so that he will not dishonor his descendants among his clan, for I am the Lord who makes him holy.”
Parallel translations
- WEB He shall not profane his offspring among his people, for I am Yahweh who sanctifies him.’”
- KJV Neither shall he profane his seed among his people: for I the LORD do sanctify 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.’ ”
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 in the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified in the husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy.
- Rom 11:16If the first fruit is holy, so is the lump. If the root is holy, so are the branches.
- Lev 21:8You shall sanctify him therefore; for he offers the bread of your God. He shall be holy to you; for I Yahweh, who sanctify you, am holy.
- Mal 2:11Judah has dealt treacherously, and an abomination is committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah has profaned the holiness of Yahweh which he loves, and has married the daughter of a foreign god.
- Gen 18:19For I have known him, to the end that he may command his children and his household after him, that they may keep the way of Yahweh, to do righteousness and justice; to the end that Yahweh may bring on Abraham that which he has spoken of him.”
- Ezra 9:2For they have taken of their daughters for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy offspring have mixed themselves with the peoples of the lands. Yes, the hand of the princes and rulers has been chief in this trespass.”
- Ezra 2:62These sought their place among those who were registered by genealogy, but they were not found: therefore were they deemed disqualified and removed from the priesthood.
- Mal 2:15Did he not make you one, although he had the residue of the Spirit? Why one? He sought godly offspring. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let no one deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.
- Neh 13:23–29In those days I also saw the Jews who had married women of Ashdod, of Ammon, and of Moab;
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 21:15 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
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.