Ezekiel 44:25

25 "A priest must not contaminate himself by going near a corpse. But when the dead person is his father or mother, son or daughter, brother or unmarried sister, he can approach the dead.

Ezekiel 44:25 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 44:25

And they shall come at no dead person to defile themselves,
&c.] Shall not come into places where they are, nor touch them, nor attend their funerals, ( Leviticus 21:1 Leviticus 21:11 ) , that their work might not be interrupted, or they through grief and sorrow be made unfit for it, ( Matthew 8:22 ) , this, in a spiritual sense, may signify, that they should have no conversation or fellowship with men dead in trespasses and sins; and should abstain from all dead works, as all sinful ones are: but for father, or for mother, or for son, or for daughter, for
brother, or for sister that hath had no husband, they may defile
themselves;
by coming near them, touching them, at least attending their funerals, because of their near relation to them, and that natural sympathy and affection that must be in them: all sorrow and mourning for dead relations is not forbidden saints, nor ministers of the word; provided it is in moderation, and not to excess, and is not for gracious persons, as those without hope; and should as little as possible break in upon the duties of their office, ( 1 Thessalonians 4:13 ) ( John 11:33 John 11:35 ) .

Ezekiel 44:25 In-Context

23 "Their job is to teach my people the difference between the holy and the common, to show them how to discern between unclean and clean.

24 "When there's a difference of opinion, the priests will arbitrate. They'll decide on the basis of my judgments, laws, and statutes. They are in charge of making sure the appointed feasts are honored and my Sabbaths kept holy in the ways I've commanded.

25 "A priest must not contaminate himself by going near a corpse. But when the dead person is his father or mother, son or daughter, brother or unmarried sister, he can approach the dead.

26 But after he has been purified, he must wait another seven days.

27 Then, when he returns to the inside courtyard of the Sanctuary to do his priestly work in the Sanctuary, he must first offer a sin offering for himself. Decree of God, the Master.