Lectionary Calendar
Friday, July 18th, 2025
the Week of Proper 10 / Ordinary 15
Attention!
Take your personal ministry to the Next Level by helping StudyLight build churches and supporting pastors in Uganda.
Click here to join the effort!

Read the Bible

New Living Translation

Leviticus 21:14

He may not marry a widow, a woman who is divorced, or a woman who has defiled herself by prostitution. She must be a virgin from his own clan,

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Marriage;   Minister, Christian;   Priest;   Sanctification;   Uncleanness;   Virgin;   Widow;   Thompson Chain Reference - Harlots;   Women;   The Topic Concordance - Priests;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Divorce;   High Priest, the;   Marriage;   Widows;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Widow;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Priest;   Virgin;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Divorce;   Priest, Christ as;   Priest, Priesthood;   Prostitution;   Widow;   Worship;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Marriage;   Melchizedek;   Priest;   Proselytes;   Holman Bible Dictionary - High Priest;   Antiochus IV;   Joiada;   Leviticus;   Virgin, Virgin Birth;   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 ;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Crime;   Law in the Old Testament;   Leviticus;   Priest;   Priest, High;   Profane;   Stranger and Sojourner (in the Old Testament);   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Commandments, the 613;   ḥalalah;   High Priest;   Makkot;   Widow;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
A widow, or one divorced, or a profane woman, a prostitute, these shall he not take: but a virgin of his own people shall he take as a wife.
King James Version
A widow, or a divorced woman, or profane, or an harlot, these shall he not take: but he shall take a virgin of his own people to wife.
Lexham English Bible
A widow or a divorced woman or a defiled woman, a prostitute—these he must not take; he shall take only a virgin from his people as wife.
New Century Version
He must not marry a widow, a divorced woman, or a prostitute. He must marry a virgin from his own people
New English Translation
He must not marry a widow, a divorced woman, or one profaned by prostitution; he may only take a virgin from his people as a wife.
Amplified Bible
'He may not marry a widow or a divorced woman or one who is profaned by prostitution, but he is to marry a virgin from his own people,
New American Standard Bible
'A widow, or a divorced woman, or one who is profaned by prostitution, these he shall not take; but rather he is to marry a virgin of his own people,
Geneva Bible (1587)
But a widowe, or a diuorced woman, or a polluted, or an harlot, these shall he not marrie, but shall take a maide of his owne people to wife:
Legacy Standard Bible
A widow or a divorced woman or one who is profaned by harlotry, these he may not take; but rather he shall take a virgin of his own people as a wife,
Contemporary English Version
from your own tribe. Don't marry a divorced woman or any other woman who has already had sex, including a temple prostitute.
Complete Jewish Bible
he may not marry a widow, divorcee, profaned woman or prostitute; but he must marry a virgin from among his own people
Darby Translation
A widow, or a divorced woman, or a dishonoured one, a harlot, these shall he not take; but he shall take as wife a virgin from among his peoples.
Easy-to-Read Version
He must not marry a woman who has had sexual relations with any man. He must not marry a prostitute, a divorced woman, or a widow. The high priest must marry a virgin from his own people.
English Standard Version
A widow, or a divorced woman, or a woman who has been defiled, or a prostitute, these he shall not marry. But he shall take as his wife a virgin of his own people,
George Lamsa Translation
A widow or a woman who is put away or one who is defiled by whoredom, these he shall not take; but he shall take a virgin of his own people to wife.
Good News Translation
not a widow or a divorced woman or a woman who has been a prostitute. He shall marry only a virgin from his own clan.
Christian Standard Bible®
He is not to marry a widow, a divorced woman, or one defiled by prostitution. He is to marry a virgin from his own people,
Literal Translation
He shall not take a widow, or one put away, or a polluted one, a harlot, but he shall take a virgin of his own people for a wife;
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
but no wedowe, ner deuorsed, ner defyled, ner whore, but a virgin of his awne people shal he take to wife,
American Standard Version
A widow, or one divorced, or a profane woman, a harlot, these shall he not take: but a virgin of his own people shall he take to wife.
Bible in Basic English
A widow, or one whose husband has put her away, or a common woman of loose behaviour, may not be the wife of a priest; but let him take a virgin from among his people.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
But a wydowe, a deuorsed woman, or a polluted, or a harlot, these shall he not marrie: but shall take a mayde of his owne people to wyfe.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
A widow, or one divorced, or a profaned woman, or a harlot, these shall he not take; but a virgin of his own people shall he take to wife.
King James Version (1611)
A widow, or a diuorced woman, or prophane, or an harlot, these shall he not take: but he shall take a virgine of his owne people to wife.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
But a widow, or one that is put away, or profaned, or a harlot, these he shall not take; but he shall take for a wife a virgin of his own people.
English Revised Version
A widow, or one divorced, or a profane woman, an harlot, these shall he not take: but a virgin of his own people shall he take to wife.
Berean Standard Bible
He is not to marry a widow, a divorced woman, or one defiled by prostitution. He is to marry a virgin from his own people,
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
he schal not take a widewe, and forsakun, and a foul womman, and hoore, but a damesele of his puple;
Young's Literal Translation
widow, or cast out, or polluted one -- a harlot -- these he doth not take, but a virgin of his own people he doth take [for] a wife,
Update Bible Version
A widow, or one divorced, or a profane woman, a prostitute, these he shall not take: but a virgin of his own relatives he shall take as wife.
Webster's Bible Translation
A widow, or a divorced woman, or profane, [or] a harlot, these shall he not take: but he shall take a virgin of his own people for a wife.
World English Bible
A widow, or one divorced, or a profane woman, a prostitute, these shall he not take: but a virgin of his own people shall he take as a wife.
New King James Version
A widow or a divorced woman or a defiled woman or a harlot--these he shall not marry; but he shall take a virgin of his own people as wife.
New Life Bible
He should not marry a woman whose husband has died, or a divorced woman, or one who has made herself sinful by selling the use of her body. But he should marry a woman from his own people, who has never had a man.
New Revised Standard
A widow, or a divorced woman, or a woman who has been defiled, a prostitute, these he shall not marry. He shall marry a virgin of his own kin,
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
A widow or a divorced woman or one dishonoured - an unchaste woman, these, shall he not take, But, a virgin from among his own kinsfolk, shall he take to wife;
Douay-Rheims Bible
But a widow or one that is divorced, or defied, or a harlot, he shall not take: but a maid of his own people.
Revised Standard Version
A widow, or one divorced, or a woman who has been defiled, or a harlot, these he shall not marry; but he shall take to wife a virgin of his own people,
New American Standard Bible (1995)
'A widow, or a divorced woman, or one who is profaned by harlotry, these he may not take; but rather he is to marry a virgin of his own people,

