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Leviticus
Chapter Twenty-one
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO LEVITICUS 21
This
chapter respects the priests, the sons of Aaron, and forbids their mourning for
the dead, unless in some cases, Leviticus 21:1; or
their marriage with an whore or a divorced woman, Leviticus 21:7; and
the daughters of any of them to commit fornication, which is made punishable
with death, Leviticus 21:9; and
it contains particular laws for the high priest to observe, who was not to
mourn for any, even for his parents, Leviticus 21:10;
nor to go out of the sanctuary, Leviticus 21:12;
nor to marry any woman but a virgin, Leviticus 21:13;
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, Leviticus 21:16.
Leviticus 21:1. And
the Lord
said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them: ‘None
shall defile himself for the dead among his people,
YLT 1And Jehovah saith unto Moses, `Speak unto the
priests, sons of Aaron, and thou hast said unto them, For [any] person [a priest]
is not defiled among his people,
And the Lord said unto Moses,.... According to some
Jewish writers this was said on the day the tabernacle was set up; no doubt it
was delivered at the same time the above laws were given; and as care was taken
for the purity and holiness of the Israelites in general, it was necessary that
the priests that were concerned in a more especial manner in the service and
worship of God should be holy also, and have some instructions given them to
take care and keep themselves from all defilements; and particularly the Jewish
writers observe, that this paragraph or section concerning the priests follows
upon, and is in connection with the law concerning such as have familiar
spirits, and wizards, to teach men, that in matters of doubt and difficulty
they should not have recourse to such persons, but to the priests of the Lord:
speak unto the priests, the sons of Aaron; the priests,
whether elder or younger, whether fit for service, and whether having
blemishes, or not; for there are some things which concern them, and these are
sons, male children of Aaron, as the Targum of Jonathan, and not daughters, as
Jarchi and others observe; for they were not obliged to regard the laws and
rules here given:
and say unto them, there shall none be defiled for the dead among
his people; by entering into a tent or house where a dead body lay, by
touching it, or by hearing it, or attending it to the grave, or by any
expressions of mourning for it, see Numbers 19:11; that
is, for any person in common that were of his people, that were not nearly
related to him, as in the cases after excepted; so it was a custom with the
Romans, as we are toldF14Servius in Virgil. Aeneid. l. xi. ver. 3. ,
that such as were polluted by funerals might not sacrifice, which shows that
priests were not allowed to attend funerals, which perhaps might be taken from
hence; and so Porphyry saysF15De Abstinentia, l. 2. c. 50. , that
sacred persons and inspectors of holy things should abstain from funerals or
graves, and from every filthy and mournful sight.
Leviticus 21:2.
2 except for his relatives
who are nearest to him: his mother, his father, his son, his daughter, and his
brother;
YLT 2except for his relation who [is] near unto
him -- for his mother, and for his father, and for his son, and for his
daughter, and for his brother.
But for his kin that is near unto him,.... For such
he might be defiled and mourn, or be where they were, and take care of, and
attend their funerals: this clause some take to be general, of which the
particulars follow, as Aben Ezra; but others take it to be the first particular
excepted, and instanced in, and intends his wife; for it may be rendered, as by
some, "for his flesh", or "the rest of him"F16לשארו "carne sua", Pagninus, Montanus. , the
other part of himself, his wife, which is his other self, and one flesh with
him; and so Jarchi and others observe, there is no flesh of his, but his wife;
and if she is not intended here, she is not expressed elsewhere, though must be
supposed, because it is allowed the priest to defile himself for other
relations not so near; and it is plain from the case of Ezekiel, that a priest
might mourn for his wife, Ezekiel 24:15; he
being forbid it, shows his case to be an extraordinary one, and that ordinarily
it was admitted, otherwise there would have been no need of a particular
prohibition of him:
that is, for his
mother, and for his father, and for his son, and for his daughter, and his
brother; R. Alphes addsF17Sepher Alphes, par. 1. fol. 410. 2.
, "and his wife"; these being all near relations, and for whom
natural affection would lead and oblige him to mourn, and show a concern for
their death, and to take care of their funeral. This is to be understood of
common priests; for as for the high priest, he might not mourn, or be concerned
for either of these.
Leviticus 21:3.
3 also his virgin sister who
is near to him, who has had no husband, for her he may defile himself.
YLT 3and for his sister, the virgin, who is near
unto him, who hath not been to a man; for her he is defiled.
And for his sister a virgin, that is nigh unto him,.... That is,
his sister by both father's and mother's side, as Aben Ezra; though, according
to Gersom, his sister by his father's side, and not by his mother's side, is
meant; but, according to Alphes, by his mother's side: perhaps this may signify
not nearness of kin, which is expressed by being his sister, but nearness of
place, for, being unmarried, she remained unto her death in her father's house:
which hath had no husband; neither betrothed to
one, for then she would have been nigh to her husband, and not her brother, and
therefore he might not pollute himself for her, as Gersom observes; nor married
to him, for such an one he might not defile himself, even though she might have
been rejected or divorced by her husband, as the same writer says:
for her may he be defiled; for a pure virgin that
had never been betrothed nor married to a man, and had never departed from her
father's house, and so had no husband to mourn for her, and take care of her
funeral, and so for all the rest before mentioned; and which Jarchi says is a
command, and not a bare sufferance or allowance, but what he ought and was
obliged to do; and so it is related of JosephF18T. Bab. Zebachim,
fol. 90. 1. , a priest, that his wife died in the evening of the sabbath, and
he would not defile himself for her, and his brethren the priests obliged him,
and made him defile himself against his will.
Leviticus 21:4.
4 Otherwise
he shall not defile himself, being a chief man among his people, to
profane himself.
YLT 4`A master [priest] doth not defile himself
among his people -- to pollute himself;
But he shall not defile
himself, being a chief man among his people,.... Which is
not to be understood of any lord or nobleman or any chief ruler or governor of
the people; for the context speaks only of priests, and not of other
personages; besides, such might defile themselves, or mourn for their dead, as
Abraham did for Sarah; nor of any husband for his wife, for even a priest, as
has been observed, might do this for his wife, and much more a private person;
nor is there any need to restrain it, as some Jewish writers do, to an
adulterous wife, which a husband might not mourn for, though he might for his
right and lawful wife; but there is nothing in the text, neither of an husband,
nor a wife: the words are to be interpreted of a priest, and either of him as
considered as a person of eminence, consequence, and importance, and sons
giving a reason why he should not defile himself for the dead, because he was a
principal person among his people to officiate for them in sacred things;
wherefore if he did not take care that he was not defiled for the dead, which
might often happen, he would be frequently hindered from doing his office for
the people, which would be attended with ill consequence to them; and therefore
the above cases are only excepted, as being such that rarely happened: or
rather the words are to be considered as a prohibition of defiling himself
"for any chief"F19בעל בעמיו "in principe populi sui", V. L. so Pesicta
& Ben Melech in loc. & Kimchi Sepher Shorash. rad. בעל
, or principal man, lord, ruler, or governor, among his people; even for such
an one he was not to defile himself, being no relation of his:
to profane himself; make himself unfit for sacred service, or
make himself a common person; put himself upon a level with a common private
man, and be no more capable of serving at the altar, or doing any part of the
work off priest, than such an one.
Leviticus 21:5. 5 ‘They
shall not make any bald place on their heads, nor shall they shave the
edges of their beards nor make any cuttings in their flesh.
YLT 5they do not make baldness on their head, and
the corner of their beard they do not shave, and in their flesh they do not
make a cutting;
They shall not make baldness upon their head,.... For the
dead, as Jarchi, Aben Ezra, and Ben Gersom; not shave their heads, or round the
corners of them, or make baldness between their eyes on that account; as those
things were forbid the Israelites, so the priests also; this and what follow
being superstitious customs used among the Heathens in their mournings for the
dead, particularly by the Chaldeans, as Aben Ezra observes; and so by the
Grecians; when Hephestion, one of Alexander's captains, died, he shaved his
soldiers and himself, imitating Achilles in HomerF20Aelian. Var.
Hist. l. 7. c. 8. ; so the Egyptians, mourning for the loss of Osiris, annually
shaved their headsF21Julius Firmicus de Error. Proph. p. 2. ; and
the priests of Isis, mourning for her lost son, are called by Minutius FelixF23In
Octavio, p. 22. Vid. Lactant. de fals. Relig. l. 1. c. 21. her bald priests;
see Leviticus 19:27,
neither shall they shave off the corner of their beard: the five
corners of it; See Gill on Leviticus 19:27.
This the Israelites in common might not do, and particularly their priests;
though the Egyptian priests shaved both their heads and beards, as HerodotusF24Euterpe,
sive, l. 2. c. 36. relates: and so they are represented in the Table of IsisF25Vid.
Pignorii Mens. Isiac. liter. S. :
nor make any cuttings in their flesh; either with
their nails, tearing their cheeks and breasts, or with an instrument cutting
their flesh in any part of their bodies, as was the custom of Heathen nations;
such were made by the Egyptians in their mourningsF26; See Gill on Leviticus 19:28.
Leviticus 21:6. 6 They
shall be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God, for they
offer the offerings of the Lord made by fire, and
the bread of their God; therefore they shall be holy.
YLT 6they are holy to their God, and they pollute
not the name of their God, for the fire-offerings of Jehovah, bread of their
God, they are bringing near, and have been holy.
They shall be holy unto their God,.... Sacred to his service,
and wholly given up to it, and not interest themselves in things which hindered
from it, or made them unfit for it; and such care becomes the ministers of the
word, who should give up themselves to it, and not entangle themselves with
other affairs; they should be clean, pure, and holy, that bear the vessels of
the Lord, and minister in holy things, and should set an example of purity and
holiness to others:
and not profane the name of their God; or cause it
to be profaned and evil spoken of on their account, or his service to be
interrupted, and they who bore his name put upon a level with common persons
through their pollutions:
for the offerings of the Lord made by fire; the burnt
offerings, which were offered up to the Lord on the altar of burnt offering
every day, besides others on divers occasions:
and the bread of their God do
they offer; the shewbread, which they set every week before the Lord on the
shewbread table, and the meat or bread offering, the "minchah", which
they continually offered along with the sacrifices: or the word
"and", being a supplement, may be left out; and so this clause is put
by way of apposition, and as interpreting the fire offering to be the bread of
their God, which being wholly burnt on the altar, and devoted to God, was his
meat and food, and accepted by him, see Leviticus 3:11,
therefore they shall be holy; separate from all
others, and abstain from all impurity both of flesh and spirit, from all
uncleanness, moral and ceremonial; it being highly fit and proper that the
bread of God should be offered by holy persons.
