Lectionary Calendar
Wednesday, July 16th, 2025
the Week of Proper 10 / Ordinary 15
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Read the Bible

New Living Translation

Leviticus 21:9

"If a priest's daughter defiles herself by becoming a prostitute, she also defiles her father's holiness, and she must be burned to death.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Adultery;   Fire;   Harlotry;   Minister, Christian;   Mourning;   Priest;   Punishment;   Sanctification;   Uncleanness;   Thompson Chain Reference - Burning, a Punishment;   Nation, the;   Punishments;   The Topic Concordance - Priests;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - High Priest, the;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Adultery;   Mourning;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Funeral;   Prostitution;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Funeral;   Kill, Killing;   Leadership;   Prostitution;   Sexuality, Human;   Worship;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Fire;   Fornication;   Funeral;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Harlot;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Capital Punishment;   Crimes and Punishments;   Fire;   Fornication;   Leviticus;   Woman;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Canon of the Old Testament;   Congregation, Assembly;   Crimes and Punishments;   Deuteronomy;   Harlot;   Hexateuch;   Holiness;   Law;   Leviticus;   Marriage;   Priests and Levites;   Sanctification, Sanctify;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Eternal Fire (2);   Tomb, Grave, Sepulchre;   Zacharias ;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Children;   Punishments;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Priesthood, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Burial;   Fire;   Harlot;   Leviticus;   Punishments;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Adultery;   Capital Punishment;   Cremation;   Fire;   ḥalalah;   Tamar;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
The daughter of any Kohen, if she profane herself by playing the prostitute, she profanes her father: she shall be burnt with fire.
King James Version
And the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the whore, she profaneth her father: she shall be burnt with fire.
Lexham English Bible
"‘As for the daughter of any priest, if she is defiled by prostituting, she is disgracing her father—she shall be burned in the fire.
New Century Version
"‘If a priest's daughter makes herself unclean by becoming a prostitute, she shames her father. She must be burned with fire.
New English Translation
If a daughter of a priest profanes herself by engaging in prostitution, she is profaning her father. She must be burned to death.
Amplified Bible
'The daughter of any priest who profanes herself by prostitution profanes her father; she shall be burned in fire.
New American Standard Bible
'Also the daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by prostitution, she profanes her father; she shall be burned with fire.
Geneva Bible (1587)
If a Priestes daughter fall to play the whore, she polluteth her father: therefore shal she be burnt with fire.
Legacy Standard Bible
Also the daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by harlotry, she profanes her father; she shall be burned with fire.
Contemporary English Version
If any of you priests has a daughter who disgraces you by serving as a temple prostitute, she must be burned to death.
Complete Jewish Bible
The daughter of a cohen who profanes herself by prostitution profanes her father; she is to be put to death by fire.
Darby Translation
And the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the whore, she profaneth her father: she shall be burned with fire.
Easy-to-Read Version
"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!
English Standard Version
And the daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by whoring, profanes her father; she shall be burned with fire.
George Lamsa Translation
And the daughter of any priest, when she starts playing the whore, she profanes her father; she shall be burned with fire.
Good News Translation
If a priest's daughter becomes a prostitute, she disgraces her father; she shall be burned to death.
Christian Standard Bible®
If a priest’s daughter defiles herself by promiscuity, she defiles her father; she must be burned to death.
Literal Translation
And when a daughter of any priest pollutes herself by going whoring, she is polluting her father; she shall be burned with fire.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Yf a prestes doughter fall to whoringe, she shalbe burnt with fyre, for she hath shamed hir father.
American Standard Version
And the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the harlot, she profaneth her father: she shall be burnt with fire.
Bible in Basic English
And if the daughter of a priest makes herself common and by her loose behaviour puts shame on her father, let her be burned with fire.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
If a priestes daughter fall to play the whore, she polluteth her father, therefore must she be burnt with fire.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the harlot, she profaneth her father: she shall be burnt with fire.
King James Version (1611)
And the daughter of any Priest, if she profane her selfe, by playing the whore, she profaneth her father: shee shall be burnt with fire.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And if the daughter of a priest should be profaned to go a whoring, she profanes the name of her father: she shall be burnt with fire.
English Revised Version
And the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the harlot, she profaneth her father: she shall be burnt with fire.
Berean Standard Bible
If a priest's daughter defiles herself by prostituting herself, she profanes her father; she must be burned in the fire.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
If the `doutir of a preest is takun in defoulyng of virgynite, and defoulith the name of hir fadir, sche schal be brent in flawmes.
Young's Literal Translation
`And a daughter of any priest when she polluteth herself by going a-whoring -- her father she is polluting; with fire she is burnt.
Update Bible Version
And the daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by prostituting, she profanes her father: she shall be burnt with fire.
Webster's Bible Translation
And the daughter of any priest, if she shall profane herself by lewdness, she profaneth her father: she shall be burnt with fire.
World English Bible
The daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the prostitute, she profanes her father: she shall be burnt with fire.
New King James Version
The daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by playing the harlot, she profanes her father. She shall be burned with fire.
New Life Bible
If the daughter of any religious leader makes herself sinful by selling the use of her body, she puts her father to shame. She will be burned with fire.
New Revised Standard
When the daughter of a priest profanes herself through prostitution, she profanes her father; she shall be burned to death.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, the daughter of any priest, when she profaneth herself by unchastity, Her father, she, doth profane, with fire, shall she be consumed.
Douay-Rheims Bible
If the daughter of a priest be taken in whoredom and dishonour the name of her father, she shall be burnt with fire.
Revised Standard Version
And the daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by playing the harlot, profanes her father; she shall be burned with fire.
THE MESSAGE
"If a priest's daughter defiles herself in prostitution, she disgraces her father. She must be burned at the stake.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
'Also the daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by harlotry, she profanes her father; she shall be burned with fire.

