Leviticus 21:2 kjv
But for his kin, that is near unto him, that is, for his mother, and for his father, and for his son, and for his daughter, and for his brother.
Leviticus 21:2 nkjv
except for his relatives who are nearest to him: his mother, his father, his son, his daughter, and his brother;
Leviticus 21:2 niv
except for a close relative, such as his mother or father, his son or daughter, his brother,
Leviticus 21:2 esv
except for his closest relatives, his mother, his father, his son, his daughter, his brother,
Leviticus 21:2 nlt
The only exceptions are his closest relatives ? his mother or father, son or daughter, brother,
Leviticus 21 2 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Lev 21:1 | "Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them: ‘No one... must defile himself...'" | Introduces laws specific to priestly purity. |
| Lev 21:3 | "...for his near kin of his family, for his mother, or for his father, or for his son, or for his daughter, or for his brother..." | Specifies narrow exceptions for closest family members. |
| Lev 21:11 | "nor go near any dead body; he shall not defile himself even for his father or his mother." | Stricter rule for the high priest: no exceptions. |
| Num 6:6-7 | "All the days that he separates himself to the Lord he shall not go near a dead body... nor for his father or mother..." | Similar purity laws for a Nazirite vow. |
| Num 19:11 | "Whoever touches the dead body of any person shall be unclean for seven days." | General law for defilement by a corpse for all Israelites. |
| Lev 10:10 | "...that you may distinguish between holy and profane, and between unclean and clean..." | Priests' role to discern and maintain purity. |
| Ezek 44:25 | "They shall not come near a dead person to defile themselves, except for father or mother..." | Echoes Levitical law regarding priestly defilement. |
| Hag 2:13 | "If one who is unclean by reason of a dead body touches any of these, will it be unclean?" | Highlights the transfer of ritual impurity. |
| 1 Pet 2:9 | "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession..." | New Testament concept of believers as a spiritual priesthood. |
| Heb 7:26 | "For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled..." | Describes Christ's perfect, inherently pure priesthood. |
| Luke 7:14 | "[Jesus] came and touched the bier... And the dead man sat up and began to speak..." | Jesus, being Lord over death, was not defiled by touching a corpse. |
| John 11:43-44 | "[Jesus] cried with a loud voice, 'Lazarus, come out!' The man who had died came out..." | Jesus' power over death supersedes ritual impurity laws. |
| 2 Cor 6:17 | "Therefore, come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing..." | New Testament call for believers to spiritual separation and purity. |
| Rom 6:11 | "So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus." | Believers' spiritual state of being 'dead' to defiling sin. |
| Eph 5:3 | "But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity..." | Emphasizes spiritual purity for all New Testament believers. |
| 1 Pet 1:15 | "But as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct..." | Universal call to holiness for God's people. |
| Rom 12:1 | "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God..." | Encouragement for a consecrated, holy life as worship. |
| Matt 23:27 | "Woe to you... for you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness." | Spiritual defilement versus outward appearance of purity. |
| Acts 10:15 | "What God has made clean, do not call common." | Illustrates the shift from ceremonial defilement to spiritual purity. |
| Tit 1:15 | "To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure..." | The inward state of a person affects what they perceive as pure/defiled. |
| Jas 1:27 | "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction..." | Practical compassion as an act of genuine spiritual purity. |
| Rev 21:27 | "But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false..." | The ultimate state of purity in the New Jerusalem. |
Leviticus 21 verses
Leviticus 21 2 Meaning
Leviticus 21:2 forbids the ordinary priests of Israel from contracting ritual defilement by touching or having close proximity to a dead human body. This prohibition underscores their unique calling to maintain a heightened state of ritual purity, making them distinct from the rest of the Israelite community, even in matters of mourning and familial obligations. This distinction was crucial for their ability to serve in the tabernacle, where God’s holy presence dwelt.
Leviticus 21 2 Context
Leviticus 21 details specific laws for priests, establishing a higher standard of purity and conduct compared to the general Israelite population. This chapter follows laws concerning general holiness (Leviticus 19-20) and precedes instructions on proper offerings (Leviticus 22). The verse under analysis is part of the initial set of instructions outlining who among "his people" an ordinary priest is allowed to mourn for without becoming ritually defiled, thus temporarily disqualified from sanctuary service. The stringent rules reflect the sanctity of their office and their proximity to God's presence in the Tabernacle. Death was seen as the antithesis of life and purity, and thus the most potent source of ritual impurity in the ancient Israelite worldview.
Leviticus 21 2 Word analysis
- None (לֹ֥א - lo'): This strong negative particle initiates an absolute prohibition. It signifies that this is a direct, categorical command for all regular priests, establishing a foundational boundary for their consecrated lifestyle.
- is to defile himself (יִטַּמָּא֙ - yiṭṭammā'): Derived from the Hebrew root טָמֵא (ṭāmē'), meaning "to be ritually unclean" or "to defile." The grammatical form (Niphal imperfect) conveys a reflexive or passive sense: "he shall become defiled" or "he shall let himself be defiled." This highlights personal responsibility in maintaining ritual purity. It refers specifically to ritual impurity, which could disqualify one from performing sacred duties, rather than a moral failing.
- for a dead person (לְנֶ֧פֶשׁ מֵ֛ת - lə·nē·p̄eš mēt):
- לְ (lə-): A preposition meaning "for" or "concerning," indicating the object of the defilement.
- נֶפֶשׁ מֵ֖ת (nēp̄eš mēt): Literally "soul of dead," this is a common Hebrew idiom for a human corpse. In the biblical understanding, death is inherently linked to sin and the corruption of creation, standing in opposition to God, who is the source of all life and purity. Contact with a corpse was considered the most significant source of ritual uncleanness under the Mosaic Law.
- among his people (בְּעַמָּֽיו - bəʿammāw):
- בְּ (bə-): The preposition "in" or "among."
- עַמָּֽיו (ʿammāw): "His people," specifically referring to the Israelites. This phrase implies that the prohibition applies even to those within his own community and nation, not just foreign or enemy dead. It emphasizes the unique status of the priest even within the holy nation of Israel.
Leviticus 21 2 Bonus section
The specific exceptions to this defilement rule, listed in the verses immediately following (Lev 21:3-4), are crucial to a full understanding: a regular priest could defile himself for a deceased mother, father, son, daughter, brother, or virgin sister who lived with him. However, the High Priest was under an even stricter prohibition; Leviticus 21:11 explicitly states he could not defile himself for anyone, not even his own father or mother. This hierarchy of holiness reinforces the escalating degree of sanctity expected commensurate with one's proximity to the most holy aspects of God's presence. In the New Covenant, while literal contact with the dead no longer brings ritual impurity (as seen in Christ's power over death), the spiritual principle remains: believers, as a "royal priesthood," are called to separate themselves from spiritual defilement (sin, worldliness) to be able to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God.
Leviticus 21 2 Commentary
Leviticus 21:2 reveals the intense gravity of the priest's office and his call to distinct holiness before Yahweh. The prohibition against defilement by a corpse served not only as a practical measure to maintain ritual purity for Tabernacle service but also carried profound symbolic meaning. Death represented the ultimate corruption of God's perfect creation, the result of sin, and was thus antithetical to God's life-giving presence. Priests, serving as mediators and reflections of divine holiness, had to maintain separation from this powerful source of impurity. Their very presence near a corpse would contaminate them, rendering them unfit to approach the Holy God or handle sacred items. This law underscores that God's people, especially those in leadership, must be set apart, demonstrating through their lifestyle the purity and separation that belong to the Creator from the fallen world.