A S tudy of Color : Uses of ןבָלָ in the Hebrew Bible

element, Is 1:18), David himself (Ps 51:9), garments (a tangible and real element, Ecle 9:8) and the People of God (Dan 11:35, 12:10). – Sins: As we know, Is 1 is a chapter that includes the main themes of prophetic literature: sin and punishment, repentance, forgiveness, purification, conversion and restoration of Jerusalem. Is 1:18 presents a subtle image based on the use of colors to explain the magnitude of God’s forgiveness: Is 1:18 תּכַ וּמידִּאְיַ־םאִ וּניבִּלְיַ גלֶשֶּׁכַּ םינִשָּׁכַּ םכֶיאֵטָחֲ וּיהְיִ־םאִ הוָהיְ רמַאֹי החָכְוָּנִוְ אנָ־וּכלְ ׃וּיהְיִ רמֶצֶּכַּ עלָוֹ Come now, and let us have an argument together, says the Lord: how may your sins which are red like blood be white as snow? How may their dark purple seem like wool? Here ןבל appears again as a verb: וּניבִּלְיַ. And it is also compared with snow: גלֶ ֶּׁ ש ַּ כ. “They shall be like snow” (NRSV), “become white like snow” (NET Bible), “quedarán blancos como la nieve” (Cantera-Iglesias), “como la nieve serán emblanquecidos” (Reina-Valera), and “deviendront blancs comme la neige” (Louis Segond). The chromatic language used by the prophet is diverse: two color roots (םדא and ןבל) in verbal forms and three terms that denote color by themselves: םינִשָּׁ (scarlets), גלֶשֶּׁ (snow) and רמֶצֶּ (wool). This is not a stylistic novelty of Isaiah, but a common literary resource in Hebrew language to denote color. 60 םינִשָּׁ is translated as scarlet, color of dyed fabric, 61 while גלֶשֶּׁ and רמֶצֶּ refer to white. 62 This association naturally arises not only in the Semitic world, but in universal literature. This simile specifies the hue, brilliance and cleanness of the color denoted by the root ןבל. Regarding Hartley, the background for this metaphor for moral cleansing may be the laundering of soiled clothes, considering the Hif‘il form of ןבל (ןיבלה) 60 L. RYKEN, J. C. WILLHOIT and T. LONGMAN III, (eds.), Dictionary of Biblical Imaginery (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1998) p. 157. 61 D. R. W. WOOD, A. R. MILLARD, J. I. PACKER, D. J. WISEMAN and I. HOWARD MARSHALL, (eds.), New Bible Dictionary (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996 [accordance electronic edition, version 3.6]). 62 The color of wool is the white per excellence in Israel. As explained in 3.1, the predominant color of sheeps and goats was white. A STUDY OF COLOR: USES OF ןבָלָ IN THE HEBREW BIBLE SEFARAD, vol. 77:1, enero-junio 2017, págs. 39-64. ISSN: 0037-0894. doi: 10.3989/sefarad.017.002 59 a verb which means “to bring out or produce a light color”, and in Is 1:18 that light color would be no other than “brilliant white.” 63 Therefore, the presence of snow clearly defines the white nuance behind of ןבל in Is 1:18. ןבל here has the same tonality as snow. It is thus simple to understand why Lyons 64 considers “snowy white” as a “prototype color”, a primal model where the other nuances of white could emerge. It is simultaneously white and bright, because snow by its own nature shines in contact with the sun. ןבל is shining white in Is 1:18. We find the same image in Psalms 51:9, where the subject is King David instead of sins: ןיבִּלְאַ גלֶשֶּׁמִוּ ינִסֵבְּכַתְּ רהָטְאֶוְ בוֹזאֵבְ ינִאֵטְּחַתְּ Make me free from sin with hyssop: let me be washed whiter than snow. – Garments: The links between white and purity continue if we consider garments and priestly vestments. 65 This verse is part a larger text describing the pursue of daily happiness, parallel to the Epic of Gilgamesh. 66 Mankind must rejoice life through satiated stomachs, dancing, cleaning garments and the body with oil, and taking care of young children.


