Leviticus 21

Leviticus 21 outlines the specific holiness requirements for the priests of Israel, both common priests and the high priest. It details restrictions on defilement for the dead, prohibitions against certain mourning practices, and strict marriage laws. Additionally, the chapter forbids any priest with a physical blemish from serving at the altar, though they may still partake of the holy offerings.

This chapter establishes the stringent standards of holiness required for the Aaronic priesthood. Common priests are permitted to defile themselves for immediate family members upon death, but are forbidden from pagan mourning rites like shaving heads or cutting flesh. They must marry women who are not harlots, profane, or divorced, and a priest's daughter who commits whoredom is to be burnt. The High Priest faces even stricter regulations, being prohibited from defiling himself for any dead person, even parents, and must marry only a virgin. Furthermore, the chapter specifies that any priest with a physical blemish, such as blindness, lameness, or a deformity, is barred from approaching the altar to offer sacrifices. While blemished priests cannot minister, they are still permitted to eat of the holy and most holy offerings, ensuring the sanctity of the Lord's service.

Leviticus chapter 21 delineates the specific laws of holiness for the priests, the sons of Aaron, emphasizing their sacred role in serving the Lord. Common priests are instructed not to defile themselves for the dead among their people, with exceptions made only for their closest kin: mother, father, son, daughter, brother, and a virgin sister. They are explicitly forbidden from engaging in pagan mourning practices such as making baldness upon their heads, shaving the corners of their beards, or making cuttings in their flesh, as they are to be holy unto their God. Furthermore, priests are restricted in their choice of wives, being prohibited from marrying a whore, a profane woman, or one put away from her husband, because the priest himself is holy. A severe consequence is prescribed for a priest's daughter who profanes herself by whoredom, stating she shall be burnt with fire for profaning her father. The High Priest, distinguished by the anointing oil and consecrated garments, is held to an even higher standard. He is not to uncover his head or rend his clothes in mourning, nor may he defile himself for any dead body, including his own parents. His marriage restrictions are also more stringent, requiring him to take only a virgin from his own people, explicitly forbidding a widow, divorced woman, profane woman, or harlot, to ensure his seed remains unprofaned. Finally, the chapter addresses physical blemishes among the priestly lineage. Any descendant of Aaron with a physical defect, such as blindness, lameness, a flat nose, a superfluous limb, a broken foot or hand, a crookback, a dwarf, an eye blemish, scurvy, or scabbed skin, is barred from approaching the altar to offer the bread of his God. While these blemished priests cannot perform sacrificial duties, they are permitted to eat of the holy and most holy offerings, ensuring their sustenance from the sanctuary. These detailed regulations collectively underscore the paramount importance of physical and ritual purity for those who minister before the holy God.