Leviticus 21:14-24

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,
23 so only that he enter not within the veil; he shall not nigh to the altar, for he hath a wem, and he shall not defoul my saintuary; I am the Lord, that hallow them. (so only that he not come within the Veil; he shall not approach the altar, for he hath a blemish, or a fault, and he shall not defile my sanctuary; I am the Lord who maketh them holy.)
24 Therefore Moses spake to Aaron, and to his sons, and to all Israel, all things that were commanded to him. (And so Moses spoke to Aaron, and to his sons, and to all the Israelites, all that was commanded to him.)

Leviticus 21:14-24 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.

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.