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Tzaraath
Tzaraath (Hebrew: צָרַעַת ṣāraʿaṯ), variously transcribed into English and frequently translated as leprosy (though it is not Hansen's disease, the disease known as "leprosy" in modern times), is a term used in the Bible to describe various ritually impure disfigurative conditions of the human skin, clothing, and houses. Skin tzaraath generally involves patches that are white and contain unusually colored hair. Clothing and house tzaraath consists of a reddish or greenish discoloration.
The laws of tzaraath are given in depth in chapters 13–14 of Leviticus, and several Biblical stories describe individuals who have contracted tzaraath.
Variant transcriptions of the name into English include saraath, zaraath, tzaraat, tsaraat, tzaraas, and tsaraas.
The Hebraic root tsara or tsaraath (צָרַע "to be struck with leprosy, to be leprous"), and the Greek lepros (λεπρός), refer to conditions other than Hansen's disease. The editors of the Septuagint translated the term tzaraath with Greek lepra (λέπρα), which in classical sources referred to psoriasis and similar skin conditions; at the time Hansen's disease was known in Greek by a different term (elephantiasis graecorum). The connection with the bacterial infection now known as Hansen's disease increased as the latter disease spread more widely, and was firmly established by Islamic works on medicine in the 9th century. The classical Greek term lepra stems from the noun lepis λεπίς (a scale (of a fish)), which in turn stems from the verb lepó λέπω (to peel), hence 'leprosy' (literally, morbid scaliness). Variants of the word leprosy conflating tzaraath with Hansen's disease were used from the earliest English translations of the Bible, including Wycliffe's, Tyndale's, and Coverdale's.
The linguistic root of tzaraath (צרע) may mean "smiting"; the Arabic cognate ṣaraʕa (صرع) has a similar meaning. Alternatively, tzaraath may be derived from the Hebrew word tzirah (wasp), based on the idea that tzaraat affects the skin in a manner resembling a wasp's sting. Other theories suggest a connection to the roots שרע ("to spread") or זרע ("seed", i.e. a growth).
The manifestation of tzaraath is termed a negah (נגע) "affliction", nega'im (plural: נגעים).
There are three varieties of nega'im that relate to human flesh:
White patches of the skin are confirmed as tzaraath by the occurrence of one of three signs:
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Tzaraath
Tzaraath (Hebrew: צָרַעַת ṣāraʿaṯ), variously transcribed into English and frequently translated as leprosy (though it is not Hansen's disease, the disease known as "leprosy" in modern times), is a term used in the Bible to describe various ritually impure disfigurative conditions of the human skin, clothing, and houses. Skin tzaraath generally involves patches that are white and contain unusually colored hair. Clothing and house tzaraath consists of a reddish or greenish discoloration.
The laws of tzaraath are given in depth in chapters 13–14 of Leviticus, and several Biblical stories describe individuals who have contracted tzaraath.
Variant transcriptions of the name into English include saraath, zaraath, tzaraat, tsaraat, tzaraas, and tsaraas.
The Hebraic root tsara or tsaraath (צָרַע "to be struck with leprosy, to be leprous"), and the Greek lepros (λεπρός), refer to conditions other than Hansen's disease. The editors of the Septuagint translated the term tzaraath with Greek lepra (λέπρα), which in classical sources referred to psoriasis and similar skin conditions; at the time Hansen's disease was known in Greek by a different term (elephantiasis graecorum). The connection with the bacterial infection now known as Hansen's disease increased as the latter disease spread more widely, and was firmly established by Islamic works on medicine in the 9th century. The classical Greek term lepra stems from the noun lepis λεπίς (a scale (of a fish)), which in turn stems from the verb lepó λέπω (to peel), hence 'leprosy' (literally, morbid scaliness). Variants of the word leprosy conflating tzaraath with Hansen's disease were used from the earliest English translations of the Bible, including Wycliffe's, Tyndale's, and Coverdale's.
The linguistic root of tzaraath (צרע) may mean "smiting"; the Arabic cognate ṣaraʕa (صرع) has a similar meaning. Alternatively, tzaraath may be derived from the Hebrew word tzirah (wasp), based on the idea that tzaraat affects the skin in a manner resembling a wasp's sting. Other theories suggest a connection to the roots שרע ("to spread") or זרע ("seed", i.e. a growth).
The manifestation of tzaraath is termed a negah (נגע) "affliction", nega'im (plural: נגעים).
There are three varieties of nega'im that relate to human flesh:
White patches of the skin are confirmed as tzaraath by the occurrence of one of three signs: