Leviticus 21 14

Leviticus 21:14 kjv

A widow, or a divorced woman, or profane, or an harlot, these shall he not take: but he shall take a virgin of his own people to wife.

Leviticus 21:14 nkjv

A widow or a divorced woman or a defiled woman or a harlot?these he shall not marry; but he shall take a virgin of his own people as wife.

Leviticus 21:14 niv

He must not marry a widow, a divorced woman, or a woman defiled by prostitution, but only a virgin from his own people,

Leviticus 21:14 esv

A widow, or a divorced woman, or a woman who has been defiled, or a prostitute, these he shall not marry. But he shall take as his wife a virgin of his own people,

Leviticus 21:14 nlt

He may not marry a widow, a woman who is divorced, or a woman who has defiled herself by prostitution. She must be a virgin from his own clan,

Leviticus 21 verses

Leviticus 21 14 Meaning

This verse establishes strict marital requirements specifically for the High Priest, setting him apart from common priests. It prohibits him from marrying a widow, a divorced woman, a woman defiled by prostitution, or any other woman who would render his lineage or office unholy. Instead, he is commanded to marry a virgin from within his own Israelite people. This regulation underscored the supreme importance of purity and sanctity required for the individual who served as the highest spiritual representative of the nation before God.

Leviticus 21 14 Context

Leviticus 21 details specific laws for priests and the high priest concerning their ceremonial purity and fitness for service in the tabernacle. These regulations encompassed physical requirements (no blemishes or defects), conduct (mourning rites, abstaining from wine during service), and crucially, marriage partners. The general purpose of these laws was to maintain the holiness of God's sanctuary and the integrity of those who mediated between God and Israel.

Verses 1-9 discuss the requirements for common priests, including prohibitions against certain mourning practices and specific types of women they may not marry (a prostitute, a defiled woman, or a divorced woman). Verse 7 permits them to marry a virgin.

However, Leviticus 21:10-15 introduces even stricter rules for the High Priest (often called "the priest who is highest among his brothers"). He has special anointing and bears significant responsibility for atonement for the nation. His conduct and household must therefore exemplify an even higher standard of consecration. His body, hair, clothing, and even his family members must be beyond reproach, reflecting the perfect holiness of God whom he represents. Leviticus 21:13 explicitly states the High Priest must marry a virgin, and verse 14 then lists the specific categories of women he must not marry, reiterating the demand for a pure marital lineage to maintain the sanctity of his unique office and ensure a pure priestly line.

Leviticus 21 14 Word analysis

• He must not marry (`lō' yiqqah`): A strong, prohibitive divine command. It signifies an absolute boundary, not merely advice. The holiness of the high priest's office leaves no room for compromise.
• a widow (`'almānah`): A woman whose husband has died. While allowed for common priests (Lev 21:7 mentions general "widow" implicitly by not prohibiting, while Ezek 44:22 explicitly allows "widows of priests" for future priests), she is prohibited for the High Priest. This prohibition ensures the High Priest's wife would not carry any prior lineage or connection from another family, nor any 'taint' of mourning, ensuring his complete devotion to his sacred role.
• a divorced woman (`gĕrûshah`): A woman who has been separated from her husband. Marriage to a divorced woman would involve a prior broken covenant, potentially contentious issues, or a prior legal process which could introduce ceremonial impurity or worldly entanglements into the high priestly household.
• a woman defiled by prostitution (`'ishshah chalalah zōnah`): This phrase emphasizes extreme spiritual and ceremonial impurity.
  • `chalalah` (חללה): From `chalal`, meaning "profaned," "defiled," "unholy," or "common." It describes a person or thing that has lost its sacred or pure status, making it unfit for holy use. This goes beyond ceremonial impurity and signifies a desecration.
  • `zōnah` (זונה): "Harlot" or "prostitute." This clearly designates someone engaged in forbidden sexual practices. Marrying such a woman would utterly profane the high priestly office, which symbolizes purity and faithfulness to God. This prohibition underlines the stark contrast between God's holiness and sexual sin.
• or any other detestable woman (`'ishshah chalalah`): This general category acts as a catch-all, reiterating that any woman who would make his household or lineage `chalal` (profane/defiled) is forbidden. This extends the prohibition beyond merely the examples given to cover any circumstance that might render her unholy or reduce the sacred stature of the High Priest's family.
• But he is to marry (`kī 'im... yiqqaḥ`): A strong positive command, contrasting with the preceding prohibitions.
• a virgin (`bĕthûlah`): An untouched, pure woman who has never been married. This requirement signifies purity, new beginnings, and an exclusive relationship. It ensures the most unblemished and sanctified family foundation for the High Priest, free from any past allegiances or defilement.
• from his own people (`mim-ammav`): This specifies an Israelite woman. It reinforces national and tribal purity, preventing foreign alliances that could lead to idolatry (as warned in Deut 7:3-4) or a blurring of Israel's unique identity as God's chosen people. It also signifies tribal integrity, as priests were to be of Aaron's line.

Leviticus 21 14 Bonus section

The distinction between tame' (unclean) and chalal (profaned/common) is critical. While other laws dealt with "uncleanness" (e.g., from touching a carcass, menstruation), chalal refers to a state of being rendered "unholy" or "desecrated" from a consecrated state, or a failure to maintain a high level of sanctification. Marriage to a chalalah (profaned woman) would directly profane the High Priest and his offspring, impacting the sanctity of his entire future line. The High Priest was forbidden even from engaging in the typical expressions of mourning for close family, showing the supreme level of dedication required (Lev 21:10-12). This further emphasizes why his marriage had to be completely unburdened by anything perceived as 'unclean' or 'profaned'. This intense focus on an unblemished marital state underscored the idea that the High Priest, as the highest spiritual figure, had to represent an undefiled, covenantal faithfulness akin to a pure bride to God, serving as a symbolic anticipation of Christ and His unblemished relationship with His Church.

Leviticus 21 14 Commentary

Leviticus 21:14 highlights the exceptional purity required for the High Priest, who stood as Israel's chief mediator before a holy God. Unlike ordinary priests who could marry certain widows, the High Priest's mandate was absolute: only a virgin, and specifically an Israelite virgin, was acceptable. This stringent requirement was multi-faceted. First, it protected the High Priest from any association with a previous marriage's complexities, the potential defilement of prostitution, or any prior "profane" status, ensuring his wife was an embodiment of untarnished newness and purity. Second, it maintained the sacred integrity of the Aaronic priestly lineage, ensuring that the bloodline remained "clean" and distinct, symbolically reflecting Israel's unique covenant relationship with Yahweh. Any compromise in the High Priest's family reflected on the entire nation and on God's own holiness. This rule, therefore, reinforced the ideal of covenant faithfulness, pointing to the flawless perfection of Christ, the true High Priest, whose divine nature ensures absolute purity and mediation without blemish.