He is not to defile himself for those related to him by marriage, and so profane himself.
Parallel translations
- WEB He shall not defile himself, being a chief man among his people, to profane himself.
- KJV But he shall not defile himself, being a chief man among his people, to profane himself.
- NKJV Otherwise he shall not defile himself, being a chief man among his people, to profane himself.
- NASB He shall not defile himself as a relative by marriage among his people, so as to profane himself.
- NLT But a priest must not defile himself and make himself unclean for someone who is related to him only by marriage.
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 must not defile himself for relatives by marriage and so profane himself. His leadership demanded careful guarding of his holy status.
Overview
As a 'chief man among his people,' the priest's defilement carried wider consequences than an ordinary person's. The verse (though debated in its exact rendering) restricts mourning to blood relatives, not those related only by marriage. The principle is clear: spiritual leaders bear a special responsibility to guard their consecration to God.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 1
- Ezek 24:16–17“Son of man, behold, I am about to take away the desire of your eyes with a fatal blow. But you must not mourn or weep or let your tears flow.
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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 21:4 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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