And 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:
Parallel translations
- WEB Yahweh said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them, ‘A priest shall not defile himself for the dead among his people;
- BSB Then the LORD said to Moses, “Speak to Aaron’s sons, the priests, and tell them that a priest is not to defile himself for a dead person among his people,
- NKJV And the Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them: ‘None shall defile himself for the dead among his people,
- NASB Then the Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them: ‘No one shall defile himself for a dead person among his people,
- NLT The Lord said to Moses, “Give the following instructions to the priests, the descendants of Aaron. “A priest must not make himself ceremonially unclean by touching the dead body of a relative.
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 priests, Aaron's sons, must not defile themselves by contact with the dead among their people. Their holy office required heightened separation from ritual impurity.
Overview
Death, the consequence of sin, brought ritual defilement, and priests who served at God's altar were held to stricter standards than ordinary Israelites. By avoiding such defilement, they preserved their fitness to mediate between God and the people. This points to Christ, our great High Priest, who is holy and undefiled (Heb. 7:26) and who conquered death itself.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Ezek 44:25And they shall come at no dead person to defile themselves: but for father, or for mother, or for son, or for daughter, for brother, or for sister that hath had no husband, they may defile themselves.
- Lev 21:11Neither shall he go in to any dead body, nor defile himself for his father, or for his mother;
- 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.
- Lev 19:28Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD.
- Lev 10:6–7And Moses said unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar, his sons, Uncover not your heads, neither rend your clothes; lest ye die, and lest wrath come upon all the people: but let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which the LORD hath kindled.
- Num 19:16And whosoever toucheth one that is slain with a sword in the open fields, or a dead body, or a bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days.
- Mal 2:1And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you.
- Mal 2:4And ye shall know that I have sent this commandment unto you, that my covenant might be with Levi, saith the LORD of hosts.
- Hos 5:1Hear ye this, O priests; and hearken, ye house of Israel; and give ye ear, O house of the king; for judgment is toward you, because ye have been a snare on Mizpah, and a net spread upon Tabor.
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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 21:1 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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