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Easy-to-Read Version

Leviticus 21:2

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

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;
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,
Bible in Basic English
But only for his near relations, for his mother or his father, his son or his daughter, and 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 The Lord said to Moses, "Tell these things to Aaron's sons, the priests: A priest must not make himself unclean by touching a dead person. 2 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 3 his unmarried sister. (This sister is close to him because she has no husband. So the priest may make himself unclean for her if she dies.) 4 But a priest must not make himself unclean if the dead person was only one of his slaves. 5 "Priests must not shave their heads bald. They must not shave off the edges of their beards. They must not make any cuts in their bodies. 6 Priests must be holy for their God. They must show respect for God's name. They offer the bread and special gifts to the Lord , so they must be holy. 7 "A priest serves God in a special way, so he must not marry a woman who has had sexual relations with any other man. He must not marry a prostitute or a divorced woman. 8 A priest serves God in a special way. So you must treat him in a special way, because he carries holy things. He brings the holy bread to me, and I am holy. I am the Lord , and I make you holy. 9 "If a priest's daughter becomes a prostitute, she ruins her reputation and brings shame to her father. She must be burned to death in the 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
God said, "No, I said that your wife Sarah will have a son. You will name him Isaac. I will make my agreement with him that will continue forever with all his descendants.
Genesis 17:21
But I will make my agreement with Isaac, the son who Sarah will have. He will be born at this same time next year."
Genesis 18:10
Then one of them said, "I will come again in the spring. At that time your wife Sarah will have a son." Sarah was listening in the tent and heard these things.
Genesis 18:14
But is anything too hard for the Lord ? I will come again in the spring, just as I said I would, and your wife Sarah will have a son."
Genesis 21:16
Then she walked a short distance away and sat down. She thought her son would die because there was no water. She did not want to watch him die. She sat there and began to cry.
Genesis 21:17
God heard the boy crying, and God's angel called to Hagar from heaven. He said, "What is wrong, Hagar? Don't be afraid! God has heard the boy crying there.
Genesis 21:24
And Abraham said, "I promise to treat you the same way you have treated me."
Genesis 21:25
Then Abraham complained to Abimelech because Abimelech's servants had captured a well of water.
Luke 1:36
And here's something else: Your relative Elizabeth is pregnant. She is very old, but she is going to have a son. Everyone thought she could not have a baby, but she has been pregnant now for six months.
Acts 7:8
"God made an agreement with Abraham; the sign for this agreement was circumcision. And so when Abraham had a son, he circumcised him when he was eight days old. His son's name was Isaac. Isaac also circumcised his son Jacob. And Jacob did the same for his sons, who became the twelve great ancestors of our people.

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.


 
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