Lectionary Calendar
Monday, July 21st, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Read the Bible

The NET Bible®

Leviticus 21:6

"‘They must be holy to their God, and they must not profane the name of their God, because they are the ones who present the Lord 's gifts, the food of their God. Therefore they must be holy.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Bread;   God;   Minister, Christian;   Mourning;   Priest;   Sanctification;   Uncleanness;   Thompson Chain Reference - Leaders;   Priests;   Religious;   The Topic Concordance - Priests;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Defilement;   High Priest, the;   Holiness;   Ministers;   Priests;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Mourning;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Holiness;   Priest;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - God, Names of;   Oil;   Priest, Christ as;   Worship;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Leviticus;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Canon of the Old Testament;   Congregation, Assembly;   Crimes and Punishments;   Deuteronomy;   Hexateuch;   Holiness;   Law;   Leviticus;   Priests and Levites;   Salt;   Sanctification, Sanctify;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Priesthood, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Law in the Old Testament;   Leviticus;   Pollution;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Breastplate of the High Priest;   Holiness;   Priest;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
They shall be holy to their God, and not profane the name of their God; for the offerings of the LORD made by fire, the bread of their God, they do offer: therefore they shall be holy.
King James Version
They shall be holy unto their God, and not profane the name of their God: for the offerings of the Lord made by fire, and the bread of their God, they do offer: therefore they shall be holy.
Lexham English Bible
They shall be holy to their God, and they shall not profane the name of their God, because they are bringing near the offerings made by fire to Yahweh—their God's food—and they shall be holy.
New Century Version
They must be holy to their God and show respect for God's name, because they present the offerings made by fire to the Lord , which is the food of their God. So they must be holy.
Amplified Bible
'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.
New American Standard Bible
'They shall be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God, because they present the offerings by fire to the LORD, the food of their God; so they shall be holy.
Geneva Bible (1587)
They shalbe holy vnto their God, and not pollute the name of their God: for the sacrifices of the Lorde made by fire, and the bread of their God they doe offer: therefore they shalbe holie.
Legacy Standard Bible
They 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.
Contemporary English Version
I am the Lord your God, and I have chosen you alone to offer sacrifices of food to me on the altar. That's why you must keep yourselves holy.
Complete Jewish Bible
Rather, they are to be holy for their God and not profane the name of their God. For they are the ones who present Adonai with offerings made by fire, the bread of their God; therefore they must be holy.
Darby Translation
They shall be holy unto their God, and not profane the name of their God; for they present Jehovah's offerings by fire, the bread of their God; therefore shall they be holy.
Easy-to-Read Version
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.
English Standard Version
They shall be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God. For they offer the Lord 's food offerings, the bread of their God; therefore they shall be holy.
George Lamsa Translation
But they shall be holy to their God, and not profane the name of their God; for the offerings of the LORD made by fire and the bread of their God they do offer; therefore they shall be holy.
Good News Translation
He must be holy and must not disgrace my name. He offers food offerings to me, and he must be holy.
Christian Standard Bible®
They are to be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God. For they present the fire offerings to the Lord, the food of their God, and they must be holy.
Literal Translation
they are holy to their God, and they shall not pollute the name of their God. For they offer the fire offerings of Jehovah, bread of their God, and they are holy.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
They shalbe holy vnto their God, and not vnhalowe ye name of their God: for they offre the sacrifice of the LORDE, the bred of their God, therfore shal they be holy.
American Standard Version
They shall be holy unto their God, and not profane the name of their God; for the offerings of Jehovah made by fire, the bread of their God, they do offer: therefore they shall be holy.
Bible in Basic English
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.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
They shalbe holy vnto their God, and not pollute the name of their God, for the sacrifices of the Lorde made by fire, [and] the bread of their God they do offer, therfore they shall be holy.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
They shall be holy unto their God, and not profane the name of their God; for the offerings of the LORD made by fire, the bread of their God, they do offer; therefore they shall be holy.
King James Version (1611)
They shalbe holy vnto their God, and not profane the name of their God: for the offrings of the Lord made by fire, and the bread of their God they doe offer: therefore they shall be holy.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
They shall be holy to their God, and they shall not profane the name of their God; for they offer the sacrifices of the Lord as the gifts of their God, and they shall be holy.
English Revised Version
They shall be holy unto their God, and not profane the name of their God: for the offerings of the LORD made by fire, the bread of their God, they do offer: therefore they shall be holy.
Berean Standard Bible
They must be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God. For they present the offerings made by fire to the LORD, the food of their God. So they must be holy.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and thei schulen not defoule his name; for thei offren encense of the Lord, and the looues of her God, and therfore thei schulen be hooli.
Young's Literal Translation
they are holy to their God, and they pollute not the name of their God, for the fire-offerings of Jehovah, bread of their God, they are bringing near, and have been holy.
Update Bible Version
They shall be [in a state of] holiness to their God, and not profane the name of their God; for the offerings of Yahweh made by fire, the bread of their God, they offer: therefore they shall be holy.
Webster's Bible Translation
They shall be holy to their God, and not profane the name of their God: for the offerings of the LORD made by fire, [and] the bread of their God they do offer: therefore they shall be holy.
World English Bible
They shall be holy to their God, and not profane the name of their God; for the offerings of Yahweh made by fire, the bread of their God, they do offer: therefore they shall be holy.
New King James Version
They shall be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God, for they offer the offerings of the LORD made by fire, and the bread of their God; therefore they shall be holy.
New Living Translation
They must be set apart as holy to their God and must never bring shame on the name of God. They must be holy, for they are the ones who present the special gifts to the Lord , gifts of food for their God.
New Life Bible
They should be holy to their God and not put the name of their God to shame. For they give the gifts by fire to the Lord, the bread of their God. So they must be holy.
New Revised Standard
They shall be holy to their God, and not profane the name of their God; for they offer the Lord 's offerings by fire, the food of their God; therefore they shall be holy.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Holy persons, shall they be unto their God, and not profane the name of their God, - for, the altar-flames of Yahweh, the food of their God, do they bring near - Therefore shall they be holy.
Douay-Rheims Bible
They shall be holy to their God, and shall not profane his name. For they offer the burnt offering of the Lord, and the bread of their God: and therefore they shall be holy.
Revised Standard Version
They shall be holy to their God, and not profane the name of their God; for they offer the offerings by fire to the LORD, the bread of their God; therefore they shall be holy.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
'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.

