/.../the seven books of arnobius against the heathen/11 but supposing that these.htm

The Last Days of Augusta, 1560-1572.
... You are not true members of the body. You are an ulcer. You are a scab. You have
no sacraments. You have written bloodthirsty pamphlets against us. ...
/.../hutton/history of the moravian church/chapter xl the last days.htm

Hebrews ix. 24-26
... For as in a flock, where many sheep indeed are in good health, but many are full
of the scab, it is needful that these should be separated from the healthy; so ...
/.../homilies on the gospel of st john and hebrews/homily xvii hebrews ix 24-26.htm

John xi. 30, 31
... [1778] Sheep that are covered with the scab, and full of disease, may not herd with
those that are in health; we must drive them from the fold until they get ...
/.../homilies on the gospel of st john and hebrews/homily lxiii john xi 30.htm

God's Barriers against Man's Sin
... only a providence which on some sad and solemn occasion, to which you never look
back without regret, saved you from sin which would have been a scab on your ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 4 1858/gods barriers against mans sin.htm

A Description of Heart-Purity
... At last he himself was rent asunder and devoured by dogs. When the scab of the leper
appeared, he was to be shut out of the camp (Leviticus 13:8, 46). ...
/.../16 a description of heart-purity.htm

Against Rash and Vain Swearing.
... as they commonly pass are mere excrescences of speech, which do nothing but encumber
and deform it; they so embellish discourse, as a wen or a scab do beautify ...
/.../sermons on evil-speaking by isaac barrow/against rash and vain swearing.htm

Scab (7 Occurrences)
... strike. 8. (vi) To become covered with a scab; as, the wound scabbed over.
Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. SCAB, SCABBED. skab ...
/s/scab.htm - 11k

Rash (18 Occurrences)
... Leviticus 13:2 "When a man shall have a rising in his body's skin, or a scab, or
a bright spot, and it becomes in the skin of his body the plague of leprosy ...
/r/rash.htm - 12k

Eruption (6 Occurrences)
... Leviticus 13:2 "When a man shall have a rising in his body's skin, or a scab, or
a bright spot, and it becomes in the skin of his body the plague of leprosy ...
/e/eruption.htm - 8k

Scabbed (3 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (imp. & pp) of Scab. 2. (a.) Abounding with scabs;
diseased with scabs. ... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. SCAB, SCABBED. ...
/s/scabbed.htm - 9k

Pronounced (63 Occurrences)
... seventh day, and lo, the plague is become weak, and the plague hath not spread in
the skin -- and the priest hath pronounced him clean, it 'is' a scab, and he ...
/p/pronounced.htm - 26k

Skin (115 Occurrences)
... Leviticus 13:2 "When a man shall have a rising in his body's skin, or a scab, or
a bright spot, and it becomes in the skin of his body the plague of leprosy ...
/s/skin.htm - 44k

Spot (42 Occurrences)
... Leviticus 13:2 "When a man shall have a rising in his body's skin, or a scab, or
a bright spot, and it becomes in the skin of his body the plague of leprosy ...
/s/spot.htm - 24k

Infection (24 Occurrences)
... Leviticus 13:2 "When a man shall have a rising in his body's skin, or a scab, or
a bright spot, and it becomes in the skin of his body the plague of leprosy ...
/i/infection.htm - 14k

Infectious (19 Occurrences)
... Leviticus 13:2 "When a man shall have a rising in his body's skin, or a scab, or
a bright spot, and it becomes in the skin of his body the plague of leprosy ...
/i/infectious.htm - 12k

Pronounce (47 Occurrences)
... It is a scab. ... Leviticus 13:8 The priest shall examine him; and behold, if the scab
has spread on the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean. ...
/p/pronounce.htm - 22k

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