God’s Word Translation
Leviticus 21:15
15He must not dishonor his children among his people because I, the Lord, set him apart as holy.”
Leviticus 21:15 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Neither shall he profane his seed among his people: for I the Lord do sanctify him.
- New International Version (NIV)so that he will not defile his offspring among his people. I am the Lord, who makes him holy.’ ”
- English Standard Version (ESV)that he may not profane his offspring among his people, for I am the Lord who sanctifies him."
- New King James Version (NKJV)Nor shall he profane his posterity among his people, for I the Lord sanctify him.’ ”
Context of Leviticus 21:15
13“The anointed priest must marry a virgin. 14He must never marry a widow, a divorced woman, a woman who has lost her virginity, or a prostitute. He may only marry a virgin from his own people. He must not dishonor his children among his people because I, the Lord, set him apart as holy.” 16The Lord spoke to Moses, 17“Tell Aaron: If any of your descendants (now or in future generations) has a physical defect, he must never bring food to offer to God.
Read all of Leviticus 21Leviticus 21:15 word by word
וְלֹֽא־יְחַלֵּ֥ל זַרְע֖וֹ בְּעַמָּ֑יו כִּ֛י אֲנִ֥י יְהוָ֖ה מְקַדְּשֽׁוֹ׃ פRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Leviticus 21:15
- Genesis 18:19I have chosen him so that he will direct his children and his family after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just. In this way I, the Lord, will do what I have promised Abraham.”
- Ezra 2:62These people searched for their ⌞family⌟ names in the genealogical records, but their names couldn’t be found there. For this reason they were considered contaminated and couldn’t be priests.
- Ezra 9:2The Israelites and their sons have married some of these foreign women. They have mixed our holy race with the neighboring groups of people. Furthermore, the leaders and officials have led the way in being unfaithful.”
- Nehemiah 13:23In those days I saw some Jews who had married women from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab.
- Malachi 2:11Judah has been unfaithful! A disgusting thing has been done in Israel and Jerusalem. Judah has dishonored the holy place that the Lord loves and has married a woman who worships a foreign god.
- Romans 11:16If the first handful of dough is holy, the whole batch of dough is holy. If the root is holy, the branches are holy.
- 1 Corinthians 7:14Actually, the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and an unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise, their children would be unacceptable ⌞to God⌟, but now they are acceptable to him.
- Leviticus 21:8Be holy because you offer the food of your God. Be holy because I, the Lord, am holy. I set you apart as holy.
Commentaries on Leviticus 21:15
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 15Profane his seed - i. e. by a marriage which was not in keeping with the holiness of his office.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 10-15The rules for common priests were more strict than for the high priest, who represented all of Israel, including other priests (Leviticus 21:1–4). The priest must always keep his hair neat and not tear his clothing in mourning. This ensured he was always ready to serve. While a common priest could marry a widow, the high priest could only marry a virgin. This ensured that future high priests and common priests from that union would have a clear lineage…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 10-1510-15. he that is the high priest among his brethren ... shall not uncover his head, nor rend his clothes--The indulgence in the excepted cases of family bereavement, mentioned above [Le 21:2, 3], which was granted to the common priests, was denied to him; for his absence from the sanctuary for the removal of any contracted defilement could not have been dispensed with, neither could he have acted as intercessor for the people, unless ceremonially clean…Read the comment
Topics related to Leviticus 21:15
In the dictionaries
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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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