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Leviticus 13:41 — Word Study

Depth

WLCוְאִם֙ מִפְּאַ֣ת פָּנָ֔יו יִמָּרֵ֖ט רֹאשׁ֑וֹ גִּבֵּ֥חַ ה֖וּא טָה֥וֹר הֽוּא׃

BSAOr ifʼim his hairlinepêʼâh recedesmâraṭ [falls off from the front part] and hehûwʼ is bald on his foreheadgibbêach [forehead bald, having a high or bare forehead area, toward his face] he is stillhûwʼ [yet, nonetheless] cleanṭâhôwr [pure, ceremonially clean]

Word
Listen & take awayLeviticus 13
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 41 is in this chapter.
Hebrew ↓ Download MP3 The Masoretic text of this chapter, read aloud. Read by Abraham Shmuelof, courtesy of Audio Scriptures International. Chapter divisions by the Academy of Ancient Languages..
Say the word Each Hebrew word carries its transliteration (Hu') — no per-word recordings of the Hebrew exist to link to.
Take it away
Leviticus 13:41quick helps
In a sentenceThis verse describes a condition of baldness and confirms the individual remains ceremonially clean.
Who is speakingThe priest, providing guidelines for evaluating skin conditions.
Where we arePart of the Levitical laws concerning purity and health.
The hard wordגִּבֵּ֥חַ
Take awayBaldness does not affect ceremonial cleanliness.
5 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Ellicott, Cambridge & more — read them › clause subjectהוּא verbמָרַט The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
How rare are these words?in the Old Testament

1 of 9 occurs nowhere else in the Old Testament — a word chosen on purpose.

Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.

Deep Study — Leviticus 13:41

Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.

Context — Laws Concerning Skin Diseasesgenerated

40Now if a man loses his hair and is bald, he is still clean.
41Or if his hairline recedes and he is bald on his forehead, he is still clean.
42But if there is a reddish-white sore on the bald head or forehead, it is an infectious disease breaking out on it.
43The priest is to examine him, and if the swelling of the infection on his bald head or forehead is reddish-white like a skin disease,

Leviticus 13:41 is part of a larger section that discusses various skin diseases and their implications for ritual cleanliness. This verse specifically addresses the condition of baldness, clarifying that a receding hairline does not render a person unclean. The laws outlined in Leviticus serve to maintain community purity and health standards, reflecting the importance of physical appearance in ceremonial contexts.


Cross References


The Key Word גִּבֵּ֥חַ, gi.Be.achgenerated

The word גִּבֵּ֥חַ (gi.Be.ach) describes a state of baldness, specifically referring to the forehead area. It is derived from a root that suggests a high or bare surface, emphasizing the physical aspect of being bald.

In this verse, it indicates that despite the baldness, the individual remains טָה֥וֹר (ta.Hor), or clean. This distinction is important in the context of the purity laws, where physical conditions can influence one's status within the community.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The verse contains a main clause introduced by the conjunction וְאִם (ve.'Im), which establishes a conditional statement. The structure includes a prepositional phrase indicating the area of baldness, followed by a description of the condition and the conclusion about cleanliness.

The finite verb יִמָּרֵ֖ט (yi.ma.Ret) governs the phrase about becoming bare, while the subject ה֖וּא (hu') and the predicate גִּבֵּ֥חַ (gi.Be.ach) clarify the state of the individual.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

The Septuagint translates גִּבֵּ֥חַ as ἀναφάλαντός, indicating a focus on the state of being bald. This choice emphasizes the physical condition without altering the meaning of cleanliness.

The Greek term used suggests a straightforward rendering of the Hebrew, maintaining the original intent of the law regarding baldness and purity.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

Leviticus 13:41 explains that if a man's hairline recedes and he is bald on his forehead, he is still considered clean. This verse is part of the laws that describe how to determine cleanliness in relation to physical conditions.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

What does it mean to be bald according to this verse?

Being bald refers specifically to having a high or bare forehead area, but it does not affect one's ceremonial cleanliness.

Why is cleanliness important in this context?

Cleanliness is crucial in the Levitical laws as it determines one's ability to participate in community worship and rituals.

How does this verse relate to other cleanliness laws?

This verse illustrates the detailed nature of the purity laws, showing that physical conditions are assessed carefully to maintain community standards.

What can we learn from this verse about physical appearance?

