Topical Bible: The Beard: Subject to Leprosy

◄ The Beard: Subject to Leprosy ►

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In biblical times, the beard was a significant aspect of a man's appearance, often symbolizing maturity, wisdom, and dignity. However, it was also subject to various laws and regulations, particularly concerning ritual purity and health. One of the most notable concerns regarding the beard in the Scriptures is its susceptibility to leprosy, a term used in the Bible to describe a range of skin diseases.

Levitical Law and the Beard

The Book of Leviticus provides detailed instructions on how to handle cases of leprosy, including those affecting the beard. Leviticus 13 outlines the procedures for diagnosing and managing skin diseases, emphasizing the role of the priest in examining and declaring a person clean or unclean. The text states:

"When a man or a woman has a disease on the head or chin, the priest is to examine the disease. If it appears to be deeper than the skin and the hair in it is yellow and thin, the priest shall pronounce them unclean; it is a scaly outbreak, a leprosy of the head or chin." (Leviticus 13:29-30)

This passage highlights the importance of the priestly role in maintaining the community's purity and health. The presence of yellow, thin hair in the affected area was a key indicator of uncleanness, necessitating further examination and potential isolation.

Cleansing and Restoration

If a person was found to have leprosy in the beard, they were subject to specific cleansing rituals upon healing. Leviticus 14 describes the process of purification, which included offerings and ceremonial washings. The individual was required to shave off all hair, including the beard, as part of the cleansing process:

"The one to be cleansed must wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, and bathe with water; then he will be clean. Afterward, he may enter the camp, but he must remain outside his tent for seven days." (Leviticus 14:8)

This act of shaving symbolized a fresh start and the removal of impurity, allowing the individual to be reintegrated into the community.

Symbolism and Cultural Significance

The beard held cultural and religious significance in ancient Israel. It was often seen as a mark of honor and respect. The laws concerning leprosy and the beard underscore the importance of maintaining holiness and purity in all aspects of life, as well as the need for communal responsibility in addressing health concerns.

The biblical regulations regarding leprosy and the beard reflect a broader theological theme of separation between the clean and unclean, emphasizing the need for divine intervention and priestly mediation in matters of health and holiness. These laws served to protect the community from physical and spiritual contamination, reinforcing the covenant relationship between God and His people.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Leviticus 13:29,30
If a man or woman have a plague on the head or the beard;
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Whether There Can be any Suitable Cause for the Sacraments of the ...
... of leprosy: for cedar-wood, which is not subject to putrefaction ... because it is in
these parts that leprosy is first ... head that ran down upon the beard, the beard ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/whether there can be any 2.htm

Second Journey through Galilee - the Healing of the Leper.
... the foot, the nails, the head, and the beard (Neg ... deepest and most philosophical
treatment of this subject is that ... no case of leprosy of houses had ever occurred ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter xv second journey through.htm

Entire Sanctification in Type.
... This subject has already been alluded to under a different ... We have already spoken
of leprosy as a type of ... mitred heads that it might reach the beard and the ...
/.../clark/the theology of holiness/chapter iv entire sanctification in.htm

The Blood
... that can be conceived of." "But they had beard it before ... I will just go back to this
old subject, which is ... demoniac it can ease, the deep-seated leprosy it can ...
//christianbookshelf.org/spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 5 1859/the blood.htm

Philippians ii. 16-Dec
... He said on the subject of humility all that he ... to shut the eyes, to stroke the beard,
to hear ... more pitiable object than those afflicted with leprosy; for these ...
/.../homily viii philippians ii 16-dec.htm

The Westminster Assembly.
... according to Christ's law, without being subject to the ... to Jerusalem, died of a hideous
leprosy (March 20 ... a long, pale countenance, an imposing beard, lofty brow ...
/.../ 93 the westminster assembly.htm

Funeral Oration on the Great S. Basil, Bishop of C??sarea in ...
... with subjects for my discourses, of which he was quite as proud as any other man
of his own, should himself now furnish me with the grandest subject which has ...
/.../cyril/lectures of s cyril of jerusalem/oration xliii funeral oration on.htm

Ancient Chaldaea
... did not readily resign themselves to a confession of ignorance on the subject. ... the
whole framed by an abundance of hair, and a thick beard symmetrically curled ...
/.../chapter iancient chaldaea.htm

On the Soul and the Resurrection.
... Whilst I was thus enlarging on the subject, the Teacher signed to me with her hand
[1750] , and said: Surely what alarms and disturbs your mind is not the ...
/.../gregory/gregory of nyssa dogmatic treatises etc/on the soul and the 2.htm

The Assyrian Revival and the Struggle for Syria
... in the Synchronous History; it might be Nabubaliddin, who seems to have had a long
life, but it is wiser, until fresh light is thrown on the subject, to admit ...
/.../chapter ithe assyrian revival and.htm