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Leviticus 21

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Purity Laws for Regular Priests 1–9

1
And Jehovah said unto Moses, Speak unto the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say unto them, There shall none defile himself for the dead among his people; ​
2
except for his kin, that is near unto him, for his mother, and for his father, and for his son, and for his daughter, and for his brother,
3
and for his sister a virgin, that is near unto him, that hath had no husband; for her may he defile himself.
4
He shall not defile himself, being a chief man among his people, to profane himself. ​
5
They shall not make baldness upon their head, neither shall they shave off the corner of their beard, nor make any cuttings in their flesh. ​
6
They shall be holy unto their God, and not profane the name of their God; for the offerings of Jehovah made by fire, the bread of their God, they do offer: therefore they shall be holy. ​
7
They shall not take a woman that is a harlot, or profane; neither shall they take a woman put away from her husband: for he is holy unto his God. ​
8
Thou shalt sanctify him therefore; for he offereth the bread of thy God: he shall be holy unto thee; for I Jehovah, who sanctify you, am holy.
9
And the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the harlot, she profaneth her father: she shall be burnt with fire. ​

Stricter Laws for the High Priest 10–15

10
And he that is the high priest among his brethren, upon whose head the anointing oil is poured, and that is consecrated to put on the garments, shall not let the hair of his head go loose, nor rend his clothes; ​
11
neither shall he go in to any dead body, nor defile himself for his father, or for his mother; ​
12
neither shall he go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his God; for the crown of the anointing oil of his God is upon him: I am Jehovah. ​
13
And he shall take a wife in her virginity.
14
A widow, or one divorced, or a profane woman, a harlot, these shall he not take: but a virgin of his own people shall he take to wife.
15
And he shall not profane his seed among his people: for I am Jehovah who sanctifieth him.

Physical Requirements for Priestly Service 16–24

16
And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
17
Speak unto Aaron, saying, Whosoever he be of thy seed throughout their generations that hath a blemish, let him not approach to offer the bread of his God. ​
18
For whatsoever man he be that hath a blemish, he shall not approach: a blind man, or a lame, or he that hath a flat nose, or anything superfluous,
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or a man that is broken-footed, or broken-handed,
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or crook-backed, or a dwarf, or that hath a blemish in his eye, or is scurvy, or scabbed, or hath his stones broken;
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no man of the seed of Aaron the priest, that hath a blemish, shall come nigh to offer the offerings of Jehovah made by fire: he hath a blemish; he shall not come nigh to offer the bread of his God.
22
He shall eat the bread of his God, both of the most holy, and of the holy: ​
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only he shall not go in unto the veil, nor come nigh unto the altar, because he hath a blemish; that he profane not my sanctuaries: for I am Jehovah who sanctifieth them. ​
24
So Moses spake unto Aaron, and to his sons, and unto all the children of Israel.

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Leviticus 21

Verse 1

defiled for the dead — The command is given to 'the priests the sons of Aaron', not to all Israel. Touching a dead body made a person 'unclean seven days' (Num 19:11). The exceptions for close kin follow in vv.2–3, and Ezekiel repeats the rule for the priests of the new temple (Ezek 44:25).

Verse 4

a chief man among his people — The Hebrew is baal, a lord or master, and the verse gives the reason for the ban: to defile himself would be 'to profane himself' (chalal). Ezekiel, 'the priest' (Ezek 1:3), was told to 'make no mourning for the dead' when his wife died (Ezek 24:16–18).

Verse 5

baldness upon their head — Rules like those of 19:27–28 are laid on the priests: baldness on the head (qorchah), the 'corner of their beard' (pe'ah, as in 19:27) and 'cuttings in their flesh' (seret, as in 19:28). Deut 14:1 gives the baldness and the cutting for the dead to all Israel; here the priests receive them as their own rule, and Ezek 44:20 repeats the rule on the head.

Verse 6

the bread of their God — Lechem is bread, food: the offerings 'made by fire' are called 'the food of the offering made by fire unto the LORD' (3:11). Priests 'offer' them (qarab, to bring near), and so 'they shall be holy'. Peter calls believers 'a royal priesthood, an holy nation' (1 Pet 2:9).

Verse 7

a whore, or profane — Three kinds of wife are barred: a woman who has played the harlot (zanah), one who is 'profane' (challah), and 'a woman put away from her husband' (garash). The reason is 'for he is holy unto his God'. The high priest's rule is narrower still (vv.13–14). Ezek 44:22 allows 'a widow that had a priest before'.

Verse 9

profaneth her father — The verb chalal is the one used in vv.4, 6 and 12 of the priest profaning himself, the name of his God and the sanctuary: her act makes her father common too. The penalty is burning, the sentence also named in 20:14. Judah's order over Tamar was 'let her be burnt' (Gen 38:24).

Verse 10

shall not uncover his head, nor rend his clothes — The high priest is literally the 'great priest' (kohen gadol), and 'consecrated' is literally to 'fill the hand' (male yad). Moses gave Aaron and his sons the same two bans after the fire that took Nadab and Abihu (10:1–2, 6). At Christ's trial 'the high priest rent his clothes' (Matt 26:65).

Verse 11

defile himself for his father, or for his mother — Ordinary priests might be defiled for their parents (vv.2–3), but the high priest might not, nor 'go in to any dead body'. The Nazarite is under the same rule: 'He shall not make himself unclean for his father, or for his mother… because the consecration of his God is upon his head' (Num 6:7).

Verse 12

the crown of the anointing oil — Nezer is a consecration, translated 'crown' where it is the 'holy crown' on Aaron's mitre (Ex 29:6; Lev 8:9). Here it is the oil itself. The ban on leaving the sanctuary has the same reason as 10:7: 'ye shall not go out from the door of the tabernacle of the congregation… for the anointing oil of the LORD is upon you.'

Verse 17

any blemish — Mum is a physical defect. It is the word for the sacrifice that cannot be offered, 'whatsoever hath a blemish, that shall ye not offer' (22:20), so the offerer and the offering are held to the same standard. Peter names Christ 'as of a lamb without blemish and without spot' (1 Pet 1:19).

Verse 22

both of the most holy, and of the holy — The priest with a blemish still eats from the priests' portions. The 'most holy' includes the remnant of the meat offering, 'a thing most holy of the offerings of the LORD made by fire' (2:3), eaten 'in the most holy place' (Num 18:9–10).

Verse 23

unto the vail… the altar — Paroket is the veil that 'shall divide unto you between the holy place and the most holy' (Ex 26:33). The blemished priest is barred only from the veil and the altar, and the stated purpose is 'that he profane not my sanctuaries: for I the LORD do sanctify them', the sanctifying of 20:8.