Leviticus 21
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Summary
The Lord commands Moses that Aaron and his priests are to be holy. The Lord instructs Moses on how priests should live. Those descendants of Aaron with physical blemishes are not to offer sacrifice to God in the tabernacle.
| KJV | JST |
|---|---|
| (1) And the Lord said unto Moses, Speak unto the priests the sons of Aaron, and say unto them, There shall none be defiled for the dead among his people: | (1) And the Lord said unto Moses, Speak unto the priests the sons of Aaron, and say unto them, There shall none be defiled with the dead among his people. |
| (11) Neither shall he go in to any dead body, nor defile himself for his father, or for his mother; | (11) Neither shall he go in to touch any dead body, nor defile himself for his father, or for his mother; |
Commentary
Bible Central Commentary
These free resources were developed for use in the free ScripturePlus app. Many of the contributors are professors of religion and ancient scripture at Brigham Young University.
John W. Welch, Leviticus, Old Testament Minute Commentary Series, ed. Taylor Halverson (Springville, UT: Book of Mormon Central, 2021).
Historical Commentaries
Many of the commentaries below are in the public domain and were authored over 100 years ago. In many cases, they do not reflect the findings of modern scholarship, but they may be helpful for understanding the history of biblical scholarship.
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Historical Settings
Time
*All Dates Are Approximate, according to the narrative of the Bible. These dates may reflect literary significance as opposed to the precise dates of history.
See Biblical Chronology- 1445 BC
Further Reading
Daniel L. Belnap, “‘That I May Dwell among Them’: Liminality and Ritual in the Tabernacle,” in Ascending the Mountain of the Lord: Temple, Praise, and Worship in the Old Testament, ed. Jeffery R. Chadwick, Matthew J. Grey, and David Rolph Seely (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book; Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 2013), 12–35.
George A. Horton Jr., “Insights into Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy,” in The Joseph Smith Translation: The Restoration of Plain and Precious Truths, ed. Monte S. Nyman and Robert L. Millet (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1985), 71–88.
Theo E. McKean, “The Origin and Original Meaning of Sacrificial Blood Offerings as Revealed in the Bible and Modern Scripture” (Master’s Thesis; Brigham Young University, 1964).
Gaye Strathearn, “‘Holiness to the Lord’ and Personal Temple Worship,” in The Gospel of Jesus Christ in the Old Testament (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 2009), 219–232.
Complete Commentary on the Whole Bible
Matthew Henry (1706)
Commentary on the Bible
Adam Clarke (1831)
Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable
Thomas Constable
Rashi’s Commentary
Rashi (Shlomo Yitzchaki)
Notes on the Bible
Albert Barnes (1834)
Exposition of the Entire Bible
John Gill (1746–63)
Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament
Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch (1857–78)
Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible
John Wesley (1754–65)