יַלֶּפֶת
scurf or tetter
Definition
The Hebrew word יַלֶּפֶת (yallepheth) refers to a specific skin disease or condition, understood as a scab, scurf, or tetter. It describes a flaking, scaly, or crusted lesion on the skin. In the biblical context, it is used exclusively in the priestly purity laws of Leviticus to describe a physical blemish that disqualifies an animal from being offered as a sacrifice (Leviticus 22:22) and a man from serving as a priest (Leviticus 21:20). The condition is grouped with other skin defects, emphasizing visible imperfections.
Biblical Usage
This word is used only twice in the Old Testament, both times in the Holiness Code of Leviticus. It appears in legal lists detailing physical imperfections that render either a sacrificial animal or a priest ritually unfit. In Leviticus 21:20, a man with יַלֶּפֶת is barred from priestly service, and in Leviticus 22:22, an animal with this condition is prohibited from being offered on the altar. Its usage is strictly technical and cultic, related to standards of ritual wholeness.
Etymology
Derived from an unused Hebrew root likely meaning 'to stick' or 'to scrape,' suggesting a condition where something adheres to or is scraped off the skin. The noun form implies a state of being stuck on or a scaly deposit. While no direct cognates are certain, the conceptual link to adhesion or a crust aligns with its gloss as a scab or scurf.
Semantic Range
This word is significant for understanding the biblical concept of holiness and ritual purity. Physical wholeness symbolized spiritual integrity and fitness for approaching God, especially for priests and sacrifices, which were to be 'without blemish.' יַלֶּפֶת, as a visible defect, represented a state incompatible with the perfection required in sacred service, pointing to the need for purity in God's presence and foreshadowing the perfect, unblemished sacrifice of Christ.
In ancient Israelite culture, skin diseases were often associated with ritual impurity and social stigma. While יַלֶּפֶת is not the severe 'tzara'at' (often translated as leprosy), it was still considered a significant physical flaw. The cultural understanding linked outward physical condition to inward or ceremonial status, particularly for religious roles and offerings, reflecting a worldview where holiness was manifested in tangible, unblemished wholeness.
צָרַעַת (tsara'ath, H6883) — A more severe, ritually defiling skin disease often translated as 'leprosy,' requiring quarantine. גָּרָב (garav, H1618) — Another type of skin disease or scab, sometimes paired with יַלֶּפֶת in lists (Leviticus 21:20, 22:22), possibly indicating a related but distinct condition like an itch or mange.
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
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