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Friday, September 12th, 2025
the Week of Proper 18 / Ordinary 23
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Bible in Basic English

Leviticus 21:4

But let him, being a chief among his people, not make himself unclean in such a way as to put shame on himself.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

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

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Mourning;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Priest;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Clean, Unclean;   Priest, Christ as;   Priest, Priesthood;   Worship;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Purification;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Mourning;   Priest;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Birds of Abomination;   Chief;   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;  

Encyclopedias:

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

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
He shall not defile himself, [being] a chief man among his people, to profane himself.
King James Version
But he shall not defile himself, being a chief man among his people, to profane himself.
Lexham English Bible
He must not make himself unclean as a kinsman by marriage, defiling himself.
New Century Version
But a priest must not make himself unclean if the dead person was only related to him by marriage.
New English Translation
He must not defile himself as a husband among his people so as to profane himself.
Amplified Bible
'He shall not become unclean as a relative by marriage among his people, and so profane himself.
New American Standard Bible
'He shall not defile himself as a relative by marriage among his people, so as to profane himself.
Geneva Bible (1587)
He shall not lament for the Prince among his people, to pollute him selfe.
Legacy Standard Bible
He shall not defile himself as a relative by marriage among his people, and so profane himself.
Contemporary English Version
Don't make yourself unclean by attending the funeral of someone related to you by marriage.
Complete Jewish Bible
He may not make himself unclean, because he is a leader among his people; doing so would profane him.
Darby Translation
He shall not make himself unclean [who is] a chief among his peoples, to profane himself.
Easy-to-Read Version
But a priest must not make himself unclean if the dead person was only one of his slaves.
English Standard Version
He shall not make himself unclean as a husband among his people and so profane himself.
George Lamsa Translation
But he shall not defile himself for the prince of his people, lest he profane himself.
Good News Translation
He shall not make himself unclean at the death of those related to him by marriage.
Christian Standard Bible®
He is not to make himself unclean for those related to him by marriage and so defile himself.
Literal Translation
A leader shall not defile himself among his people, to pollute himself;
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Morouer he shal not defyle him self vpo eny ruler in his people, to vnhalowe him self.
American Standard Version
He shall not defile himself, being a chief man among his people, to profane himself.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
But he shall not be defiled vpon hym that hath aucthoritie among his people, to pollute him selfe.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
He shall not defile himself, being a chief man among his people, to profane himself.
King James Version (1611)
But hee shall not defile himselfe being a chiefe man among his people, to prophane himselfe.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
He shall not defile himself suddenly among his people to profane himself.
English Revised Version
He shall not defile himself, being a chief man among his people, to profane himself.
Berean Standard Bible
He is not to defile himself for those related to him by marriage, and so profane himself.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
but nether he schal be defoulid in the prince of his puple.
Young's Literal Translation
`A master [priest] doth not defile himself among his people -- to pollute himself;
Update Bible Version
He shall not defile himself suddenly among his relatives, to profane himself.
Webster's Bible Translation
[But] he shall not defile himself, [being] a chief man among his people, to profane himself.
World English Bible
He shall not defile himself, [being] a chief man among his people, to profane himself.
New King James Version
Otherwise he shall not defile himself, being a chief man among his people, to profane himself.
New Living Translation
But a priest must not defile himself and make himself unclean for someone who is related to him only by marriage.
New Life Bible
He should not make himself unclean as a husband among his people, and so make himself sinful.
New Revised Standard
But he shall not defile himself as a husband among his people and so profane himself.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
He shall not make himself unclean being a chief among his people, - by profaning himself:
Douay-Rheims Bible
But not even for the prince of his people shall he do any thing that may make him unclean.
Revised Standard Version
He shall not defile himself as a husband among his people and so profane himself.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
'He shall not defile himself as a relative by marriage among his people, and so profane himself.

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

Or, the verse may be read, being an husband among his people, he shall not defile himself for his wife, etc. Ezekiel 24:16, Ezekiel 24:17

Cross-References

Genesis 21:10
So she said to Abraham, Send away that woman and her son: for the son of that woman is not to have a part in the heritage with my son Isaac.
Genesis 21:12
But God said, Let it not be a grief to you because of the boy and Hagar his mother; give ear to whatever Sarah says to you, because it is from Isaac that your seed will take its name.
Genesis 21:22
Now at that time, Abimelech and Phicol, the captain of his army, said to Abraham, I see that God is with you in all you do.
Genesis 21:23
Now, then, give me your oath, in the name of God, that you will not be false to me or to my sons after me, but that as I have been good to you, so you will be to me and to this land where you have been living.
Exodus 12:48
And if a man from another country is living with you, and has a desire to keep the Passover to the Lord, let all the males of his family undergo circumcision, and then let him come near and keep it; for he will then be as one of your people; but no one without circumcision may keep it.
Leviticus 12:3
And on the eighth day let him be given circumcision.
Deuteronomy 12:32
You are to keep with care all the words I give you, making no addition to them and taking nothing from them.
Luke 1:6
They were upright in the eyes of God, keeping all the rules and orders of God, and doing no wrong.
Luke 1:59
And on the eighth day they came to see to the circumcision of the child, and they would have given him the name of Zacharias, his father's name;
Luke 2:21
And when, after eight days, the time came for his circumcision, he was named Jesus, the name which the angel had given to him before his birth.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

[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" s, 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.

s בעל בעמיו "in principe populi sui", V. L. so Pesicta & Ben Melech in loc. & Kimchi Sepher Shorash. rad. בעל

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The sense seems to be that, owing to his position in the nation, the priest is not to defile himself in any cases except those named in Leviticus 21:2-3. The Septuagint appear to have followed a different reading of the text which would mean, “he shall not defile himself for a moment.” The explanation in the margin of our version is hardly in keeping with the prohibition to Ezekiel on a special occasion. See Ezekiel 24:16.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Leviticus 21:4. A chief man among his people — The word בעל baal signifies a master, chief, husband, &c., and is as variously translated here.

1. He being a chief among the people, it would be improper to see him in such a state of humiliation as mourning for the dead necessarily implies.

2. Though a husband he shall not defile himself even for the death of a wife, because the anointing of his God is upon him. But the first sense appears to be the best.


 
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