Leviticus 22:2

2 "Tell Aharon and his sons to separate themselves from the holy things of the people of Isra'el which they set apart as holy for me, so that they will not profane my holy name; I am ADONAI.

Leviticus 22:2 Meaning and Commentary

Leviticus 22:2

Speak unto Aaron and to his sons
The priests; the children of Israel or the common people are not mentioned, as having no concern in the following laws about eating holy things: that they separate themselves from the holy things of the children of
Israel;
both from offering their lawful sacrifices, which was the business of their office when pure, and chiefly from eating that part of them which was their due, and was allowed them; neither of these they were to do, particularly the latter, when they were in any uncleanness, as the following words show: and that, they profane not my holy name [in those things] which they
hallow unto me;
which the children of Israel set apart and devoted to his service; which they would do, by eating their part of them when unclean, and thereby show little reverence to that holy name to which they were devoted; or which the priests themselves sanctified, by offering them to him; for Jarchi says, this takes in the holiness of the priests themselves; but the former seems best, and is confirmed in ( Leviticus 22:3 ) : I [am] the Lord;
who is holy himself, and whose holy things these are, and will be sanctified by those that draw nigh unto him.

Leviticus 22:2 In-Context

1 ADONAI said to Moshe,
2 "Tell Aharon and his sons to separate themselves from the holy things of the people of Isra'el which they set apart as holy for me, so that they will not profane my holy name; I am ADONAI.
3 Tell them, 'Any descendant of yours through all your generations who approaches the holy things that the people of Isra'el consecrate to ADONAI and is unclean will be cut off from before me; I am ADONAI.
4 "'Any descendant of Aharon with tzara'at or a discharge is not to eat the holy things until he is clean. Anyone who has touched a person made unclean by a dead body, or who has had a seminal emission,
5 or who has touched a reptile or insect that can make him unclean, or a man who is unclean for any reason and who can transmit to him his uncleanness -
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.