צָרַעַת
𐤑𐤓𐤏𐤕
tsâraʻath
H6883 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A disease condition manifesting as a visible skin affliction, surface discoloration, or scaling, recognized as a ritual impurity; extends to various infectious or mold-like conditions affecting the skin, clothing, or architectural surfaces (e.g., houses, walls). In the Hebrew Bible, the term designates a range of externally visible disorders rather than a specific modern medical disease such as Hansen's disease (leprosy).
Semantic Range
skin affliction, visible skin disease, lesion, surface discoloration, scaling, scaly disease affecting people, fungal or mold-like outbreak on clothing, mildew or spreading infestation on houses or walls, state of ritual impurity due to visible mark or affliction
Root / Etymology
Root: צרע (ts-r-ʿ), whose core meaning is 'to strike, to smite, to afflict.' The noun is formed as a feminine abstract or collective term indicating a condition of being struck or afflicted, specifically with anomalous marks or maladies. While Strong's relates it to 'leprosy,' the Hebrew term predates identification with modern leprosy and denotes a broader category of afflictions.
Historical & Contextual Notes
צָרַעַת appears primarily in Leviticus (esp. chs. 13–14) and occasionally in narrative books such as Numbers and 2 Kings. In ritual-law contexts (Leviticus), it refers to a set of skin conditions recognizable to priests and requiring inspection—not necessarily chronic or fatal diseases. The term also applies to mildew or mold on garments and houses, reflecting concerns with ritual purity and community health rather than biological taxonomy. The standard English rendering 'leprosy' does not adequately correspond to the ancient categories, as the biblical symptoms and remedies do not align with modern understanding of Hansen's disease. Interpretations and boundaries of the term evolved over time: in Second Temple literature and later Rabbinic tradition, tsaraʿat became connected more closely to ethical transgressions or divine punishment, but such associations are not explicit in the earliest texts. The application to clothing and houses further demonstrates the term's non-medical, ritual-impurity orientation. Related terms: נֶגַע (nega‘, 'plague, mark, affliction') often describes the visible manifestation, while צרוע (tsarua‘, 'person afflicted with tsaraʿat') designates the individual. Later translation traditions rendered the word as 'leprosy' (Greek: λεπρά), which colored later perceptions.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from צָרַע; leprosy; leprosy.
Bantu Hebrew
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צרע (ts-r-ʿ) — to strike, to smite, to afflict
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H6871 | צְרוּעָה | skin-diseased woman |
| H6879 | צָרַע | the skin-diseased one |
| H6880 | צִרְעָה | the hornet |
| H6881 | צׇרְעָה | from Tsorʻâh |
| H6882 | צׇרְעִי | the Tsorahite |
Word Forms
6 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6883-03 |
צָרָ֑עַת | tsaraat | HNcfsa |
of leprosy | striking skin-affliction | 21 |
H6883-01 |
הַ/צָּרַ֨עַת֙ | hatsaraat | HTd/Ncfsa |
the leprosy | the struck-affliction | 8 |
H6883-02 |
מִ/צָּרַעְתּֽ/וֹ | mitsaraeto | HR/Ncfsc/Sp3ms |
of his leprosy | from his skin-affliction | 3 |
H6883-06 |
וְ/צָרַ֤עַת | vetsaraat | HC/Ncfsc |
the leprosy | and affliction-condition of | 1 |
H6883-04 |
וּ/לְ/צָרַ֥עַת | uletsaraat | HC/R/Ncfsc |
for the leprosy | and for affliction-condition of | 1 |
H6883-05 |
וְ֠/הַ/צָּרַעַת | vehatsaraat | HC/Td/Ncfsa |
and the leprosy | and the struck-affliction | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
35 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6883-03 |
Leviticus 13:2 | צָרָ֑עַת | tsaraat | HNcfsa |
of disease | striking skin-affliction |
H6883-03 |
Leviticus 13:3 | צָרַ֖עַת | tsaraat | HNcfsa |
of leprosy | striking skin-affliction |
H6883-03 |
Leviticus 13:8 | צָרַ֥עַת | tsaraat | HNcfsa |
leprosy | striking skin-affliction |
H6883-03 |
Leviticus 13:9 | צָרַ֔עַת | tsaraat | HNcfsa |
of leprosy | striking skin-affliction |
H6883-03 |
Leviticus 13:11 | צָרַ֨עַת | tsaraat | HNcfsa |
leprosy | striking skin-affliction |
H6883-01 |
Leviticus 13:12 | הַ/צָּרַ֨עַת֙ | hatsaraat | HTd/Ncfsa |
the leprosy | the struck-affliction |
H6883-01 |
Leviticus 13:12 | הַ/צָּרַ֗עַת | hatsaraat-2 | HTd/Ncfsa |
the leprosy | the struck-affliction |
H6883-01 |
Leviticus 13:13 | הַ/צָּרַ֨עַת֙ | hatsaraat | HTd/Ncfsa |
the leprosy | the struck-affliction |
H6883-03 |
Leviticus 13:15 | צָרַ֥עַת | tsaraat | HNcfsa |
leprosy | striking skin-affliction |
H6883-03 |
Leviticus 13:20 | צָרַ֥עַת | tsaraat | HNcfsa |
of leprosy | striking skin-affliction |