leprosy, leprous

The Greek and Hebrew terms that are often translated as “leprosy (or: defiling/skin disease)” or “leprous (person)” in English is translated in Mairasi as “the bad sickness,” since “leprosy is very common in the Mairasi area” (source: Enggavoter 2004).

Following are various other translations:

  • Shilluk: “disease of animals”
  • San Mateo Del Mar Huave: “devil sore” (this and the above are indigenous expressions)
  • Inupiaq: “decaying sores”
  • Kaqchikel: “skin-rotting disease” (source for this and three above: Eugene Nida in The Bible Translator 1960, p. 34f. )
  • Noongar: “bad skin disease” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Tzotzil “rotting sickness” (source: Ronald D. Olson in Notes on Translation January, 1968, p. 15ff.)
  • Usila Chinantec “sickness like mal de pinta” (a skin disease involving discoloration by loss of pigment) (source: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.)

See also stricken and leprosy healed.

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Leprosy (Word Study) and leprosy .

Translation commentary on Leviticus 14:7

Seven times: see 4.6.

Upon him who is to be cleansed: it will be better to use a simpler and more natural expression in a number of languages. One may consider “the person who had been healed,” or “the person who used to have the skin disease,” or “the person about to be declared clean.” But Wenham’s suggestion, “who is being cleansed,” may be better. It emphasizes the ongoing character of the process. This phrase is repeated in verses 7, 8, and 14. Compare the translation of the same expression in verse 4, where Good News Translation leaves it implicit. Some other possible models are “… on the person needing cleansing” or “… on the person whose leprosy healed.”

Into the open field: this expression simply means that the bird is allowed to go free and fly wherever it wishes. It does not imply that the priest attempts to guide the freed bird in any particular direction. In some languages it may be better to say simply “let the living (remaining) bird go free.”

He shall pronounce him clean: this is actually only the first step in the process of purification. The following verses indicate that there are other steps necessary before the person is completely accepted by the community.

Quoted with permission from Péter-Contesse, René and Ellington, John. A Handbook on Leviticus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1990. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .