Leviticus 21:3

Leviticus 21:3 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And for his sister a virgin, that is nigh unto him, which hath had no husband; for her may he be defiled.
• New International Version (NIV)or an unmarried sister who is dependent on him since she has no husband—for her he may make himself unclean.
• English Standard Version (ESV)or his virgin sister (who is near to him because she has had no husband; for her he may make himself unclean).
• New King James Version (NKJV)also his virgin sister who is near to him, who has had no husband, for her he may defile himself.

Context of Leviticus 21:3

1The Lord said to Moses, ‘Say this to the priests. They must not touch a dead body. That would make them unclean. 2It may be the body of a person from their own family. The priest can touch the dead person if it is his mother or father. He can touch the dead person if it is his son or his daughter or his brother. He can touch the dead person if it is his sister. But he must not touch her if she has a husband. 4The priest must not touch a dead person who is married to a person of his family. That would make him unclean. 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.

Leviticus 21:3 word by word

וְלַאֲחֹת֤וֹ הַבְּתוּלָה֙ הַקְּרוֹבָ֣ה אֵלָ֔יו אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹֽא־הָיְתָ֖ה לְאִ֑ישׁ לָ֖הּ יִטַּמָּֽא׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And for his sisterאָחוֹת'âchôth · sisterH269
• a virginבְּתוּלָהbethûlâh · virginH1330
• that is nighקָרֹבqârôb qârôb · nearH7138
• unto him, which hath had no husbandאִישׁ'îysh · man: husbandH376
• for her may he be defiledטָמֵאţâmê' · to defileH2930

Commentaries on Leviticus 21:3

• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-4Touching a dead body made a person ceremonially unclean for seven days. A priest needed to be ready to handle holy things at all times. So, he could not touch a dead body, even if it was a relative's. Otherwise, he might be unable to serve when needed. The only exceptions were his closest relatives, as there might be no one else to bury them.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-241. There shall none be defiled for the dead among his people--The obvious design of the regulations contained in this chapter was to keep inviolate the purity and dignity of the sacred office. Contact with a corpse, or even contiguity to the place where it lay, entailing ceremonial defilement (Nu 19:14), all mourners were debarred from the tabernacle for a week; and as the exclusion of a priest during that period would have been attended with great…Read the comment

Topics related to Leviticus 21:3

• Mourning
• Sanctification
• Uncleanness

In the dictionaries

• Corner
• Hair
• Profane
• Purification
• Shave
• Corpse
• Criticism
• Ezekiel
• Holiness
• Law in the Old Testament

Commentaries on Leviticus 21

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• 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
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings