Leviticus 21:23 kjv
Only he shall not go in unto the vail, nor come nigh unto the altar, because he hath a blemish; that he profane not my sanctuaries: for I the LORD do sanctify them.
Leviticus 21:23 nkjv
only he shall not go near the veil or approach the altar, because he has a defect, lest he profane My sanctuaries; for I the LORD sanctify them.' "
Leviticus 21:23 niv
yet because of his defect, he must not go near the curtain or approach the altar, and so desecrate my sanctuary. I am the LORD, who makes them holy.'?"
Leviticus 21:23 esv
but he shall not go through the veil or approach the altar, because he has a blemish, that he may not profane my sanctuaries, for I am the LORD who sanctifies them."
Leviticus 21:23 nlt
Yet because of his physical defect, he may not enter the room behind the inner curtain or approach the altar, for this would defile my holy places. I am the LORD who makes them holy."
Leviticus 21 23 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Holiness of God & Sanctuary | ||
| Lev 11:44-45 | "For I am the Lord your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves... for I am holy." | God's inherent holiness sets the standard for His people. |
| Exod 29:43-44 | "...and the tabernacle... shall be sanctified by my glory." | God's divine presence makes the sanctuary holy. |
| Num 16:37-38 | "Take the censers... for they are hallowed... they are become hallowed." | Sacred objects and actions become holy by connection to God's service. |
| Isa 6:3 | "...Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts..." | Emphasizes the supreme, repeated holiness of God. |
| Hab 2:20 | "But the Lord is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him." | God's dwelling demands profound reverence and awe. |
| Priesthood Requirements & Flawlessness | ||
| Lev 10:3 | "...I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me..." | God requires holiness from those consecrated to Him. |
| Lev 22:19-25 | "Ye shall offer at your own will a male without blemish..." | Sacrifices offered to God must also be physically perfect. |
| Deut 15:21 | "And if there be any blemish therein, as if it be lame, or blind... thou shalt not sacrifice it..." | Reinforces the prohibition of flawed offerings to God. |
| Mal 1:8 | "...if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil?..." | Condemnation for presenting defiled or imperfect offerings. |
| Ezek 44:9 | "...No stranger, uncircumcised in heart... shall enter into my sanctuary..." | Expands holiness requirement to internal (spiritual) condition. |
| Heb 7:26-28 | "...Such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners..." | Christ, the ultimate High Priest, is entirely without blemish. |
| The Veil & Access to God | ||
| Exod 26:33-34 | "And thou shalt hang up the vail... and the vail shall divide..." | Describes the veil as the separator between the Holy Place and Most Holy Place. |
| Matt 27:51 | "And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain..." | The tearing of the temple veil at Christ's death signifies direct access to God. |
| Mark 15:38 | "And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom." | Confirms the dramatic tearing of the veil at the crucifixion. |
| Luke 23:45 | "And the veil of the temple was rent in the midst." | Records the significant tearing of the temple veil. |
| Heb 9:3 | "...behind the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all;" | The veil guarded direct entry to God's most sacred presence. |
| Heb 10:19-20 | "Having therefore... boldness to enter... through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;" | Christ's perfect sacrifice provides a "new and living way" through His torn flesh into God's presence. |
| Spiritual Blemish & New Covenant Purity | ||
| Ps 51:5 | "Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me." | Acknowledges innate human imperfection due to sin. |
| Isa 6:5 | "Then said I, Woe is me!... I am a man of unclean lips..." | Awareness of one's own spiritual defilement before God's holiness. |
| Rom 3:23 | "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" | All humanity is spiritually "blemished" by sin and cannot meet God's standard. |
| 1 Pet 1:15-16 | "...be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy." | New Covenant believers are called to live holy lives mirroring God's holiness. |
| 1 Pet 2:5 | "Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood..." | Believers are collectively designated a "holy priesthood" in Christ, not based on physical perfection. |
| Rev 1:6 | "And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father..." | All believers are endowed with a priestly status in the New Covenant through Christ. |
Leviticus 21 verses
Leviticus 21 23 Meaning
Leviticus 21:23 declares that a priest with any physical blemish is strictly prohibited from entering the inner veil of the Tabernacle (the Holy of Holies) or approaching the altar to minister. The purpose of this stringent rule is to prevent the desecration or defilement of God's holy places, which He Himself consecrates. This verse emphasizes the absolute holiness of God and the perfection and integrity required of those who minister in His presence and interact with His sacred dwelling under the Old Covenant system.