Leviticus 21:7. 7 They
shall not take a wife who is a harlot or a defiled woman, nor shall they
take a woman divorced from her husband; for the priest[a] is holy to
his God.
YLT 7`A woman, a harlot, or polluted, they do not
take, and a woman cast out from her husband they do not take, for he [is] holy
to his God;
They shall not take a wife that is a whore, or profane,.... By the
former is meant a common whore, that prostitutes herself to any one through
lust or for gain; and by the latter one whose chastity is violated, but either
unwillingly, that has been forced and ravished, or else willingly, being
enticed, persuaded, and prevailed upon, but did not make a practice of it; this
seems to be the true sense of the words: but the Jewish writers understand them
differently; by a "whore" they suppose is meant one that is not an
Israelitish woman, that is not born of an Israelite, at least of an Israelitish
woman, as proselytes or freed persons; for they say there are no whores but
such, or one that lies with such persons, she may not marry with; as such as
are guilty of cutting off, or any of the Nethinim, or spurious persons, so
Jarchi; and by a "profane" person they think is meant such as are
born of those that are rejected, as the Targum of Jonathan paraphrases it; that
is, that are either born of incestuous marriages, such as are forbidden, Leviticus 18:1; or
that are born of those that are rejected in the priesthood, or whom a priest
might not marry, as the daughter of a widow, by the high priest, or the
daughter of one divorced, by a common priest, which is the sense of Jarchi:
neither shall they take a woman put away by her husband: which was, in
these and later times, common for any offence, when the crime of adultery was
not pretended; but this always supposed something bad or amiss, and made such a
woman suspected of having done an unseemly thing, therefore priests were
forbidden marrying such persons: the Targum of Jonathan adds,"or by her
husband's brother;'and so takes in one that has loosed the shoe, as the Jews
call her, who being left without issue, her husband's brother refused to marry
her, and therefore she plucked off his shoe, and spit in his face, see Deuteronomy 25:7;
such an one a priest might not marry, according to this paraphrast, and other
Jewish writers, and if he did was to be beatenF1Misn. Maccot, c. 3.
sect. 1. :
for he is holy unto his God; separated from common
persons, and devoted to the service of God, and therefore not to be defiled
with such sort of women, or to lie under any scandal or reproach through such,
marriages.
Leviticus 21:8. 8 Therefore
you shall consecrate him, for he offers the bread of your God. He shall be holy
to you, for I the Lord,
who sanctify you, am holy.
YLT 8and thou hast sanctified him, for the bread
of thy God he is bringing near; he is holy to thee; for holy [am] I, Jehovah,
sanctifying you.
Thou shalt sanctify him therefore,.... In thought and word,
as Aben Ezra, by thinking and speaking well of him; should esteem and reckon
him a holy person, being in a sacred office, and honour him as such; and do all
that can be done to preserve him from unholiness and impurity, and particularly
from marrying with improper and unsuitable persons, such as would bring a
scandal on him and his sacred office: this seems to be spoken to Moses, and so
to the civil magistrate in succession, who were not to suffer such marriages to
take place in the priesthood; and were not only to persuade from it, but to
exercise their authority, and oblige them to put away such wives, and if they
refused, to use severity; so Jarchi,""thou shalt sanctify him",
whether he will or not; if he will not put her away, beat him and chastise him
until he does put "her away",'see Ezra 2:62,
for he offereth the bread of the Lord; meaning not
the shewbread he set in order before the Lord every week, but the various gift
and sacrifices which were offered to God by him, and were acceptable to him as
his food; and therefore he ought to be holy that drew nigh to God, and was
employed in such service, see Leviticus 21:6,
he shall be holy unto thee; in thy account and
estimation, and for thy service to offer holy sacrifices, and therefore should
be careful of his holiness to preserve it:
for I the Lord, which sanctify you, am holy; in his
nature, works, and ways, and who had separated them from all other people to be
a holy people to him, and therefore they that ministered in holy things for
them should be holy likewise.
Leviticus 21:9. 9 The
daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by playing the harlot, she
profanes her father. She shall be burned with fire.
YLT 9`And a daughter of any priest when she
polluteth herself by going a-whoring -- her father she is polluting; with fire
she is burnt.
