Leviticus 21 Study Notes
General
According to 21:17-21, what was a descendant of Aaron with a physical defect not allowed to do?
Answer: Come near the altar to present the offerings
God told Aaron that any of his descendants with a physical defect, such as blindness, lameness, or a broken limb, was barred from drawing close to present the offerings at the altar (21:17-21). He remained a member of the priestly family and, as the next verse shows, still ate the holy food. The rule concerned the visible wholeness God required of those officiating at His altar, just as the animals offered had to be without defect (22:20). Both requirements pointed forward to Jesus, who offered Himself to God without any blemish (Hebrews 9:14).
- Leviticus 21:17-18 (BSB)““Say to Aaron, ‘For the generations to come, none of your descendants who has a physical defect may approach to offer the food of his God. No man who has any defect may approach—no man who is blind, lame, disfigured, or deformed;”God tells Aaron that a descendant with a physical defect may not come near to offer.
- Leviticus 21:21 (BSB)“No descendant of Aaron the priest who has a defect shall approach to present the food offerings to the LORD. Since he has a defect, he is not to come near to offer the food of his God.”The restriction is specifically on presenting the offerings to the LORD.
- Leviticus 22:20 (BSB)“You must not present anything with a defect, because it will not be accepted on your behalf.”The same requirement of wholeness applied to the animals offered.
- Hebrews 9:14 (BSB)“how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God, purify our consciences from works of death, so that we may serve the living God!”Christ offered Himself unblemished to God, fulfilling the requirement of wholeness at the altar.
Theological
What does Leviticus 21:17-21 prohibit to a descendant of Aaron with a bodily defect?
Answer: Drawing near to present the offerings at the altar
Leviticus 21:17-21 bars an Aaronide with a bodily defect from officiating, that is, from approaching to present the offerings. His priestly lineage and his share in the holy food remain intact (21:22). The requirement of bodily wholeness in the officiant parallels the requirement of unblemished victims (22:20), and both anticipate Christ, who by the Spirit presented Himself to God without spot (Hebrews 9:14).
- Leviticus 21:17-18 (BSB)““Say to Aaron, ‘For the generations to come, none of your descendants who has a physical defect may approach to offer the food of his God. No man who has any defect may approach—no man who is blind, lame, disfigured, or deformed;”God tells Aaron that a descendant with a physical defect may not come near to offer.
- Leviticus 21:21 (BSB)“No descendant of Aaron the priest who has a defect shall approach to present the food offerings to the LORD. Since he has a defect, he is not to come near to offer the food of his God.”The restriction is specifically on presenting the offerings to the LORD.
- Leviticus 22:20 (BSB)“You must not present anything with a defect, because it will not be accepted on your behalf.”The same requirement of wholeness applied to the animals offered.
- Hebrews 9:14 (BSB)“how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God, purify our consciences from works of death, so that we may serve the living God!”Christ offered Himself unblemished to God, fulfilling the requirement of wholeness at the altar.
General
True or False: A priest who had a physical defect was still allowed to eat both the most sacred portions and the other holy portions.
Answer: True
This is true. A priest with a defect could not officiate at the altar, but he still ate the most holy and the holy portions of the offerings like his brothers (21:22). He remained a son of Aaron, provided for from God's own table, and was not cut off from the priestly family or from God's care. Scripture does not treat disability as a sign of lesser worth or of special sin: Jesus said a man's blindness was not punishment for anyone's sin (John 9:3). King David had lame Mephibosheth eat at his table always (2 Samuel 9:13), and in Jesus' parable the master has the crippled, blind, and lame brought in to his banquet (Luke 14:21).
- Leviticus 21:22 (BSB)“He may eat the most holy food of his God as well as the holy food,”The priest with a defect may still eat both the most holy and the holy food.
- 2 Samuel 9:13 (BSB)“So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he always ate at the king’s table, and he was lame in both feet.”Mephibosheth, lame in both feet, always ate at the king's table.
- Luke 14:21 (BSB)“The servant returned and reported all this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the city, and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’”In Jesus' parable the master brings the crippled, blind, and lame to his banquet.
- John 9:3 (BSB)“Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the works of God would be displayed in him.”Jesus rejects the idea that a man's blindness was punishment for sin.
Theological
True or False: Leviticus 21:22 allows a priest with a bodily defect to eat both the most holy and the holy portions.