Contextual Overview

1 The Lord said to Moses: "Say to the priests, the sons of Aaron—say to them, ‘For a dead person no priest is to defile himself among his people, 2 except for his close relative who is near to him: his mother, his father, his son, his daughter, his brother, 3 and his virgin sister who is near to him, who has no husband; he may defile himself for her. 4 He must not defile himself as a husband among his people so as to profane himself. 5 Priests must not have a bald spot shaved on their head, they must not shave the corner of their beard, and they must not cut slashes in their body. 6 "‘They must be holy to their God, and they must not profane the name of their God, because they are the ones who present the Lord 's gifts, the food of their God. Therefore they must be holy. 7 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. 8 You must sanctify him because he presents the food of your God. He must be holy to you because I, the Lord who sanctifies you all, am holy. 9 If a daughter of a priest profanes herself by engaging in prostitution, she is profaning her father. She must be burned to death.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

holy: Leviticus 21:8, Leviticus 10:3, Exodus 28:36, Exodus 29:44, Ezra 8:28, 1 Peter 2:9

profane: Leviticus 18:21, Leviticus 19:12, Malachi 1:6, Malachi 1:11, Malachi 1:12

bread: Leviticus 3:11, Ezekiel 44:7, Malachi 1:7

therefore: Isaiah 52:11

Reciprocal: Leviticus 21:21 - to offer Leviticus 22:2 - that they profane not Leviticus 22:25 - the bread Numbers 16:5 - who is holy Numbers 28:2 - my bread Psalms 106:16 - the saint Hosea 9:4 - their bread

Cross-References

Genesis 17:17
Then Abraham bowed down with his face to the ground and laughed as he said to himself, "Can a son be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Can Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?"
Genesis 21:12
But God said to Abraham, "Do not be upset about the boy or your slave wife. Do all that Sarah is telling you because through Isaac your descendants will be counted.
Genesis 21:15
When the water in the skin was gone, she shoved the child under one of the shrubs.
Genesis 21:21
He lived in the wilderness of Paran. His mother found a wife for him from the land of Egypt.
Genesis 21:22
At that time Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, said to Abraham, "God is with you in all that you do.
Genesis 21:27
Abraham took some sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelech. The two of them made a treaty.
Genesis 21:28
Then Abraham set seven ewe lambs apart from the flock by themselves.
Psalms 113:9
He makes the barren woman of the family a happy mother of children. Praise the Lord !
Psalms 126:2
At that time we laughed loudly and shouted for joy. At that time the nations said, "The Lord has accomplished great things for these people."
Isaiah 49:15
Can a woman forget her baby who nurses at her breast? Can she withhold compassion from the child she has borne? Even if mothers were to forget, I could never forget you!

Gill's Notes on the Bible

They shall be holy unto their God,.... Sacred to his service, and wholly given up to it, and not interest themselves in things which hindered from it, or made them unfit for it; and such care becomes the ministers of the word, who should give up themselves to it, and not entangle themselves with other affairs; they should be clean, pure, and holy, that bear the vessels of the Lord, and minister in holy things, and should set an example of purity and holiness to others:

and not profane the name of their God; or cause it to be profaned and evil spoken of on their account, or his service to be interrupted, and they who bore his name put upon a level with common persons through their pollutions:

for the offerings of the Lord made by fire; the burnt offerings, which were offered up to the Lord on the altar of burnt offering every day, besides others on divers occasions:

[and] the bread of their God do they offer; the shewbread, which they set every week before the Lord on the shewbread table, and the meat or bread offering, the "minchah", which they continually offered along with the sacrifices: or the word "and", being a supplement, may be left out; and so this clause is put by way of apposition, and as interpreting the fire offering to be the bread of their God, which being wholly burnt on the altar, and devoted to God, was his meat and food, and accepted by him, see Leviticus 3:11;

therefore they shall be holy; separate from all others, and abstain from all impurity both of flesh and spirit, from all uncleanness, moral and ceremonial; it being highly fit and proper that the bread of God should be offered by holy persons.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The word here and in Leviticus 21:8 rendered “bread”, is the same as is rendered food in Leviticus 3:11, Leviticus 3:16, etc., and meat in Leviticus 22:11. The reader of the English Bible should keep in view that bread, meat, and food, were nearly equivalent terms when our translation was made, and represent no distinctions that exist in the Hebrew.


 
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