or his virgin sister who depends on him because she has no husband.
Parallel translations
- WEB and for his virgin sister who is near to him, who has had no husband; for her he may defile himself.
- KJV And for his sister a virgin, that is nigh unto him, which hath had no husband; for her may he be defiled.
- BSB or his unmarried sister who is near to him, since she has no husband.
- NKJV also his virgin sister who is near to him, who has had no husband, for her he may defile himself.
- NASB also for his virgin sister who is near to him because she has not had a husband; for her, he may defile himself.
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
A priest could also defile himself for an unmarried sister still dependent on him. God's law honors the ongoing duty of family care.
Overview
An unmarried sister, lacking a husband to bury her, remained under her brother's responsibility, so he could attend to her death. This extends the compassionate exception of the previous verse. The provision reflects God's care for the vulnerable and the priest's obligations within his household, even amid the demands of holiness.
Cross-references & the web
No cross-references recorded for this verse.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 21:3 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.