Leviticus 21:12-22

12 neither he shall go out of [the] holy places, lest he defoul the saintuary of the Lord, for the oil of holy anointing of his God is on him; I am the Lord. (nor shall he go out of the holy place, lest he defile the Lord's sanctuary, for the holiness of the anointing oil of his God is upon him; I am the Lord.)

13 He shall wed to wife a virgin; (He shall wed a virgin for his wife;)

14 he shall not take a widow, and a forsaken woman, and a foul woman, and (a) whore, but a virgin of his people; (he shall not wed a widow, or a forsaken woman, or a defiled woman, or a whore, but only a virgin out of his people;)

15 meddle he not the generation of his kin to the common people of his folk, for I am the Lord, that halloweth him. (and so he shall not mix together, or dishonour, any of the generation of his kin among the common people, for I am the Lord, who maketh him holy.)

16 And the Lord spake to Moses, and said,

17 Speak thou to Aaron; a man of thy seed, by families, that hath a wem, that is, a notable foulness, shall not offer bread to his God, (Say thou to Aaron, A man of thy seed, among thy families, who hath a blemish, that is, a notable foulness, shall not offer the bread, or the loaves, to his God,)

18 neither shall nigh to his service; (nor,) if he is blind; if he is crooked; if he is either of little, either of great, or wrong nose; (nor shall he come to do his service; nor, as well, if he is blind, or lame; or too small, or too big;)

19 if he is of broken foot, either hand; (if he hath a crippled, or deformed, hand or foot;)

20 if he hath a botch, or a bulge, on his back; either if he is bleary-eyed; if he hath white colour, or a pearl, in his eye, that hindereth his sight; if he hath (a) continual scab; if he hath a dry scab in his body (if he hath a dry scab on his body); either if he be bruised in (the) privy members.

21 Each man of the seed of Aaron the priest, that hath a wem (who hath any blemish, or any fault), shall not nigh to offer sacrifices to the Lord, neither to offer loaves to his God;

22 nevertheless he shall (still) eat the loaves that be offered in the saintuary,

Leviticus 21:12-22 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.