INTRODUCTION
Words cannot be understood in isolation or simply on the basis of derivatives and etymological elements.They are options part of language, different elements of a sentence which interact with each other.Regarding color terms, we are allowed to make assumptions whether or not there is some correlation between psychological, social and symbolic elements of language itself.And the Bible does not escape from this.Terms like ‫ֹם‬ ‫,ָאד‬ ‫ֹר‬ ‫ח‬ ׁ ָ ‫ש‬ or ‫ן‬ ָ ‫ב‬ ‫לָ‬ are easily identifiable as colors, but they also allow a variety of combinations of phrases applicable to different lexemes in different contexts.It is very important to be aware that these words provide information and clarify other terms, while some of them are subordinated to others in the hierarchy of a specific semantic field.
The study of the colors in Biblical Hebrew (particularly in the Masoretic Text) 1 is not new: since the second half of the last century, there have been several investigations from the diachronic 2 and synchronic perspectives. 3After a brief study about the presence of the root /lbn/ in different Semitic languages, my contribution will determine as far as possible the latent color nuances of /lbn/, considering both previous studies and different translations of the Bible, aiming to shed new light on this blurred matter.As we know, color terms in ancient times included themselves a wide range of colors.For those nuances expressed in Antiquity only with a single term, today we have a wide range of vocabulary.In fact, in any color catalogue there is an extensive menu to designate several kinds of white: white smoke, snow, ivory, linen, beige, cream, vanilla, etc.
Regarding methodology and starting from the grammatical reality of the language units (verbs, nouns or adjectives), we will semantically analyze the terms taking into account their discursive context, following the semantic analysis method developed by Mateos. 4According to Rodríguez Adrados "words have no existence other than within the syntagma, which only exists within the sentence.Therefore, the meaning of a word in the sentence depends on its context, in addition to the extraverbal context and other data."5This refers to the object impregnated with color.As García Ureña expresses, once this is determined, it is necessary to take into account the extratextual context that will allow to determine the coloration of the object, or at least approach to it. 6lthough there are other terms usually translated as 'white' ‫ח(‬ ָ ‫,)צ‬ we have chosen ‫ן‬ ָ ‫ב‬ ‫לָ‬ for the following reasons: Throughout all the MT there are twenty nine mentions of ‫ן‬ ָ ‫ב‬ ‫לָ‬ as adjective in twenty four verses.In addition to this, there are five verbal forms containing the same root ‫,)לבן(‬ usually with a causative nuance.Besides of this, there are also four times where the root ‫לבן‬ appears as substantives not linked with color, apparently.At the same time, if we compare ‫ן‬ ָ ‫ב‬ ‫לָ‬ with the rest of "color terms" in the Bible, it will reveal itself as the most common of them all.This frequency makes ‫ן‬ ָ ‫ב‬ ‫לָ‬ to be considered as a widely documented "primary" term, and whose origin could go back to the age of Kings. 7

RESEARCH
Thanks to Brenner 8 and Bulakh 9 we can see the parallels between the Hebrew ‫ן‬ ָ ‫ב‬ ‫לָ‬ and similar terms in various Semitic languages, realizing that the root /lbn/ is intrinsically linked to clear and bright meanings.
The term appears only once as /lbn/ in Ugaritic, but in a context that clearly shows its meaning is associated with white, as it appears in a sequence in which the color of the dresses is described: lbš […] h.lbš.allm.lbnm (white all-garments)./lbn/ (vocalized as lābōn) is a botanical term in Phoenician, quoted by Dioscorides 10 in a treatise on smallpox and measles.In Mandaic, the term /lbina/ means white and bright.
/lbn/ has been a controversial subject in Arabic.In this language ‫لبن‬ means sour milk, yogurt.Gradwohl tried to reconstruct an hypothetical union between «white» and «milk» in Semitic languages.He conceived that nomad tribes would understand the color of milk as the "white" par excellence. 11And while it is true that the lexemes /lbn/ and /hlb/ are used for different types of milk in Arabic ‫لبن(‬ and ‫,حليب‬ respectively), there is no northwestern Semitic language in which both concepts appear under one lexeme: Aramaic presents /ḥlbʾ/ ‫)חלבא(‬ for 'milk' and /hwr/ ‫)חור(‬ for 'white.' 12 Both in Ugaritic and Hebrew the lexeme /lbn/ is linked to white while /hlb/ is used for 'milk.'However, South Arabian languages like Mehri 13 , Harsusi 14 and Soqotri 15 use the root /lbn/ for 'white.'There are also certain Hebrew terms that despite of having the root ‫,לבן‬ it seems there is no connection with white.However, confronting those terms with other Semitic languages reveals that they are indeed associated with light-colored or whitish tonalities.

