God’s Word Translation
Leviticus 21:3
3and especially an unmarried virgin sister who is still close to you.
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 spoke to Moses, “Tell the priests, Aaron’s sons: None of you should become unclean by touching one of your relatives who has died. 2However, you are allowed to become unclean when one of your nearest relatives dies. These relatives include your mother, father, son, daughter, or brother, and especially an unmarried virgin sister who is still close to you. 4As the head of your people, you should never become unclean. That would make you unholy. 5“You should never mourn by shaving bald spots on your heads, shaving the edges of your beards, or slashing your bodies.
Read all of Leviticus 21Leviticus 21:3 word by word
וְלַאֲחֹת֤וֹ הַבְּתוּלָה֙ הַקְּרוֹבָ֣ה אֵלָ֔יו אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹֽא־הָיְתָ֖ה לְאִ֑ישׁ לָ֖הּ יִטַּמָּֽא׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
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
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
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