And the daughter of any priest,.... The Targum of
Jonathan restrains it to one that is betrothed; but others, as Jarchi and Aben
Ezra, whether betrothed or married; and all confess, as the former says, that
the Scripture does not speak of one that is single or entirely free: but there
is no exception in the text; and besides, the daughter of any man that was
betrothed to a man, and guilty of the crime here spoken of, was to die, Deuteronomy 22:23;
and therefore such a law respecting the priest's daughter would be needless;
unless it can be thought that it was made merely for the sake of the different
kind of death she was to be put to, and that burning was a more terrible one
than stoning:
if she profane herself by playing the whore; which brings
scandal and disgrace on any person, and much more on anyone that had the honour
of being related to a person in such a sacred office, and the advantage of a
more strictly religious education, and had eaten of the holy things in her
father's house; all which were aggravations of her crime, and made it the more
scandalous and reproachful to her: some render it, "when she begins to
play the whore"F2כי תחל לזנות "cum coepit
fornicari", Pagninus, Montanus; so Tigurine version. ; as soon as ever it
is discovered in her, and she is taken in it; even for the first that she
commits, she is not to be spared, but put to death:
she profaneth her father: which is another
aggravation of her sin; she brings him under disgrace, disparages his office,
and exposes him to censure, reproach, and ridicule, as not having taken care of
her education, and taught her better, and kept her under restraints; men will
upbraid him with it, saying, this is a priest's daughter that has committed
this lewdness; nor will say of him, as Jarchi observes, cursed be he that begat
her, and cursed be he that brought her up:
she shall be burnt with fire; not with hot melted lead
poured down her mouth, but with faggots set about her; See Gill on Leviticus 20:14; no
punishment is here fixed for the person that lay with her, but, according to the
Jewish canonsF3Misn. Sanhedrin, c. 10. sect. 1. Maimon. Issure Biah,
c. 1. sect. 6. , she was to be strangled.
Leviticus 21:10. 10 ‘He
who is the high priest among his brethren, on whose head the anointing oil
was poured and who is consecrated to wear the garments, shall not uncover his
head nor tear his clothes;
YLT 10`And the high priest of his brethren, on
whose head is poured the anointing oil, and hath consecrated his hand to put on
the garments, his head doth not uncover, nor rend his garments,
And he that is the high priest among his brethren,.... Either
among his brethren, the priests, being in office above them; or among his
brethren the Israelites, among and over whom he is high priest; or, as others
render it, "the priest who is greater than his brethren"F4So
Pagninus, Ainsworth, and others. , in an higher office; the Jews sayF5T.
Bab. Yoma, fol. 18. 1. Horayot, fol. 9. 1. Cholin, fol. 134. 2. Maimon. Cele
Hamikdash, c. 5. sect. 1. & in Misn. Yoma, c. 1. sect. 3. & Bartenora
in ib. the high priest was to be greater than his brethren, in beauty, in
strength, in wisdom, and in riches; and if he had not money enough, all the
priests were to give him of theirs, everyone according to his riches, until he
became the richest among them all:
upon whose head the anointing oil was poured; as it was
poured upon Aaron at his consecration, and those that succeeded him, Exodus 29:7 Leviticus 8:12,
and that is consecrated to put on the garments; the eight
garments with which the high priest was clothed at the time of his
consecration, Leviticus 8:7; and
in which he and his sons are said to be consecrated, Exodus 29:29; in
order to which he was "to fill his hand"; as the phrase here is, that
is, with the fat and right shoulder of the ram of consecration, and with the
loaf of bread, and cake of oiled bread, and wafer, Exodus 29:23; in
all which he was a type of Christ, the great High Priest, as he is often
called, who is greater than his brethren in all the above things, the high
priest exceeded his brethren, except in worldly riches; and yet the earth also
is his, and the fulness thereof, well as he is fairer than the children of men,
stronger than the strong man armed, and the treasures of wisdom and knowledge
are hid in him; he is anointed also with the oil of gladness above his fellows;
and all his garments smell of myrrh, aloes, and cassia, and is consecrated an
high priest for evermore: of the high priest it is said, he
shall not uncover his head: that is, on account of
the dead; not take off his mitre, or in any such way express mourning for the
dead; or shall not nourish his hair or let it grow, as the Targums of Onkelos
and Jonathan; and so Jarchi interprets it, he shall not let the hair grow for
mourning; and what is nourishing of the hair? when it is let grow more than
thirty days:
nor rend his clothes; that is, on the same
account, and therefore Jonathan adds, in the hour of distress, or mourning for
the dead; otherwise, in case of blasphemy, he might rend his clothes, see Matthew 26:65; and
indeed, according to the Jewish canons, he might rend his clothes in mourning,
only in a different manner from common priests; for so they sayF6Maimon.
Cele Hamikdash, c. 5. sect. 6. ,"he may not rend for the dead, as other
priests,'as it is said: "nor rend his clothes"; and if he rends he is
to be beaten, but he may rend below over against (or near) his feet; and so in
the MisnahF7Horayot, c. 3. sect. 5. , an high priest rends below,
and a common priest above; See Gill on Leviticus 10:6.