‫ָה‬ ‫נ‬ ֵ
‫ב‬ ‫:לְ‬ this is a cognate present in several Semitic languages (Akkadian, Aramaic and Arabic): /libn/, /lebin/.Its presence in the Hebrew Bible is recorded ten times. 16What is the relationship between bricks and white?Archaeological excavations in Egypt have shown that most of the bricks used in antiquity were made of mud and sun-baked straw, which could give a glowing or light shade, low chromaticity, although some researchers apply the term "proto-Semitic" a nature which does not imply any relationship between bricks and white. 17‫ָה‬ ‫בֹונ‬ ‫:לְ‬ frankincense/perfume.Its presence is enormous throughout the entire MT: it appears eighteen times. 18Incense referenced as ‫ָה‬ ‫בֹונ‬ ‫לְ‬ would be an appropriate resin from southern Arabia and northern Somalia 19 of a tree called boswellia sacra, found in Somalia, Ethiopia, Yemen and Oman. 20However, keep in mind that the root /lbn/ is applied not only to frankincense, but also to other aromatic resins, such as myrrh, storax and even poplar.Hebrew language is no exception to this, but it has a vowel variant to distinguish storax and frankincense: ‫ֶה‬ ‫נ‬ ‫בְ‬ ‫.לִ‬ 21 This use of the root /lbn/ for aromatic scents and resins is common throughout antiquity. 22We 16 Gn 11:3, Ex 1:14; Ex 5:7- 20 Recent investigations clearly suggest that the plant grows in a fairly restricted habitat.The resin is obtained by cutting and incising the trunk, usually once a year in the winter.The exuded sap, white in color (hence Sem.lbn, "milk"), is left to drop to the base of the tree where it hardens and crystalizes.Chemical analysis of frankincense suggests that the plant has certain unique characteristics of composition which may extend to discerning medicinal properties; D. N. FREEDMAN, (gen.ed.), Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (Michigan: Eerdmans, 2000 [accordance electronic edition, version 3.6]).
must not forget that trading spices and flavors was huge, and frankincense had (and still has) a high religious value.And what is the link between these aromatic terms and white color?These resins are generally characterized by a whitish or yellowish hue, and so there are some studies which support and even reconstruct the evolution of a proto-Semitic term for white color that would become 'resin.' 23On the other hand, some scholars seem more skeptical. 24However, while it is true that there is no conclusive evidence to confirm the evolution of a hypothetical term 'white' in 'resin', clear or yellowish tone of certain resins reinforces a possible connection between the two.Could it be that certain terms derived from color were applied to specific resins and sometime later the term was generalized, thereby encompassing any type of incense or aromatic substance?A similar case could be said of storax, as this does not have to be necessarily white or yellowish, but dark or reddish, although its resin produces a clear tone and its flowers are white.
To sum up, the proto-Semitic root /lbn/ is employed in the botanical field to designate both an aromatic resin (incense, or a particular type of incense) and various trees (storax, poplar).Although some researchers call for a new revision of these terms, 25 clear and whitish tones and frankincense production by storax and poplar lead us to establish a link between these words and the white color.

PRESENCE OF ‫ן‬ ָ ‫ב‬ ‫לָ‬ IN THE HEBREW BIBLE: USES AND NUANCES
As mentioned earlier, ‫ן‬ ָ ‫ב‬ ‫לָ‬ is one of the most used color terms in the Bible.As an adjective it appears twenty-nine times, five times as a verb, and four times as a substantive.libān-at (Aramaic), líbanos (frankincense), libanōtós (frankincense tree) in Greek.This loan is given by the contact between Sabeans and Greek merchants and sailors; W. MÜLLER, "Zur Herkfunt von λίβανος und λίβανωτός," in Glotta 52 (1974)  We have grouped the use of the root according the various contexts in which it appears and related characteristics, and not in nominal, adjectival and verbal uses.The root ‫ן‬ ָ ‫ב‬ ‫לָ‬ is found in five different contexts: animal, botanic, illness, purity and corporal.Besides, the feminine singular form of ‫ן‬ ָ ‫ב‬ ‫,לָ‬ ‫ָה‬ ‫נ‬ ָ ‫ב‬ ‫לְ‬ is used as the name of the Moon.