The verse indicates that physical conditions, such as baldness, do not determine a person's spiritual or ceremonial status.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. What does this verse teach about how we view physical conditions in relation to spiritual cleanliness?
  2. How can we apply the principles of cleanliness and purity in our own lives today?
  3. In what ways do societal standards of appearance affect our understanding of worth and acceptance?
  4. How can we ensure that we focus on inner purity rather than outward appearances?

Commentators on this verse — 5 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on Leviticus 13:41 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And he that hath his hair fallen off from the part of his head towards his face,.... That is, from the crown of his head towards his forehead and temples, the fore part of his head; and so the Misnic

Read John Gill on Leviticus 13 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

And the man whose hair is fallen off his head, he is bald; yet is he clean. Bald ... forehead bald.

Read Robert Jamieson on Leviticus 13 →
Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(41) And he that hath his hair fallen off—Rather, And if he loseth the hair of his head.He is forehead bald.—This, which according to the administrators of the law, was from the crown of the head descending to his face, and constituted the man a gibbèach, was also not a sign of leprosy.

Read Charles John Ellicott on Leviticus 13 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Baldness in the back or front part of the head (40–44) This is not in itself a sign of uncleanness, but if in either part a reddish white plague (white reddish sore A. V.) appears, he must be seen by the priest. The word ‘bald’ in Leviticus 13:40 means bald at the back of the head, as distinguished from forehead bald in Leviticus 13:41.

Read Cambridge on Leviticus 13 →
Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible

41. Forehead bald — This is in distinction from the hind bald. Leviticus 13:40, note.

Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Leviticus 13 →

The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company

Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.

Modern formal

BSBBerean Standard Bible2020

Or if his hairline recedes and he is bald on his forehead, he is still clean.

WEBWorld English Bible2000

If his hair has fallen off from the front part of his head, his forehead is bald. He is clean.

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

Or if his hairline recedes and he is bald on his forehead, he is still clean.

NETBNew English Translation2006

If his head is bare on the forehead so that he is balding in front, he is clean.

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

And he that hath his hair fallen off from the part of his head toward his face, he is forehead bald: yet is he clean.

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

And if his hair be fallen off from the front part of his head, he is forehead bald; yet is he clean.

RVARevised Version, American1894

And if his hair be fallen off from the front part of his head, he is forehead bald; yet is he clean.

NWBWebster's Bible1833

And he that hath his hair fallen off from the part of his head towards his face, he is forehead-bald; yet is he clean.

GNVGeneva Bible1599

And if his head lose the heare on the forepart, and be balde before, he is cleane.

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

and if he have the hair fallen off from the part of the head towards his face, he is forehead-bald: he is clean.

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

and if from the corner of his face his head is polished, he [is] bald of the forehead; he [is] clean.

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

and if his head is polished from the corner of his face, he [is] bald of the forehead; he [is] clean.

ILTInterlinear Literal Translation2000

And if from the side of his face his hair fall off, he is forehead-bald; he is clean.

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

If his hair has fallen out of the front part of his head, and if his forehead is bald, he is clean.

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

And if the hair fall from his forehead, he is bald before and clean.

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

If he has a receding hairline and he goes bald on his forehead, he is still clean.

BBEBible in Basic English1949

And if the hair has gone from the front part of his head, so that he has no hair there, still he is clean.

Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.


The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank

This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.

וְandclauseclauseאִם֙ifclauseprepositional phrase · prepositionalמִfromnoun phraseפְּאַ֣תthe.sidenoun phraseפָּנָ֔יhis.faceוhisverbיִמָּרֵ֖טit.will.become.barenoun phrase · subjectרֹאשׁ֑headוֹhisclausepredicateגִּבֵּ֥חַ[is].baldsubjectה֖וּאheclausepredicateטָה֥וֹר[is].puresubjectהֽוּאhe

Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.


The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran

The Masoretic Text is supported by the Samaritan Pentateuch, which agrees word for word. The Dead Sea Scrolls show damage at this point, with most words supplied by an editor, but the content aligns with the Masoretic Text.

Masoretic TextLeningrad Codex, c. AD 1008 — the text this page is built on

וְאִם֙ מִפְּאַ֣ת פָּנָ֔יו יִמָּרֵ֖ט רֹאשׁ֑וֹ גִּבֵּ֥חַ ה֖וּא טָה֥וֹר הֽוּא׃

Septuagintthe Greek the translators chose, word by word
וְאִם֙ἐὰνמִפְּאַ֣תκατὰפָּנָ֔יוπρόσωπονיִמָּרֵ֖טμαδήσῃרֹאשׁ֑וֹαὐτοῦגִּבֵּ֥חַἀναφάλαντόςה֖וּאἐστινטָה֥וֹרκαθαρόςהֽוּא׃ἐστιν

9 of the 9 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.

