And they shall not marry a widow or a divorced woman, but must marry a virgin of the descendants of the house of Israel, or a widow of a priest.
Parallel translations
- WEB Neither shall they take for their wives a widow, nor her who is put away; but they shall take virgins of the offspring of the house of Israel, or a widow who is the widow of a priest.
- KJV Neither shall they take for their wives a widow, nor her that is put away: but they shall take maidens of the seed of the house of Israel, or a widow that had a priest before.
- NKJV They shall not take as wife a widow or a divorced woman, but take virgins of the descendants of the house of Israel, or widows of priests.
- NASB And they shall not marry a widow or a divorced woman, but shall take virgins from the descendants of the house of Israel, or a widow who is the widow of a priest.
- NLT They may choose their wives only from among the virgins of Israel or the widows of the priests. They may not marry other widows or divorced women.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Priests may marry only Israelite virgins or the widows of priests, not divorced women or ordinary widows.
Overview
Marriage restrictions guarded the purity and example of the priestly line, reflecting their consecrated role. These rules upheld the holiness expected of those who minister before God. While such ceremonial regulations belonged to Israel's worship, they point to the higher call for God's servants to model holiness and faithfulness in all relationships.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Lev 21:7A priest must not marry a woman defiled by prostitution or divorced by her husband, for the priest is holy to his God.
- Lev 21:13–14The woman he marries must be a virgin.
- 1 Tim 3:4–5An overseer must manage his own household well and keep his children under control, with complete dignity.
- Deut 24:1–4If a man marries a woman, but she becomes displeasing to him because he finds some indecency in her, he may write her a certificate of divorce, hand it to her, and send her away from his house.
- 1 Tim 3:11–12In the same way, the women must be dignified, not slanderers, but temperate and faithful in all things.
- 1 Tim 3:2An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,
- Titus 1:6An 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.
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Original language
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