Answer: True
This is true. Leviticus 21:22 preserves the disqualified priest's full share in the most holy and holy portions; the restriction is on officiating, not on his priestly standing or his sustenance from the LORD's offerings. The ceremonial rule is not a verdict on personal worth or a sign of particular guilt (John 9:3). The pattern of the disabled honored at David's table (2 Samuel 9:13) and gathered to the messianic banquet (Luke 14:21) reflects God's own heart toward them.
- Leviticus 21:22 (BSB)“He may eat the most holy food of his God as well as the holy food,”The priest with a defect may still eat both the most holy and the holy food.
- 2 Samuel 9:13 (BSB)“So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he always ate at the king’s table, and he was lame in both feet.”Mephibosheth, lame in both feet, always ate at the king's table.
- Luke 14:21 (BSB)“The servant returned and reported all this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the city, and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’”In Jesus' parable the master brings the crippled, blind, and lame to his banquet.
- John 9:3 (BSB)“Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the works of God would be displayed in him.”Jesus rejects the idea that a man's blindness was punishment for sin.
General
True or False: The high priest was permitted to take a widow as his wife.
Answer: False
This is false. The high priest's wife had to be a virgin of Israel; he could not take a widow, a woman who had been divorced, or a former prostitute, so that his children would not be made common (21:13-15). This was stricter than the rule for ordinary priests, who were not forbidden to wed a widow (21:7). The New Testament uses the picture of a pure bride for the church, which Paul promised to Christ like an undefiled bride (2 Corinthians 11:2) and which Christ Himself makes holy and spotless (Ephesians 5:25-27).
- Leviticus 21:13-15 (BSB)“The woman he marries must be a virgin. 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, so that he does not defile his offspring among his people, for I am the LORD who sanctifies him.””The high priest's marriage requirements.
- 2 Corinthians 11:2 (BSB)“I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. For I promised you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ.”Paul pictures the church as a pure virgin promised to Christ.
- Ephesians 5:25-27 (BSB)“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her to sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to Himself as a glorious church, without stain or wrinkle or any such blemish, but holy and blameless.”Christ makes His church holy and presents her to Himself without blemish.
Theological
True or False: Leviticus 21:13-15 permits the high priest to take a widow as his wife.
Answer: False
This is false. Leviticus 21:13-15 requires the high priest to wed only a virgin of his own people and excludes the widow, the divorcée, and the prostitute, lest his offspring be defiled. The ordinary priest's restriction (21:7) does not exclude widows, so the stricter rule marks the high priest's greater holiness. Scripture uses a similar image of bridal purity for the church betrothed to Christ (2 Corinthians 11:2), whom He sanctifies and presents without blemish (Ephesians 5:25-27).
- Leviticus 21:13-15 (BSB)“The woman he marries must be a virgin. 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, so that he does not defile his offspring among his people, for I am the LORD who sanctifies him.””The high priest's marriage requirements.
- 2 Corinthians 11:2 (BSB)“I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. For I promised you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ.”Paul pictures the church as a pure virgin promised to Christ.
- Ephesians 5:25-27 (BSB)“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her to sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to Himself as a glorious church, without stain or wrinkle or any such blemish, but holy and blameless.”Christ makes His church holy and presents her to Himself without blemish.
General
Which rule applied to the high priest but not to ordinary priests (21:10-12)?
Answer: He could not become unclean even for his own father or mother
The high priest, who had been anointed on the head with oil and wore the special garments, was held to a stricter standard: he could not show the usual signs of mourning such as unkempt hair or torn clothes, could not become unclean through contact with the dead even when his own parents died, and was not to leave the sanctuary (21:10-12). Moses had anointed Aaron in exactly this way (8:12), and when Nadab and Abihu died, Aaron and his remaining sons were told not to show these signs of mourning or leave the tent's entrance (10:6-7). This demanding holiness points to Jesus, the High Priest who is fully holy, blameless, and separate from sinners (Hebrews 7:26).
- Leviticus 21:10-12 (BSB)“The priest who is highest among his brothers, who has had the anointing oil poured on his head and has been ordained to wear the priestly garments, must not let his hair hang loose or tear his garments. He must not go near any dead body; he must not defile himself, even for his father or mother. He must not leave or desecrate the sanctuary of his God, for the consecration of the anointing oil of his God is on him. I am the LORD.”The stricter rules for the anointed high priest.
