Leviticus 21:1-6

Rules for priests

1 The LORD said to Moses, Say to the priests, Aaron's sons: None of you are allowed to make yourselves unclean by any dead person among your community
2 except for your closest relatives: for your mother, father, son, daughter, brother;
3 also for your unmarried sister, who is close to you because she isn't married—you may be polluted for her sake.
4 You must not make yourself unclean for in-laws, defiling yourself by doing so.
5 Priests must not shave bald patches on their heads or cut off the ends of their beards or make gashes in their bodies.
6 They must be holy to their God so that they do not make their God's name impure. They must be holy because they offer the LORD's food gifts, their God's food.

Leviticus 21:1-6 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO LEVITICUS 21

This chapter respects the priests, the sons of Aaron, and forbids their mourning for the dead, unless in some cases, Le 21:1-6; or their marriage with an whore or a divorced woman, Le 21:7,8; and the daughters of any of them to commit fornication, which is made punishable with death, Le 21:9; and it contains particular laws for the high priest to observe, who was not to mourn for any, even for his parents, Le 21:10,11; nor to go out of the sanctuary, Le 21:12; nor to marry any woman but a virgin, Le 21:13-15; and it also directs, that none of the priests having any blemish in them should be employed in divine service, though they might eat of the holy things, Le 21:16-24.

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