Samaritan Pentateuchthe Torah as the Samaritan community kept it

ואם מפאת פניו ימרט ראשׁו גבח הוא טהור הוא

Agrees with the Masoretic Text here, word for word.

Dead Sea Scrolls — 11Q1a copy a thousand years older than the Leningrad Codex

[ואמ] [מפאת] [פני׳ו] [ימרט] [ראש׳ו] [גבח] [הוא] [טהור] [הוא]

nothing on the leather here — 9 supplied entire by an editor.

Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.


The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with

This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.

Leviticus 13:41אִםand ifand ifאִםפֵּאָהfrom [the] from [the] sideפֵּאָהפָּנֶהface hisface hisפָּנֶהמָרַטit will becit will become מָרַטרֹאשׁhead hishead hisרֹאשׁגִּבֵּחַ[is] bald[is] baldגִּבֵּחַהוּאheheהוּאטָהוֹר[is] pure[is] pureטָהוֹרהוּאheheהוּאפָּנָהCorner (GaCorner (Gate)פָּנָהטָהֵרbe purebe pureטָהֵרפֹּהherehereפֹּהטָמֵאuncleanuncleanטָמֵאעֵתtimetimeעֵתחֵןfavorfavorחֵןיֵשׁtherethereיֵשׁקָדִיםeasteastקָדִיםסָתַרto hideto hideסָתַרנוּסto fleeto fleeנוּסמָשַׁךְto drawto drawמָשַׁךְחֶ֫רֶבswordswordחֶ֫רֶבעֲטָרָהcrowncrownעֲטָרָהנָשִׂיאleaderleaderנָשִׂיאצָפָהto overlayto overlayצָפָהמְנוֹרָהlampstandlampstandמְנוֹרָה
meets it a little oftener than chancemeets it far oftener than chancebuilt from the same roottwo words of the verse share ita word of this versea related word

Lexicons — every word in Leviticus 13:41

One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.

Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.

and if from [the] side of face his it will become bare head his [is] bald he [is] pure he
וְאִם֙ve.'Im and if H518 Conjunction · particle
1,070× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word is used to express conditions or questions, like if or whether. It can also be used to make oaths or express wishes, as in Oh that! It appears in various forms in the KJV, including if, though, and when.
Tyndale gloss
if
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

אִם (im) is a Hebrew conjunction primarily meaning 'if' and is used in various contexts, including conditional clauses and interrogative situations. It can also express negation, alternatives, or exceptions, and appears frequently in the Old Testament. The lexicons note its use in oaths and its ability to connect different clauses, sometimes altering their meanings.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אִם conj.

hypoth. part. if

Interrog. part.

base

כִּי אם־

each part. retaining its independent force, and relating to a different clause:

that if

for if

(About 140 t.) the two particles being closely conjoined, and relating to the same clause—

limiting the prec. clause, except

the if being neglected, and treated as pleonastic, so that the clause is no longer a limitation of the preceding clause but a contradiction of it: but rather, but

after an oath, surely

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H518a אִם conj. . hypoth. part. if

. Interrog. part.

H518b כִּי אם־ . each part. retaining its independent force, and relating to a different clause: . that if

. for if

. (About 140 t.) the two particles being closely conjoined, and relating to the same clause— . limiting the prec. clause, except

. the if being neglected, and treated as pleonastic, so that the clause is no longer a limitation of the preceding clause but a contradiction of it: but rather, but

. after an oath, surely

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

518 'im eem

a primitive particle; used very widely as demonstrative, lo!;

interrog., whether?; or conditional, if, although; also Oh

that!, when; hence, as a negative, not:--(and, can-,

doubtless, if, that) (not), + but, either, + except, +

more(-over if, than), neither, nevertheless, nor, oh that, or,

+ save (only, -ing), seeing, since, sith, + surely (no more,

none, not), though, + of a truth, + unless, + verily, when,

whereas, whether, while, + yet.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אִם (im) — if.

: if/whether_or/though

1) if

1a) conditional clauses

1a1) of possible situations

1a2) of impossible situations

1b) oath contexts

1b1) no, not

1c) if...if, whether...or, whether...or...or

1d) when, whenever

1e) since

1f) interrogative particle

1g) but rather

[כִּי] אם (ki im) — if: except.

1) except if

1a) but if

אִם (im) — if: surely no.

: surely_no

1) if

1a) conditional clauses

1a1) of possible situations

1a2) of impossible situations

1b) oath contexts

1b1) no, not

1c) if...if, whether...or, whether...or...or

1d) when, whenever

1e) since

1f) interrogative particle

1g) but rather

אִם (im) — if: surely yes.

: surely_yes

1) if

1a) conditional clauses

1a1) of possible situations

1a2) of impossible situations

1b) oath contexts

1b1) no, not

1c) if...if, whether...or, whether...or...or

1d) when, whenever

1e) since

1f) interrogative particle

1g) but rather

אִם (im) — if: until.

: until/except

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | Conj — Conjunction · particle
HC/Tc
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
and if from [the] side of face his it will become bare head his [is] bald he [is] pure he
מִפְּאַ֣תmi.pe.'At from [the] side of H6285 Preposition · noun common feminine singular construct
86× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word refers to the side or corner of something, like the edge of a room or a region. It is used in the Bible to describe geography or location. In the KJV, it is translated as 'corner' or 'side'.
Tyndale gloss
side
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

פֵּאָה (pe'ah) refers to a corner or side, indicating a part that is cut off or an extremity. It is a feminine noun derived from another Hebrew word, and its meanings include corner, edge, and quarter. The entries consistently emphasize its use in describing directional or spatial aspects.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

פֵּאָה 81 n.f. corner, side (part cut off)

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H6285 פֵּאָה corner, side (part cut off)

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

6285 pe'ah pay-aw'

feminine of 6311; properly, mouth in a figurative sense, i.e.

direction, region, extremity:--corner, end, quarter, side.

see HEBREW for 06311

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

פֵּאָה (pe.ah) — side.

1) corner, edge, side, quarter, extremity

1a) corner

1b) side

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep | N-fs — Preposition · noun common feminine singular construct
HR/Ncfsc
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

ov:

(1) In Anglo-Saxon, had the meaning "from," "away from" (as the strengthened form "off" has still), and was not used for genitive or possessive relations, these being expressed by special case-forms. In the Norman period, however, "of" was taken to represent the French de (a use well developed by the time of Chaucer), and in the Elizabethan period both senses of "of" were in common use. But after about 1600 the later force of the word became predominant, and in the earlier sense (which is now practically obsolete) it was replaced by other prepositions. In consequence the King James Version (and in some cases the Revised Version (British and American)) contains many uses of "of" that are no longer familiar--most of them, to be sure, causing no difficulty, but there still being a few responsible for real obscurities.

English usagewhat the translators’ English meant
Webster's Dictionary (1828), Webster's Unabridged (1913), Webster's Dictionary (1806)

OF, preposition ov. [Gr.]

1. From or out of; proceeding from, as the cause, source, means, author or agent bestowing.

I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered to you. 1 Corinthians 11:1.

For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts. Joshua 11:1.

It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed.

Lamentations 3:1.

The whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Proverbs 16:1.

Go, inquire of the Lord for me. 2 Chronicles 34:2.

That holy thing that shall be born of thee. Luke 1:1.

Hence of is the sign of the genitive case, the case that denotes production; as the son of man, the son proceeding from man, produced from man. This is the primary sense, although we now say, produced by man. 'Part of these were slain; ' that is, a number separate, for part denotes a division; the sense then is, a number from or out of the whole were slain. So also, 'some of these were slain; ' that is…

and if from [the] side of face his it will become bare head his [is] bald he [is] pure he
פָּנָ֔יוpa.Nav face his H6440 Noun common masculine plural construct · suffix
2,127× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word means face or presence, like being in front of someone or something. It's used in many contexts, like in Genesis, Exodus, and Psalms, to describe interactions and relationships.
Tyndale gloss
face
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word פָּנֶה (*pāneh*) is a noun meaning 'face' or 'presence,' and it appears in various contexts, including the faces of seraphim and animals, as well as the surface of the ground. It can also function as an adverb meaning 'before' or 'in front of.' The word is built from a root that suggests turning or facing, and it encompasses a wide range of applications, both literal and figurative.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

[פָּנֶה], pl. פָּנִים 2123 n.m. face, also faces

face, faces

presence, person

technically, see one's face, i.e. appear before one, in one's presence

face of seraphim

face of animals

face (= surface) of ground

as adv.loc. before

for other phrases

with prepositions

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H6440 פָּנֶה, pl. פָּנִים face, also faces . . face, faces