- Leviticus 8:12 (BSB)“He also poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head and anointed him to consecrate him.”Moses poured the anointing oil on Aaron's head at his ordination.
- Leviticus 10:6-7 (BSB)“Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, “Do not let your hair become disheveled and do not tear your garments, or else you will die, and the LORD will be angry with the whole congregation. But your brothers, the whole house of Israel, may mourn on account of the fire that the LORD has ignited. You shall not go outside the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, or you will die, for the LORD’s anointing oil is on you.” So they did as Moses instructed.”After the deaths of Nadab and Abihu, Aaron and his sons were told not to mourn in these ways or leave the tent's entrance.
- Hebrews 7:26 (BSB)“Such a high priest truly befits us—One who is holy, innocent, undefiled, set apart from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.”Christ is the high priest who is truly holy, innocent, undefiled, and set apart from sinners.
Theological
Which restriction in Leviticus 21:10-12 distinguishes the high priest from the ordinary priests?
Answer: Prohibition of corpse impurity even for his own parents
The anointed high priest, consecrated by the oil on his head (8:12) and invested with the holy garments, could not display the customary signs of mourning, could not incur corpse impurity even for his parents, and was not to leave the sanctuary, because the anointing that consecrated him rested on him (21:10-12). At the death of Nadab and Abihu, Aaron and his remaining sons had already been forbidden these signs of mourning and told not to leave the tent's entrance (10:6-7). The office anticipates the High Priest who is without sin, blameless, and separated from sinners (Hebrews 7:26).
- Leviticus 21:10-12 (BSB)“The priest who is highest among his brothers, who has had the anointing oil poured on his head and has been ordained to wear the priestly garments, must not let his hair hang loose or tear his garments. He must not go near any dead body; he must not defile himself, even for his father or mother. He must not leave or desecrate the sanctuary of his God, for the consecration of the anointing oil of his God is on him. I am the LORD.”The stricter rules for the anointed high priest.
- Leviticus 8:12 (BSB)“He also poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head and anointed him to consecrate him.”Moses poured the anointing oil on Aaron's head at his ordination.
- Leviticus 10:6-7 (BSB)“Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, “Do not let your hair become disheveled and do not tear your garments, or else you will die, and the LORD will be angry with the whole congregation. But your brothers, the whole house of Israel, may mourn on account of the fire that the LORD has ignited. You shall not go outside the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, or you will die, for the LORD’s anointing oil is on you.” So they did as Moses instructed.”After the deaths of Nadab and Abihu, Aaron and his sons were told not to mourn in these ways or leave the tent's entrance.
- Hebrews 7:26 (BSB)“Such a high priest truly befits us—One who is holy, innocent, undefiled, set apart from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.”Christ is the high priest who is truly holy, innocent, undefiled, and set apart from sinners.
General
Which mourning practices were priests forbidden in 21:5?
Answer: Shaving bald patches on the head, trimming the beard's edges, and gashing the body
Priests were not to shave bald patches onto their heads, trim their beards at the edges, or gash their bodies (21:5). These were rites that surrounding peoples practiced for the dead, and similar practices were forbidden to all Israelites (19:27-28; Deuteronomy 14:1). The priests belonged to the living God and were to show that in how they grieved. Christians still grieve real losses, but not like people who have no hope, because of the resurrection (1 Thessalonians 4:13).
- Leviticus 21:5 (BSB)“Priests must not make bald spots on their heads, shave off the edges of their beards, or make cuts in their bodies.”Priests are forbidden certain practices of mourning.
- Leviticus 19:27-28 (BSB)“You must not cut off the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard. You must not make any cuts in your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD.”The same kinds of practices were forbidden to all Israel in connection with the dead.
- Deuteronomy 14:1 (BSB)“You are sons of the LORD your God; do not cut yourselves or shave your foreheads on behalf of the dead,”Links cutting oneself and shaving the forehead to mourning for the dead and forbids it to God's children.
- 1 Thessalonians 4:13 (BSB)“Brothers, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who are without hope.”Christians grieve, but not like those without hope.
Theological
What mourning customs does Leviticus 21:5 prohibit to the priests?
