New English Translation
Leviticus 21:9
9If a daughter of a priest profanes herself by engaging in prostitution, she is profaning her father. She must be burned to death.
Leviticus 21:9 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the whore, she profaneth her father: she shall be burnt with fire.
- New International Version (NIV)“ ‘If a priest’s daughter defiles herself by becoming a prostitute, she disgraces her father; she must be burned in the fire.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And the daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by whoring, profanes her father; she shall be burned with fire.
- New King James Version (NKJV)The daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by playing the harlot, she profanes her father. She shall be burned with fire.
Context of Leviticus 21:9
7They must not take a wife defiled by prostitution, nor are they to take a wife divorced from her husband, for the priest is holy to his God. 8You must sanctify him because he presents the food of your God. He must be holy to you because I, the Lord who sanctifies you all, am holy. If a daughter of a priest profanes herself by engaging in prostitution, she is profaning her father. She must be burned to death. 10“‘The high priest – who is greater than his brothers, on whose head the anointing oil is poured, who has been ordained to wear the priestly garments – must neither dishevel the hair of his head nor tear his garments. 11He must not go where there is any dead person; he must not defile himself even for his father and his mother.
Read all of Leviticus 21Leviticus 21:9 word by word
וּבַת֙ אִ֣ישׁ כֹּהֵ֔ן כִּ֥י תֵחֵ֖ל לִזְנ֑וֹת אֶת־אָבִ֙יהָ֙ הִ֣יא מְחַלֶּ֔לֶת בָּאֵ֖שׁ תִּשָּׂרֵֽף׃ סRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And the daughterבַּתbath · daughterH1323
- of anyאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
- priestכֹּהֵןkôhên · priestH3548
- if she profaneחָלַלchâlal · to profane/begin: profaneH2490
- herself by playing the whoreזָנָהzânâh · to fornicateH2181
- her fatherאָב'âb · fatherH1
- she shall be burntשָׂרַףώâraph · to burnH8313
- with fireאֵשׁ'êsh · fireH784
Cross-references for Leviticus 21:9
- 1 Samuel 2:17The sin of these young men was very great in the Lord’s sight, for they treated the Lord’s offering with contempt.
- 1 Samuel 3:13You should tell him that I am about to judge his house forever because of the sin that he knew about. For his sons were cursing God, and he did not rebuke them.
- Ezekiel 9:6Old men, young men, young women, little children, and women – wipe them out! But do not touch anyone who has the mark. Begin at my sanctuary!” So they began with the elders who were at the front of the temple.
- Malachi 2:3I am about to discipline your children and will spread offal on your faces, the very offal produced at your festivals, and you will be carried away along with it.
- Matthew 11:20Then Jesus began to criticize openly the cities in which he had done many of his miracles, because they did not repent.
- 1 Timothy 3:4He must manage his own household well and keep his children in control without losing his dignity.
- Leviticus 20:14If a man has sexual intercourse with both a woman and her mother, it is lewdness. Both he and they must be burned to death, so there is no lewdness in your midst.
- Genesis 38:24After three months Judah was told, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar has turned to prostitution, and as a result she has become pregnant.” Judah said, “Bring her out and let her be burned!”
- Joshua 7:15The one caught with the riches must be burned up along with all who belong to him, because he violated the Lord’s covenant and did such a disgraceful thing in Israel.’”
- Isaiah 33:14Sinners are afraid in Zion; panic grips the godless. They say, ‘Who among us can coexist with destructive fire? Who among us can coexist with unquenchable fire?’
Commentaries on Leviticus 21:9
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 9She shall be burnt with fire - Probably not burnt alive, but strangled first, and then burnt afterward. Though it is barely possible that some kind of branding may be intended.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 9burnt with fire - See the Leviticus 20:14 note.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-24This section, which discusses priestly rules, six times repeats the phrase I am the Lord who sanctifies (Leviticus 21:15, 23; 22:9, 16, 32; see also 21:8). These words emphasize the link between God's holiness and the holiness expected of priests. This extended to all of Israel (see 8:10; 11:44–45; 19:2). The text specifically addresses priests in 21:1–22:16, while including both clergy and common people in 22:17–33.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 21:9
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
New English Translation — © 1996-2016 Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C.
Commentaries