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Friday, July 18th, 2025
the Week of Proper 10 / Ordinary 15
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Legacy Standard Bible

Leviticus 21:4

He shall not defile himself as a relative by marriage among his people, and so profane 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.
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.
Bible in Basic English
But let him, being a chief among his people, not make himself unclean in such a way as to put shame on 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

1Then 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, 2except for his blood relatives who are nearest to him, his mother and his father and his son and his daughter and his brother, 3also for his virgin sister, who is near to him because she has had no husband; for her he may defile himself. 4He shall not defile himself as a relative by marriage among his people, and so profane himself. 5They shall not make any baldness on their heads nor shave off the edges of their beards nor make any cuts in their flesh. 6They shall be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God, for they bring near the offerings to Yahweh by fire, the food of their God; so they shall be holy. 7They shall not take a woman who is profaned by harlotry, nor shall they take a woman divorced from her husband; for he is holy to his God. 8Therefore, you shall set him apart as holy, for he brings near the food of your God; he shall be holy to you; for I Yahweh, who makes you holy, am holy. 9Also the daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by harlotry, she profanes her father; she shall 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
Therefore she said to Abraham, "Drive out this maidservant and her son! The son of this maidservant shall not be an heir with my son, with Isaac."
Genesis 21:12
So God said to Abraham, "Do not be distressed because of the boy and your maidservant; whatever Sarah tells you, listen to her voice, for through Isaac your seed shall be named.
Genesis 21:22
Now it happened at that time, that Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, spoke to Abraham, saying, "God is with you in all that you do;
Genesis 21:23
so now, swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me or with my offspring or with my posterity, but according to the lovingkindness that I have shown you, you shall show me and the land in which you have sojourned."
Exodus 12:48
But if a sojourner sojourns with you and celebrates the Passover to Yahweh, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near to celebrate it; and he shall be like a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person may eat of it.
Leviticus 12:3
Now on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.
Deuteronomy 12:32
"Whatever I am commanding you, you shall be careful to do; you shall not add to nor take away from it.
Luke 1:6
And they were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and righteous requirements of the Lord.
Luke 1:59
And it happened that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to call him Zechariah, after the name of his father.
Luke 2:21
And when eight days were fulfilled so that they could circumcise Him, His name was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.

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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