Ezekiel 44:25
New International Version
“’A priest must not defile himself by going near a dead person; however, if the dead person was his father or mother, son or daughter, brother or unmarried sister, then he may defile himself.

New Living Translation
“A priest must not defile himself by being in the presence of a dead person unless it is his father, mother, child, brother, or unmarried sister. In such cases it is permitted.

English Standard Version
They shall not defile themselves by going near to a dead person. However, for father or mother, for son or daughter, for brother or unmarried sister they may defile themselves.

Berean Standard Bible
A priest must not defile himself by going near a dead person. However, for a father, a mother, a son, a daughter, a brother, or an unmarried sister, he may do so,

King James Bible
And they shall come at no dead person to defile themselves: but for father, or for mother, or for son, or for daughter, for brother, or for sister that hath had no husband, they may defile themselves.

New King James Version
“They shall not defile themselves by coming near a dead person. Only for father or mother, for son or daughter, for brother or unmarried sister may they defile themselves.

New American Standard Bible
They shall not go to a dead person to defile themselves; however, for father, for mother, for son, for daughter, for brother, or for a sister who has not had a husband, they may defile themselves.

NASB 1995
“They shall not go to a dead person to defile themselves; however, for father, for mother, for son, for daughter, for brother, or for a sister who has not had a husband, they may defile themselves.

NASB 1977
“And they shall not go to a dead person to defile themselves; however, for father, for mother, for son, for daughter, for brother, or for a sister who has not had a husband, they may defile themselves.

Legacy Standard Bible
But they shall not go to a dead person to make themselves unclean; however, for father, for mother, for son, for daughter, for brother, or for a sister who has not had a husband, they may make themselves unclean.

Amplified Bible
They shall not go to a dead person to defile themselves; except for father or for mother, for son or for daughter, for brother or for sister who has had no husband; they may defile themselves.

Christian Standard Bible
A priest may not come near a dead person so that he becomes defiled. However, he may defile himself for a father, a mother, a son, a daughter, a brother, or an unmarried sister.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
A priest may not come near a dead person so that he becomes defiled. However, he may defile himself for a father, a mother, a son, a daughter, a brother, or an unmarried sister.

American Standard Version
And they shall go in to no dead person to defile themselves; but for father, or for mother, or for son, or for daughter, for brother, or for sister that hath had no husband, they may defile themselves.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And they shall not come to the dead body of a son of man, that they shall not be defiled, but only for his father, or for his mother, or for his son, or for his daughter, or for his brother, or for his virgin sister who had no husband, may they be defiled

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And they shall not go in to the dead body of a man to defile themselves: only a priest may defile himself for a father, or for a mother, or for a son, or for a daughter, or for a brother, or for his sister, who has not been married.

Contemporary English Version
Touching a dead body will make a person unclean. So a priest must not go near a dead body, unless it is one of his parents or children, or his brother or unmarried sister.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And they shall come near no dead person, lest they be defiled, only their father and mother, and son and daughter, and brother and sister, that hath not had another husband: for whom they may become unclean.

English Revised Version
And they shall come at no dead person to defile themselves: but for father, or for mother, or for son, or for daughter, for brother, or for sister that hath had no husband, they may defile themselves.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
" 'A priest must not make himself unclean by going near a dead body. But a priest may become unclean if the dead person is his father, mother, son, daughter, brother, or unmarried sister.

Good News Translation
"A priest is not to become ritually unclean by touching a corpse, unless it is one of his parents, one of his children or a brother or an unmarried sister.

International Standard Version
They are not to come in contact with a dead body, so they don't defile themselves, except in the case of their father, mother, son, daughter, brother, or for an unmarried sister, on whose behalf they may defile themselves.

JPS Tanakh 1917
And they shall come near no dead person to defile themselves; but for father, or for mother, or for son, or for daughter, for brother, or for sister that hath had no husband, they may defile themselves.

Literal Standard Version
And he does not come near to any dead man to be defiled, but if for father, and for mother, and for son, and for daughter, for brother, for sister who has not been to a man, they may defile themselves.

Majority Standard Bible
A priest must not defile himself by going near a dead person. However, for a father, a mother, a son, a daughter, a brother, or an unmarried sister, he may do so,

New American Bible
They shall not make themselves unclean by going near a dead body; only for their father, mother, son, daughter, brother, or unmarried sister may they make themselves unclean.

NET Bible
"'They must not come near a dead person or they will be defiled; however, for father, mother, son, daughter, brother or sister, they may defile themselves.

New Revised Standard Version
They shall not defile themselves by going near to a dead person; for father or mother, however, and for son or daughter, and for brother or unmarried sister they may defile themselves.

New Heart English Bible
"'They shall go in to no dead person to defile themselves; but for father, or for mother, or for son, or for daughter, for brother, or for sister who has had no husband, they may defile themselves.

Webster's Bible Translation
And they shall come at no dead person to defile themselves: but for father, or for mother, or for son, or for daughter, for brother, or for sister that hath had no husband, they may defile themselves.

World English Bible
“‘“They shall go in to no dead person to defile themselves; but for father, or for mother, or for son, or for daughter, for brother, or for sister who has had no husband, they may defile themselves.

