צָרַ֫עַת (tsa.ra.at)
tsa.ra.at
leprosy
H:N-FQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 33 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-F
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun tsaraat refers to a condition affecting people, clothing, or buildings. In human cases, it describes a severe skin disease detailed extensively in Leviticus 13 and 14. The same term applies to mildew or mold that spoils fabrics or the walls of houses, showing that the concept extends beyond medical diagnosis to include ritual purity and contamination.
Lexical sources link the word to roots meaning to strike down or smite. This etymology reflects the ancient view that such afflictions were divine judgments rather than random illnesses. The related term for a person with the condition, metzora, literally means "one who is stricken," emphasizing that the physical mark was seen as a visible sign of God’s intervention.
This word appears thirty-three times in the Old Testament, primarily in legal texts like Leviticus and historical accounts such as 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles. The narrative of Naaman in 2 Kings 5 highlights its social weight, as the disease required isolation and specific priestly rituals for restoration. Translators typically render it as "leprosy," though this English term carries modern medical connotations that differ from the biblical focus on ritual status.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The Hebrew word tsaraat describes a condition that affected skin, clothing, or buildings in ancient Israel. It was not merely a medical diagnosis but a ritual status that required examination by a priest. This process ensured that the community maintained spiritual purity and physical health together.
Understanding this term helps us see how seriously the biblical writers viewed holiness. The laws in Leviticus show that God cares about every part of life, including what we wear and where we live. It reminds us that our actions and environments can have deeper spiritual implications than we might realize.
While modern medicine treats these conditions with science, the biblical focus remains on restoration and community. The rituals for cleansing were designed to bring people back into fellowship with God and their neighbors. This perspective invites us to consider how we maintain purity in our own lives today.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 33 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- a serious skin disease7×
- the/ serious skin disease5×
- [is] a serious skin disease5×
- from/ skin disease/ his3×
- a serious disease3×
- [is] a serious disease3×
- <the>/ serious skin disease3×
- and/ to/ [the] serious disease of1×
- and/ [the] skin disease of1×
- and/ <the>/ skin disease1×
- a serious skin disease of1×
- [the] serious disease of1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- צָרַ֖עַת5×
- צָרָ֑עַת3×
- צָרַ֥עַת3×
- הַ/צָּרַ֖עַת3×
- צָרַ֨עַת2×
- צָרַ֧עַת2×
- צָרַ֤עַת2×
- צָרַ֔עַת2×
- מִ/צָּרַעְתּֽ/וֹ\׃2×
- הַ/צָּרַ֙עַת֙2×
- צָרַ֣עַת1×
- צָרַ֜עַת1×
Key Verses
-
Leviticus 13:2
“When a man shall have a swelling 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, then he shall be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons, the priests.
This verse establishes the initial procedure for identifying tsaraat, requiring the affected person to seek a priest's examination rather than self-diagnosis.
-
Leviticus 13:13
then the priest shall examine him. Behold, if the leprosy has covered all his flesh, he shall pronounce him clean of the plague. It has all turned white: he is clean.
Here the text reveals a surprising grace, declaring a person clean even when the affliction covers their entire body, showing that total whiteness indicated healing rather than death.
-
Leviticus 14:7
He shall sprinkle on him who is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird go into the open field.
This passage details the restoration ritual where a living bird is released, symbolizing freedom and the return of the cleansed individual to the community.
-
Leviticus 13:52
He shall burn the garment, whether the warp or the woof, in wool or in linen, or anything of leather, in which the plague is, for it is a destructive mildew. It shall be burned in the fire.
The command to burn contaminated garments illustrates that tsaraat could affect material possessions, requiring decisive action to remove spiritual contamination from one's home.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does tsaraat mean in the Bible?
Is tsaraat the same as modern leprosy?
Why did the Bible include laws about tsaraat?
How was someone cleansed from tsaraat?
Every Occurrence (33 verses across 4 books)
Leviticus 27 verses
“When a man shall have a swelling in his body’s skin, or a scab, or a bright spot, and it becomes in the skin of his…
Leviticus 13:3The priest shall examine the plague in the skin of the body. If the hair in the plague has turned white, and the…
Leviticus 13:8The priest shall examine him; and behold, if the scab has spread on the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him…
Leviticus 13:9“When the plague of leprosy is in a man, then he shall be brought to the priest;
Leviticus 13:11it is a chronic leprosy in the skin of his body, and the priest shall pronounce him unclean. He shall not isolate him,…
Leviticus 13:12“If the leprosy breaks out all over the skin, and the leprosy covers all the skin of the infected person from his head…
Leviticus 13:13then the priest shall examine him. Behold, if the leprosy has covered all his flesh, he shall pronounce him clean of…
Leviticus 13:15The priest shall examine the raw flesh, and pronounce him unclean: the raw flesh is unclean. It is leprosy.
Leviticus 13:20The priest shall examine it. Behold, if its appearance is deeper than the skin, and its hair has turned white, then the…
Leviticus 13:25then the priest shall examine it; and behold, if the hair in the bright spot has turned white, and its appearance is…
Leviticus 13:27The priest shall examine him on the seventh day. If it has spread in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him…
Leviticus 13:30then the priest shall examine the plague; and behold, if its appearance is deeper than the skin, and the hair in it is…
Leviticus 13:42But if a reddish-white plague is in the bald head or the bald forehead, it is leprosy breaking out in his bald head or…
Leviticus 13:43Then the priest shall examine him. Behold, if the swelling of the plague is reddish-white in his bald head, or in his…
Leviticus 13:47“The garment also that the plague of leprosy is in, whether it is a woolen garment, or a linen garment;
Leviticus 13:49if the plague is greenish or reddish in the garment, or in the leather, or in the warp, or in the woof, or in anything…
Leviticus 13:51He shall examine the plague on the seventh day. If the plague has spread in the garment, either in the warp, or in the…
Leviticus 13:52He shall burn the garment, whether the warp or the woof, in wool or in linen, or anything of leather, in which the…
Leviticus 13:59This is the law of the plague of mildew in a garment of wool or linen, either in the warp, or the woof, or in anything…
Leviticus 14:3and the priest shall go out of the camp. The priest shall examine him. Behold, if the plague of leprosy is healed in…
Leviticus 14:7He shall sprinkle on him who is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall…
Leviticus 14:32This is the law for him in whom is the plague of leprosy, who is not able to afford the sacrifice for his cleansing.
Leviticus 14:34“When you have come into the land of Canaan, which I give to you for a possession, and I put a spreading mildew in a…
Leviticus 14:44then the priest shall come in and look; and behold, if the plague has spread in the house, it is a destructive mildew…
Leviticus 14:54This is the law for any plague of leprosy, and for an itch,
Leviticus 14:55and for the destructive mildew of a garment, and for a house,
Leviticus 14:57to teach when it is unclean, and when it is clean. This is the law of leprosy.