Neither shall he profane his seed among his people: for I the LORD do sanctify him.
Parallel translations
- WEB He shall not profane his offspring among his people, for I am Yahweh who sanctifies him.’”
- BSB so that he does not defile his offspring among his people, for I am the LORD who sanctifies him.”
- NKJV Nor shall he profane his posterity among his people, for I the Lord sanctify him.’ ”
- NASB so that he will not profane his children among his people; for I am the Lord who sanctifies him.’ ”
- NLT so that he will not dishonor his descendants among his clan, for I am the Lord who makes him holy.”
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 profane his offspring, for it is the Lord who sanctifies him. His holy line was to remain undefiled before God.
Overview
By marrying rightly, the high priest preserved the holiness of his descendants who would continue the priestly service. The grounding clause, 'I am Yahweh who sanctifies him,' again roots holiness in God's own work. The careful guarding of the priestly line anticipates the perfect and unbroken priesthood of Christ, who needs no successor (Heb. 7:24-25).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- 1 Cor 7:14For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.
- Rom 11:16For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches.
- Lev 21:8Thou shalt sanctify him therefore; for he offereth the bread of thy God: he shall be holy unto thee: for I the LORD, which sanctify you, am holy.
- Mal 2:11Judah hath dealt treacherously, and an abomination is committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah hath profaned the holiness of the LORD which he loved, and hath married the daughter of a strange god.
- Gen 18:19For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.
- Ezra 9:2For they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sons: so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of those lands: yea, the hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass.
- Ezra 2:62These sought their register among those that were reckoned by genealogy, but they were not found: therefore were they, as polluted, put from the priesthood.
- Mal 2:15And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.
- Neh 13:23–29In those days also saw I Jews that had married wives of Ashdod, of Ammon, and of Moab:
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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 21:15 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
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