Leviticus 21:21 kjv
No man that hath a blemish of the seed of Aaron the priest shall come nigh to offer the offerings of the LORD made by fire: he hath a blemish; he shall not come nigh to offer the bread of his God.
Leviticus 21:21 nkjv
No man of the descendants of Aaron the priest, who has a defect, shall come near to offer the offerings made by fire to the LORD. He has a defect; he shall not come near to offer the bread of his God.
Leviticus 21:21 niv
No descendant of Aaron the priest who has any defect is to come near to present the food offerings to the LORD. He has a defect; he must not come near to offer the food of his God.
Leviticus 21:21 esv
No man of the offspring of Aaron the priest who has a blemish shall come near to offer the LORD's food offerings; since he has a blemish, he shall not come near to offer the bread of his God.
Leviticus 21:21 nlt
No descendant of Aaron who has a defect may approach the altar to present special gifts to the LORD. Since he has a defect, he may not approach the altar to offer food to his God.
Leviticus 21 21 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Lev 21:16-20 | Speak to Aaron... if he has a defect... blindness, lameness, dwarfism... | Lists specific physical defects. |
| Lev 21:22 | He may eat the food of his God, both of the most holy and of the holy things. | Defect bars service, not sustenance from holy things. |
| Lev 22:19-25 | You shall offer... a male without blemish... whatever has a blemish, you shall not offer... | Sacrifices must also be without blemish. |
| Deut 15:21 | But if it has any defect, any blemish, you shall not sacrifice it... | Reiterates the purity of animal offerings. |
| Deut 17:1 | You shall not sacrifice to the LORD your God an ox or a sheep in which is a blemish... | Emphasizes perfect offerings for God. |
| Mal 1:8 | When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is it not evil? And when you offer those that are lame or sick, is it not evil? | Rebukes for disrespecting God with blemished sacrifices. |
| Exod 28:36 | You shall make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, like the engraving of a signet, “Holy to the LORD.” | Holiness inscribed on the high priest. |
| Exod 30:18-21 | Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet from it, when they go into the tent of meeting... | Priestly cleansing before approaching God. |
| Num 16:5 | The LORD will show who is His, and who is holy, and who will come near to Him... | God's designation of those permitted to draw near. |
| Heb 7:26 | For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners... | Christ, the perfect, sinless High Priest. |
| Heb 9:14 | How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God... | Christ's flawless self-sacrifice. |
| Heb 10:1 | For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities... | Law as a shadow, Christ as the fulfillment. |
| 1 Pet 1:19 | ...redeemed... with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. | Christ, the blemish-free atoning sacrifice. |
| Eph 5:27 | ...that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and blameless. | Church presented pure by Christ. |
| Col 1:22 | He has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him. | Believers reconciled and made blameless. |
| 1 Tim 3:2 | Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife... | Moral "blamelessness" for NT leadership. |
| Titus 1:7 | For an overseer, as God's steward, must be above reproach... | Integrity required for elders. |
| Rom 12:1 | Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. | Call for spiritual wholeness in worship. |
| 1 Cor 6:19-20 | Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit... therefore glorify God in your body. | Sanctity of the believer's body as God's dwelling. |
| 2 Cor 7:1 | ...let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God. | Call for inner and outer spiritual cleansing. |
| Matt 23:27-28 | Woe to you... for you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead bones... | Inner purity more crucial than mere outward appearance. |
| Psa 51:17 | The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise. | Internal disposition emphasized for acceptable sacrifice. |
Leviticus 21 verses
Leviticus 21 21 Meaning
Leviticus 21:21 declares that no descendant of Aaron who has a physical defect is permitted to approach the altar or perform priestly duties, specifically offering the Lord's food offerings. This prohibition underscored the absolute holiness of God and the strict standard of ceremonial perfection required from His appointed priests who mediated between Him and the people, and from the offerings themselves within the Old Covenant worship system.
Leviticus 21 21 Context
Leviticus 21 focuses entirely on the laws of priestly holiness, underscoring the high standards required of those set apart to minister in God's presence. These regulations govern their marriages, their conduct during mourning, and crucially, their physical qualifications for performing sacred service. Verse 21 functions as a concluding summary statement after verses 18-20 have enumerated a specific list of physical blemishes that would disqualify a priest from service at the altar. This exacting standard was foundational to the Old Covenant worship, emphasizing God's perfect holiness and the need for flawless representatives and offerings. The rule distinguished Israel's worship from surrounding pagan practices that might have incorporated flawed offerings or personnel, highlighting the unique nature of Israel's God. It wasn't about the individual's inherent worth but the symbolic purity necessary for the ritual duties that prefigured a perfect redemption.