. . presence, person

. technically, see one's face, i.e. appear before one, in one's presence

. face of seraphim

. face of animals

. face (= surface) of ground

. as adv. loc. before

. for other phrases

. with prepositions

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

6440 paniym paw-neem'

plural (but always as singular) of an unused noun (paneh

{paw-neh'}; from 6437); the face (as the part that turns);

used in a great variety of applications (literally and

figuratively); also (with prepositional prefix) as a

preposition (before, etc.):--+ accept, a-(be- )fore(-time),

against, anger, X as (long as), at, + battle, + because (of),

+ beseech, countenance, edge, + employ, endure, + enquire,

face, favour, fear of, for, forefront(-part), form(-er

time, -ward), from, front, heaviness, X him(-self), +

honourable, + impudent, + in, it, look(-eth) (- s), X me, +

meet, X more than, mouth, of, off, (of) old (time), X on,

open, + out of, over against, the partial, person, + please,

presence, propect, was purposed, by reason of, + regard, right

forth, + serve, X shewbread, sight, state, straight, + street,

X thee, X them(-selves), through (+ - out), till, time(-s)

Read the full entry →
Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

פָּנֶה (pa.neh) — face: before.

: before/to/front

1) face

1a) face, faces

1b) presence, person

1c) face (of seraphim or cherubim)

1d) face (of animals)

1e) face, surface (of ground)

1f) as adv of loc/temp

1f1) before and behind, toward, in front of, forward, formerly, from beforetime, before

1g) with prep

1g1) in front of, before, to the front of, in the presence of, in the face of, at the face or front of, from the presence of, from before, from before the face of

פָּנֶה (pa.neh) — face.

: face

1) face

1a) face, faces

1b) presence, person

1c) face (of seraphim or cherubim)

1d) face (of animals)

1e) face, surface (of ground)

1f) as adv of loc/temp

1f1) before and behind, toward, in front of, forward, formerly, from beforetime, before

1g) with prep

1g1) in front of, before, to the front of, in the presence of, in the face of, at the face or front of, from the presence of, from before, from…

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HNcmpc/Sp3ms — Noun common masculine plural construct · suffix
HNcmpc/Sp3ms
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

hiz: Used often in the King James Version with reference to a neuter or inanimate thing, or to a lower animal (Ge 1:11, "after his kind"; Le 1:16, "pluck away his crop"; Ac 12:10, "of his own accord"; 1Co 15:38, "his own body"), etc. the Revised Version (British and American) substitutes "its."

The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
and if from [the] side of face his it will become bare head his [is] bald he [is] pure he
יִמָּרֵ֖טyi.ma.Ret it will become bare H4803 Verb · Niphal · imperfect third person masculine singular
14× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
To smooth or polish something, like making a surface shiny or bald. It can also mean to sharpen or gall something. In the Bible, it's used to describe someone's head being bald or their shoulder being rough.
Amplified meaning
falls off from the front part
Tyndale gloss
to smooth
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

מָרַט (marat) is a Hebrew verb meaning to make smooth or bare, often associated with polishing or scouring. It can imply making something bald, particularly the head, or sharpening an object. The word appears in various forms, including Qal (to make bare) and Niphal (to be made bald).

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

[מָרַט] vb. make smooth, bare, bald; scour, polish

Qal

make bare

scour, polish

Niph. his head is made bald

Pu. scoured, polished

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H4803 [מָרַט] make smooth, bare, bald; scour, polish

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

4803 marat maw-rat'

a primitive root; to polish; by implication, to make bald

(the head), to gall (the shoulder); also, to

sharpen:--bright, furbish, (have his) hair (be) fallen off,

peeled, pluck off (hair).

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

מָרַט (ma.rat) — to smooth.

1) to bare, polish, make smooth or bald or bare

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to make bare

1a2) to scour, polish

1b) (Niphal) to be made bald

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Niphal-Imperf-3ms — Verb · Niphal · imperfect third person masculine singular
HVNi3ms
and if from [the] side of face his it will become bare head his [is] bald he [is] pure he
רֹאשׁ֑וֹro.Sho head his H7218 Noun common masculine singular construct · suffix
600× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word means chief or prince, and is used to describe leaders in the Bible, such as in the book of 1 Samuel. It signifies a position of authority and importance.
Tyndale gloss
head
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

רֹאשׁ (ro'sh) means 'head' and encompasses various meanings related to position and rank. It can refer to the head of a person or animal, the top of a mountain, or a chief in various contexts, such as a city or nation. The word also signifies beginnings and sums, appearing in phrases related to enumeration. Additionally, it serves as a proper noun for 'Rosh,' a title for a chief or prince.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

רֹאשׁ 599 n.m.

(c. 230 t.) head, of human being

head, of animals

top (88 t.)

height, of stars

head = chief (man)

= chief (city)

chief nation

= chief (place, position)

= chief priest

= head of a family

head = front, leader's place

of time, beginning, of night watch

of things, river-heads

chief, choicest, best, of spices

head = division of army, company, band

= sum, esp. in phr. take sum of, enumerate

other phr.

base

רֹאשׁ n.pr.gent. Rôsh

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H7218a רֹאשׁ . . (c. 230 t.) head, of human being

. head, of animals

. . top (88 t.)

. height, of stars

. . head = chief (man)

. = chief (city)

. chief nation

. = chief (place, position)

. = chief priest

. = head of a family

. . head = front, leader's place

. of time, beginning, of night watch

. of things, river-heads

. chief, choicest, best, of spices

. head = division of army, company, band

. = sum, esp. in phr. take sum of, enumerate

. other phr.

H7218b רֹאשׁ n. pr. gent. Rôsh

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

7218 ro'sh roshe

from an unused root apparently meaning to shake; the head (as

most easily shaken), whether literal or figurative (in many

applications, of place, time, rank, itc.):--band, beginning,

captain, chapiter, chief(-est place, man, things), company,

end, X every (man), excellent, first, forefront, ((be-))head,

height, (on) high(-est part, (priest)), X lead, X poor,

principal, ruler, sum, top.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

רֹאשׁ (rosh) — head.

: head

1) head, top, summit, upper part, chief, total, sum, height, front, beginning

1a) head (of man, animals)

1b) top, tip (of mountain)

1c) height (of stars)

1d) chief, head (of man, city, nation, place, family, priest)

1e) head, front, beginning

1f) chief, choicest, best

1g) head, division, company, band

1h) sum

רֹאשׁ (rosh) — prince.

Rosh, a tite for a chief or prince

רֹאשׁ (rosh) — head: leader.

: leader

1) head, top, summit, upper part, chief, total, sum, height, front, beginning

1a) head (of man, animals)

1b) top, tip (of mountain)

1c) height (of stars)

1d) chief, head (of man, city, nation, place, family, priest)

1e) head, front, beginning

1f) chief, choicest, best

1g) head, division, company, band

1h) sum

רֹאשׁ (rosh) — head: top.

: top/best

1) head, top, summit, upper part, chief, total, sum, height, front, beginning

1a) head (of man, animals)

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HNcmsc/Sp3ms — Noun common masculine singular construct · suffix
HNcmsc/Sp3ms
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

hiz: Used often in the King James Version with reference to a neuter or inanimate thing, or to a lower animal (Ge 1:11, "after his kind"; Le 1:16, "pluck away his crop"; Ac 12:10, "of his own accord"; 1Co 15:38, "his own body"), etc. the Revised Version (British and American) substitutes "its."

and if from [the] side of face his it will become bare head his [is] bald he [is] pure he
גִּבֵּ֥חַgi.Be.ach [is] bald H1371 N-ms
1× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word describes someone who is bald in the forehead, having a high or bare forehead area. It is used to describe physical appearance.
Amplified meaning
forehead bald, having a high or bare forehead area, toward his face
Tyndale gloss
bald
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

גִּבֵּחַ (gibbeach) refers to having a bald forehead. It is derived from an unused root meaning to be high, specifically in relation to the forehead. The term appears in Leviticus 13:41.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

גִּבֵּחַ adj. having a bald forehead Lv 13:41

ref

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H1371 גִּבֵּחַ

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

1371 gibbeach ghib-bay'-akh

from an unused root meaning to be high (in the forehead);

bald in the forehead:--forehead bald.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

גִּבֵּחַ (gib.be.ach) — bald.

to be high, bald (in the forehead), having a bald forehead

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-ms — N-ms
HAamsa
and if from [the] side of face his it will become bare head his [is] bald he [is] pure he
ה֖וּאhu' he H1931 Pronoun
1,879× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word is a pronoun meaning 'he', 'she', or 'it', used to refer to a person or thing. It is used in the Bible to emphasize a subject or make it clear who is being talked about.
Tyndale gloss
he/she/it
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

הוּא (hu) is a third-person singular pronoun meaning he, she, or it, used for emphasis or when no verb is present. It can also refer to oneself or serve as a demonstrative pronoun. The word has various nuances, including resuming the subject with emphasis or expressing it unobtrusively. It can indicate 'that' or 'those' when used with the definite article.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

הוּא m. הִיא f., pron. of the 3rd ps. sing. he, she, used also (in both genders) for the neuter it

an emph. he (she, it, they), sometimes equivalent to himself (herself, itself, themselves), or (esp. with the art.) that (those)

It resumes the subj. with emph.