Leviticus 21:11. 11 nor shall he go near any
dead body, nor defile himself for his father or his mother;
YLT 11nor beside any dead person doth he come; for
his father and for his mother he doth not defile himself;
Neither shall he go in to any dead body,.... That is,
into a tent or house where any dead body lies, as Jarchi and Aben Ezra
interpret it, for whoever went into such a place was unclean seven days; and so
long therefore an high priest, should he enter there, would be prevented doing
the duty of his office, see Numbers 19:14; this
was aped and followed by the Heathens in later times; so among the Romans, the
"Flamen Dialis", or high priest of Jupiter, might not go into a place
where a dead body was burnt or buried, nor touch anyF8Massurius
Sabinus, apud A. Gell. Noct. Attic. l. 10. c. 15. ; and it was a custom with
them, as ServiusF9In Virgil. Aeneid. l. 3. ver. 64. "atraque
cupresso". tells us, to put a branch of cypress at the door of a house
where a dead body was, that an high priest might not enter through ignorance,
and be defiled:
nor defile himself for his father, or for his mother; by entering
into the tent or house where they lay dead, or by touching them, or attending
the funeral of them, or by concerning himself about it; and there was no need
to mention his son or his daughter, his brother or his sister; for if he was
not to defile himself for any of his parents, much less for any of those which
are excepted in the case of a common priest, Leviticus 21:2; the
Jews do indeed make one exception in the case of an high priest, and that is,
that if he meets with a dead body in the way, he was obliged to defile himself
for it and bury itF11Maimon. Hilchot Ebel, c. 3. sect. 8. ; and so
among the Romans, though it was a crime for an high priest to look upon a dead
body, yet it was reckoned a greater, if, when he saw it, he left it unburiedF12Servius
in Virgil. Aeneid. l. 6. ad ver. "praecipue pius Aeneas", &c. .
Leviticus 21:12. 12 nor
shall he go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his God; for the
consecration of the anointing oil of his God is upon him: I am
the Lord.
YLT 12nor from the sanctuary doth he go out, nor
doth he pollute the sanctuary of his God, for the separation of the anointing
oil of his God [is] on him; I [am] Jehovah.
Neither shall he go out of the sanctuary,.... In the
time of service, upon any occasion whatever; otherwise, when there was a
necessity for it, he might go out from thence, though this was rarely done, and
only in the night time: MaimonidesF13Cele Hamikdash, c. 5. sect. 7.
says he had a house prepared for him in the sanctuary, called the chamber of
the high priest; and it was his honour and his glory to remain in the sanctuary
all the day, and he did not go out, except to his own house, and that only in
the night, or an hour or two in the day; and his house was in Jerusalem, and
from thence he never removed: but this law respects him only in the case of his
dead; as when any news was brought him of the death of his father, or of his
mother, if in his service, he was not to quit it on any account; for we are
toldF14Misn. Horayot, c. 3. sect. 5. , that an high priest might
offer when mourning, though he might not eat in such a circumstance, whereas a
common priest might neither offer nor eat; nor might an high priest go out of
the sanctuary on such an occasion, if he was not in service, as to follow the
dead corpse or bier, as Jarchi and Aben Ezra interpret it; at least, he was to
go no further than the gate of the city; though even this is not allowed by
others, who sayF15Maimon. Cele Hamikdash, c. 5. sect. 5, 6. Vid.
Misn. Sanhedrim, c. 2. sect. 1. , if the dead were his, he might not go out after
it; he might not go out of the door of his house, nor out of the sanctuary, and
all the people were to come and comfort him at his own house:
nor profane the sanctuary of his God; by deserting
the service of it, on any account, and particularly on account of the dead, by
departing from it to go after them, and by entering into it again before the
time, when so defiled:
for the crown of the anointing oil of his God is upon him; the anointing
oil, which was a crown of glory, and gave him a superior dignity to others,
which it became him to be careful not to debase by any of the above things: or
"the crown and the anointing oil", so someF16So Junius
& Tremellius, Piscator, &c. supply the word "and"; both the
golden plate or the holy crown, as it is sometimes called, and the anointing
oil were upon him, which showed him to be a very dignified person, a sort of
king as well as a priest, and so a type of Christ, who is a priest upon his
throne, Zechariah 6:13,
I am the Lord: whose high priest he is,
and who command him all these things, and expect to be obeyed in them.
Leviticus 21:13. 13 And
he shall take a wife in her virginity.
YLT 13`And he taketh a wife in her virginity;
And he shall take a wife in her virginity. One, and not
two, or more, as Ben Gersom observes; and so Maimonides saysF17Hilchot
Issure Biah, c. 17. sect. 13. , an high priest might never take two women
together; for it is said, "a wife", or "woman", one, and
not two; and so it is explained in the TalmudF18T. Bab. Yebamot,
fol. 59. 1. ; for though polygamy was practised by the Israelites, and even by
the common priests, yet these writers suppose it was by no means allowed to an
high priest: among the Egyptians, though they took as many wives as they
pleased, their priests, married but oneF19Diodor. Sicul. l. 1. p.
72. ; and so a minister of the New Testament is to be the husband of one wife, 1 Timothy 3:2; and
this wife the high priest was to take was to be a "virgin", one that
not only had never known a man, but that was never betrothed to any; yea,
according to the TalmudistsF20T. Bab. Yebamot, ibid. Maimon. ut
supra. (Cele Hamikdash, c. 5. sect. 5, 6.) , who was not quite ripe for
marriage, or the time of her puberty not fully completed, which was the age of
twelve years; within, or somewhat before that time, the high priest was to
marry her, that it might be out of all doubt that she was a pure virgin; since
it is said, "in her virginity", within the time of her puberty,
before it was quite up; this, by many, is thought to be an emblem of Christ and
his church; as he was typified by the high priest, so the church by the virgin
he married, which is espoused to Christ as a chaste virgin, 2 Corinthians 11:2.
Leviticus 21:14. 14 A
widow or a divorced woman or a defiled woman or a harlot—these he shall
not marry; but he shall take a virgin of his own people as wife.
YLT 14widow, or cast out, or polluted one -- a
harlot -- these he doth not take, but a virgin of his own people he doth take
[for] a wife,
A widow,.... The high priest might not marry, whether the widow of a
priest or of an Israelite, as Aben Ezra, that is, of any Israelite that was not
of the priesthood; and this, whether a widow after espousals, or after
marriage, as runs the Jewish canonF21Misn. Yebamot, c. 6. sect. 4. ;
the meaning is, that if she was betrothed to a man, and that man died before he
married her, and so was a virgin; yet being betrothed to him was reckoned as
his widow; and such an one the high priest might not marry, any more than one
that had been left a widow, having being married: though, according to the same
constitutions, if he had betrothed a widow, and after that was appointed an
high priest, he might marry her, and an instance of it is given in Joshua the
son of Gamla: and in the same it is observed, that an high priest, when his
brother dies, must suffer his shoe to be plucked off, and not marry his
brother's widow; which, in other cases, when there was no issue, was required:
or a divorced woman; whether by a priest, or
a common Israelite; and indeed, if a common priest might not marry such a
person, much less an high priest: or profane anyone born of those that were not
fit for priests to marry, as the Targum of Jonathan and Jarchi; See Gill on Leviticus 21:7,
or an harlot; a common
prostitute:
those shall he not take any or either of them, to
be his wife; which are forbid in order to maintain the dignity of his office,
and a reverence of it: there seems to be a gradation in these instances, he
might not marry a widow, which was forbidden no other man; and if not such an
one, much less a divorced woman, still less a profane person, and least of all
an harlot:
but he shall take a virgin of his own people to wife; which phrase,
"of his own people", did not limit him to his own tribe, and to the
fraternity of priests in it, as if he was to marry only in it, or the daughter
of a priest; for the priests and Levites being scattered in the several tribes,
and having no inheritances in them, were not restrained from marrying into
other tribes, as the rest of the tribes were; and so an high priest sometimes
married into another tribe, though he took care not to debase himself, by
marrying into a mean family: so Jehoiada, the high priest, married
Jehoshabeath, the daughter of King Jehoram, 2 Chronicles 22:11;
but by this law he was forbid to marry a virgin of another nation, even though
a proselytess and one that was made free, as Gersom observes; a captive virgin,
and one that was become a Jewess, as Aben Ezra says, he was not allowed to
marry.
Leviticus 21:15. 15 Nor
shall he profane his posterity among his people, for I the Lord sanctify
him.’”
YLT 15and he doth not pollute his seed among his
people; for I [am] Jehovah, sanctifying him.'
Neither shall he profane his seed among his people,.... By
marrying any such persons, whereby his children, born of them, would lie under
disgrace, and be unfit to succeed him in the priesthood, or by marrying among
mean persons, or by marrying them to such as were unlawful, and would be a
disparagement to them:
for I the Lord do sanctify him; separate him from all
others, to the high and sacred office of the high priesthood, and am concerned
for his honour and holiness; and therefore it became him to observe these laws
and rules, and abstain from such disagreeable marriages.
Leviticus 21:16. 16 And
the Lord
spoke to Moses, saying,
YLT 16And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying,
And the Lord spake unto Moses,.... After he had spoken
to him of the holiness of the priests, that they should not defile themselves,
neither with the dead nor with impure marriages, he proceeded to add some
things concerning blemishes in their bodies, which rendered them unfit for the
service:
saying; as follows.
Leviticus 21:17. 17 “Speak
to Aaron, saying: ‘No man of your descendants in succeeding generations,
who has any defect, may approach to offer the bread of his God.
YLT 17`Speak unto Aaron, saying, No man of thy seed
to their generations in whom there is blemish doth draw near to bring near the
bread of his God,
Speak unto Aaron, saying,.... Who being the high
priest, it was incumbent on him, at least at this time, to see that the laws
and rules relating to the priesthood were observed; and particularly to examine
carefully who were and who were not to be admitted to serve in it:
whosoever he be of thy seed in their generations; or, "a
man of thy seed"F23איש מזרעך "vir de semine tuo", Pagninus, Montanus,
&c. , for this only respected his male seed, females of his seed had no
concern in the following laws; but his sons, in all successive ages and
generations, to the coming of the Messiah, had, whether high priests or common
priests:
that hath any blemish; in any part of his body,
particularly such as are after mentioned:
let him not approach to offer the bread of his God; neither go
into the holy place, to set the shewbread in order there, nor to offer any
sacrifice upon the altar; so JosephusF24Antiqu. l. 3. c. 12. sect.
