Topical Bible: The Hair: Colour of, Changed by Leprosy

◄ The Hair: Colour of, Changed by Leprosy ►

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In biblical times, the condition of leprosy was not only a physical ailment but also a significant social and religious concern. The Mosaic Law provided detailed instructions for diagnosing and managing leprosy, which included careful observation of changes in the skin and hair. One of the key indicators of leprosy was the alteration in the color of hair within the affected area.

Leviticus 13:3-4, 10, 20, 25, 30, 36 : The Book of Leviticus outlines the procedures for the priests to diagnose leprosy. A change in hair color was a critical diagnostic feature. If a person had a swelling, rash, or bright spot on the skin, the priest was to examine it. If the hair in the affected area had turned white, it was a sign of leprosy. "The priest shall examine the sore on the skin of his body, and if the hair in the sore has turned white and the appearance of the sore is deeper than the skin of his body, it is a leprous sore. The priest shall examine him and pronounce him unclean" (Leviticus 13:3).

The change to white hair indicated a deeper infection, suggesting that the disease had penetrated beyond the surface of the skin. This transformation was a visible sign that the person was ceremonially unclean and required isolation from the community to prevent the spread of the disease.

Leviticus 13:30, 36 : The law also addressed leprosy of the scalp or beard. If the priest observed a reddish-white sore and the hair had turned yellow and thin, it was considered a sign of leprosy. "The priest shall examine the infection, and if it appears to be deeper than the skin and the hair in it is yellow and thin, the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is a scaly outbreak, a leprosy of the head or chin" (Leviticus 13:30).

The yellowing and thinning of hair in these cases further emphasized the severity of the condition. The change in hair color served as a divine indicator, guiding the priest in making a correct diagnosis according to God's law.

Symbolism and Implications: In the biblical context, leprosy was often seen as a symbol of sin and impurity. The change in hair color, therefore, carried not only physical implications but also spiritual ones. It represented a departure from the natural order and purity that God intended for His people. The meticulous instructions for diagnosing leprosy underscored the importance of holiness and the need for the community to remain pure and undefiled.

The transformation of hair color due to leprosy was a visible manifestation of the disease's impact, serving as a reminder of the consequences of sin and the need for divine intervention and cleansing. The laws concerning leprosy highlighted the necessity of maintaining both physical and spiritual cleanliness, reflecting the holiness of God and His desire for His people to be set apart.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Leviticus 13:3,10
And the priest shall look on the plague in the skin of the flesh: and when the hair in the plague is turned white, and the plague in sight be deeper than the skin of his flesh, it is a plague of leprosy: and the priest shall look on him, and pronounce him unclean.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

The Arabic Gospel of the Infancy of the Saviour (Nt Apocrypha)
... Christ, which thereafter she wiped with the hair of her ... answered: I shall change
for thee the colour of any piece of cloth which thou shalt wish to be changed. ...
/.../the arabic gospel of the infancy of the saviour/the arabic gospel of the.htm

Letter Lii. To Nepotian.
... spite of the inroads of time"that he changed the decorous ... them use no tongs to curl
their hair; rather let ... scandal, shun every act that may give colour to it ...
/.../jerome/the principal works of st jerome/letter lii to nepotian.htm

Recommendation.
... both in feature and stature, both in proportion and colour. ... in motion towards this
mark, and are changed from one ... great things; he hath but goats' hair or rams ...
/.../brown/christ the way the truth and the life/recommendation.htm

On the Soul and the Resurrection.
... the door, some one of those things aforesaid; we must come on colour, or form ... who
has got entangled in his car, then these instincts are changed into fierceness ...
/.../gregory/gregory of nyssa dogmatic treatises etc/on the soul and the 2.htm

The Assyrian Revival and the Struggle for Syria
History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 7. <. ...
/.../chapter ithe assyrian revival and.htm

Tiglath-Pileser iii. And the Organisation of the Assyrian Empire ...
... leather; * they curled their beards and hair, painted their ... his language is often
deficient in force and colour. ... is recorded, and where the leprosy by which he ...
/.../chapter iitiglath-pileser iii and the.htm

part ii
... Many times was I thus changed, with a marvellous great change, to mine own wonder
and often to that of others. ... "There shall not a hair of your head perish ...
//christianbookshelf.org/calvin/my life in christ/part ii.htm