Answer: Shaving the head bald, clipping the beard's edges, and lacerating the flesh
Leviticus 21:5 forbids the priests tonsure, trimming the beard's edges, and lacerations, customs associated with pagan rites for the dead and forbidden to all Israel (19:27-28; Deuteronomy 14:1). The priests, above all, were to embody Israel's distinctness as sons of the living God. The New Testament likewise permits genuine grief but forbids grief without hope, because of the resurrection (1 Thessalonians 4:13).
- Leviticus 21:5 (BSB)“Priests must not make bald spots on their heads, shave off the edges of their beards, or make cuts in their bodies.”Priests are forbidden certain practices of mourning.
- Leviticus 19:27-28 (BSB)“You must not cut off the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard. You must not make any cuts in your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD.”The same kinds of practices were forbidden to all Israel in connection with the dead.
- Deuteronomy 14:1 (BSB)“You are sons of the LORD your God; do not cut yourselves or shave your foreheads on behalf of the dead,”Links cutting oneself and shaving the forehead to mourning for the dead and forbids it to God's children.
- 1 Thessalonians 4:13 (BSB)“Brothers, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who are without hope.”Christians grieve, but not like those without hope.
General
True or False: An ordinary priest was forbidden to marry a woman whose husband had divorced her.
Answer: True
This is true. An ordinary priest was forbidden to wed a woman who had been a prostitute or a woman her husband had divorced, because the priest was holy to God (21:7). The people were also told to treat the priest as holy, because he offered the food of God (21:8). The rule did not bar him from marrying a widow; that further limit applied only to the high priest (21:14). The New Testament likewise holds those who lead God's people to a high standard in marriage and family life (1 Timothy 3:2; Titus 1:6).
- Leviticus 21:7-8 (BSB)“A priest must not marry a woman defiled by prostitution or divorced by her husband, for the priest is holy to his God. You are to regard him as holy, since he presents the food of your God. He shall be holy to you, because I the LORD am holy—I who set you apart.”Marriage limits for priests and the people's duty to regard the priest as holy.
- 1 Timothy 3:2 (BSB)“An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,”Those who lead God's people must be above reproach in their marriages.
- Titus 1:6 (BSB)“An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, having children who are believers and who are not open to accusation of indiscretion or insubordination.”Elders must be blameless in marriage and household.
Theological
True or False: Leviticus 21:7 prohibited an ordinary priest from marrying a divorced woman.
Answer: True
This is true. Leviticus 21:7 bars the ordinary priest from marrying a prostitute or a divorcée, since he belongs to God as holy, and 21:8 charges Israel to treat him as holy because of his altar ministry. Marriage to a widow is not prohibited for him; that stricter rule is reserved for the high priest (21:14). The principle that the household life of those who serve God's people must be irreproachable reappears in the qualifications for elders (1 Timothy 3:2; Titus 1:6).
- Leviticus 21:7-8 (BSB)“A priest must not marry a woman defiled by prostitution or divorced by her husband, for the priest is holy to his God. You are to regard him as holy, since he presents the food of your God. He shall be holy to you, because I the LORD am holy—I who set you apart.”Marriage limits for priests and the people's duty to regard the priest as holy.
- 1 Timothy 3:2 (BSB)“An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,”Those who lead God's people must be above reproach in their marriages.
- Titus 1:6 (BSB)“An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, having children who are believers and who are not open to accusation of indiscretion or insubordination.”Elders must be blameless in marriage and household.
General
For whose death could an ordinary priest make himself ceremonially unclean, according to 21:1-4?
Answer: His parents, his children, his brother, and a sister who had no husband
Being near a dead body made a person ceremonially unclean, meaning unfit for a time to take part in worship at the sanctuary (Numbers 19:11). Because priests served at God's altar, they were not to become unclean for the dead in general. God made an exception for the closest family: his parents, his children, his brother, and an unmarried sister still close to him, but not for relatives by marriage (21:1-4). The exception shows God's kindness toward a priest's grief, while the limits guarded his readiness to serve. Ezekiel's later vision of the priesthood repeats the same list (Ezekiel 44:25).
- Leviticus 21:1-4 (BSB)“Then the LORD said to Moses, “Speak to Aaron’s sons, the priests, and tell them that a priest is not to defile himself for a dead person among his people, except for his immediate family—his mother, father, son, daughter, or brother, or his unmarried sister who is near to him, since she has no husband. He is not to defile himself for those related to him by marriage, and so profane himself.”God limits the dead for whom an ordinary priest may make himself ceremonially unclean.
