Lectionary Calendar
Thursday, September 11th, 2025
the Week of Proper 18 / Ordinary 23
Attention!
StudyLight.org has pledged to help build churches in Uganda. Help us with that pledge and support pastors in the heart of Africa.
Click here to join the effort!

Read the Bible

Bible in Basic English

Leviticus 21:2

But only for his near relations, for his mother or his father, his son or his daughter, and his brother;

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Mourning;   Sanctification;   Uncleanness;   The Topic Concordance - Priests;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Dead, the;   Defilement;   High Priest, the;   Priests;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Mourning;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Priest;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Clean, Unclean;   Incest;   Priest, Christ as;   Priest, Priesthood;   Worship;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Purification;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Mourning;   Priest;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Birds of Abomination;   Leviticus;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Canon of the Old Testament;   Congregation, Assembly;   Crimes and Punishments;   Deuteronomy;   Hexateuch;   Holiness;   Law;   Leviticus;   Priests and Levites;   Sanctification, Sanctify;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Aaron;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Priesthood, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Corpse;   Kinsman;   Leviticus;   Near;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Corpse;   Mourning;   Priest;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
except for his relatives, that is near to him, for his mother, and for his father, and for his son, and for his daughter, and for his brother,
King James Version
But for his kin, that is near unto him, that is, for his mother, and for his father, and for his son, and for his daughter, and for his brother.
Lexham English Bible
except for his direct relative closest to him: his mother and his father, and his son and his daughter, and his brother,
New Century Version
But if the dead person was one of his close relatives, he may touch him. The priest may make himself unclean if the dead person is his mother or father, son or daughter, brother or
New English Translation
except for his close relative who is near to him: his mother, his father, his son, his daughter, his brother,
Amplified Bible
except for his relatives who are nearest to him, his mother, his father, his son, his daughter, and his brother,
New American Standard Bible
except for his relatives who are nearest to him, his mother, his father, his son, his daughter, and his brother,
Geneva Bible (1587)
But by his kinseman that is neere vnto him: to wit, by his mother, or by his father, or by his sonne, or by his daughter, or by his brother,
Legacy Standard Bible
except for his blood relatives who are nearest to him, his mother and his father and his son and his daughter and his brother,
Contemporary English Version
except your mother, father, son, daughter, brother,
Complete Jewish Bible
except for his close relatives — his mother, father, son, daughter and brother;
Darby Translation
except for his immediate 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;
Easy-to-Read Version
But if the dead person was one of his close relatives, he can touch the dead body. The priest can make himself unclean if the dead person is his mother or father, his son or daughter, his brother or
English Standard Version
except for his closest relatives, his mother, his father, his son, his daughter, his brother,
George Lamsa Translation
Except for his kin who is near to him, that is, for his father and for his mother and for his son and for his daughter and for his brother,
Good News Translation
unless it is his mother, father, son, daughter, brother,
Christian Standard Bible®
except for his immediate family: his mother, father, son, daughter, or brother.
Literal Translation
But for his relative who is near to him, for his mother, and for his father, and for his son, and for his daughter, and for his brother,
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
but vpon his nexte kynne yt belongeth vnto him: as vpon his mother, vpo his father, vpo his sonne, vpo his doughter, vpon his brother,
American Standard Version
except for his kin, that is near unto him, for his mother, and for his father, and for his son, and for his daughter, and for his brother,
Bishop's Bible (1568)
But by his kynsman that is nye vnto him, [that is] by his mother and his father, by his sonne, and his daughter, and his brother,
JPS Old Testament (1917)
except for his kin, that is near unto him, for his mother, and for his father, and for his son, and for his daughter, and for his brother;
King James Version (1611)
But for his kinne, that is neere vnto him, that is, for his mother, and for his father, and for his sonne, and for his daughter, and for his brother,
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
but they may mourn for a relative who is very near to them, for a father and mother, and sons and daughters, for a brother,
English Revised Version
except for his kin, that is near unto him, for his mother, and for his father, and for his son, and for his daughter, and for his brother;
Berean Standard Bible
except for his immediate family-his mother, father, son, daughter, or brother,
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
no but oneli in kynesmen and niy of blood, that is, on fadir and modir, and sone and douyter,
Young's Literal Translation
except 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.
Update Bible Version
except for his kin, that is near to him, for his mother, and for his father, and for his son, and for his daughter, and for his brother,
Webster's Bible Translation
But for his kin, that is near to him, [that is], for his mother, and for his father, and for his son, and for his daughter, and for his brother,
World English Bible
except for his relatives, that is near to him, for his mother, and for his father, and for his son, and for his daughter, and for his brother,
New King James Version
except for his relatives who are nearest to him: his mother, his father, his son, his daughter, and his brother;
New Living Translation
The only exceptions are his closest relatives—his mother or father, son or daughter, brother,
New Life Bible
except for his own family, his mother, father, son, daughter and brother,
New Revised Standard
except for his nearest kin: his mother, his father, his son, his daughter, his brother;
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Saving for his kin, that are near unto him, for his mother or for his father, or for his son or for his daughter, or for his brother;
Douay-Rheims Bible
But only for his kin, such as are near in blood: that is to say, for his father and for his mother, and for his son, and for his daughter, for his brother also:
Revised Standard Version
except for his nearest of kin, his mother, his father, his son, his daughter, his brother,
New American Standard Bible (1995)
except for his relatives who are nearest to him, his mother and his father and his son and his daughter and his brother,