2. explains this law; that a priest should be perfect, and if he laboured under
any defect, should not ascend the altar, nor enter into the temple: this was
imitated by the Heathens: Romulus ordered that such as were weak and feeble in
any part of the body should not be made priestsF25Pompon. Laet. de
Sacerdot. c. 6. de Vestalibus. : the Jewish priests were types of Christ, who
is holy, harmless, without spot and blemish; and through whose blood and
righteousness all who are made priests by him are unblamable, without spot or
wrinkle, or any such thing; and a Gospel minister, bishop, or pastor, ought to
be unblemished in his life and conversation, Titus 1:6; and
there are some who think that the blemishes of the mind and of the life are
rather here meant than those of the body.
Leviticus 21:18. 18 For
any man who has a defect shall not approach: a man blind or lame, who has a
marred face or any limb too long,
YLT 18for no man in whom [is] blemish doth draw
near -- a man blind, or lame or dwarfed, or enlarged,
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 JewsF26Misn. Zebachim, c. 12. sect 1. &
Becorot, c. 7. sect. 1. 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 KimchiF1Sepher
Shorash. rad. שרע. , 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.
Leviticus 21:19. 19 a
man who has a broken foot or broken hand,
YLT 19or a man in whom there is a breach in the
foot, or a breach in the hand,
Or a man that is brokenfooted or brokenhanded. That has any
of the bones or joints in his hands and feet broke, or when they are distorted,
and he is clubfooted, or his fingers crooked and clustered together; and such a
man could not be fit to ascend the altar, and lay the sacrifice in order upon
it; and may be an emblem of such as are awkward or disorderly in their walk and
conservation, and to every good work and action unfit, and so unfit for their
master's use.
Leviticus 21:20. 20 or
is a hunchback or a dwarf, or a man who has a defect in his eye,
or eczema or scab, or is a eunuch.
YLT 20or hump-backed, or a dwarf, or with a mixture
in his eye, or a scurvy person, or scabbed, or broken-testicled.
Or crookbackt,.... That has a protuberance, or bunch upon
his back, one that we commonly call "hunchbacked"; the Targums of
Jonathan and Jerusalem paraphrase it,"whose eyebrows lying cover his
eyes;'and so Jarchi, interprets it, the hair of whose eyebrows is long and
lying; and so other Jewish writers understand it of some deformity about the
eyes, the hair of the eyebrows being thick and heavy over them, and so hinder
the sight, at least it makes the person not so sightly and graceful; it is saidF2Becorot,
c. 7. sect. 2. , he that hath no eyebrows, or but one eyebrow, is the
"Gibben" (the word here used) spoken of in the law, Leviticus 21:20,
or a dwarf; one of a small stature, as Aben Ezra, as generally hunchbacked
persons are, and so unfit to attend the altar, being scarce able to reach up to
it, and do the business of it, as well as must make a very mean appearance; but
the above Targums understand this also of some blemish about the eyes,
paraphrasing it"or he that has no hair on his eyebrows,'just the reverse
of the former; Jarchi seems to understand it of a thin small film upon the eye;
though something of that kind seems to be intended in the next clause:
or that hath a blemish in his eye; a mixture, a confusion,
or rather a suffusion in it, as the above Targum; in which, as one of them
says, the white is mixed with the black, and with which agrees what is said in
the MisnahF3Ib. c. 6. sect. 2. , where it is asked, what is the
confusion or suffusion? the white which spreads in the his, and enters into the
black of the eye; it seems to be a white speck in the pupil of the eye, and so
Jarchi, KimchiF4Ut supra, (Sepher Shorash.) rad. בלל.
, and others interpret it:
or be scurvy or scabbed; both these were kinds of
ulcers, according to the Jewish writers, particularly Jarchi, who says of the
first, that it is a dry scab within and without; and of the other, that it is
the Egyptian scab, which is moist without and dry with it; and so the Targum of
Jonathan:
or hath his stones broken; this is differently
interpreted in the MisnahF5Becorot, c. 7. sect. 5. , and by other
Jewish writers; some say it signifies one that has no testicles, or only one;
so the Septuagint and the Jerusalem Targum: others, whose testicles are broken
or bruised, so Jarchi: or are inflated, so Akiba, Aben Ezra, and the Targum of
Jonathan; some understand it of an "hernia" or rupture, when a man is
burstened: all which may in a moral and mystical sense signify either some
defect in the understanding, or vices in the heart or life, which render unfit
for public service in the sanctuary.
Leviticus 21:21. 21 No man of the descendants
of Aaron the priest, who has a defect, shall come near to offer the offerings
made by fire to the Lord.
He has a defect; he shall not come near to offer the bread of his God.
YLT 21`No man in whom is blemish (of the seed of
Aaron the priest) doth come nigh to bring near the fire-offerings of Jehovah;
blemish [is] in him; the bread of his God he doth not come nigh to bring near.
Verse 21
No man that hath a blemish, of the seed of Aaron the priest,.... Whether
an high priest or a common priest that lies on him anyone of the above
blemishes; and which the Jewish writersF6Maimon. Biath Hamikdash, c.
8. sect. 17. make to amount to the number of one hundred and forty, and which
they reckon, so many in one part of the booty and so many in another, till they
make up the said number; and whoever had any might not
come nigh to offer up the sacrifices of the Lord made by fire; the burnt
offerings on the altar, to which he might not approach, and the meat offerings,
and the fat, and the incense:
he hath a blemish; in one part of him or another; and though
but one:
he shall not come nigh to offer the bread of his God: this is
repeated for the confirmation of it, and to show how determined the Lord was in
this matter; and how much he should resent it in any that should be found
guilty of the breach of those rules, and so it is designed to deter from
attempting: it.
Leviticus 21:22. 22 He
may eat the bread of his God, both the most holy and the holy;
YLT 22`Bread of his God -- of the most holy things,
and of the holy things -- he doth eat;
He shall eat the bread of his God,.... That part of the
sacrifices which was appropriated by the Lord to the priests, for the
maintenance of them and their families; for though their natural infirmities
disqualified them for service, yet they did not become hereby impure, either in
a moral nor ceremonial sense, and might eat of the sacrifices, which impure
persons might not; and so the tradition is, blemished persons, whether their
blemishes are fixed or transient, may divide and eat, but not offerF7Misn.
Zebachim, c. 12. sect. 1. ; these being priests, and having no inheritance, nor
any way of getting their livelihood, provision is made for them that they might
not perish through their defects in nature, which were not voluntary and
brought upon them by themselves, but by the providence of God; and such were
allowed to eat
both of the most
holy and of the holy; there were things the priests eat of, which were most holy, as
what remained of the meat offerings, and of the sin offerings, and of the
trespass offerings, which only the males of the priest's family might eat of,
and that only in the holy place; and there were others less holy, the lighter
holy things, as the Jews call them, as the wave breast, and heave shoulder, and
the tithes and firstfruits, which were eaten of by all in their families, their
daughters as well as their sons, and in their own houses; now of each of these
might the blemished priests eat; see Numbers 18:9,
&c.
Leviticus 21:23. 23 only
he shall not go near the veil or approach the altar, because he has a defect,
lest he profane My sanctuaries; for I the Lord sanctify them.’”
YLT 23only, unto the vail he doth not enter, and
unto the altar he doth not draw nigh; for blemish [is] in him; and he doth not
pollute My sanctuaries; for I [am] Jehovah, sanctifying them.'
Only he shall not go in unto the vail,.... So far as
to the vail, which divided between the holy and the holy of holies; that is, he
shall not go into the holy place which was before the vail; not to set the
shewbread upon the table there, nor to light and him the lamps in the
candlestick, nor to offer incense on the altar of incense, which stood in it: some
render it "within the vail"F8אל הפרכת "intra velum", V. L. , where only the high
priest might enter once a year; but if he had any blemish on him he might not,
nor might such an one be an high priest; Aben Ezra seems to have some respect
to this in his note,"to the vail he shall not come, that he may be an high
priest:"
nor come nigh unto the altar; as not to the altar of
incense in the holy place, so neither to the altar of burnt offering in the
court of the tabernacle, that is, so as to officiate there: but though they
might not be employed in such sacred service, the Jews in later times have
found business for them to employ them in, and that was worming the wood, or
searching the wood for worms, which was used in the burning of the sacrifices;
for we are toldF9Misn. Middot, c. 2. sect. 5. , that at the
northeast corner (of the court of the women) was the wood room, where the
priests that had blemishes wormed the wood; and whatsoever wood in which a worm
was found, was rejected from being laid upon the altar: the reason why he might
not go into either place before mentioned is repeated:
because he hath a blemish; either fixed or
transient; one of those particularly expressed, or any other; for the Jews
suppose there are others implied besides those expressed, which disqualified
for service:
that he profane not my sanctuaries; if an high priest, the
holy of holies, if a common priest, the holy place, and the court of the
tabernacle:
for I the Lord do sanctify them; the vail, to which
blemished priests might not go: and the altar, to which they might not come
nigh: or rather, the sanctuaries or holy places, where they might not
officiate, which God had separated and devoted for sacred uses, and were not to
be defiled by any; though Ben Gersom observes, that this has no respect to the
sanctuary, for if it had it would have been said, "I am the Lord, that
sanctify it"; but since a plural word is used before, I see not but that
with great propriety it is expressed, and with reference thereunto,
"sanctify them"; which he would have understood of holy things, but
what he means is not easy to say, unless the holy things such persons might eat
of, Leviticus 21:22,
which is fetched.
Leviticus 21:24. 24 And
Moses told it to Aaron and his sons, and to all the children of Israel.
YLT 24And Moses speaketh unto Aaron, and unto his
sons, and unto all the sons of Israel.
And Moses told it to Aaron, and to his sons,.... What God
had said to him concerning the priests defiling themselves for the dead, both
common priests and high priest, and concerning their marriages and their
blemishes; that they might be careful not to transgress the laws and rules
given them concerning those things:
and to all the children of Israel; to the heads of the
tribes and elders of the people, and by them to the whole, that they might know
who were fit, and who not, to put their sacrifice into their hands, to offer
for them: Jarchi thinks this was to warn the sanhedrim concerning the priests,
whose business it was to examine and judge who were fit for service and who not;
for so we are toldF11Misn. Middot, c. 5. sect. 3. , that in the
chamber Gazith, or of hewn stone, the great sanhedrim of Israel sat and judged
the priests, and rejected some and received others.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)