- Numbers 19:11 (BSB)“Whoever touches any dead body will be unclean for seven days.”Shows that contact with a dead body made a person unclean for seven days.
- Ezekiel 44:25 (BSB)“A priest must not defile himself by going near a dead person. However, for a father, a mother, a son, a daughter, a brother, or an unmarried sister, he may do so,”Ezekiel's vision of the priesthood repeats the same list of permitted relatives.
Theological
Under Leviticus 21:1-4, for whom may an ordinary priest incur corpse impurity?
Answer: Parents, children, brother, and an unmarried sister
Corpse contact produced ritual impurity (Numbers 19:11), which disqualified a priest from altar service. Leviticus 21:1-4 therefore restricts the priest's mourning to his nearest blood relations (parents, children, brother, and an unmarried sister near to him) and excludes relatives by marriage. The concession honors natural affection while preserving the priest's availability for holy service. Ezekiel's restored priesthood reproduces the same list (Ezekiel 44:25).
- Leviticus 21:1-4 (BSB)“Then the LORD said to Moses, “Speak to Aaron’s sons, the priests, and tell them that a priest is not to defile himself for a dead person among his people, except for his immediate family—his mother, father, son, daughter, or brother, or his unmarried sister who is near to him, since she has no husband. He is not to defile himself for those related to him by marriage, and so profane himself.”God limits the dead for whom an ordinary priest may make himself ceremonially unclean.
- Numbers 19:11 (BSB)“Whoever touches any dead body will be unclean for seven days.”Shows that contact with a dead body made a person unclean for seven days.
- Ezekiel 44:25 (BSB)“A priest must not defile himself by going near a dead person. However, for a father, a mother, a son, a daughter, a brother, or an unmarried sister, he may do so,”Ezekiel's vision of the priesthood repeats the same list of permitted relatives.
General
What did 21:9 say about a priest's daughter who prostituted herself?
Answer: She disgraced her father and was to be burned
A priest's daughter who turned to prostitution dishonored her father, who served at God's altar, and in Israel she was to be burned (21:9). Her sin was treated with special seriousness because it profaned her father, whose office was holy to God. The principle is that greater privilege brings greater accountability (Luke 12:48), and the conduct of a leader's household reflects on his ministry (1 Timothy 3:4-5).
- Leviticus 21:9 (BSB)“If a priest’s daughter defiles herself by prostituting herself, she profanes her father; she must be burned in the fire.”The penalty for a priest's daughter who prostitutes herself.
- Luke 12:48 (BSB)“But the one who unknowingly does things worthy of punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and from him who has been entrusted with much, even more will be demanded.”Those given much are held to a greater accountability.
- 1 Timothy 3:4-5 (BSB)“An overseer must manage his own household well and keep his children under control, with complete dignity. For if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how can he care for the church of God?”A leader's household reflects on his fitness to care for God's people.
Theological
What does Leviticus 21:9 prescribe for a priest's daughter who becomes a prostitute?
Answer: Death by burning, since she has profaned her father
Leviticus 21:9 treats the harlotry of a priest's daughter as profaning her father and assigns burning as the capital sanction within Israel's covenant order. The text ties the gravity of the offense to the priestly office she profanes. The same principle of proportion between privilege and accountability appears in Luke 12:48, and the New Testament likewise links a minister's household to his fitness for office (1 Timothy 3:4-5).
- Leviticus 21:9 (BSB)“If a priest’s daughter defiles herself by prostituting herself, she profanes her father; she must be burned in the fire.”The penalty for a priest's daughter who prostitutes herself.
- Luke 12:48 (BSB)“But the one who unknowingly does things worthy of punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and from him who has been entrusted with much, even more will be demanded.”Those given much are held to a greater accountability.
- 1 Timothy 3:4-5 (BSB)“An overseer must manage his own household well and keep his children under control, with complete dignity. For if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how can he care for the church of God?”A leader's household reflects on his fitness to care for God's people.
General
What does God repeatedly say about Himself in chapter 21 regarding the priests' holiness (21:15, 23)?
Answer: That He is the One who makes them holy
Chapter 21 closes its sections with God's reminder that He is the One who sanctifies, or makes holy, the high priest and the priests (21:15, 23). Their holiness came from God, not from their own effort. Even so, these priests were ordinary men who sinned and had to bring sacrifices for their own sins before offering for the people (Hebrews 5:1-3). All the rules about their holiness point forward to Jesus, the High Priest who is perfectly holy, needed no sacrifice for Himself, and offered Himself once for all (Hebrews 7:26-28).
- Leviticus 21:15 (BSB)“so that he does not defile his offspring among his people, for I am the LORD who sanctifies him.””God names Himself as the One who sanctifies the high priest.
- Leviticus 21:23 (BSB)“but because he has a defect, he must not go near the veil or approach the altar, so as not to desecrate My sanctuaries. For I am the LORD who sanctifies them.’””God names Himself as the One who sanctifies the priests.
- Hebrews 5:1-3 (BSB)“Every high priest is appointed from among men to represent them in matters relating to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and misguided, since he himself is subject to weakness. That is why he is obligated to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people.”Earthly high priests were weak and had to offer sacrifices for their own sins.
- Hebrews 7:26-28 (BSB)“Such a high priest truly befits us—One who is holy, innocent, undefiled, set apart from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, He does not need to offer daily sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people; He sacrificed for sin once for all when He offered up Himself. For the law appoints as high priests men who are weak; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever.”Christ, unlike them, is holy and undefiled and offered Himself once for all.
Theological
What refrain in Leviticus 21 (21:15, 23) identifies the source of priestly holiness?
Answer: The LORD is the One who sanctifies them
The refrain of Leviticus 21 (21:15, 23) locates the source of priestly holiness in the LORD Himself, who sanctifies them. Yet the Aaronic priests remained sinners subject to weakness, obligated to offer for their own sins before those of the people (Hebrews 5:1-3). The holiness these laws demanded but could not produce is realized in Christ, the High Priest holy, innocent, undefiled, who offered Himself once for all and was made perfect forever (Hebrews 7:26-28).
- Leviticus 21:15 (BSB)“so that he does not defile his offspring among his people, for I am the LORD who sanctifies him.””God names Himself as the One who sanctifies the high priest.
- Leviticus 21:23 (BSB)“but because he has a defect, he must not go near the veil or approach the altar, so as not to desecrate My sanctuaries. For I am the LORD who sanctifies them.’””God names Himself as the One who sanctifies the priests.
- Hebrews 5:1-3 (BSB)“Every high priest is appointed from among men to represent them in matters relating to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and misguided, since he himself is subject to weakness. That is why he is obligated to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people.”Earthly high priests were weak and had to offer sacrifices for their own sins.
- Hebrews 7:26-28 (BSB)“Such a high priest truly befits us—One who is holy, innocent, undefiled, set apart from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, He does not need to offer daily sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people; He sacrificed for sin once for all when He offered up Himself. For the law appoints as high priests men who are weak; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever.”Christ, unlike them, is holy and undefiled and offered Himself once for all.
General
What reason does 21:23 give for keeping a priest with a defect away from the veil and the altar?
Answer: His approach would profane God's holy places
God said the priest with a defect was to keep away from the veil and the altar so that His sanctuaries would not be profaned (21:23). The tabernacle was a visible lesson in holiness: everything that came to the altar, both the animals and the priests who offered them, was to be whole, picturing the perfection of God and the perfection needed to approach Him. The rule was ceremonial and symbolic, not a judgment on the man's worth, and he still ate the holy food (21:22). The picture is fulfilled in Jesus, the perfectly whole High Priest (Hebrews 7:26), through whom all His people, whatever their bodily condition, may now draw near to God (Hebrews 10:19-22). In His ministry the blind received sight and the lame walked (Matthew 11:5), a foretaste of the full wholeness He will bring.
- Leviticus 21:23 (BSB)“but because he has a defect, he must not go near the veil or approach the altar, so as not to desecrate My sanctuaries. For I am the LORD who sanctifies them.’””The reason given for keeping a priest with a defect from the veil and the altar.
- Hebrews 7:26 (BSB)“Such a high priest truly befits us—One who is holy, innocent, undefiled, set apart from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.”Christ is the flawless High Priest the sanctuary's wholeness pointed to.
- Hebrews 10:19-22 (BSB)“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way opened for us through the curtain of His body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”Through Jesus' blood all His people may now draw near to God with confidence.
