גָּרָב (ga.rav)
ga.rav
scab
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 3 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun garab refers to a scab or an itchy skin condition. It appears only three times in the Old Testament, primarily within the legal codes of Leviticus and Deuteronomy. The word describes a visible physical affliction, often linked with ritual impurity rather than just medical hygiene.
In these texts, garab is listed alongside other skin diseases that require examination by a priest. Its inclusion highlights how ancient Israelite law connected bodily health with communal holiness. A scab was not merely a wound; it was a sign that required religious attention to determine if the person could rejoin the community.
Translators typically render garab as "scab" or "itch." The term carries no metaphorical weight for moral sin in these contexts. Instead, it points to a tangible condition that disrupted ritual purity. The law treated such physical marks with seriousness, ensuring that those affected were cared for and the community remained ritually clean.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word garab, translated as scab or itching disease, appears in the Old Testament to describe visible skin conditions that required attention from a priest. In ancient Israel, these marks were not seen merely as medical issues but as matters affecting one's standing within the community and their ability to participate in worship. This system ensured that physical afflictions were handled with care, balancing personal health with communal holiness.
For believers today, this context highlights how seriously God viewed the well-being of His people. It reminds us that our bodies matter to Him, and that He cares about both our spiritual purity and our physical health. The laws surrounding these conditions show a God who provides structure for healing and restoration, inviting His people into a life of wholeness.
While we no longer follow the specific ritual codes of ancient Israel, the principle remains: God desires us to be whole in body and spirit. We can find comfort in knowing that He is attentive to our struggles, whether they are visible or hidden, and that He offers grace for every aspect of our lives.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 3 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- eczema2×
- and/ with <the>/ eczema1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- גָרָב֙2×
- וּ/בַ/גָּרָ֖ב1×
Key Verses
-
Leviticus 21:20
or hunchbacked, or a dwarf, or one who has a defect in his eye, or an itching disease, or scabs, or who has damaged testicles.
This verse lists scabs among physical defects that disqualified priests from offering sacrifices, showing how visible conditions were tied to ritual roles.
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Leviticus 22:22
You shall not offer what is blind, is injured, is maimed, has a wart, is festering, or has a running sore to Yahweh, nor make an offering by fire of them on the altar to Yahweh.
Here, animals with scabs or festering wounds are forbidden as offerings, emphasizing that God accepts only the best and whole in worship.
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Deuteronomy 28:27
Yahweh will strike you with the boils of Egypt, with the tumors, with the scurvy, and with the itch, of which you can not be healed.
This verse warns of severe skin afflictions as a consequence of disobedience, illustrating the seriousness with which such conditions were viewed in covenantal terms.