THE THIRD BOOK OF

MOSES,
called
L E V I T I C U S

Leviticus 21

1Of the priests' mourning. 6Of their holiness. 7Of their marriages. 9Of a priest's daughter convicted of playing the harlot. 10Of the high priest's holiness. 13Of his marriage. 16The priests that have blemishes must not minister in the sanctuary.


1AND the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto the priests the sons of Aaron, and say unto them, There shall none be 1defiled for 2the dead among his people:

1 Namely, by touching the dead body or helping him into the grave and mourning over him, as others did who were not priests.

2 Hebr. soul. See Lev. 19 on verse 28 and below verse 11.

2But for his 3kin, that is near unto him, that is, for his mother, and for his father, and for his son, and for his daughter, and for his brother,

3 See Lev. 18 on verse 6. Some comprehend under the qualification, not only those expressly mentioned in the two next verses, but likewise the priest’s wife.

3And for his sister a virgin, that is 4nigh unto him, which hath had no husband; for her may he be defiled.

4 That is, who is his natural sister, not remote by alliance of marriage, or otherwise so called.

4But he shall not defile himself, being a 5chief man among his people, to profane himself.

5 The Hebrew word is also taken in this sense Isa. 16:8. Others take it for the house-father, or lawful husband, in this sense that it should not be lawful for the priest to mourn for his wife, (with which word they complete their translation); howbeit it seems that this was not unlawful, since Ezekiel, the priest, intended it, but that it was forbidden him in an extraordinary manner, Ezek. 24:16, etc.

5They shall not make 6baldness upon their head, neither shall they shave off the corner of their beard, nor make any cuttings in their flesh.

6 Hebr. not make bald the baldness.

6They shall be holy unto their God, and not profane 7the name of their God: for the offerings of the LORD made by fire, and the 8bread of their God, they do offer: therefore they shall be 9holy.

7 See Lev. 18 on verse 21.

8 See Lev. 3 on verse 11. Also verses 8, 21, 22 and Lev. 22:25.

9 Hebr. holiness, that is, endeavor for holiness, and in regard of their office they shall be counted holy.

7They shall not take a wife that is a whore, or 10profane; neither shall they take a woman 11put away from her husband: for he is holy unto his God.

10 That is, vitiated, abused, having committed whoredom, either publicly or privately. Also verse 14.

11 That is, dismissed by divorce, having for this purpose and in evidence thereof received a bill of divorcement from her husband. Also verse 14. Num. 30:9; Ezek. 44:22.

8Thou shalt 12sanctify him therefore; for he offereth the bread of thy God: he shall be holy unto thee: for I the LORD, which 13sanctify you, am holy.

12 That is, hold and count him holy, as the following words in this verse show.

13 That is, Who separateth you from other people for His own property by means of the priest’s office, whom therefore ye ought to esteem holy and count precious. Compare the annotation at Lev. 20 on verse 8.

9¶And the daughter of any priest, if she 14profane herself by playing the whore, she 15profaneth her father: she shall be burnt with fire.

14 Other, to profane herself with whoredom.

15 That is, she makes her father to be vilified and contemned, as a profane person, putting him to open shame and reproach. See similar phrases Psalm 89:39; Isa. 43:28.

10And he that is the 16high priest among his brethren, 17upon whose head the anointing oil was poured, and that is 18consecrated to put on 19the garments, shall not 20uncover his head, nor rend his clothes;

16 Hebr. great priest. Also 2 Kings 12:10; 23:4.

17 Some, comparing these words with Exod. 40:13, 14, 15; Lev. 8:12, 30; Psalm 133:2, do hold that, after the first consecration of Aaron and his sons, there were no more priests anointed but only the high priest.

18 See Lev. 7 on verse 37.

19 Whereof see Exod. 28:4.

20 That is, to mourn over the dead. Compare Lev. 10:6.

11Neither shall he go in to any dead body, nor defile himself 21for his father, or for his mother;

21 This is to be understood of the high priest only, the rest were permitted to do it. See verse 2.

1222Neither shall he go out of the sanctuary, nor 23profane the sanctuary of his God; for the 24crown of the anointing oil of his God is upon him: I am the LORD.

22 Namely, to accompany the funerals.

23 Namely, by going into the same, after he has been in the house of his deceased father or mother, or has carried out mourning.

24 Of this see Exod. 29:6 and Lev. 8 on verse 9.

13And he shall take a wife in her virginity.

14A widow, or a 25divorced woman, or profane, or an harlot, these shall he not take: but he shall take a virgin of his own people to wife.

25 See on verse 7.

15Neither shall he 26profane 27his seed among his people: for I the LORD do 28sanctify him.

26 Namely, by marrying a wife, contrary to the rules here given him.

27 That is, his children. Also Gen. 4:25 and below verses 17, 21.

28 That is, sets him apart for an holy service. Also Exod. 28:3; 29:1 and below verse 23.

16¶And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

17Speak unto Aaron, saying, Whosoever he be of thy 29seed 30in their generations that hath any blemish, let him not approach to offer 31the bread of his God.

29 That is, sons or descendants, either ordinary or high priests. Also verse 21.

30 That is, in what times or ages they may happen to live after thee.

31 See Lev. 3 on verse 11.

18For whatsoever man he be that hath a blemish, he shall not approach: a blind man, or a lame, or he that hath 32a flat nose, or any thing 33superfluous,

32 Or, having two few members. Other, hook-nosed, having his nose bent inwards, whereby he comes to speak through the nose.

33 Other, having an over-plus of members.

19Or a man that is brokenfooted, or brokenhanded,

20Or crookbackt,a or a 34dwarf, or that hath a 35blemish in his eye, or be scurvy, or scabbed, or hath his stones broken;

a hump-backed, hunch-backed

34 Other, thin, lean, slender, a starveling, skeleton.

35 Other, be dim-sighted, blear-eyed.

21No man that hath a blemish of the seed of Aaron the priest shall come nigh to offer the offerings of the LORD made by fire: he hath a blemish; he shall not come nigh to offer the bread of his God.

22He shall eat the bread of his God, both of the 36most holy, and of the 37holy.

36 Hebr. the holiness of holinesses. Understand the showbread, the trespass offerings and the sin offerings.

37 Or, holinesses. Understand thereby the peace offerings, the firstfruits and the tenths.

23Only he shall not go in 38unto the vail, nor come nigh unto the altar, because he hath a blemish; that he profane not 39my sanctuaries: for I the LORD do sanctify them.

38 That is, he shall not administer the priestly office. See of this vail Lev. 4 on verse 6.

39 That is, the places of My sanctuary. Understand by the sanctuary, the tent of the congregation, as is to be seen Lev. 16:33, put in the plural here, because of the several parts thereof: the court, the holy place and the Holy of Holies, or most holy place.

24And Moses told it unto Aaron, and to his sons, and unto all the children of Israel.