Lev 13:3 | NETfull | STEP | The priest must then examine the infection on the skin of the body, and if the hair in the infection has turned white and the infection appears to be deeper than the skin of the body, then it is a diseased infection, so when the priest examines it he must pronounce the person unclean.

Leviticus 13:3

3 The priest must then examine the infection ^{▼▼ Heb “and the priest shall see the infection.”} on the skin of the body, and if the hair ^{▼▼ There is no “if” expressed, but the contrast between the priestly finding in this verse and the next verse clearly implies it.} in the infection has turned white and the infection appears to be deeper than the skin of the body, ^{▼▼ Heb “and the appearance of the infection is deep ‘from’ (comparative מִן, min, “deeper than”) the skin of the his flesh.” See the note on v. 20 below.} then it is a diseased infection, ^{▼▼ For the translation “diseased infection” see the note on v. 2 above. Cf. TEV “a dreaded skin disease”; NIV “an infectious skin disease”; NLT “a contagious skin disease.”} so when the priest examines it ^{▼▼ The pronoun “it” here refers to the “infection,” not the person who has the infection (cf. the object of “examine” at the beginning of the verse).} he must pronounce the person unclean. ^{▼▼ Heb “he shall make him unclean.” The verb is the Piel of טָמֵא (tame’) “to be unclean.” Here it is a so-called “declarative” Piel (i.e., “to declare unclean”), but it also implies that the person is put into the category of actually being “unclean” by the pronouncement itself (J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 175; cf. the corresponding opposite in v. 6 below).}