Leviticus 21:8 kjv
Thou shalt sanctify him therefore; for he offereth the bread of thy God: he shall be holy unto thee: for I the LORD, which sanctify you, am holy.
Leviticus 21:8 nkjv
Therefore you shall consecrate him, for he offers the bread of your God. He shall be holy to you, for I the LORD, who sanctify you, am holy.
Leviticus 21:8 niv
Regard them as holy, because they offer up the food of your God. Consider them holy, because I the LORD am holy?I who make you holy.
Leviticus 21:8 esv
You shall sanctify him, for he offers the bread of your God. He shall be holy to you, for I, the LORD, who sanctify you, am holy.
Leviticus 21:8 nlt
You must treat them as holy because they offer up food to your God. You must consider them holy because I, the LORD, am holy, and I make you holy.
Leviticus 21 8 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Lev 10:10 | "and that you may distinguish between holy and unholy..." | Priestly duty to discern holiness. |
| Lev 19:2 | "You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy." | Foundational call to holiness for all Israel. |
| Lev 20:7-8 | "Consecrate yourselves therefore... For I am the Lord who sanctifies you." | God's command to holiness and His role as sanctifier. |
| Exod 29:37 | "...whatever touches the altar shall be holy." | Principle of holiness transferring from holy objects. |
| Exod 31:13 | "...that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you." | God's identifier as the sanctifier, often via the Sabbath. |
| Lev 3:11, 16 | "...the priest shall burn them on the altar as food..." | Sacrifices are referred to as "food" or "bread" for the Lord. |
| Lev 21:6 | "...they are to be holy to their God and must not profane the name of their God..." | Context of the priests' personal holiness for sacred duties. |
| Deut 10:8 | "...At that time the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi..." | Levites chosen and set apart for priestly service. |
| 1 Pet 1:15-16 | "but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct..." | Echoes Lev 19:2, applies holiness to New Covenant believers. |
| 1 Pet 2:5, 9 | "...you yourselves are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood..." | New Covenant believers as a holy priesthood. |
| Heb 10:10, 14 | "By this will we have been sanctified... by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified." | Believers' sanctification through Christ's sacrifice. |
| 1 Thess 5:23 | "Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely..." | God is the ultimate agent of believers' sanctification. |
| Rom 12:1 | "I appeal to you therefore... to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God..." | Believers' call to offer themselves as spiritual worship. |
| Exod 19:6 | "...you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." | God's initial intention for Israel's priestly role among nations. |
| Num 16:5 | "...the Lord will show who is His, and who is holy..." | God designates who is holy and chosen for sacred service. |
| 2 Sam 2:7 | "...be strong, and be valiant men, for your master Saul is dead..." | Context of priests handling holy things and their death when boundaries crossed (Uzzah). |
| Ezek 44:23 | "They shall teach My people the difference between the holy and the common..." | Priests' role as instructors of God's laws and holiness. |
| Mal 1:7 | "You are presenting defiled food upon My altar..." | Condemns profanation of the altar and sacrifices. |
| Phil 2:17 | "...I am being poured out as a drink offering..." | Paul's life as a spiritual sacrifice, embodying priestly service. |
| Rev 1:6 | "...and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father..." | Believers' priestly status in the New Creation. |
Leviticus 21 verses
Leviticus 21 8 Meaning
Leviticus 21:8 establishes the absolute necessity of treating the priest as holy, based on his consecrated role in offering the "bread of God" and, fundamentally, because the Lord Himself is holy and is the one who sanctifies His people. This verse is an instruction to the Israelite community, compelling them to acknowledge and uphold the unique sanctified status of their priests. Their respect and recognition of the priest's holiness reflect their understanding of God's own holiness and His exclusive right to set apart. The priest’s ritual purity was essential for maintaining a holy relationship between God and His people through the sacrificial system.
Leviticus 21 8 Context
Leviticus 21 details specific laws for the priests, both Aaron and his sons, concerning their personal conduct, family relationships, physical characteristics, and handling of sacred objects. These regulations were designed to maintain their purity and unique holy status, which was essential for their service in the tabernacle. Unlike ordinary Israelites, priests had more stringent purity requirements because they stood between a holy God and His people, mediating access to Him through sacrifices. This particular verse, 21:8, highlights the people's responsibility to treat the priest as holy, providing the rationale that the priest offers God's food and, ultimately, God Himself is holy and the source of all sanctification. It reinforces the idea that the priest's sanctity is not arbitrary but divinely mandated, necessary for the integrity of their worship.