Young's Literal Translation
And unto any dead man they come not for uncleanness, but for father, and for mother, and for son, and for daughter, for brother, for sister who hath not been to a man, they defile themselves.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Duties of the Priests
24In any dispute, they shall officiate as judges and judge according to My ordinances. They must keep My laws and statutes regarding all My appointed feasts, and they must keep My Sabbaths holy. 25A priest must not defile himself by going near a dead person. However, for a father, a mother, a son, a daughter, a brother, or an unmarried sister, he may do so, 26and after he is cleansed, he must count off seven days for himself.…

Cross References
Leviticus 21:1
Then the LORD said to Moses, "Speak to Aaron's sons, the priests, and tell them that a priest is not to defile himself for a dead person among his people,

Ezekiel 44:26
and after he is cleansed, he must count off seven days for himself.


Treasury of Scripture

And they shall come at no dead person to defile themselves: but for father, or for mother, or for son, or for daughter, for brother, or for sister that has had no husband, they may defile themselves.

Leviticus 21:1-6
And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto the priests the sons of Aaron, and say unto them, There shall none be defiled for the dead among his people: …

Leviticus 22:4
What man soever of the seed of Aaron is a leper, or hath a running issue; he shall not eat of the holy things, until he be clean. And whoso toucheth any thing that is unclean by the dead, or a man whose seed goeth from him;

Matthew 8:21,22
And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father…

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Ezekiel 44
1. The east gate assigned only to the prince
4. The priests reproved for polluting the sanctuary
9. Idolaters incapable of the priests office
15. The sons of Zadok are accepted thereto
17. Ordinances for the priests














Verses 25-27. - Regulations are next given for preserving the priesthood from defilement through coming in contact with the dead, and for removing such defilement in case of its having been contracted. As under the Law, so in the ideal constitution of Ezekiel, the priests should not be at liberty to contract ceremonial impurity through touching a corpse except in the case of near relations (comp. Leviticus 21:1-4). That neither in Leviticus nor in Ezekiel is the priest's wife among the excepted is surprising, and hardly to be explained, with Knobel, on the ground that a wife is not a blood-relation, since according to the Divine conception of marriage husband and wife are one (Genesis 2:24), but either by holding, with Keil, that the wife, who stands nearer her husband than any of the relatives named, was viewed as included under the phrase, "and for his kin that is near unto him" (Leviticus 21:2), or by supposing it self-evident that such defilement could not be avoided in the case of a wife and was therefore tacitly allowed. Smend, as usual, finds signs of Ezekiel's priority to the priest-code, first in the circumstance that Ezekiel regarded it as perfectly natural that a priest should sorrow for his wife (Ezekiel 24:15-18), which showed he had no acquaintance with Leviticus 21; and secondly, in the fact that Leviticus 21:11 prohibits absolutely to the high priest all contact with a corpse, which, it is argued, betrays a greater strictness than existed in the days of Ezekiel. But as the prohibition in Leviticus 21:11 applies only to the high priest, who in Ezekiel's temple has no place, an argument as to which of the books had priority of origin cannot properly be founded on so insecure a Basis. Knobel remarks on Leviticus 21:1-4 that "among the Greeks, priests and priestesses remained at a distance from funerals (Plato, 'De Legg.,' 12. p. 947); while among the Romans ought the Flamen dialis to touch no corpse (Gell., 10:15), the augur perform no funeral rites (Tacit., 'Ann.,' 1:31), and the pontifex accompany no funeral procession (Die Cass., 56:31); not at all should he behold a dead body (Serv., 'Ad AEn.,' 6:176),and in case he had occasion to pronounce a funeral oration, a curtain should hang between him and the corpse." As to the cleansing of a defiled priest, that should be conducted in accordance with the customary regulations (comp. Numbers 19.),with this difference - that on the termination of the ordinary rites, which extended over seven days, an additional seven days, according to Havernick and Keil (though Hengstenberg and Plumptre decide for only one heptade), should elapse, at the end of which, on the presentation of a sin offering, he should be restored to service in the inner sanctuary.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
A priest must not
לֹ֥א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

defile himself
לְטָמְאָ֑ה (lə·ṭā·mə·’āh)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct | third person feminine singular
Strong's 2930: To be or become unclean

by going
יָב֖וֹא (yā·ḇō·w)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go

near
וְאֶל־ (wə·’el-)
Conjunctive waw | Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

a dead
מֵ֣ת (mêṯ)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular construct
Strong's 4191: To die, to kill

person.
אָדָ֔ם (’ā·ḏām)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 120: Ruddy, a human being

However,
כִּ֣י (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

for a father,
לְאָ֡ב (lə·’āḇ)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1: Father

a mother,
וּ֠לְאֵם (ū·lə·’êm)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 517: A mother, )

a son,
וּלְבֵ֨ן (ū·lə·ḇên)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1121: A son

a daughter,
וּלְבַ֜ת (ū·lə·ḇaṯ)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 1323: A daughter

a brother,
לְאָ֗ח (lə·’āḥ)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 251: A brother, )

or an unmarried
לֹא־ (lō-)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

sister,
וּלְאָח֛וֹת (ū·lə·’ā·ḥō·wṯ)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 269: Sister -- a sister

he may do so,
יִטַּמָּֽאוּ׃ (yiṭ·ṭam·mā·’ū)
Verb - Hitpael - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 2930: To be or become unclean


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OT Prophets: Ezekiel 44:25 They shall go in to no dead (Ezek. Eze Ezk)
Ezekiel 44:24
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