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Leviticus 21:1-22 King James Version with Strong's Concordance (STRONG)

1 And the LORD H3068 said H559 unto Moses, H4872 Speak H559 unto the priests H3548 the sons H1121 of Aaron, H175 and say H559 unto them, There shall none be defiled H2930 for the dead H5315 among his people: H5971

2 But for his kin, H7607 that is near H7138 unto him, that is, for his mother, H517 and for his father, H1 and for his son, H1121 and for his daughter, H1323 and for his brother, H251

3 And for his sister H269 a virgin, H1330 that is nigh H7138 unto him, which hath had no husband; H376 for her may he be defiled. H2930

4 But he shall not defile H2930 himself, being a chief man H1167 among his people, H5971 to profane H2490 himself.

5 They shall not make H7139 baldness H7144 upon their head, H7218 neither shall they shave off H1548 the corner H6285 of their beard, H2206 nor make H8295 any cuttings H8296 in their flesh. H1320

6 They shall be holy H6944 unto their God, H430 and not profane H2490 the name H8034 of their God: H430 for the offerings H801 of the LORD H3068 made by fire, H801 and the bread H3899 of their God, H430 they do offer: H7126 therefore they shall be holy. H6918

7 They shall not take H3947 a wife H802 that is a whore, H2181 or profane; H2491 neither shall they take H3947 a woman H802 put away H1644 from her husband: H376 for he is holy H6918 unto his God. H430

8 Thou shalt sanctify H6942 him therefore; for he offereth H7126 the bread H3899 of thy God: H430 he shall be holy H6918 unto thee: for I the LORD, H3068 which sanctify H6942 you, am holy. H6918

9 And the daughter H1323 of any H376 priest, H3548 if she profane H2490 herself by playing the whore, H2181 she profaneth H2490 her father: H1 she shall be burnt H8313 with fire. H784

10 And he that is the high H1419 priest H3548 among his brethren, H251 upon whose head H7218 the anointing H4888 oil H8081 was poured, H3332 and that is consecrated H4390 H3027 to put H3847 on the garments, H899 shall not uncover H6544 his head, H7218 nor rend H6533 his clothes; H899

11 Neither shall he go in H935 to any dead H4191 body, H5315 nor defile H2930 himself for his father, H1 or for his mother; H517

12 Neither shall he go out H3318 of the sanctuary, H4720 nor profane H2490 the sanctuary H4720 of his God; H430 for the crown H5145 of the anointing H4888 oil H8081 of his God H430 is upon him: I am the LORD. H3068

13 And he shall take H3947 a wife H802 in her virginity. H1331

14 A widow, H490 or a divorced woman, H1644 or profane, H2491 or an harlot, H2181 these shall he not take: H3947 but he shall take H3947 a virgin H1330 of his own people H5971 to wife. H802

15 Neither shall he profane H2490 his seed H2233 among his people: H5971 for I the LORD H3068 do sanctify H6942 him.

16 And the LORD H3068 spake H1696 unto Moses, H4872 saying, H559

17 Speak H1696 unto Aaron, H175 saying, H559 Whosoever H376 he be of thy seed H2233 in their generations H1755 that hath any blemish, H3971 let him not approach H7126 to offer H7126 the bread H3899 of his God. H430

18 For whatsoever man H376 he be that hath a blemish, H3971 he shall not approach: H7126 a blind H5787 man, H376 or a lame, H6455 or he that hath a flat nose, H2763 or any thing superfluous, H8311

19 Or a man H376 that is brokenfooted, H7667 H7272 or brokenhanded, H7667 H3027

20 Or crookbackt, H1384 or a dwarf, H1851 or that hath a blemish H8400 in his eye, H5869 or be scurvy, H1618 or scabbed, H3217 or hath his stones H810 broken; H4790