Leviticus 21 23 Context
Leviticus 21 details the stringent purity and holiness requirements for the Israelite priesthood. Priests were consecrated to YHWH and had a unique, separated status from common Israelites, making them special intermediaries. Verses 16-23 specifically enumerate physical conditions or "blemishes" that would disqualify a priest from performing active service near the most sacred components of the Tabernacle—namely the veil and the altar—though he could still consume the holy food portions (Lev 21:22). This directive served to visually represent the perfect and whole character of God and underscore the sanctity of the Tabernacle, His dwelling place, in a cultural environment where purity, wholeness, and separation were crucial distinctions in approaching the divine, often in contrast to flawed pagan worship practices.
Leviticus 21 23 Word analysis
- Only he shall not go into: The Hebrew particle 'akh (אַךְ), translated as "only," conveys an emphatic restriction, setting a precise boundary or exclusion for priestly service.
- the veil (פָּרֹכֶת - parokhet): This refers specifically to the elaborately woven curtain in the Tabernacle that demarcated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place (Holy of Holies), where the Ark of the Covenant was housed, symbolizing God's presence. Its function was to restrict access to only the High Priest, once a year on Yom Kippur, highlighting the inaccessibility of God's ultimate holiness due to sin.
- nor come nigh (נגשׁ - nagash) unto the altar (מִזְבֵּחַ - mizbeach): To "come nigh" implies drawing close for official service or offering. Given the mention of "the veil," this "altar" most likely refers to the Golden Altar of Incense situated immediately before the veil in the Holy Place, not the large Bronze Altar of Burnt Offering in the outer courtyard. Thus, a blemished priest could not perform incense duties, which brought one into closest proximity to God's presence before the Most Holy Place.
- because he hath a blemish (מוּם - mum): The term mum denotes any physical defect, imperfection, or bodily deformity, as enumerated in Lev 21:18-20 (e.g., blindness, lameness, skin diseases). This requirement for physical wholeness was not a statement against the dignity of persons with disabilities, but a symbolic reflection of the perfect nature of the God whom the priests represented and served. It pointed to the necessity of untainted integrity in His holy presence.
- that he profane (חָלַל - chalal) not my sanctuaries (מִקְדָּשִׁים - mikdashim): "Profane" means to desecrate, to render common or defiled, or to pollute what is holy. This grave consequence emphasizes the absolute purity demanded in worship. "Sanctuaries" in the plural typically encompasses both the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place, underscoring that the entire consecrated area was sacred and susceptible to defilement through improper approach.
- for I the Lord (יְהוָה - YHWH) do sanctify (קָדַשׁ - qadash) them: This concluding statement from God Himself, using His covenant name YHWH, provides the ultimate theological justification. He is the one who dedicates and sets apart these places as holy. Therefore, violating these strictures is not merely a breach of ritual, but a direct affront to His character and His divine authority in making things sacred.
Leviticus 21 23 Bonus section
The requirements for a physically perfect priesthood in the Old Covenant served as vital foreshadowing for the perfect, sinless Priesthood of Christ. These temporary rules concerning blemishes taught fundamental truths about God's nature and the severity of sin, preparing the people for a more complete understanding. The parokhet (veil) and mizbeach (altar) represent points of utmost intimacy and approach to God, making their protection from profanation paramount in the Old Testament cult. The ultimate implication is that humanity's inherent spiritual blemish (sin) made access to a holy God impossible until the perfect mediator removed the barrier.
Leviticus 21 23 Commentary
Leviticus 21:23 underscores the Old Covenant's emphasis on God's transcendent holiness and His demand for absolute perfection in the sacred spaces and rituals of His worship. While seemingly focused on physical defects, the prohibition against blemished priests serving near the veil and altar was deeply symbolic. It visually reinforced that anything entering God's sacred presence, whether offerings or ministers, must be whole and undefiled, representing the purity of the One being served. This ordinance prefigured the indispensable need for an utterly perfect High Priest and sacrifice to atone for humanity's inherent spiritual blemishes (sin). Jesus Christ perfectly fulfilled this by offering Himself, "without blemish," opening the new and living way to God through the tearing of His flesh (the veil). Under the New Covenant, access to God is no longer limited by physical state but granted by Christ's spiritual perfection, establishing believers as a "holy priesthood" with direct access to God.