Where, however, the pron. follows the pred., its position gives it the minimum of emphasis, and it expresses (or resumes) the subject as unobtrusively as possible

It anticipates (as it seems) the subject

As an emph. predicate, of God

In a neuter sense, that, it (of an action, occurrence, matte, etc.)

With the art.: so regularly when joined to a subst. defined itself by the art.

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H1931 הוּא, הִיא he, she, used also (in both genders) for the neuter it . an emph. he (she, it, they), sometimes equivalent to himself (herself, itself, themselves), or (esp. with the art.) that (those)

. It resumes the subj. with emph.

. Where, however, the pron. follows the pred., its position gives it the minimum of emphasis, and it expresses (or resumes) the subject as unobtrusively as possible

. It anticipates (as it seems) the subject

. As an emph. predicate, of God

. In a neuter sense, that, it (of an action, occurrence, matte, etc.)

. With the art.: so regularly when joined to a subst. defined itself by the art.

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

1931 huw' hoo

of which the feminine (beyond the Pentateuch) is hiyw {he}; a

primitive word, the third person pronoun singular, he (she or

it); only expressed when emphatic or without a verb; also

(intensively) self, or (especially with the article) the same;

sometimes (as demonstrative) this or that; occasionally

(instead of copula) as or are:--he, as for her, him(-self),

it, the same, she (herself), such, that (...it), these, they,

this, those, which (is), who.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

הוּא (hu) — he/she/it.

pron 3p s

1) he, she, it

1a) himself (with emphasis)

1b) resuming subj with emphasis

1c) (with minimum emphasis following predicate)

1d) (anticipating subj)

1e) (emphasising predicate)

1f) that, it (neuter) demons pron

2) that (with article)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Pron — Pronoun
HPp3ms
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

ha: The fifth letter of the Hebrew alphabet; transliterated in this Encyclopedia as "h." It came also to be used for the number 5. For name, etc., see ALPHABET.

The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
and if from [the] side of face his it will become bare head his [is] bald he [is] pure he
טָה֥וֹרta.Hor [is] pure H2889 Adj
94× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Tahor means pure or clean, and can refer to physical, moral, or ceremonial purity. In the Bible, it describes clean animals and morally upright people. It is often used to describe something as fair or pure.
Amplified meaning
pure, ceremonially clean
Tyndale gloss
pure
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

טָהוֹר (tahor) means clean or pure, covering physical, ceremonial, and moral senses. It is derived from the root word associated with H2891. The entries emphasize its application in various contexts, including animals and ethical purity.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

טָהוֹר adj. clean, pure

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H2889 טָהוֹר clean, pure

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

2889 tahowr taw-hore'

or tahor {taw-hore'}; from 2891; pure (in a physical,

chemical, ceremonial or moral sense):--clean, fair,

pure(-ness).

see HEBREW for 02891

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

טָהוֹר (ta.hor) — pure.

1) pure, clean

1a) clean (ceremonially-of animals)

1b) pure (physically)

1c) pure, clean (morally, ethically)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Adj — Adj
HAamsa
and if from [the] side of face his it will become bare head his [is] bald he [is] pure he
הֽוּא׃Hu' he H1931 Pronoun
1,879× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word is a pronoun meaning 'he', 'she', or 'it', used to refer to a person or thing. It is used in the Bible to emphasize a subject or make it clear who is being talked about.
Amplified meaning
yet, nonetheless
Tyndale gloss
he/she/it
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

הוּא (hu) is a third-person singular pronoun meaning he, she, or it, used for emphasis or when no verb is present. It can also refer to oneself or serve as a demonstrative pronoun. The word has various nuances, including resuming the subject with emphasis or expressing it unobtrusively. It can indicate 'that' or 'those' when used with the definite article.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

הוּא m. הִיא f., pron. of the 3rd ps. sing. he, she, used also (in both genders) for the neuter it

an emph. he (she, it, they), sometimes equivalent to himself (herself, itself, themselves), or (esp. with the art.) that (those)

It resumes the subj. with emph.

Where, however, the pron. follows the pred., its position gives it the minimum of emphasis, and it expresses (or resumes) the subject as unobtrusively as possible

It anticipates (as it seems) the subject

As an emph. predicate, of God

In a neuter sense, that, it (of an action, occurrence, matte, etc.)