21 No man H376 that hath a blemish H3971 of the seed H2233 of Aaron H175 the priest H3548 shall come nigh H5066 to offer H7126 the offerings H801 of the LORD H3068 made by fire: H801 he hath a blemish; H3971 he shall not come nigh H5066 to offer H7126 the bread H3899 of his God. H430

22 He shall eat H398 the bread H3899 of his God, H430 both of the most H6944 holy, H6944 and of the holy. H6944

Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Keil & Delitzsch Commentary » Commentary on Leviticus 21

Commentary on Leviticus 21 Keil & Delitzsch Commentary


Introduction

Holiness of the Priests, of the Holy Gifts, and of Sacrifices - Leviticus 21-22

The Sanctification of the Priests. - As the whole nation was to strive after sanctification in all the duties of life, on account of its calling as a nation of God, the priests, whom Jehovah had chosen out of the whole nation to be the custodians of His sanctuary, and had sanctified to that end, were above all to prove themselves the sanctified servants of the Lord in their domestic life and the duties of their calling. (1) They were not to defile themselves by touching the dead or by signs of mourning (Leviticus 21:1-6 and Leviticus 21:10-12); (2) they were to contract and maintain a spotless marriage (Leviticus 21:7-9 and Leviticus 21:13-15); and (3) those members of the priesthood who had any bodily failings were to keep away from the duties of the priests' office (Leviticus 21:16-24).


Verses 1-6

The priest was not to defile himself on account of a soul, i.e., a dead person ( nephesh , as in Leviticus 19:28), among his countrymen, unless it were of his kindred, who stood near to him (i.e., in the closest relation to him), formed part of the same family with him (cf. Leviticus 21:3), such as his mother, father, son, daughter, brother, or a sister who was still living with him as a virgin and was not betrothed to a husband (cf. Ezekiel 44:25). As every corpse not only defiled the persons who touched it, but also the tent or dwelling in which the person had died (Numbers 19:11, Numbers 19:14); in the case of death among members of the family or household, defilement was not to be avoided on the part of the priest as the head of the family. It was therefore allowable for him to defile himself on account of such persons as these, and even to take part in their burial. The words of Leviticus 21:4 are obscure: “ He shall not defile himself בּעמּיו בּעל , i.e., as lord (pater-familias) among his countrymen, to desecrate himself;” and the early translators have wandered in uncertainty among different renderings. In all probability בּעל denotes the master of the house or husband. But, for all that, the explanation given by Knobel and others, “as a husband he shall not defile himself on the death of his wife, his mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, by taking part in their burial,” is decidedly to be rejected. For, apart from the unwarrantable introduction of the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, there is sufficient to prevent our thinking of defilement on the death of a wife, in the fact that the wife is included in the “kin that is near unto him” in Leviticus 21:2, though not in the way that many Rabbins suppose, who maintain that שׁאר signifies wife, but implicite , the wife not being expressly mentioned, because man and wife form one flesh (Genesis 2:24), and the wife stands nearer to the husband than father and mother, son and daughter, or brother and sister. Nothing is proved by appealing to the statement made by Plutarch , that the priests of the Romans were not allowed to defile themselves by touching the corpses of their wives; inasmuch as there is no trace of this custom to be found among the Israelites, and the Rabbins, for this very reason, suppose the death of an illegitimate wife to be intended. The correct interpretation of the words can only be arrived at by considering the relation of the fourth verse to what precedes and follows. As Leviticus 21:1-3 stand in a very close relation to Leviticus 21:5 and Leviticus 21:6, - the defilement on account of a dead person being more particularly explained in the latter, or rather, strictly speaking, greater force being given to the prohibition, - it is natural to regard Leviticus 21:4 as standing in a similar relation to Leviticus 21:7, and to understand it as a general prohibition, which is still more clearly expounded in Leviticus 21:7 and Leviticus 21:9. The priest was not to defile himself as a husband and the head of a household, either by marrying a wife of immoral or ambiguous reputation, or by training his children carelessly, so as to desecrate himself, i.e., profane the holiness of his rank and office by either one or the other (cf. Leviticus 21:9 and Leviticus 21:15). - In Leviticus 21:5 desecration is forbidden in the event of a death occurring. He was not to shave a bald place upon his head. According to the Chethib יקרחה is to be pointed with ה - attached, and the Keri יקרחוּ is a grammatical alteration to suit the plural suffix in בּראשׁם , which is obviously to be rejected on account of the parallel יגלּחוּ לא זקנם וּפאת . In both of the clauses there is a constructio ad sensum , the prohibition which is addressed to individuals being applicable to the whole: upon their head shall no one shave a bald place, namely, in front above the forehead, “between the eyes” (Deuteronomy 14:1). We may infer from the context that reference is made to a customary mode of mourning for the dead; and this is placed beyond all doubt by Deuteronomy 14:1, where it is forbidden to all the Israelites “for the dead.” According to Herodotus , 2, 36, the priests in Egypt were shaven, whereas in other places they wore their hair long. In other nations it was customary for those who were more immediately concerned to shave their heads as a sign of mourning; but the Egyptians let their hair grow both upon their head and chin when any of their relations were dead, whereas they shaved at other times. The two other outward signs of mourning mentioned, namely, cutting off the edge of the beard and making incisions in the body, have already been forbidden in Leviticus 19:27-28, and the latter is repeated in Deuteronomy 14:1. The reason for the prohibition is given in Leviticus 21:6 - “ they shall be holy unto their God, ” and therefore not disfigure their head and body by signs of passionate grief, and so profane the name of their God when they offer the firings of Jehovah; that is to say, when they serve and approach the God who has manifested Himself to His people as the Holy One. On the epithet applied to the sacrifices, “the food of God,” see at Leviticus 3:11 and Leviticus 3:16.


