Leviticus 21:10-20

10 And he that is the high priest among his brethren, upon whose head the anointing oil was poured and that is consecrated to put on the garments, shall not uncover his head nor rend his clothes;

11 neither shall he go in to any dead body, nor defile himself for his father or for his mother;

12 neither shall he go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his God, for the crown of the anointing oil of his God is upon him. I am the LORD.

13 And he shall take a wife in her virginity.

14 A widow or a divorced woman or profane or a harlot, these he shall not take, but he shall take a virgin of his own people to wife.

15 Neither shall he profane his seed among his people, for I AM he that sanctifies him.

16 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying,

17 Speak unto Aaron, saying, The man of thy seed in their generations that has any blemish, let him not approach to offer the bread of his God.

18 For no man in whom there is a blemish, shall approach: a blind man or a lame or he that lacks any thing or has any thing superfluous

19 or a man that is brokenfooted or brokenhanded

20 or crookbacked or a dwarf or that has a blemish in his eye or has scurvy or is scabbed or has his stones broken.

Leviticus 21:10-20 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.