Contextual Overview

10 "The high priest has the highest rank of all the priests. The anointing oil has been poured on his head, and he has been ordained to wear the priestly garments. He must never leave his hair uncombed or tear his clothing. 11 He must not defile himself by going near a dead body. He may not make himself ceremonially unclean even for his father or mother. 12 He must not defile the sanctuary of his God by leaving it to attend to a dead person, for he has been made holy by the anointing oil of his God. I am the Lord . 13 "The high priest may marry only a virgin. 14 He may not marry a widow, a woman who is divorced, or a woman who has defiled herself by prostitution. She must be a virgin from his own clan, 15 so that he will not dishonor his descendants among his clan, for I am the Lord who makes him holy."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Reciprocal: Numbers 12:1 - married Deuteronomy 24:2 - she may go Ezekiel 44:22 - a widow Titus 1:6 - the husband

Cross-References

Genesis 16:7
The angel of the Lord found Hagar beside a spring of water in the wilderness, along the road to Shur.
Genesis 19:27
Abraham got up early that morning and hurried out to the place where he had stood in the Lord 's presence.
Genesis 21:6
And Sarah declared, "God has brought me laughter. All who hear about this will laugh with me.
Genesis 21:7
Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse a baby? Yet I have given Abraham a son in his old age!"
Genesis 21:23
"Swear to me in God's name that you will never deceive me, my children, or any of my descendants. I have been loyal to you, so now swear that you will be loyal to me and to this country where you are living as a foreigner."
Genesis 21:25
Then Abraham complained to Abimelech about a well that Abimelech's servants had taken by force from Abraham's servants.
Genesis 21:31
Then he named the place Beersheba (which means "well of the oath"), because that was where they had sworn the oath.
Genesis 21:33
Then Abraham planted a tamarisk tree at Beersheba, and there he worshiped the Lord , the Eternal God.
Genesis 22:3
The next morning Abraham got up early. He saddled his donkey and took two of his servants with him, along with his son, Isaac. Then he chopped wood for a fire for a burnt offering and set out for the place God had told him about.
Genesis 22:19
Then they returned to the servants and traveled back to Beersheba, where Abraham continued to live.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

A widow,.... The high priest might not marry, whether the widow of a priest or of an Israelite, as Aben Ezra, that is, of any Israelite that was not of the priesthood; and this, whether a widow after espousals, or after marriage, as runs the Jewish canon u; the meaning is, that if she was betrothed to a man, and that man died before he married her, and so was a virgin; yet being betrothed to him was reckoned as his widow; and such an one the high priest might not marry, any more than one that had been left a widow, having being married: though, according to the same constitutions, if he had betrothed a widow, and after that was appointed an high priest, he might marry her, and an instance of it is given in Joshua the son of Gamla: and in the same it is observed, that an high priest, when his brother dies, must suffer his shoe to be plucked off, and not marry his brother's widow; which, in other cases, when there was no issue, was required:

or a divorced woman; whether by a priest, or a common Israelite; and indeed, if a common priest might not marry such a person, much less an high priest: or profane anyone born of those that were not fit for priests to marry, as the Targum of Jonathan and Jarchi;

:-;

[or] an harlot; a common prostitute:

those shall he not take any or either of them, to be his wife; which are forbid in order to maintain the dignity of his office, and a reverence of it: there seems to be a gradation in these instances, he might not marry a widow, which was forbidden no other man; and if not such an one, much less a divorced woman, still less a profane person, and least of all an harlot;

but he shall take a virgin of his own people to wife; which phrase, "of his own people", did not limit him to his own tribe, and to the fraternity of priests in it, as if he was to marry only in it, or the daughter of a priest; for the priests and Levites being scattered in the several tribes, and having no inheritances in them, were not restrained from marrying into other tribes, as the rest of the tribes were; and so an high priest sometimes married into another tribe, though he took care not to debase himself, by marrying into a mean family: so Jehoiada, the high priest, married Jehoshabeath, the daughter of King Jehoram, 2 Chronicles 22:11; but by this law he was forbid to marry a virgin of another nation, even though a proselytess and one that was made free, as Gersom observes; a captive virgin, and one that was become a Jewess, as Aben Ezra says, he was not allowed to marry.

u Misn. Yebamot, c. 6. sect. 4.


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile