Leviticus 21:1

Regulations for Conduct of Priests

1 And the Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them: ^a‘None shall defile himself for the dead among his people,

2 except for his relatives who are nearest to him: his mother, his father, his son, his daughter, and his brother;

3 also his virgin sister who is near to him, who has had no husband, for her he may defile himself.

4 Otherwise he shall not defile himself, being a¹ chief man among his people, to profane himself.

5 ^a‘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.

6 They shall be ^aholy to their God and not profane the name of their God, for they offer the offerings of the Lord made by fire, and the ^bbread of their God; ^ctherefore they shall be holy.

7 ^aThey shall not take a wife who is a harlot or a defiled woman, nor shall they take a woman ^bdivorced from her husband; for¹ the priest is holy to his God.

8 Therefore you shall consecrate him, for he offers the bread of your God. He shall be holy to you, for ^aI the Lord, who ^bsanctify you, am holy.

9 The daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by playing the harlot, she profanes her father. She shall be ^aburned with fire.

10 ‘He who is the high priest among his brethren, on whose head the anointing oil was ^apoured and who is consecrated to wear the garments, shall not ^buncover his head nor tear his clothes;

11 nor shall he go ^anear any dead body, nor defile himself for his father or his mother;

12 ^anor shall he go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his God; for the ^bconsecration 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 a defiled woman or a harlot—these he shall not marry; but he shall take a virgin of his own people as wife.

15 Nor shall he profane his posterity among his people, for I the Lord sanctify him.’ ”

16 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

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.

Commentaries:

Adam Clarke

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Leviticus 21:2 >>

Leviticus 21:1

There shall none be defiled for the dead - No priest shall assist in laying out a dead body, or preparing it for interment. Any contact with the dead was supposed to be of a defiling nature, probably because putrefaction had then taken place; and animal putrefaction was ever held in detestation by all men.

Other Adam Clarke entries containing Leviticus 21:1:

Leviticus 27:34
Ezekiel 24:17

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Leviticus 21:2 >>

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Regulations for Conduct of Priests

A Verse and a Thought,Every Morning

A Verse and a Thought,
Every Morning