‫ן‬ ‫בָ‬ ‫לָ‬ in animal context
Attribution subjects of ‫ן‬ ָ ‫ב‬ ‫לָ‬ are goats and horses: However, as we shall see below, the meaning of ‫ן‬ ָ ‫ב‬ ‫לָ‬ is not exactly the same in both groups.
-Goats: In Gn 30:35 Jacob requested Laban to let him return to his own place.Laban, however, entreated him to remain, for he had perceived that Jacob's God had blessed him for his sake; and told him to fix his wages for further service.Jacob reminded him, on the other hand, what service he had rendered him, how God's blessing had followed "at his foot", and asked when he should begin to provide for his own house.But when Laban repeated the question, what should he give him, Jacob offered to feed and keep his flock still, upon one condition, which was founded upon the fact, that in the East the goats, as a rule, are black or dark-brown, rarely white or spotted with white,26 and that the sheep for the most part are white, very seldom black or speckled. 27 30:35 Looking how modern Bibles have understood ‫ן‬ ָ ‫ב‬ ‫לָ‬ in the verse, we can see the term has been unanimously translated as 'white' (NRSV, Cantera-Iglesias, Reina-Valera).But what nuance is hidden behind this?Gn 30:35 has usually been translated as a large sequence with four direct objects: a) male goats striped and spotted; b) female goats speckled and spotted; c) goats that had white on them, and d) black lambs.Hence the usual translation is: But that day Laban removed the male goats that were striped and spotted, and all the female goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had white on it, and every lamb that was black, and put them in charge of his sons.
However, looking carefully to the verse, we realize that the narrator mentions three different animals: ‫ים‬ ִ ‫ָשׁ‬ ‫י‬ ְ ‫תּ‬ (male goats), ‫ים‬ ‫זִּ‬ ‫עִ‬ (female goats) and ‫ים‬ ‫בִ‬ ָ ‫שׂ‬ ‫כְּ‬ (lambs).Each group of animals is described by its color: male goats are striped and spotted, female goats are speckled and spotted and lambs are black.Among the female goats and the lambs the verse adds ‫ֹל‬ ‫כּ‬ ‫בֹּו‬ ‫ן‬ ָ ‫ב‬ ָ ‫ר-ל‬ ֶ ‫שׁ‬ ֲ ‫,א‬ without specifying a concrete kind of goat (we must not forget Hebrew has a rich vocabulary to describe goats). 28That is the reason we propose ‫בֹּו‬ ‫ן‬ ָ ‫ב‬ ָ ‫ר-ל‬ ֶ ‫שׁ‬ ֲ ‫א‬ ‫ֹל‬ ‫כּ‬ is actually an explanatory juxtaposition for ‫דֹּות‬ ֻ ‫ק‬ ּ ‫נְ‬ ַ ‫ה‬ ‫ֹת‬ ‫ֻא‬ ‫ל‬ ּ ‫טְ‬ ַ ‫ה‬ ‫וְ‬ (speckled and spotted), thus specifying the hue of the goats.The NET Bible translation clearly expresses our proposition: All the speckled and spotted goats, all those which had white on it.This is stressed because Gn 30:35 repeats the idea expressed in Gn 30:32; it only mentions three groups of animals with their respective colors, but there is no mention to a kind of animals with the adjective ‫ן‬ ָ ‫ב‬ ‫:לָ‬ Let me pass through all your flock today, removing from it every speckled and spotted sheep and every black lamb, and the spotted and speckled among the goats; and such shall be my wages. 28Beyond the general term ʿēz (pl.ʿizzîm) for female goats, four Hebrew words specifically refer to the he-goat (śāʿîr, tayiš, ʿattûḏ [pl.only], and ṣāp̱ i ̂r), one to a young he-goat (gĕḏi ̂), and one to the wild goat (ʾaqqô); FREEDMAN, Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible.
