Neither shall he go in to any dead body, nor defile himself for his father, or for his mother;
Parallel translations
- WEB He must not go in to any dead body, or defile himself for his father, or for his mother.
- BSB He must not go near any dead body; he must not defile himself, even for his father or mother.
- NKJV nor shall he go near any dead body, nor defile himself for his father or his mother;
- NASB nor shall he approach any dead person, nor defile himself even for his father or his mother;
- NLT He must not defile himself by going near a dead body. He may not make himself ceremonially unclean even for his father or mother.
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
The high priest must not approach any dead body, even his father or mother. His consecration to God took precedence over the closest family ties.
Overview
Unlike ordinary priests, the high priest was forbidden contact even with deceased parents, the strictest standard of separation from death's defilement. His unbroken holiness preserved his fitness to enter God's presence on Israel's behalf. This anticipates Jesus, whose perfect, undefiled life qualifies Him as the mediator who entered the true sanctuary once for all.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Num 19:14This is the law, when a man dieth in a tent: all that come into the tent, and all that is in the tent, shall be unclean seven days.
- Num 6:7He shall not make himself unclean for his father, or for his mother, for his brother, or for his sister, when they die: because the consecration of his God is upon his head.
- Lev 21:1–2And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto the priests the sons of Aaron, and say unto them, There shall none be defiled for the dead among his people:
- Lev 19:28Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD.
- 2 Cor 5:16Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.
- Matt 8:21–22And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.
- Luke 9:59–60And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.
- Luke 14:26If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
- Matt 12:46–50While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him.
- Deut 33:9Who said unto his father and to his mother, I have not seen him; neither did he acknowledge his brethren, nor knew his own children: for they have observed thy word, and kept thy covenant.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Every sacrifice, every priest, and every day of atonement points beyond itself to the one perfect offering and the great High Priest who, by his own blood, makes the unclean holy once for all.
How Leviticus 21:11 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.