Leviticus 22:1-9

Priestly uncleanness

1 The LORD said to Moses:

2 Tell Aaron and his sons to be very careful how they treat the holy things that the Israelites devote to me so that they do not make my holy name impure: I am the LORD.

3 Say to them: If any descendant of yours should ever come near the holy things that the Israelites have dedicated to the LORD while he is in an unclean state, he will be cut off from before me; I am the LORD.

4 Any descendant of Aaron who is afflicted with skin disease or has a discharge cannot eat of the holy things until he is clean. Anyone who touches anything made unclean by a dead body, or who has an emission of semen,

5 or who touches any swarming creature or another person who makes him unclean—whatever the uncleanness might be—

6 the person who touches these things will be unclean until evening. He must not eat of the holy things unless he has bathed his body in water.

7 Once the sun has set and he has become clean again, he may eat of the holy things, for that is his food.

8 He must not eat an animal that has died naturally or that was killed by another animal, becoming unclean by doing so; I am the LORD.

9 The priests must keep my requirement so that they don't become liable to punishment and die for having made it impure. I am the LORD, who makes them holy.

Leviticus 22:1-9 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO LEVITICUS 22

In this chapter several laws are delivered out, forbidding the priests to eat of holy things, when in any uncleanness, or at any time what dies of itself, or is torn of beasts, Le 22:1-9; also showing who belonging to the priests might or might not eat of the holy things, Le 22:10-16; and others requiring that whatever offerings were brought by the children, of Israel, they should be perfect and without blemish, Le 22:17-25; and also declaring what age a creature should be of when sacrificed, and the time when thank offerings were to be eaten, Le 22:26-30; concluding with an exhortation to observe the commands of God, and sanctify him, and not profane his name, Le 22:31-33.

Footnotes

• [a]. The precise meaning is uncertain; traditionally leprosy—a term used for several different skin diseases.
• [b]. Vulg; MT and die in it