Leviticus 21:1
New International Version
The LORD said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them: ‘A priest must not make himself ceremonially unclean for any of his people who die,

New Living Translation
The LORD said to Moses, “Give the following instructions to the priests, the descendants of Aaron. “A priest must not make himself ceremonially unclean by touching the dead body of a relative.

English Standard Version
And the LORD said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them, No one shall make himself unclean for the dead among his people,

Berean Standard Bible
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,

King James Bible
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:

New King James Version
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,

New American Standard Bible
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them: ‘No one shall defile himself for a dead person among his people,

NASB 1995
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them: ‘No one shall defile himself for a dead person among his people,

NASB 1977
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them, ‘No one shall defile himself for a dead person among his people,

Legacy Standard Bible
Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them: ‘No one shall defile himself for a dead person among his people,

Amplified Bible
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them: ‘No one shall defile himself [that is, become ceremonially unclean] for the dead among his people [by touching a corpse or assisting in preparing it for burial],

Christian Standard Bible
The LORD said to Moses, “Speak to Aaron’s sons, the priests, and tell them: A priest is not to make himself ceremonially unclean for a dead person among his relatives,

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The LORD said to Moses: “Speak to Aaron’s sons, the priests, and tell them: A priest is not to make himself ceremonially unclean for a dead person among his relatives,

American Standard Version
And Jehovah said unto Moses, Speak unto the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say unto them, There shall none defile himself for the dead among his people;

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And LORD JEHOVAH said to Moshe, “Say to the Priests, the children of Ahron, that they shall not be defiled for the soul of the dead among their people:

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to the priests the sons of Aaron, and thou shalt tell them that they shall not defile themselves in their nation for the dead,

Contemporary English Version
The LORD gave Moses these instructions for Aaron's sons, the priests: Touching a dead body will make you unclean. So don't go near a dead relative,

Douay-Rheims Bible
The Lord said also to Moses: Speak to the priests the sons of Aaron, and thou shalt say to them: Let not a priest incur an uncleanness at the death of his citizens:

English Revised Version
And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto the priests the sons of Aaron, and say unto them, There shall none defile himself for the dead among his people;

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The LORD spoke to Moses, "Tell the priests, Aaron's sons: None of you should become unclean by touching one of your relatives who has died.

Good News Translation
The LORD commanded Moses to tell the Aaronite priests, "No priest is to make himself ritually unclean by taking part in the funeral ceremonies when a relative dies,

International Standard Version
The LORD told Moses, "Speak to the priests, Aaron's sons, and tell them that no priest is to defile himself on account of the dead among his people,

JPS Tanakh 1917
And the LORD said unto Moses: Speak unto the priests the sons of Aaron, and say unto them: There shall none defile himself for the dead among his people;

Literal Standard Version
And YHWH says to Moses, “Speak to the priests, sons of Aaron, and you have said to them: No one defiles himself for a [dead] person among his people,

Majority Standard Bible
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,

New American Bible
The LORD said to Moses: Speak to the priests, Aaron’s sons, and tell them: None of you shall make himself unclean for any dead person among his kindred,

NET Bible
The LORD said to Moses: "Say to the priests, the sons of Aaron--say to them, 'For a dead person no priest is to defile himself among his people,

New Revised Standard Version
The LORD said to Moses: Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them: No one shall defile himself for a dead person among his relatives,

New Heart English Bible
The LORD said to Moses, "Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them, 'A priest shall not defile himself for the dead among his people;

Webster's Bible Translation
And the LORD said to Moses, Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them, There shall none be defiled for the dead among his people:

World English Bible
Yahweh said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them, ‘A priest shall not defile himself for the dead among his people,

Young's Literal Translation
And 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,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Holiness Required of Priests
1Then 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, 2except for his immediate family—his mother, father, son, daughter, or brother,…

Cross References
Leviticus 10:6
Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, "Do not let your hair become disheveled and do not tear your garments, or else you will die, and the LORD will be angry with the whole congregation. But your brothers, the whole house of Israel, may mourn on account of the fire that the LORD has ignited.

Leviticus 19:28
You must not make any cuts in your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD.

Numbers 5:2
"Command the Israelites to send away from the camp anyone with a skin disease, anyone who has a bodily discharge, and anyone who is defiled by a dead body.

Numbers 6:6
Throughout the days of his separation to the LORD, he must not go near a dead body.

Numbers 19:11
Whoever touches any dead body will be unclean for seven days.

Ezekiel 44:25
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,


Treasury of Scripture

And the LORD said to Moses, Speak to the priests the sons of Aaron, and say to them, There shall none be defiled for the dead among his people:

speak

Hosea 5:1
Hear ye this, O priests; and hearken, ye house of Israel; and give ye ear, O house of the king; for judgment is toward you, because ye have been a snare on Mizpah, and a net spread upon Tabor.

Malachi 2:1,4
And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you…

There

Leviticus 21:11
Neither shall he go in to any dead body, nor defile himself for his father, or for his mother;

Leviticus 10:6,7
And Moses said unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar, his sons, Uncover not your heads, neither rend your clothes; lest ye die, and lest wrath come upon all the people: but let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which the LORD hath kindled…

Numbers 19:14,16
This is the law, when a man dieth in a tent: all that come into the tent, and all that is in the tent, shall be unclean seven days…

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Aaron Ceremonially Dead Defile Defiled Die Moses Priest Priests Speak Unclean
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Aaron Ceremonially Dead Defile Defiled Die Moses Priest Priests Speak Unclean
Leviticus 21
1. Of the priests' mourning
6. Of their holiness
7. Of their marriages
8. Of their estimation
9. Of the high priest's holiness
10. Of his marriage
13. The priests that have blemishes must not minister in the sanctuary














XXI.

