Question 1

What is meant by leprosy in a garment in this passage?

Accepted Answer

Here “leprosy” in a garment is not about human skin, but about strange greenish or reddish spots that appear in cloth or leather. The law speaks of wool or linen, and also skins and things made from skin. If a patch changed color and began to spread, it was treated as a special kind of rot or corruption that God marked as unclean. It was so unusual that many see it as a sign God used in Israel to show his displeasure and to picture how sin can stain and eat into everyday life.

Question 2

Why did the priest have to examine leprous garments instead of people deciding themselves?

Accepted Answer

God did not leave the decision about uncleanness to each person’s own guess. The garment with the suspicious spot had to be brought and shown to the priest. The priest would look at the stain, shut the garment up for seven days, and then look again to see if it had spread or changed. This careful process shows that questions of purity and defilement were to be handled with God-given authority and patience. It pictures how God sets apart trusted leaders to help his people discern what is truly clean or unclean.

Question 3

Why were some garments burned with fire while others were washed and kept?

Accepted Answer

If the spot in the garment spread after being shut up, it was called a “fretting leprosy,” eating into the cloth or skin, and the whole item had to be burned in the fire. That showed complete rejection of what was too corrupted to save. If the stain did not spread, the priest ordered the garment to be washed and shut up again. After washing, if it faded and disappeared, the garment could be washed a second time and declared clean. If it stayed or returned, the stained part or the whole thing was burned. This teaches that some things can be cleansed, but stubborn corruption must be fully removed.

Question 4

What is the meaning of the greenish or reddish plague in the cloth?

Accepted Answer

The passage says that a plague in a garment or skin shows itself as greenish or reddish. These unusual colors signaled that something was wrong, not just normal wear or dirt. If such a mark appeared and especially if it spread, it was treated as a special disease in the material. Spiritually, this pictures how sin leaves a mark that can be seen in our behavior and in what we do with our possessions. When the stain deepens and spreads, it shows an inner decay that calls for serious dealing, not casual ignoring.

Question 5

What does this law about garments teach about the nature of sin?

Accepted Answer

This law shows that sin is not only a private inner problem. It spreads, it clings, and it stains the things connected with us. Just as the leprosy in cloth could start small in one part and then creep through the fabric, sin can begin in one area of life and then touch everything we do, own, and enjoy. The need to burn some garments shows that sin can reach a point where it must be cut off completely. The washing and re‑washing of other garments points to God’s way of cleansing and restoring, not only people but also what belongs to them.

Question 6

Why did God care about leprosy even in clothes and leather?

Accepted Answer

God used these outward signs to teach his people that he calls them to be holy in every part of life. It was not only their bodies, but also their homes, clothes, and work tools that could be marked as unclean. When garments were stained and fretted by this plague, it was a reminder that sin can reach into daily routines and possessions. By giving laws even about cloth and skin, God was showing that nothing is too small for him to claim, cleanse, or judge. Holiness was meant to touch all of life, not just religious moments.

Question 7

How were leprous garments finally declared clean or unclean?

Accepted Answer

The passage ends by calling this “the law of the plague of leprosy in a garment… to pronounce it clean, or to pronounce it unclean.” The priest followed a set order: examine the spot, shut the garment up seven days, check if it spread, command washing, then check again. If the stain stayed, spread, or did not change color, the garment or the stained piece was burned. If the plague departed after washing, the garment was washed a second time and then declared clean. There was no guesswork; God gave a clear path to a final decision.

Question 8

How can these laws about leprous garments apply to believers today?

Accepted Answer

These laws are part of the old covenant and we are not called to copy them with our clothes. But they still speak to our hearts. They picture how sin can quietly eat into our habits, work, and possessions. We learn to watch for signs of spreading corruption, not to excuse it. Like the priest’s careful testing, we need honest self‑examination and help from wise leaders. The washing of garments points to the cleansing God provides, and the burning of hopelessly stained items warns us to give up anything that keeps dragging us into sin instead of clinging to it.

Question 9

Why does this passage seem strange and hard to understand for modern readers?

Accepted Answer

For people today, leprosy in cloth or leather sounds odd, because we do not see this kind of thing in the same way. Faithful readers have understood it in more than one way, but the passage itself treats these spots as a sign God used in Israel to mark uncleanness and teach deeper truths. God sometimes chose unusual outward signs to wake his people up to the hidden spread of sin. Even if we do not fully grasp how this disease worked, the lesson is clear: what is corrupted must be faced, tested, and either cleansed or removed so God’s people stay pure.

Question 10

What does this passage show about God’s character toward his people?

Accepted Answer

This passage shows that God is very serious about holiness, but also patient and orderly in how he deals with uncleanness. He does not rush to destroy; the garment is shut up, then checked again, then washed, and checked once more. Only when the plague proves stubborn and spreading is it burned. At the same time, God does not ignore corruption, even in small or hidden places. He kindly reveals it, provides a way for cleansing or removal, and uses these signs to call his people away from sin and toward a life that is clean before him.

Leviticus 13:47

¶ The garment also that the plague of leprosy is in, whether it be a woollen garment, or a linen garment;

Laws about Mildew

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Leviticus 13:47

¶ The garment also that the plague of leprosy is in, whether it be a woollen garment, or a linen garment;

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Laws about Mildew

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