New Living Translation
Leviticus 21:7
7“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.
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.
- English Standard Version (ESV)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.
- 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.
Context of Leviticus 21:7
5“The priests must not shave their heads or trim their beards or cut their bodies. 6They must be set apart as holy to their God and must never bring shame on the name of God. They must be holy, for they are the ones who present the special gifts to the Lord, gifts of food for their God. “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. 8You must treat them as holy because they offer up food to your God. You must consider them holy because I, the Lord, am holy, and I make you holy. 9“If a priest’s daughter defiles herself by becoming a prostitute, she also defiles her father’s holiness, and she must be burned to death.
Read all of Leviticus 21Leviticus 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 must treat them as holy because they offer up food to your God. You must consider them holy because I, the Lord, am holy, and I make you holy.
- Ezekiel 44:22They may choose their wives only from among the virgins of Israel or the widows of the priests. They may not marry other widows or divorced women.
- 1 Timothy 3:11In the same way, their wives must be respected and must not slander others. They must exercise self-control and be faithful in everything they do.
- Deuteronomy 24:1“Suppose a man marries a woman but she does not please him. Having discovered something wrong with her, he writes a document of divorce, hands it to her, and sends her away from his house.
- Isaiah 50:1This is what the Lord says: “Was your mother sent away because I divorced her? Did I sell you as slaves to my creditors? No, you were sold because of your sins. And your mother, too, was taken because of your sins.
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
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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