Leviticus 21:18

18 No man who has any defect may come near: no man who is blind or lame, disfigured or deformed;

Leviticus 21:18 in Other Translations

18 For whatsoever man he be that hath a blemish, he shall not approach: a blind man, or a lame, or he that hath a flat nose, or any thing superfluous,

18 For no one who has a blemish shall draw near, a man blind or lame, or one who has a mutilated face or a limb too long,

18 No one who has a defect qualifies, whether he is blind, lame, disfigured, deformed,

18 That means anyone who is blind or lame, disfigured or deformed,

18 For whatsoever man he be that hath a blemish, he shall not approach: a blind man, or a lame, or he that hath a flat nose, or anything superfluous,

18 Indeed, no one who has a physical defect may ever come near [the altar]. That means anyone who is blind or lame, who has a disfigured face, a deformity,

18 No man who has any defect is to come near: no man who is blind, lame, facially disfigured, or deformed;

18 " 'No man who has any flaws can come near. No man who is blind or disabled can come. No man whose body is scarred or twisted can come.

Leviticus 21:18 Meaning and Commentary

Leviticus 21:18

For whatsoever man [he be] that hath a blemish
Let him be otherwise ever so well qualified for his office, as with respect to his parentage, against which no objection lies; or, as to his character and abilities, being a man of knowledge and of good manners; and whether these blemishes be, as the Jews ^F26 call them, fixed, settled ones, which have attended them ever since they were born, and are likely to attend them as long as they live; or are transient ones, only for the present, and perhaps, in a short time, wilt be removed; yet it matters not, while these blemishes are on them,

he shall not approach;
to the altar to offer sacrifice, or do any part of the priestly office, for this phrase is expressive of a sacerdotal act: the particular blemishes unfitting a man for such service follow:

a blind man, or a lame;
that is blind of one eye, or of both; and is lame of one leg, or of both:

or he that hath a flat nose;
which Jarchi explains, whose nose is sunk between his two eyes, whose nose is short, and crooked, or mutilated:

or anything superfluous;
more members than usual, as six fingers on an hand, or two gristles in an ear, as Ben Gersom; or whose members are not proportionate, as one eye large and the other small, or one thigh or leg longer than the other, so Jarchi; the Targum of Jonathan is,

``whose thigh (or thigh bone) is out of joint;''

and so a man draws his foot after him, which is the sense of the Rabbins, as observed by Kimchi ^F1, and Ben Melech from him; and so such are not fit to be called the priests of the Lord, and much less ministers of his word, who are blind as to the knowledge of divine and spiritual things, and walk not as becomes the Gospel of Christ; or halt between two opinions, or savour not the things of God, and lay not aside all superfluity of naughtiness.

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FOOTNOTES:

F26 Misn. Zebachim, c. 12. sect 1. & Becorot, c. 7. sect. 1.
F1 Sepher Shorash. rad. (erv) .

Leviticus 21:18 In-Context

16 The LORD said to Moses,

17 “Say to Aaron: ‘For the generations to come none of your descendants who has a defect may come near to offer the food of his God.

18 No man who has any defect may come near: no man who is blind or lame, disfigured or deformed;

19 no man with a crippled foot or hand,

20 or who is a hunchback or a dwarf, or who has any eye defect, or who has festering or running sores or damaged testicles.

Cross References

• 1. Leviticus 22:19-25
• 2. S Leviticus 19:14
• 3. 2 Samuel 4:4; 2 Samuel 9:3; 2 Samuel 19:26