With the art.: so regularly when joined to a subst. defined itself by the art.

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H1931 הוּא, הִיא he, she, used also (in both genders) for the neuter it . an emph. he (she, it, they), sometimes equivalent to himself (herself, itself, themselves), or (esp. with the art.) that (those)

. It resumes the subj. with emph.

. Where, however, the pron. follows the pred., its position gives it the minimum of emphasis, and it expresses (or resumes) the subject as unobtrusively as possible

. It anticipates (as it seems) the subject

. As an emph. predicate, of God

. In a neuter sense, that, it (of an action, occurrence, matte, etc.)

. With the art.: so regularly when joined to a subst. defined itself by the art.

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

1931 huw' hoo

of which the feminine (beyond the Pentateuch) is hiyw {he}; a

primitive word, the third person pronoun singular, he (she or

it); only expressed when emphatic or without a verb; also

(intensively) self, or (especially with the article) the same;

sometimes (as demonstrative) this or that; occasionally

(instead of copula) as or are:--he, as for her, him(-self),

it, the same, she (herself), such, that (...it), these, they,

this, those, which (is), who.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

הוּא (hu) — he/she/it.

pron 3p s

1) he, she, it

1a) himself (with emphasis)

1b) resuming subj with emphasis

1c) (with minimum emphasis following predicate)

1d) (anticipating subj)

1e) (emphasising predicate)

1f) that, it (neuter) demons pron

2) that (with article)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Pron — Pronoun
HPp3ms
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

ha: The fifth letter of the Hebrew alphabet; transliterated in this Encyclopedia as "h." It came also to be used for the number 5. For name, etc., see ALPHABET.

The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
Sources on this page. Lexicons and dictionaries imported from the CrossWire SWORD modules — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, Dodson, the Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones, Robinson and Packard, Webster and Cawdrey. Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Harper, 1889 — Grimm’s Wilke’s Clavis Novi Testamenti, translated, revised and enlarged by Joseph Henry Thayer) is public domain and is set here from the Internet Archive page scan greekenglishlex00grim; it is uncorrected OCR, marked as such on the entry itself, and the Strong’s numbers — which Thayer’s own edition does not carry — were matched by lemma against the other modules on this page. Trench’s Synonyms of the New Testament (Macmillan, 1880) and Moulton and Milligan’s Vocabulary of the Greek Testament (Hodder & Stoughton, 1930, which entered the United States public domain on 1 January 2026) are set from Internet Archive page scans synonymsofnewtes00treniala and vocabularyofgree00mouluoft, and are likewise uncorrected OCR matched to Strong’s numbers by lemma. Trench treats a group of words at once, so the same essay stands on the page of each word it compares. The Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary is © 1993 and is used here by permission for non-commercial use, www.teknia.com/greek-dictionary. The full Liddell-Scott-Jones and the Hebrew word data (TAHOT) come from STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0. Brown-Driver-Briggs is the OpenScriptures digitisation, public domain. Syntax analysis is the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (biblicalhumanities.org); the concordance and morphology are built from the tagged Nestle 1904 text. Septuagint occurrences use the Open Scriptures Septuagint lemma index, derived from CCAT (University of Pennsylvania) and the Rahlfs 1935 dataset by Eliran Wong, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — used here on a non-commercial ministry site. Greek of Josephus and Barnabas from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA 4.0. Commentaries and the Ante-Nicene Fathers are public-domain texts hosted on this site. Everyday Greek from the Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri, CC BY 3.0, with dates and provenance from the Heidelberger Gesamtverzeichnis. Philo and the Apostolic Fathers from Open Greek and Latin (First1KGreek), CC BY-SA 4.0. The apparatus and the fifth Greek column are the SBL Greek New Testament, © 2010 SBL and Logos Bible Software, CC BY 4.0. The Latin is the Clementine Vulgate (public domain); the Syriac New Testament is the ETCBC edition (MIT licence). The Hebrew behind the Greek is computed here from the Septuagint index and TAHOT, not taken from any aligned edition. The translation spread and the per-word edition marks come from the Translators Amalgamated Greek NT (STEPBible, CC BY 4.0); clause roles from the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (CC BY-SA 4.0); place identifications and their confidence from OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding (CC BY 4.0), with map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Gospel parallels are computed here from shared uncommon vocabulary, not taken from any printed harmony. Cross references are the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and the subject headings are Nave’s Topical Bible, both public domain. Works under Creative Commons licences are used unchanged apart from markup removal.

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