Leviticus 21:5-15

5 '¹They shall not make any baldness * on their heads, ²nor shave off the edges of their beards, ³nor make any cuts in their flesh.

6 'They shall be holy to their God and ⁴not profane the name of their God, for they present the offerings by fire to the LORD, ⁵the food of their God; so they shall be holy.

7 '⁶They shall not take a woman who is profaned by harlotry, nor shall they take a woman divorced from her husband; for he is holy to his God.

8 'You shall consecrate him, therefore, for he offers ⁷the food of your God; he shall be holy to you; for I the LORD, who sanctifies you, am holy.

9 '⁸Also the daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by harlotry, she profanes her father; she shall be burned with fire.

10 'The priest who is the highest among his brothers, on whose head the anointing oil has been poured and who has been consecrated * to wear the garments, ⁹shall not uncover his head nor tear his clothes;

11 ¹⁰nor shall he approach any dead person, nor defile himself even for his father or his mother;

12 ¹¹nor shall he go out of the sanctuary nor profane the sanctuary of his God, for ¹²the consecration of the anointing oil of his God is on him; I am the LORD.

13 'He shall take a wife in her virginity.

14 '¹³A widow, or a divorced woman, or one who is profaned by harlotry, these he may not take; but rather * he is to marry a virgin of his own people,

15 so that he will not profane his offspring among his people; for I am the LORD who sanctifies him.' "

Leviticus 21:5-15 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.

Cross References

• 1. Deuteronomy 14:1; Ezekiel 44:20
• 2. Leviticus 19:27
• 3. Deuteronomy 14:1
• 4. Leviticus 18:21
• 5. Leviticus 3:11
• 6. Leviticus 21:13, 14
• 7. Leviticus 21:6
• 8. Genesis 38:24; Leviticus 19:29
• 9. Leviticus 10:6
• 10. Leviticus 19:28; Numbers 19:14
• 11. Leviticus 10:7
• 12. Exodus 29:6, 7
• 13. Leviticus 21:7; Ezekiel 44:22

Footnotes

• [a] Lit "of"
• [b] Lit "whose hand has been filled"
• [c] Lit "unbind"
• [d] Lit "take as wife"
• [e] Lit "seed"