The woman he marries must be a virgin.
Parallel translations
- WEB “‘He shall take a wife in her virginity.
- KJV And he shall take a wife in her virginity.
- NKJV And he shall take a wife in her virginity.
- NASB He shall take a wife in her virginity.
- NLT “The high priest may marry only a virgin.
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 marry a woman who is a virgin. His marriage was to reflect the purity of his exalted office.
Overview
The highest priestly office carried the highest standard for marriage, requiring a wife of unblemished purity. This guarded the holiness and integrity of the priestly line that represented God to the nation. It foreshadows the pure bride, the church, that the true High Priest cleanses and presents to Himself without spot (Eph. 5:27).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- 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.
- 2 Cor 11:2I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. For I promised you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ.
- Ezek 44:22And 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.
- Rev 14:4These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they are virgins. They follow the Lamb wherever He goes. They have been redeemed from among men as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb.
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 21:13 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.