Leviticus 21 21 Word analysis
- No man (לֹא אִישׁ - lo' ’ish): A strong negative prohibition, explicitly stating "not a male person." This firmly restricts priestly service to physically unblemished males of the Aaronic line.
- of the offspring of Aaron (מִזֶּרַע אַהֲרֹן - miz-zera‘ ’aharôn): This phrase specifies the hereditary and exclusive nature of the Old Covenant priesthood. It means "from the seed" or "descendants" of Aaron, confirming that this rule applied only to those in the divinely appointed priestly lineage.
- who has a defect (אֲשֶׁר בּוֹ מוּם - ’asher bō mûm): The critical term here is mûm, which translates to "blemish," "defect," or "spot." As defined in verses 18-20, these are specific physical deformities (e.g., blindness, lameness, hunchback, eye defects, etc.). The presence of any such mûm symbolized imperfection, rendering a priest unfit for ceremonial functions, particularly for representing a perfectly holy God.
- shall approach (לֹא יִקְרַב - lo' yiqrab): This literally means "shall not draw near." In the context of the Tabernacle and Temple, "drawing near" signified the act of entering the sacred precincts and actively participating in the liturgical duties at the altar or within the sanctuary.
- to offer (לְהַקְרִיב - ləhaqrib): Means "to bring near, to present." It refers specifically to the priestly act of bringing sacrifices and other consecrated items forward for presentation before God on the altar, emphasizing the specific ritual from which those with defects were barred.
- the Lord's food offerings (אִשֵּׁה יְהוָה - ’ishshēh YHWH): ’ishsheh denotes an "offering made by fire" to Yahweh. "Food offerings" is a metaphorical term expressing the notion that these consecrated sacrifices were presented to God and were acceptable to Him, consumed on His altar by fire, symbolizing intimate communion and complete dedication.
- "No man... who has a defect shall approach to offer": This entire phrase encapsulates the core principle: outward, physical integrity was essential for performing sacred service. This was not about personal worth, as blemished priests could still eat of the holy things (Lev 21:22), but about the symbolic requirement for ceremonial roles. It underlined the perfect nature of God and the standard of excellence expected from those mediating before Him and the sacrifices they presented.
Leviticus 21 21 Bonus section
The concept of "blemish" (mûm) extended beyond mere physical defects to encompass any imperfection or spot, symbolizing anything less than absolute purity in approaching God. This foreshadowed the New Covenant emphasis on being presented "without spot or wrinkle" (Eph 5:27) before Christ. The Old Testament requirement served as a pedagogical tool, deeply imprinting on the people the profound reverence and utmost care necessary when dealing with God and holy things. It set an external boundary that constantly reminded them of God's transcendently holy nature and the standard of perfection needed for a relationship with Him, which could ultimately only be achieved through Christ. While a disabled priest could not perform altar duties, his value as a member of God's covenant people remained, indicating that these rules were ceremonial-specific rather than a statement on human worth or a ban from community.
Leviticus 21 21 Commentary
Leviticus 21:21 is a foundational directive concerning priestly qualifications in Old Covenant worship. It demonstrates God's demand for physical wholeness from those who served at His altar. The primary reason for this seemingly harsh regulation was symbolic, not discriminatory. Physical perfection in the priest mirrored the required blemish-free nature of the sacrifices themselves (Lev 22:19), both pointing to the absolute holiness and perfection of God. These regulations distinguished the holy God of Israel from pagan deities and their often less demanding rites. While the individual with a defect was not considered less human or valuable, their physical blemish was incompatible with the profound symbolic function of representing a flawless God in sacred rituals. Ultimately, these requirements served as a profound type or shadow, anticipating the coming of Jesus Christ, the one true High Priest (Heb 7:26). He alone perfectly fulfilled this requirement of being "without blemish" (Heb 9:14; 1 Pet 1:19), offering Himself as the flawless sacrifice, thereby providing perfect and eternal reconciliation. In the New Covenant, the emphasis shifts from physical perfection to spiritual and moral integrity (1 Tim 3:2; Titus 1:7) for those leading the church, maintaining the core principle of holiness for those who draw near to God in service.