And he shall take a wife in her virginity.
Parallel translations
- WEB “‘He shall take a wife in her virginity.
- BSB The woman he marries must be a virgin.
- 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 21:7They shall not take a wife that is a whore, or profane; neither shall they take a woman put away from her husband: for he is holy unto his God.
- 2 Cor 11:2For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
- Ezek 44:22Neither 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.
- Rev 14:4These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto 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.