Leviticus 21 8 Word analysis
- You shall therefore sanctify him: This is an imperative directed at the people of Israel. The Hebrew word is qadash (קדש), meaning "to set apart, to consecrate, to make holy." It implies active acknowledgment and reverence from the community towards the priest's designated sacred status, not just passive respect. It indicates a required behavioral and attitudinal response.
- for he offers: The Hebrew verb is qarab (קרב), meaning "to draw near, to bring near, to present." Here, it signifies the priest's role as the one who brings the offerings to God, performing the sacred rituals of approach. This action is central to his function and a primary reason for his holy standing.
- the bread of your God: The Hebrew is lekhem Elohim (לחם אלהים). Lekhem generally means "food" or "bread," but in a sacrificial context, it refers to the portions of the sacrifices that were offered on the altar to God. This phrase emphasizes the sacredness of the offerings and their unique designation as God's portion. It represents the sustenance and communion between God and His people through the covenant. The act of offering it directly to God elevates the priest’s role as one handling divine provisions.
- he shall be holy to you: This reiterates the priest's inherent and required sacredness from the people's perspective. It’s not a holiness that the people grant, but one they are commanded to recognize and maintain by their conduct towards him. The priest is set apart, and the people must acknowledge this status.
- for I the Lord am holy: This is ki ani Adonai qadosh (כי אני יהוה קדוש). This phrase forms the ultimate theological bedrock for all holiness requirements in Leviticus. God’s intrinsic, unchangeable, and transcendent holiness is the ultimate standard and source. "Lord" (YHWH) emphasizes God's covenant name and His unique being. This divine characteristic necessitates the holiness of anything that comes into contact with Him or serves Him.
- who sanctify you: The Hebrew is m'qadish'khem (מקדשכם), literally "your sanctifier." This signifies that God is the active agent in setting His people apart and making them holy. This applies not just to the priests but to the entire nation of Israel, as established in earlier Levitical commands. This confirms that holiness is not achievable by human effort alone but is a divine work, empowering the priesthood and nation for their sacred calling.
- Words-group analysis:
- "You shall therefore sanctify him, for he offers the bread of your God": This part establishes the reciprocal obligation. The people are commanded to sanctify the priest because of his critical, consecrated role in worship, specifically in presenting God’s holy food. This link means respecting the priest is respecting God’s holy service.
- "he shall be holy to you, for I the Lord am holy who sanctify you": This clarifies the ultimate source and basis of the priest's holiness. It's not the people's act of sanctifying that makes him holy, but rather their act of recognition based on God’s prior act of making him (and the nation) holy, flowing from God’s own inherently holy nature. God’s self-identification as "who sanctify you" grounds the priest's holiness in divine prerogative and action.
Leviticus 21 8 Bonus section
The phrase "bread of your God" (לחם אלהים - lekhem Elohim) is unique in its emphasis. While sacrifices are generally referred to as ishsheh (אשה - fire offering) or olah (עלה - burnt offering), referring to them as lekhem elevates them to a form of sustenance for God, highlighting His delight in proper worship and fellowship. This phrasing creates a theological link between God’s acceptance of offerings and His sustainment of the covenant relationship. It also implicitly highlights a polemic against common pagan practices, where human sustenance for the gods might be seen as manipulative or a way of "feeding" hungry deities. Here, God doesn't need their "bread" but commands it as a display of covenant relationship, His delight is in the obedience and spiritual communion symbolized by the offering. The severe penalties for priestly impurity throughout Leviticus underscore just how serious this sanctity was, reflecting the absolute holiness of the God they served and His direct role as their sanctifier.
Leviticus 21 8 Commentary
Leviticus 21:8 is a pivotal verse because it establishes the foundational rationale for the severe holiness standards placed upon the Levitical priesthood. It's not just a set of rules; it's deeply rooted in the character of God. The priest serves as the bridge between humanity and a perfectly holy God, so his integrity and purity were paramount for effective mediation and atonement. Calling the offerings "the bread of your God" highlights the intimacy and sacredness of the sacrificial system—it's a sacred meal, a communion where God's people sustain their relationship with Him through the priest's ministrations. The culminating declaration, "for I the Lord am holy who sanctify you," shifts the focus from human duty to divine character. All holiness ultimately originates from YHWH, and He is the one who initiates and effects sanctification. This emphasizes God’s sovereignty in setting apart both the priests and, by extension, the entire nation of Israel. This truth applies to New Covenant believers as well; our call to be holy, as a royal priesthood, flows from the holiness of Christ, who sanctifies us and enables us to offer spiritual sacrifices.