Once this point has been understood, Gn 30: 35  ‫ב‬ ‫לָ‬ would be referring to a grayish-white hue, because the low chromacity of the goats is being stressed, having a brighter tone than those which were totally black.To confirm our suggestion we need to know which kind of goats are those mentioned by the author of Genesis.There were different kinds of goats in Ancient Canaan: capra membrica and capra hircus are the best known types.It seems the first group does not fit with Gn 30:35: capra membrica is known for its glossy dark hair. 29Perhaps the author is referring to capra hircus, also known as domestic goat. 30Its hair usually is a combination of black, white and brown, sometimes with brighter nuances or even white spots.This would confirm the white-gray hue in our proposal.
Zechariah 1-6 contains eight different visions the prophet has in a difficult context for the Israelites.What were the difficulties in Zechariah's day?The Temple was gone.The Persian Empire ruled the region.The number of Jews who had returned to Jerusalem was relatively low, so an encouragement was needed.Of the eight visions of Zechariah, ‫ן‬ ָ ‫ב‬ ‫לָ‬ is particularly important in both the first (1x) and the last one (2x) .Groups of horses of different colors appears in these verses, representing the way God will deal with Jerusalem (first vision, Zech 1) and the other nations (eighth vision, Zech 6).As we shall see, the symbolic value of ‫ן‬ ָ ‫ב‬ ‫לָ‬ is the same through the visions.

First vision:
Zech 1:8 In the night I saw a man riding on a red horse.He was standing among the myrtle trees in the glen; and behind him were red, sorrel and white horses.

Eighth vision:
Zech 6:3: And in the third chariot, white horses; and in the fourth, horses of mixed color.
Zech 6:6: The carriage in which are the black horses goes in the direction of the north country; the white go to the west; and those of mixed color go in the direction of the south country.
As in Gn 30:35, the ‫ים‬ ‫נִ‬ ָ ‫ב‬ ‫לְ‬ ‫ים‬ ִ ‫סוּס‬ from Zech 1:8; 6:3, 6 are translated as "white horses" (NRVS, NET Bible, Cantera-Iglesias, Reina-Valera, Louis Segond).Since the verses do not mention anything that allows us to concrete the white nuance of the horses, we are forced to look into extra-textual references.White horses are rare, so that is why they are valued.They usually have dark eyes and their hair is described as "dominant white." 31Dominant white is a genetic mutation for horses which causes near-white or completely white coats.It can happen spontaneously and it can be found in any breed, even in those that rarely display white markings.It is widely known the fact that white horses are animals which represent military victory.The celebration of victories with white horses and chariots was employed by Xerxes and his general Mardonius and Julius Caesar as well, 32  The color of the horses has been understood symbolically.There are extra-biblical traditions in which the white color is responsible for representing the dominant element, red alludes to violence and bloodshed, while black symbolizes nutrition. 33 light of these facts, we can conclude that ‫ן‬ ָ ‫ב‬ ‫לָ‬ in animal context denotes different types of white: white-gray and "dominant white."The first hue is the color of Jacob's goats (Gn 30:35).We have actual referents (capra hircus) which lead us to affirm such statement.On the other hand, "dominant white" is the color owned by Zechariah's horses.This color has a symbolic nature because it connotes military victory.

‫ן‬ ‫בָ‬ ‫לָ‬ in botanic context
The presence of the root ‫לבן‬ in botanic context is well reflected in the MT: The referents here are poplar, almond, and plane rods (Gn 30:37), followed by the vineyard and the fig tree (Jl 1:7).We will also include in this section the color of manna (Ex 16:31).Although it is obvious that manna is not a plant, the narrator describes and compares it with the seed of coriander.
-Poplar, almond and plane: This verse belongs to the chapter we have already presented, regarding the covenant made between Jacob and Laban: Here Jacob placed stripped branches of white poplar, almond, and plane in the drinking troughs of Laban's goats to obtain the desired offspring. 34ere ‫לבן‬ is used as verb: ‫ינוּ‬ ּ ‫בִ‬ ‫לְ‬ ‫,הִ‬ Hif'il Perfect, 3rd person plural.It has been translated as "have turned white" (NRSV), "stripped off the bark" NET Bible, "tornándose blandos" (Cantera-Iglesias), "quedaron blancas" (Reina-Valera), and "ont blanchi" (Louis Segond).