- Matthew 11:5 (BSB)“The blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.”In Jesus' ministry the blind see and the lame walk, signs of the wholeness His kingdom brings.
Theological
What rationale does Leviticus 21:23 give for excluding a priest with a defect from the veil and the altar?
Answer: Preventing the profanation of the LORD's sanctuaries
Leviticus 21:23 explains the exclusion as guarding the LORD's sanctuaries from profanation. The requirement is typological and ceremonial: the wholeness demanded of both victim and officiant at the altar signified the perfection of God and of the approach He requires. It implies no deficiency in the man's worth before God, as his continued share in the holy food shows (21:22). The type is fulfilled in Christ, the flawless High Priest (Hebrews 7:26), through whom every believer, regardless of bodily condition, now has access into God's very presence (Hebrews 10:19-22). His healing of the blind and lame (Matthew 11:5) anticipates the consummate restoration of the new creation.
- Leviticus 21:23 (BSB)“but because he has a defect, he must not go near the veil or approach the altar, so as not to desecrate My sanctuaries. For I am the LORD who sanctifies them.’””The reason given for keeping a priest with a defect from the veil and the altar.
- Hebrews 7:26 (BSB)“Such a high priest truly befits us—One who is holy, innocent, undefiled, set apart from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.”Christ is the flawless High Priest the sanctuary's wholeness pointed to.
- Hebrews 10:19-22 (BSB)“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way opened for us through the curtain of His body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”Through Jesus' blood all His people may now draw near to God with confidence.
- Matthew 11:5 (BSB)“The blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.”In Jesus' ministry the blind see and the lame walk, signs of the wholeness His kingdom brings.
General
According to 21:6, why were the priests required to be holy?
Answer: Because they served at God's altar, bringing Him the offerings called His food
The priests had to be holy because they were the ones who brought the offerings to God, offerings the text describes as God's own food (21:6). This does not mean God was hungry; He owns the whole world and has no need of meat (Psalm 50:12-13). The language pictures the altar as the LORD's table, where His people came near to Him through the sacrifices He appointed (Numbers 28:2). Later, God rebuked priests for treating His table with contempt by offering defiled food on it (Malachi 1:7).
- Leviticus 21:6 (BSB)“They must be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God. Because they present to the LORD the food offerings, the food of their God, they must be holy.”God gives the reason priests must be holy.
- Psalm 50:12-13 (BSB)“If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world is Mine, and the fullness thereof. Do I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?”God does not need food; the offerings do not feed Him.
- Numbers 28:2 (BSB)““Command the Israelites and say to them: See that you present to Me at its appointed time the food for My food offerings, as a pleasing aroma to Me.”Uses the same language of the offerings as God's food, presented as a pleasing aroma.
- Malachi 1:7 (BSB)“By presenting defiled food on My altar. But you ask, ‘How have we defiled You?’ By saying that the table of the LORD is contemptible.”Calls the altar the table of the LORD and rebukes priests for offering defiled food on it.
Theological
What rationale does Leviticus 21:6 give for priestly holiness?
Answer: Their ministry of presenting the offerings called the food of God
Leviticus 21:6 grounds priestly holiness in the priests' ministry of presenting the food offerings, described as God's food. The idiom is covenantal, not literal, since God needs nothing from His creatures (Psalm 50:12-13); it portrays the altar as the LORD's table, where communion with Him was enacted through His appointed offerings (Numbers 28:2). Malachi's indictment of priests who despised that table shows the seriousness of the charge (Malachi 1:7).
- Leviticus 21:6 (BSB)“They must be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God. Because they present to the LORD the food offerings, the food of their God, they must be holy.”God gives the reason priests must be holy.
- Psalm 50:12-13 (BSB)“If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world is Mine, and the fullness thereof. Do I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?”God does not need food; the offerings do not feed Him.
- Numbers 28:2 (BSB)““Command the Israelites and say to them: See that you present to Me at its appointed time the food for My food offerings, as a pleasing aroma to Me.”Uses the same language of the offerings as God's food, presented as a pleasing aroma.
- Malachi 1:7 (BSB)“By presenting defiled food on My altar. But you ask, ‘How have we defiled You?’ By saying that the table of the LORD is contemptible.”Calls the altar the table of the LORD and rebukes priests for offering defiled food on it.