(1) And the Lord said unto Moses.--The laws about the purity and holiness of the Jewish community, and of every individual lay member, enacted in Leviticus 11:1 to Leviticus 20:27, are now followed by statutes respecting the purity and holiness of the priesthood who minister in holy things in behalf of the people, and who, by virtue of their high office, were to be models of both ceremonial and moral purity.

Speak unto the priests the sons of Aaron.--Moses is ordered to communicate these statutes to the priests as the sons of Aaron. The peculiar phrase "the priests the sons of Aaron," which only occurs here--since in all other six passages in the Pentateuch it is the reverse, "the sons of Aaron the priests" (see Leviticus 1:5; Leviticus 1:8; Leviticus 1:11; Leviticus 2:2; Leviticus 3:2; Numbers 10:8; Note on Leviticus 1:5), is designed to inculcate upon them the fact that they are priests by virtue of being the sons of Aaron, and not because of any merit of their own, and that they are to impress the same sentiments upon their issue. This fact, moreover, as the authorities during the second Temple remark, imposes upon the priests the duty of bringing up their children in such a manner as to make them morally and intellectually fit to occupy this hereditary office. They also deduce from the emphatic position of the term "priests," that it only applies to those of them who are fit to perform their sacerdotal duties, and not to the disqualified priests (see Leviticus 21:15). . . .

Verses 1-6. - The first paragraph refers to ceremonial uncleanness derived to the priest from his family relations. The priest may not take part in any funeral rites, the effect of which was legal defilement, except in the case of the death of his father, mother, son, daughter, brother, and unmarried sister. These are all that appear to be mentioned. But what, then, are we to understand regarding his wife? Was the priest allowed to lake part in mourning ceremonies for her or not? It is thought by some that her case is met by verse 4, But he shall not defile himself, being a chief man among his people, to profane himself. The literal translation of this verse is. He shall not be defiled, a lord (haul) among his people. The word baal, or lord, is commonly used in the sense of husband. The clause, therefore, may be understood to forbid the priest to mourn for his wife, being rendered, He shall not defile himself as an husband (i.e., for his wife) among his people. This, however, is something of a forced rendering. The words arc better understood to mean, He shall not defile himself as a master of a house among his people; that is, he may not lake part in the funeral rites of slaves or other members of the household, which ordinarily brought defilement on the master of a house. Then is the priest forbidden to mourn for his wife? This we can hardly believe, when he might mourn for father and mother, son and daughter, brother and sister. Nor is it necessary to take this view. For the case of the wife is covered by the words. For his kin, that is near unto him.... he may be defiled. The wife, being so closely attached to the husband, is not specifically named, because that was not necessary, but is included under the expression, his kin, that is near unto him, just as daughter, grandmother, niece, and wife's sister, are covered by the phrase, "near of kin," without being specifically named in chapter Leviticus 18 (see note on chapter Leviticus 16:18). Even when mourning is permitted, the priest is to use no excessive forms of it, still less any that have been used by idolaters. They shall not make baldness upon their head, neither shall they shave off the corner of their beard (see Leviticus 19:27), nor make any cuttings in their flesh (see Leviticus 19:28). And the reason why they are to avoid ceremonial uncleanness in some cases, and to act with sobriety and gravity in all, is that they are dedicated to God, to offer the offerings of the Lord made by fire, the bread of their God; that is, the sacrifices which are consumed by the fire of the altar symbolizing the action of God (see note on Leviticus 3:11).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Then the LORD
יְהוָה֙ (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

said
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר (way·yō·mer)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

to
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

Moses,
מֹשֶׁ֔ה (mō·šeh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 4872: Moses -- a great Israelite leader, prophet and lawgiver

“Speak
אֱמֹ֥ר (’ĕ·mōr)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

to
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

Aaron’s
אַהֲרֹ֑ן (’a·hă·rōn)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 175: Aaron -- an elder brother of Moses

sons,
בְּנֵ֣י (bə·nê)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 1121: A son

the priests,
הַכֹּהֲנִ֖ים (hak·kō·hă·nîm)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 3548: Priest

and tell
וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ (wə·’ā·mar·tā)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

them:
אֲלֵהֶ֔ם (’ă·lê·hem)
Preposition | third person masculine plural
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

‘[A priest] is not
לֹֽא־ (lō-)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

to defile himself
יִטַּמָּ֖א (yiṭ·ṭam·mā)
Verb - Hitpael - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 2930: To be or become unclean

for a dead person
לְנֶ֥פֶשׁ (lə·ne·p̄eš)
Preposition-l | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 5315: A soul, living being, life, self, person, desire, passion, appetite, emotion

among his people,
בְּעַמָּֽיו׃ (bə·‘am·māw)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock


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OT Law: Leviticus 21:1 Yahweh said to Moses Speak to (Le Lv Lev.)
Leviticus 20:27
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