The detailed description given by the prophet shows the destruction and devastation.First he mentions that the fig tree has become chipped and then he insists that both the vineyard and the fig tree have been peeled and scattered.This means both the fig tree and the vineyard are completely desiccated.They have lost their springineess and color due to the fact they cannot photosynthesize.The nuance of ‫ן‬ ָ ‫ב‬ ‫לָ‬ here, when the vineyard and fig tree are completely dried, would be grayish-white, whitish yellow or completely white, the right hues for dried plants. -Manna: And the house of Israel called the name thereof Manna: and it was like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.
Modern translations of the Bible seem to concur on the fact that the color of manna is white (NRSV, NET Bible, Cantera-Iglesias, Reina-Valera, Louis Segond), such as the coriander seed. 44Coriander (Coriandrum sativum) is an herb widely used in the ancient Mediterranean world, from the Umbelliferae/Apiaceae family.Its aromatic flowers are red and ellipsoidal, and they are used in the makeup of several medicines.Its green leaves and seeds have a beige or whitish yellow nuance, not too far from a cream hue.Besides, the Arabic /gidda/, cognate with the Hebrew ‫ַד‬ ‫,גּ‬ is a white Artemisia, plant with implications of bitterness. 4544 Ancient extra-biblical sources also expressed their interest both in the color of manna and coriander: Rashi claimed there is no doubt the color of coriander is white, and relies on the Babylonian Talmud in his statement (Yoma 75a).Ibn Ezra did not know how to identify the plant, but he believe it does not refer to coriander, and Josephus said the Israelites mistook the manna with snow (Ant III, 1: 6); BRENNER, Colour Terms in the Old Testament, p. 88.
45 DUKE, DUKE and DU CELLIER, Duke's Handbook of Medicinal Plants of the Bible, p. 139.
The whiteness of manna is reinforced by Num 11:7, verse which explains the color of the seed of coriander: ‫ח‬ ‫ֹלַ‬ ‫ד‬ ‫בְּ‬ ַ ‫ה‬ ‫ין‬ ֵ ‫ע‬ ‫כְּ‬ ‫ינֹו‬ ֵ ‫ע‬ ‫וְ‬ ‫הוּא‬ ‫ַד‬ ‫ע-גּ‬ ַ ‫ר‬ ‫זְ‬ ‫כִּ‬ ‫ן‬ ָ ‫מּ‬ ַ ‫ה‬ ‫וְ‬ (Now the manna was like coriander seed, and its appearance like that of bdellium).Bdellium is a gum resin whose tonalities vary from yellow, gray or brown.It is famous for its soft odor and bitter taste, whose origin are the trees of the bursera family growing in Persia, India, Arabia and northeastern Africa. 46cording to Duke 47 "when the bark was incised, gum would ooze out the bigness of a white olive.Gum removed from the bark of the tree hardens, becomes transparent and waxlike, resembling a pearl." Once we have finished analyzing the uses of ‫לבן‬ in a botanic context, we can conclude stating that ‫לבן‬ denotes different types of white.Gn 30:37 is openly denoting white color through ‫ֶה‬ ‫נ‬ ‫בְ‬ ‫לִ‬ (poplar), almond and palm tree, while the color of manna in Ex 16:31 is not actually white but probably grayish or pale yellow.The same nuances are found in Jl 1:7, although ‫לבן‬ here is used to denote the dried leaves of the vineyard and the fig tree, presenting a grayish-white or yellowish white.

‫ן‬ ‫בָ‬ ‫לָ‬ in the illness context
Lev 13 is the Biblical chapter where ‫ן‬ ָ ‫ב‬ ‫לָ‬ is repeated the most times: it appears twenty times, male and female, singular and plural.The chapter focuses on the rules that the priest must follow to determine the purity or impurity ritual in various cases of skin diseases.This chapter may be seen as providing guidelines of hygienic nature whose purpose is to avoid infectious diseases.However, there are religious connotations behind this: sick people cannot perform religious services, because in order to do them, corporal integrity is required.Its lack gave rise to religious and social ostracism. 48Therefore, it can be determined that sicknesses present in this chapter are not examined from a medical point of view, but a religious one.
In fact, all these uses of ‫ן‬ ָ ‫ב‬ ‫לָ‬ are specifically inserted to reflect the ailments caused by the illness known in Hebrew as ‫ת‬ ‫עַ‬ ַ ‫ר‬ ָ ‫.צ‬This term is usually translated as 'leprosy.'However, it is necessary to distinguish the biblical leprosy to the modern concept of it.
