Leviticus 21:7

Leviticus 21:7 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)They shall not take a wife that is a whore, or profane; neither shall they take a woman put away from her husband: for he is holy unto his God.
• New International Version (NIV)“ ‘They must not marry women defiled by prostitution or divorced from their husbands, because priests are holy to their God.
• New King James Version (NKJV)They shall not take a wife who is a harlot or a defiled woman, nor shall they take a woman divorced from her husband; for the priest is holy to his God.
• New Living Translation (NLT)“Priests may not marry a woman defiled by prostitution, and they may not marry a woman who is divorced from her husband, for the priests are set apart as holy to their God.

Context of Leviticus 21:7

5They shall not make bald patches on their heads, nor shave off the edges of their beards, nor make any cuts on their body. 6They shall be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God. For they offer the Lord's food offerings, the bread of their God; therefore they shall be holy. They shall not marry a prostitute or a woman who has been defiled, neither shall they marry a woman divorced from her husband, for the priest is holy to his God. 8You 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. 9And the daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by whoring, profanes her father; she shall be burned with fire.

Leviticus 21:7 word by word

אִשָּׁ֨ה זֹנָ֤ה וַחֲלָלָה֙ לֹ֣א יִקָּ֔חוּ וְאִשָּׁ֛ה גְּרוּשָׁ֥ה מֵאִישָׁ֖הּ לֹ֣א יִקָּ֑חוּ כִּֽי־קָדֹ֥שׁ ה֖וּא לֵאלֹהָֽיו׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• They shall not takeלָקַחlâqach · to take: marryH3947
• a wifeאִשָּׁה'ishshâh nâshîym · womanH802
• a whoreזָנָהzânâh · to fornicateH2181
• or profaneחָלָלchâlâl · profanedH2491
• put awayגָּרַשׁgârash · to drive out: divorceH1644
• from her husbandאִישׁ'îysh · man: husbandH376
• holyקָדוֹשׁqâdôsh qâdôsh · holyH6918
• unto his Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430

Cross-references for Leviticus 21:7

• Leviticus 21:8You 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.
• Ezekiel 44:22They shall not marry a widow or a divorced woman, but only virgins of the offspring of the house of Israel, or a widow who is the widow of a priest.
• 1 Timothy 3:11Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things.
• Deuteronomy 24:1"When a man takes a wife and marries her, if then she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some indecency in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, and she departs out of his house,
• Isaiah 50:1Thus says the Lord: "Where is your mother's certificate of divorce, with which I sent her away? Or which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you? Behold, for your iniquities you were sold, and for your transgressions your mother was sent away.

Commentaries on Leviticus 21:7

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 7That is a whore - A prostitute, though even reclaimed. Profane - A heathen, or one who is not a cordial believer in the true God. Put away from her husband - Because this very circumstance might lead to suspicion that the priest and the divorced woman might have been improperly connected before.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 7Profane - A woman who has been seduced, or one of illegitimate birth. A somewhat stricter rule for the priests‘ marriages was revealed to the prophet in later times, Ezekiel 44:22.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 7The priest had to set a high standard of conduct for Israel in worship. This applied to his personal life and family leadership. He could not have any connections to pagan practices (for example, prostitution, Leviticus 21:9). His family also had to be above question, so divorce was not allowed. Early church leaders followed similar standards (1 Timothy 3:1–13).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 7-97-9. They shall not take a wife that is a whore, or profane--Private individuals might form several connections, which were forbidden as inexpedient or improper in priests. The respectability of their office, and the honor of religion, required unblemished sanctity in their families as well as themselves, and departures from it in their case were visited with severer punishment than in that of others.Read the comment

Topics related to Leviticus 21:7

• Marriage
• Minister, Christian
• Mourning
• Priest
• Sanctification
• Uncleanness

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Corner
• Hair
• Profane
• Shave
• Criticism
• Ezekiel
• Harlot
• Holiness

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