EasyEnglish Bible 2018
Ezekiel 44:20
20The priests must not cut all the hair off their heads. They must not let it grow long either. They must keep their hair short.
Ezekiel 44:20 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Neither shall they shave their heads, nor suffer their locks to grow long; they shall only poll their heads.
- New International Version (NIV)“ ‘They must not shave their heads or let their hair grow long, but they are to keep the hair of their heads trimmed.
- English Standard Version (ESV)They shall not shave their heads or let their locks grow long; they shall surely trim the hair of their heads.
- New King James Version (NKJV)“They shall neither shave their heads nor let their hair grow long, but they shall keep their hair well trimmed.
Context of Ezekiel 44:20
18They must wear linen cloths around their heads. The trousers that they wear next to their skin must also be made of linen. They must not tie anything around their body that makes them sweat. 19Before they go out to the outside yard to meet the ordinary people, they must take off their special clothes. They must leave the clothes that they wore when they were serving me in one of the rooms in the holy place. They must put on other clothes before they go out. Then their special clothes will not touch the people and make them holy. The priests must not cut all the hair off their heads. They must not let it grow long either. They must keep their hair short. 21When a priest goes into the inside yard of the temple, he must not drink anywine. 22Priests must not marry a widow, or a woman whose husband has sent her away. They may only marry Israelite women who have never had sex. Or they may marry a widow whose husband had been a priest.
Read all of Ezekiel 44Ezekiel 44:20 word by word
וְרֹאשָׁם֙ לֹ֣א יְגַלֵּ֔חוּ וּפֶ֖רַע לֹ֣א יְשַׁלֵּ֑חוּ כָּס֥וֹם יִכְסְמ֖וּ אֶת־רָאשֵׁיהֶֽם׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Ezekiel 44:20
- Leviticus 21:5A priest must not cut all the hair from his head. He must not cut the sides of his beard. He must not cut his body.
- Deuteronomy 14:1You are people who belong to the Lord your God. When someone dies, you are sad. But do not cut your bodies. Do not cut off all the hair from the front of your head.
- Numbers 6:5A person must not cut his hair during the time that he is a Nazirite. He must be different all the time that he is separate for the Lord. He must let the hair on his head grow long.
- 1 Corinthians 11:14If a man has long hair, that should make him ashamed. That is clear.
Commentaries on Ezekiel 44:20
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 20Neither shall they shave their heads - The priests of Isis shaved their heads close to the skin; the priests of Budhoo do so still, their ordinances oblige them to shave their heads every tenth day. To let the hair grow long would have been improper; therefore the Lord commands them to poll - cut the hair short, but not to shave.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 17-31Verses 17-31 Regulations as to the priests‘ services. The garments of the priests are defined and various rules prescribed in the Law are repeated with some additions in order to denote additional care to avoid uncleanness. Ezekiel 44:18 The material of which the four vestments of the ordinary priest were made was “linen,” or, more accurately, “byssus,” the cotton stuff of Egypt. The two special qualities of the byssus - white and shining - are…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 20-27The priests had to avoid contact with death. They could not enter a place where a dead body was present. They also could not follow certain mourning customs, such as shaving their heads or letting their hair grow wild. They were not allowed to drink wine before entering the inner courtyard. This rule helped prevent serious mistakes that could lead to death (see Leviticus 10:9). The priests also had rules about marriage. They could marry only a virgin from…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2020. Neither ... shave ... heads--as mourners do (Le 21:1-5). The worshippers of the Egyptian idols Serapis and Isis shaved their heads; another reason why Jehovah's priests are not to do so. nor suffer ... locks to grow long--as the luxurious, barbarians, and soldiers in warfare did [Jerome].Read the comment
Topics related to Ezekiel 44:20
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Ezekiel 44
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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