Verses 7-9

Their marriage and their domestic life were also to be in keeping with their holy calling. They were not to marry a whore (i.e., a public prostitute), or a fallen woman, or a woman put away (divorced) from her husband, that is to say, any person of notoriously immoral life, for this would be irreconcilable with the holiness of the priesthood, but (as may be seen from this in comparison with Leviticus 21:14) only a virgin or widow of irreproachable character. She need not be an Israelite, but might be the daughter of a stranger living among the Israelites; only she must not be an idolater or a Canaanite, for the Israelites were all forbidden to marry such a woman (Exodus 34:16; Deuteronomy 7:3).

Leviticus 21:8

Thou shalt sanctify him therefore, ” that is to say, not merely “respect his holy dignity” ( Knobel ), but take care that he did not desecrate his office by a marriage so polluted. The Israelites as a nation are addressed in the persons of their chiefs. The second clause of the verse, “ he shall be holy unto thee, ” contains the same thought. The repetition strengthens the exhortation. The reason assigned for the first clause is the same as in Leviticus 21:6; and that for the second, the same as in Leviticus 20:8, Leviticus 20:26; Exodus 31:13, etc.

Leviticus 21:9

The priests's family was also to lead a blameless life. If a priest's daughter began to play the whore, she profaned her father, and was to be burned, i.e., to be stoned and then burned (see Leviticus 20:14). כּהן אישׁ , a man who is a priest, a priest-man.


Verses 10-12

The high priest was to maintain a spotless purity in a higher degree still. He, whose head had been anointed with oil, and who had been sanctified to put on the holy clothes (see Leviticus 8:7-12 and Leviticus 7:37), was not to go with his hair flying loose when a death had taken place, nor to rend his clothes (see Leviticus 10:6), nor to go in to any dead body ( מת נפשׁת souls of a departed one, i.e., dead persons); he was not to defile himself (cf. Leviticus 21:2) on account of his father and mother (i.e., when they were dead), nor to go out of the sanctuary funeris nempe causa ( Ros .), to give way to his grief or attend the funeral. We are not to understand by this, however, that the sanctuary was to be his constant abode, as Bähr and Baumgarten maintain (cf. Leviticus 10:7). “ Neither shall he profane the sanctuary of his God, ” sc., by any defilement of his person which he could and ought to avoid; “ for the consecration of the anointing oil of his God is upon him ” (cf. Leviticus 10:7), and defilement was incompatible with this. נזר does not mean the diadem of the high priest here, as in Exodus 29:6; Exodus 39:30, but consecration (see at Numbers 6:7).


Verse 13-14

He was only to marry a woman in her virginity, not a widow, a woman put away, or a fallen woman, a whore ( זונה without a copulative is in apposition to חללה a fallen girl, who was to be the same to him as a whore), but “a virgin of his own people,” that is to say, only an Israelitish woman.


Verse 15

Neither shall he profane his seed (posterity) among his people, ” sc., by contracting a marriage that was not in keeping with the holiness of his rank.


Verses 16-18

Directions for the sons (descendants) of Aaron who were afflicted with bodily imperfections. As the spiritual nature of a man is reflected in his bodily form, only a faultless condition of body could correspond to the holiness of the priest; just as the Greeks and Romans required, for the very same reason, that the priests should be ὁλόκληροι , integri corporis ( Plato de legg. 6, 759; Seneca excerpt. controv. 4, 2; Plutarch quaest. rom. 73). Consequently none of the descendants of Aaron, “according to their generations,” i.e., in all future generations (see Exodus 12:14), who had any blemish ( mum , μῶμος , bodily fault) were to approach the vail, i.e., enter the holy place, or draw near to the altar (in the court) to offer the food of Jehovah, viz., the sacrifices. No blind man, or lame man, or charum , κολοβόριν (from κολοβός and ῥίν ), naso mutilus (lxx), i.e., one who had sustained any mutilation, especially in the face, on the nose, ears, lips, or eyes, not merely one who had a flat or stunted nose; or שׂרוּע , lit., stretched out, i.e., one who had anything beyond what was normal, an ill-formed bodily member therefore; so that a man who had more than ten fingers and ten toes might be so regarded (2 Samuel 21:20).


Verse 19

Whoever had a fracture in his foot or hand.


Verse 20-21

גּבּן a hump-backed man. דּק , lit., crushed to powder, fine: as distinguished from the former, it signified one how had an unnaturally thin or withered body or member, not merely consumptive or wasted away. בּעינו תּבלּל mixed, i.e., spotted in his eye, one who had a white speck in his eye ( Onk., Vulg., Saad. ), not blear-eyed (lxx). גּרב , which occurs nowhere else except in Leviticus 22:22 and Deuteronomy 28:27, signifies, according to the ancient versions, the itch; and ילּפת , which only occurs here and in Leviticus 22:22, the ring-worm (lxx, Targ ., etc.). אשׁך מרוח , crushed in the stones, one who had crushed or softened stones; for in Isaiah 38:21, the only other place where מרח occurs, it signifies, not to rub to pieces, but to squeeze out, to lay in a squeezed or liquid form upon the wound: the Sept. rendering is μόνορχις , having only one stone. Others understand the word as signifying ruptured ( Vulg., Saad. ), or with swollen testicles ( Juda ben Karish ). All that is certain is, that we are not to think of castration of any kind (cf. Deuteronomy 23:2), and that there is not sufficient ground for altering the text into מרוח extension.


Verse 22-23

Persons afflicted in the manner described might eat the bread of their God, however, the sacrificial gifts, the most holy and the holy, i.e., the wave-offerings, the first-fruits, the firstlings, tithes and things laid under a ban (Numbers 18:11-19 and Numbers 18:26-29), - that is to say, they might eat them like the rest of the priests; but they were not allowed to perform any priestly duty, that they might not desecrate the sanctuary of the Lord (Leviticus 21:23, cf. Leviticus 21:12).


Verse 24

Moses communicated these instructions to Aaron and his sons.