And the Lord said unto Moses
According to some Jewish writers this was said on the day the
tabernacle was set up; no doubt it was delivered at the same time
the above laws were given; and as care was taken for the purity
and holiness of the Israelites in general, it was necessary that
the priests that were concerned in a more especial manner in the
service and worship of God should be holy also, and have some
instructions given them to take care and keep themselves from all
defilements; and particularly the Jewish writers observe, that
this paragraph or section concerning the priests follows upon,
and is in connection with the law concerning such as have
familiar spirits, and wizards, to teach men, that in matters of
doubt and difficulty they should not have recourse to such
persons, but to the priests of the Lord: speak unto the
priests, the sons of Aaron;
the priests, whether elder or younger, whether fit for service,
and whether having blemishes, or not; for there are some things
which concern them, and these are sons, male children of Aaron,
as the Targum of Jonathan, and not daughters, as Jarchi and
others observe; for they were not obliged to regard the laws and
rules here given: and say unto them, there shall none be
defiled for the dead among his
people;
by entering into a tent or house where a dead body lay, by
touching it, or by hearing it, or attending it to the grave, or
by any expressions of mourning for it, see ( Numbers
19:11 Numbers
19:14 Numbers
19:16 ) ; that is, for any person in common that were of his
people, that were not nearly related to him, as in the cases
after excepted; so it was a custom with the Romans, as we are
told F14, that such as were polluted by
funerals might not sacrifice, which shows that priests were not
allowed to attend funerals, which perhaps might be taken from
hence; and so Porphyry says F15, that sacred persons and
inspectors of holy things should abstain from funerals or graves,
and from every filthy and mournful sight.