Contextual Overview

1 The Lord said to Moses, "Give the following instructions to the priests, the descendants of Aaron. "A priest must not make himself ceremonially unclean by touching the dead body of a relative. 2 The only exceptions are his closest relatives—his mother or father, son or daughter, brother, 3 or his virgin sister who depends on him because she has no husband. 4 But a priest must not defile himself and make himself unclean for someone who is related to him only by marriage. 5 "The priests must not shave their heads or trim their beards or cut their bodies. 6 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. 7 "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. 8 You must treat them as holy because they offer up food to your God. You must consider them holy because I, the Lord , am holy, and I make you holy. 9 "If a priest's daughter defiles herself by becoming a prostitute, she also defiles her father's holiness, and she must be burned to death.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the daughter: 1 Samuel 2:17, 1 Samuel 2:34, 1 Samuel 3:13, 1 Samuel 3:14, Ezekiel 9:6, Malachi 2:3, Matthew 11:20-24, 1 Timothy 3:4, 1 Timothy 3:5, Titus 1:6

she shall be burnt: Leviticus 20:14, Genesis 38:24, Joshua 7:15, Joshua 7:25, Isaiah 33:14

Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 21:18 - obey the voice Deuteronomy 22:21 - she hath wrought Judges 19:2 - played Ezekiel 23:45 - after the manner of adulteresses Revelation 17:16 - and burn

Cross-References

Genesis 16:1
Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had not been able to bear children for him. But she had an Egyptian servant named Hagar.
Genesis 17:20
As for Ishmael, I will bless him also, just as you have asked. I will make him extremely fruitful and multiply his descendants. He will become the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.
Genesis 21:1
The Lord kept his word and did for Sarah exactly what he had promised.
Genesis 21:3
And Abraham named their son Isaac.
Genesis 21:5
Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born.
Genesis 21:6
And Sarah declared, "God has brought me laughter. All who hear about this will laugh with me.
Genesis 21:13
But I will also make a nation of the descendants of Hagar's son because he is your son, too."
Genesis 21:14
So Abraham got up early the next morning, prepared food and a container of water, and strapped them on Hagar's shoulders. Then he sent her away with their son, and she wandered aimlessly in the wilderness of Beersheba.
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 21:24
Abraham replied, "Yes, I swear to it!"

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the daughter of any priest,.... The Targum of Jonathan restrains it to one that is betrothed; but others, as Jarchi and Aben Ezra, whether betrothed or married; and all confess, as the former says, that the Scripture does not speak of one that is single or entirely free: but there is no exception in the text; and besides, the daughter of any man that was betrothed to a man, and guilty of the crime here spoken of, was to die, Deuteronomy 22:23; and therefore such a law respecting the priest's daughter would be needless; unless it can be thought that it was made merely for the sake of the different kind of death she was to be put to, and that burning was a more terrible one than stoning:

if she profane herself by playing the whore; which brings scandal and disgrace on any person, and much more on anyone that had the honour of being related to a person in such a sacred office, and the advantage of a more strictly religious education, and had eaten of the holy things in her father's house; all which were aggravations of her crime, and made it the more scandalous and reproachful to her: some render it, "when she begins to play the whore" b; as soon as ever it is discovered in her, and she is taken in it; even for the first that she commits, she is not to be spared, but put to death:

she profaneth her father: which is another aggravation of her sin; she brings him under disgrace, disparages his office, and exposes him to censure, reproach, and ridicule, as not having taken care of her education, and taught her better, and kept her under restraints; men will upbraid him with it, saying, this is a priest's daughter that has committed this lewdness; nor will say of him, as Jarchi observes, cursed be he that begat her, and cursed be he that brought her up:

she shall be burnt with fire; not with hot melted lead poured down her mouth, but with faggots set about her; Deuteronomy 22:23- :; no punishment is here fixed for the person that lay with her, but, according to the Jewish canons c, she was to be strangled.

b כי תחל לזנות "cum coepit fornicari", Pagninus, Montanus; so Tigurine version. c Misn. Sanhedrin, c. 10. sect. 1. Maimon. Issure Biah, c. 1. sect. 6.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

burnt with fire - See the Leviticus 20:14 note.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Leviticus 21:9. She shall be burnt with fire. — Probably not burnt alive, but strangled first, and then burnt afterward. Though it is barely possible that some kind of branding may be intended.


 
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