Contextual Overview

1 And the Lord said to Moses, Say to the priests, the sons of Aaron, Let no man make himself unclean for the dead among his people; 2 But only for his near relations, for his mother or his father, his son or his daughter, and his brother; 3 And for his sister, a virgin, for she is his near relation and has had no husband, he may make himself unclean. 4 But let him, being a chief among his people, not make himself unclean in such a way as to put shame on himself. 5 They are not to have their hair cut off for the dead, or the hair on their chins cut short, or make cuts in their flesh. 6 Let them be holy to their God and not make the name of their God common; for the fire offerings of the Lord and the bread of their God are offered by them, and they are to be holy. 7 They may not take as wife a loose or common woman, or one who has been put away by her husband: for the priest is holy to his God. 8 And he is to be holy in your eyes, for by him the bread of your God is offered; he is to be holy in your eyes, for I the Lord, who make you holy, am holy. 9 And if the daughter of a priest makes herself common and by her loose behaviour puts shame on her father, let her be burned with fire.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Leviticus 18:6, 1 Thessalonians 4:13

Reciprocal: Leviticus 21:11 - his father Numbers 6:7 - unclean

Cross-References

Genesis 17:19
And God said, Not so; but Sarah, your wife, will have a son, and you will give him the name Isaac, and I will make my agreement with him for ever and with his seed after him.
Genesis 17:21
But my agreement will be with Isaac, to whom Sarah will give birth a year from this time.
Genesis 18:10
And he said, I will certainly come back to you in the spring, and Sarah your wife will have a son. And his words came to the ears of Sarah who was at the back of the tent-door.
Genesis 18:14
Is there any wonder which the Lord is not able to do? At the time I said, in the spring, I will come back to you, and Sarah will have a child.
Genesis 21:16
And she went some distance away, about an arrow flight, and seating herself on the earth, she gave way to bitter weeping, saying, Let me not see the death of my child.
Genesis 21:17
And the boy's cry came to the ears of God; and the angel of God said to Hagar from heaven, Hagar, why are you weeping? have no fear, for the child's cry has come to the ears of God.
Genesis 21:24
And Abraham said, I will give you my oath.
Genesis 21:25
But Abraham made a protest to Abimelech because of a water-hole which Abimelech's servants had taken by force.
Luke 1:36
Even now Elisabeth, who is of your family, is to be a mother, though she is old: and this is the sixth month with her who was without children.
Acts 7:8
And he made with him the agreement of which circumcision was the sign. And so Abraham had a son, Isaac, and gave him circumcision on the eighth day; and Isaac had a son, Jacob, and Jacob was the father of the twelve heads of the families of Israel.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

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" p, 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 adds q, "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.

p לשארו "carne sua", Pagninus, Montanus. q Sepher Alphes, par. 1. fol. 410. 2.


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile