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Read the Bible

New American Standard Bible (1995)

Leviticus 21:7

'They 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.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

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

Dictionaries:

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

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Priesthood, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Harlot;   Law in the Old Testament;   Leviticus;   Profane;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Azulai, Azulay;   Commandments, the 613;   ḥalalah;   Holiness;   Priest;   Simeon ben Yoḥai;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
They shall not take a woman that is a prostitute, or profane; neither shall they take a woman put away from her husband: for he is holy to his God.
King James Version
They shall not take a wife that is a whore, or profane; neither shall they take a woman put away from her husband: for he is holy unto his God.
Lexham English Bible
"‘They shall not marry a woman who is a prostitute and defiled, nor shall they marry a woman divorced from her husband, because each priest is holy for his God.
New Century Version
"‘A priest must not marry an unclean prostitute or a divorced woman, because he is holy to his God.
New English Translation
They must not take a wife defiled by prostitution, nor are they to take a wife divorced from her husband, for the priest is holy to his God.
Amplified Bible
'They shall not take [as a wife] a woman who is a prostitute, nor a woman who is divorced from her husband; for the priest is holy to his God.
New American Standard Bible
'They shall not take a woman who is a prostitute and profaned, nor shall they take a woman divorced from her husband; for he is holy to his God.
Geneva Bible (1587)
They shall not take to wife an whore, or one polluted, neither shall they marrie a woman diuorced from her husband: for such one is holy vnto his God.
Legacy Standard Bible
They 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.
Contemporary English Version
Don't marry a divorced woman or a woman who has served as a temple prostitute. You are holy,
Complete Jewish Bible
"‘A cohen is not to marry a woman who is a prostitute, who has been profaned or who has been divorced; because he is holy for his God.
Darby Translation
They shall not take as wife a whore, or a dishonoured woman; neither shall they take a woman put away from her husband; for he is holy unto his God.
Easy-to-Read Version
"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.
English Standard Version
They shall not marry a prostitute or a woman who has been defiled, neither shall they marry a woman divorced from her husband, for the priest is holy to his God.
George Lamsa Translation
They shall not marry a harlot or an unclean woman; neither shall they marry a woman who has been put away from her husband; for he is holy to his God.
Good News Translation
A priest shall not marry a woman who has been a prostitute or a woman who is not a virgin or who is divorced; he is holy.
Christian Standard Bible®
They are not to marry a woman defiled by prostitution. They are not to marry one divorced by her husband, for the priest is holy to his God.
Literal Translation
They shall not take a woman who is a prostitute, or polluted; nor shall they take a woman put away from her husband; for he is holy to his God.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
They shal take no whore, ner one that is defyled, or yt is put awaye from hir huĂźbande, for he is holy vnto his God:
American Standard Version
They shall not take a woman that is a harlot, or profane; neither shall they take a woman put away from her husband: for he is holy unto his God.
Bible in Basic English
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.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Let them not take a wyfe that is an whore, or polluted, nor put from her husband: for such a one is holy vnto his god.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
They shall not take a woman that is a harlot, or profaned; neither shall they take a woman put away from her husband; for he is holy unto his God.
King James Version (1611)
They shall not take a wife that is a whore, or profane, neither shall they take a woman put away from her husband: for he is holy vnto his God.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
They shall not take a woman who is a harlot and profaned, or a woman put away from her husband; for he is holy to the Lord his God.
English Revised Version
They shall not take a woman that is a harlot, or profane; neither shall they take a woman put away from her husband: for he is holy unto his God.
Berean Standard Bible
A priest must not marry a woman defiled by prostitution or divorced by her husband, for the priest is holy to his God.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
A preest schal not wedde a wijf a corrupt womman, and a `foul hoore, nether he schal wedde `hir that is forsakun of the hosebonde, for he is halewid to his God,
Young's Literal Translation
`A woman, a harlot, or polluted, they do not take, and a woman cast out from her husband they do not take, for he [is] holy to his God;
Update Bible Version
They shall not take a woman that is a prostitute, or profane; neither shall they take a woman put away from her husband: for he is holy to his God.
Webster's Bible Translation
They shall not take a wife [that is] a lewd woman, or profane; neither shall they take a woman put away from her husband: for he [is] holy to his God.
World English Bible
They shall not take a woman that is a prostitute, or profane; neither shall they take a woman put away from her husband: for he is holy to his God.
New King James Version
They shall not take a wife who is a harlot or a defiled woman, nor shall they take a woman divorced from her husband; for the priest [fn] is holy to his God.
New Living Translation
"Priests may not marry a woman defiled by prostitution, and they may not marry a woman who is divorced from her husband, for the priests are set apart as holy to their God.
New Life Bible
They should not take a woman who is unclean because of selling the use of her body. They should not take a woman who is divorced from her husband. For the religious leader is holy to his God.
New Revised Standard
They shall not marry a prostitute or a woman who has been defiled; neither shall they marry a woman divorced from her husband. For they are holy to their God,
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
A woman that is unchaste or dishonoured, shall they not take, And a woman divorced from her husband, shall they not take, - For holy, he is unto his God.
Douay-Rheims Bible
They shall not take to wife a harlot or a vile prostitute, nor one that has been put away from her husband: because they are consecrated to their God,
Revised Standard Version
They shall not marry a harlot or a woman who has been defiled; neither shall they marry a woman divorced from her husband; for the priest is holy to his God.
THE MESSAGE
"Because a priest is holy to his God he must not marry a woman who has been a harlot or a cult prostitute or a divorced woman. Make sure he is holy because he serves the food of your God. Treat him as holy because I, God , who make you holy, am holy.

Contextual Overview

1 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, 2 except for his relatives who are nearest to him, his mother and his father and his son and his daughter and his brother, 3 also for his virgin sister, who is near to him because she has had no husband; for her he may defile himself. 4 'He shall not defile himself as a relative by marriage among his people, and so profane himself. 5 'They shall not make any baldness on their heads, nor shave off the edges of their beards, nor make any cuts in their flesh. 6 'They shall be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God, for they present the offerings by fire to the LORD, the food of their God; so they shall be holy. 7 'They 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.8 'You shall consecrate him, therefore, for he offers the food of your God; he shall be holy to you; for I the LORD, who sanctifies you, am holy. 9 'Also 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

that is a whore: Leviticus 21:8, Ezekiel 44:22, 1 Timothy 3:11

put away: Deuteronomy 24:1-4, Isaiah 50:1

Reciprocal: Genesis 21:10 - Cast out Exodus 19:6 - and an Leviticus 19:29 - to cause Leviticus 21:13 - General Numbers 30:9 - General Deuteronomy 24:2 - she may go Deuteronomy 33:8 - with thy Ezra 10:18 - the sons Titus 1:6 - the husband

Cross-References

Genesis 21:11
The matter distressed Abraham greatly because of his son.
Genesis 21:12
But God said to Abraham, "Do not be distressed because of the lad and your maid; whatever Sarah tells you, listen to her, for through Isaac your descendants shall be named.
Genesis 21:32
So they made a covenant at Beersheba; and Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, arose and returned to the land of the Philistines.
Genesis 21:34
And Abraham sojourned in the land of the Philistines for many days.
Numbers 23:23
"For there is no omen against Jacob, Nor is there any divination against Israel; At the proper time it shall be said to Jacob And to Israel, what God has done!
Psalms 86:8
There is no one like You among the gods, O Lord, Nor are there any works like Yours.
Psalms 86:10
For You are great and do wondrous deeds; You alone are God.
Isaiah 49:21
"Then you will say in your heart, 'Who has begotten these for me, Since I have been bereaved of my children And am barren, an exile and a wanderer? And who has reared these? Behold, I was left alone; From where did these come?'"
Isaiah 66:8
"Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Can a land be born in one day? Can a nation be brought forth all at once? As soon as Zion travailed, she also brought forth her sons.
Ephesians 3:10
so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

They shall not take a wife [that is] a whore, or profane,.... By the former is meant a common whore, that prostitutes herself to any one through lust or for gain; and by the latter one whose chastity is violated, but either unwillingly, that has been forced and ravished, or else willingly, being enticed, persuaded, and prevailed upon, but did not make a practice of it; this seems to be the true sense of the words: but the Jewish writers understand them differently; by a "whore" they suppose is meant one that is not an Israelitish woman, that is not born of an Israelite, at least of an Israelitish woman, as proselytes or freed persons; for they say there are no whores but such, or one that lies with such persons, she may not marry with; as such as are guilty of cutting off, or any of the Nethinim, or spurious persons, so Jarchi; and by a "profane" person they think is meant such as are born of those that are rejected, as the Targum of Jonathan paraphrases it; that is, that are either born of incestuous marriages, such as are forbidden, Leviticus 18:1; or that are born of those that are rejected in the priesthood, or whom a priest might not marry, as the daughter of a widow, by the high priest, or the daughter of one divorced, by a common priest, which is the sense of Jarchi:

neither shall they take a woman put away by her husband: which was, in these and later times, common for any offence, when the crime of adultery was not pretended; but this always supposed something bad or amiss, and made such a woman suspected of having done an unseemly thing, therefore priests were forbidden marrying such persons: the Targum of Jonathan adds,

"or by her husband's brother;''

and so takes in one that has loosed the shoe, as the Jews call her, who being left without issue, her husband's brother refused to marry her, and therefore she plucked off his shoe, and spit in his face, see

Deuteronomy 25:7; such an one a priest might not marry, according to this paraphrast, and other Jewish writers, and if he did was to be beaten a;

for he [is] holy unto his God; separated from common persons, and devoted to the service of God, and therefore not to be defiled with such sort of women, or to lie under any scandal or reproach through such, marriages.

a Misn. Maccot, c. 3. sect. 1.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Profane - A woman who has been seduced, or one of illegitimate birth. A somewhat stricter rule for the priests’ marriages was revealed to the prophet in later times, Ezekiel 44:22.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Leviticus 21:7. That is a whore — A prostitute, though even reclaimed.

Profane — A heathen, or one who is not a cordial believer in the true God.

Put away from her husband — Because this very circumstance might lead to suspicion that the priest and the divorced woman might have been improperly connected before.


 
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