Skip to content
Scripture Mapping

Leviticus 21

World English Bible

WEB

1Yahweh said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them, ‘A priest shall not defile himself for the dead among his people, 2except for his relatives that are near to him: for his mother, for his father, for his son, for his daughter, for his brother, 3and for his virgin sister who is near to him, who has had no husband; for her he may defile himself. 4He shall not defile himself, being a chief man among his people, to profane himself. 5“‘They shall not shave their heads or shave off the corners of their beards or make any cuttings in their flesh. 6They shall be holy to their God, and not profane the name of their God, for they offer the offerings of Yahweh made by fire, the bread of their God. Therefore they shall be holy. 7“‘They shall not marry a woman who is a prostitute, or profane. A priest shall not marry a woman divorced from her husband; for he is holy to his God. 8Therefore you shall sanctify him, for he offers the bread of your God. He shall be holy to you, for I Yahweh, who sanctify you, am holy. 9“‘The daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by playing the prostitute, she profanes her father. She shall be burned with fire. 10“‘He who is the high priest among his brothers, upon whose head the anointing oil is poured, and who is consecrated to put on the garments, shall not let the hair of his head hang loose, or tear his clothes. 11He must not go in to any dead body, or defile himself for his father or for his mother. 12He shall not 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 Yahweh. 13“‘He shall take a wife in her virginity. 14He shall not marry a widow, or one divorced, or a woman who has been defiled, or a prostitute. He shall take a virgin of his own people as a wife. 15He shall not profane his offspring among his people, for I am Yahweh who sanctifies him.’” 16Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 17“Say to Aaron, ‘None of your offspring throughout their generations who has a defect may approach to offer the bread of his God. 18For whatever man he is that has a defect, he shall not draw near: a blind man, or a lame, or he who has a flat nose, or any deformity, 19or a man who has an injured foot, or an injured hand, 20or hunchbacked, or a dwarf, or one who has a defect in his eye, or an itching disease, or scabs, or who has damaged testicles. 21No man of the offspring of Aaron the priest who has a defect shall come near to offer the offerings of Yahweh made by fire. Since he has a defect, he shall not come near to offer the bread of his God. 22He shall eat the bread of his God, both of the most holy, and of the holy. 23He shall not come near to the veil, nor come near to the altar, because he has a defect; that he may not profane my sanctuaries, for I am Yahweh who sanctifies them.’” 24So Moses spoke to Aaron, and to his sons, and to all the children of Israel.

World English Bible, 2020 stable text edition. Public domain; “World English Bible” is a trademark of eBible.org. eBible.org

Overview

Leviticus Chapter 21 provides specific guidelines for the conduct and holiness of the priests, the descendants of Aaron, who were set apart for sacred duties in the service of God. The chapter begins by emphasizing the importance of maintaining purity, as priests are not to come into contact with dead bodies, except for close relatives, to avoid defilement. This reflects the overarching theme of holiness in the priestly role, as they are to represent the people before God and maintain a standard of purity that is reflective of God's own holiness (#Aaron, #Priests).

The chapter continues by outlining the physical and moral qualifications for priests. It states that they must not have any physical defects, as they are to present themselves as unblemished before the Lord. Additionally, the text addresses the importance of their marital status, instructing that a priest must marry a virgin from among his own people, thus preserving the sanctity of the priesthood. These regulations serve to highlight the seriousness of the priestly office and the need for those who serve God to embody His standards of holiness and integrity (#Holiness, #Purity).

Finally, the chapter concludes with a reminder that the priest must not profane the name of God by failing to uphold these standards. The priests are to be examples of righteousness, as their actions reflect on the community and their relationship with God. This chapter reinforces the idea that God desires a people who are set apart, emphasizing the call to holiness for all who serve Him, not just the priests, as they lead the way in worship and service to the Lord.

Study

13 of 14 dimensions

Referenced by

  1. Nehemiah 13:29v6Nehemiah 13:29 is a prayer for God to remember those who defiled the priesthood, which connects to Leviticus 21:6-8 where priests are commanded to be holy and not profane God's name.

Topics in this chapter

Related chapters

Your study

Take it with you

This chapter’s study as a Markdown file. The analysis was written for a notebook originally, so the hashtags arrive as hashtags and the passages as links.

Download the analysisDownload it with your notes and highlights