In biblical leprosy ‫ת(‬ ‫עַ‬ ַ ‫ר‬ ָ ‫)צ‬ there is no allusion to facial deformity or the loss of feeling and the rotting of the limbs, features of modern leprosy.Such manifestations could not have escaped observation if they existed.Moreover, according to Lev 13, ‫ת‬ ‫עַ‬ ַ ‫ר‬ ָ ‫צ‬ was a curable disease.Once the leper was healed, the priest made an atonement before the Lord, and expiatory sacrifices in the form of a sin-offering and a trespass-offering were also made. 49On the other hand, modern leprosy was considered incurable for centuries.There are two forms of "modern leprosy": the tubercular, or nodular, and the anesthetic.Both forms are usually present at the same time.Nowadays treatments are long and expensive, taking months to cure the patient, and the vaccines are 26% to 60% effective. 50ading Lev 13 the reader can perceive ‫ת‬ ‫עַ‬ ַ ‫ר‬ ָ ‫צ‬ includes a number of skin diseases, which, according to the undeveloped state of medical science at that period, were not differentiated. 51Then, ‫ת‬ ‫עַ‬ ַ ‫ר‬ ָ ‫צ‬ can be understood as a generic term for various skin ailments.Or as Preuss affirms, ‫ת‬ ‫עַ‬ ַ ‫ר‬ ָ ‫צ‬ is nothing but a "collective name" with an obscure etymology: "it is totally purposeless to enumerate here all the innumerable derivations of the word w." 52 Several scholars agree on the fact that some of those skin diseases, spots, tumors, hairs, upon which so much stress is laid in the text may be caused by vitiligo.Vitiligo is a variety of leukoderma, a disease in which patches of the skin and hair lose their pigmentation, becoming white.It begins as small patches, slowly spreading and involving large areas of the body, and it is associated with unclean conditions.
-Hair: ‫לבן‬ frequently describes the color of hair in Lev 13 and becomes a ‫ת‬ ‫עַ‬ ַ ‫ר‬ ָ ‫צ‬ symptom (Lev 13:3, 20, 25) or at least ‫ת‬ ‫עַ‬ ַ ‫ר‬ ָ ‫צ‬ impurity (Lev 13:4, 10, 21, 26).Sick people are required to be analyzed by the priest, and although it is not possible to identify the disease, it is clear that ‫לבן‬ is a disease indicator through the loss of hair pigmentation.Such lack of pigmentation causes the hair to acquire a white or gritty tone.Today is known that this phenomena is caused by aging or different ailments.The tones that ‫לבן‬ would cover are white or gray.However, from a literary perspective, since ‫לבן‬ is used as symptom of the disease in Lev 13, it seems better to keep the translation of as 'white', as it is the color that clearly shows the difference between healthy and sick hair, on the contrary of gray.
-Skin: The presence of ‫לבן‬ regarding skin is found in Lev 13:4, 19, 24-25, 38-39.But unlike the case of hair, ‫לבן‬ in the verses regarding skin indicates both a clear indication of illness, and therefore impurity (Lev 13:4, 19, 24); and at the same time it appears as sign of health and consequence of purity (Lev 13:13, 16-17, 38-39).a) Impurity: Again, we do not have enough elements to identify the sicknesses described.The symptoms is flakiness of skin, indicated by white or reddish-white spots, which fit many types of skin conditions: psoriasis, seborrhoeic dermatitis, certain mycotic infections, patchy eczema and pityriasis rosea. 53Of all these diseases, According to Freedman, 56 this balding is alopecia, caused by vitiligo, reflecting white patches once again.Therefore, ‫ן‬ ָ ‫ב‬ ‫לָ‬ denotes 'white color' once more.
As we can see, Lev 13 does not clarify the possible hues of ‫ן‬ ָ ‫ב‬ ‫.לָ‬ Gradwohl 57 states that it is a grayish white or low intensity color, used to describe the texture of wounds and its location in the skin, and the tonality of sick hairs.Gradwohl's hypothesis would seem plausible if we compared the description of these verses with photographs of skin diseases described nowadays. 58However, such statements could not be other thing than a mere hypothesis, because we would end up getting to this point: it is nearly impossible to know for sure the white nuance ‫ן‬ ָ ‫ב‬ ‫לָ‬ expresses in this chapter. 59However, since ‫ן‬ ָ ‫ב‬ ‫לָ‬ appears as a determining symptom to diagnose health or illness, it can be concluded that from the literary point of view "white" would be an adequate translation.

‫ן‬ ‫בָ‬ ‫לָ‬ in purification context
Confronting the use of ‫ן‬ ָ ‫ב‬ ‫לָ‬ as an adjective linked to skin diseases in Lev 13, the root ‫לבן‬ is widely used in the MT to denote purity and repentance.This purity addresses four different elements: sins (an intangible and 56 FREEDMAN, Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible. 59Maybe we should consider that ‫ן‬ ‫בָ‬ ‫לָ‬ in Lev 13 is not white color itself but discoloration of some parts of the body (hair, skin).According to Rosner "the skin of Jews and other Semitic is intermediate in color between that of Germanic people and Ethiopians."And such emphasis on the term ‫ן‬ ‫בָ‬ ‫לָ‬ in Lev 13 also emphasizes the lighter color of hair, skin and sore "when compared to the darker coloration of the skin of Semitic People."We cannot forget that Ancient Hebrews, the original readers of Lev 13, were interested in the religious content of these medical prescriptions, so for them it was not so important to distinguish between different nuances of white.On the other hand, the fact that their hair or skin had lost its usual color due to religious impurity was a much more delicate and important matter; F. ROSNER, Encyclopedia of Medicine in the Bible and the Talmud (Nothvale -New Jersey -Jerusalem: Jason Aronson, 2000) p. 279, and PREUSS and ROSNER, Biblical and Talmudic Medicine, p. 327.

CONCLUSIONS
Through the significant presence of ‫לבן‬ in the MT (29x as an adjective, 5x as a verb and 4x as a substantive), we can certainly see that in all the analyzed verses ‫לבן‬ evokes different hues of white color, depending on the context where this root appears.
This research, focused on different contexts (animal, botanic, illness, purity and even a special form to denote the name of the Moon), shows that the whitish hue may vary depending on the attribution subject and the referents present in each verse: For animals, ‫לבן‬ denotes different types of white: white-gray for goats (Gn 30:35) and "dominant white" for horses (Zech 1:8, and 6:3, 6).In a botanic context ‫לבן‬ denotes different tonalities, from white (poplar, almond and plane in Gn 30:37) to grayish-white or yellowish white (vineyard, fig tree in Jl 1:7, and even manna in Ex 16:31).The case of illnesses and skin diseases in Lev 13 shows us that ‫לבן‬ denotes here a grayish white or low intensity color, used to describe wounds, skin, and sick hairs.Through the purity context where ‫לבן‬ appears (Is 1:18, Ps 51:9, Ecle 9:8, and Dan 11:35 and 12:10), we have concluded that a "primordial white color" exists in the MT.It is an ideal, prototypical nuance of white, a "snowy-white."A kind of white that is used to denote the sins that have been washed away and there is no sign of impurity on them.In a corporal context ‫לבן‬ expresses a clear whitish nuance (teeth, Gn 49:12).And finally, when denoting the name of the Moon, ‫לבן‬ may be evoking both the clarity and light of this satellite and the beauty of the beloved woman at the same time (Is 24:23, Is 30:26, Songs 6:10).Extratextual sources have proved to be a key element to these tonalities.This is not the final point of ‫לבן‬ in our study of color in the Hebrew Bible.Advancing in the study of other colors will allow us to rethink certain aspects associated to ‫,לבן‬ like expressions found in the illness context, such as 74 ‫ת‬ ֶ ‫מ‬ ‫דָּ‬ ‫מְ‬ ַ ‫ד‬ ֲ ‫א‬ ‫ָה‬ ‫נ‬ ָ ‫ב‬ ‫לְ‬ (reddish-white).One thing is clear: thanks to all its complexity, ‫לבן‬ is able to evoke a world full of light.
and this idea is in Zechariah.Hence we tend to think that is the tonality referred to by the narrator: ‫ן‬ ָ ‫ב‬ ‫לָ‬ in Zech 1:8, 6:3, 6 corresponds to what we call "dominant white" nowadays.