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Tuesday, August 12th, 2025
the Week of Proper 14 / Ordinary 19
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Read the Bible

Easy-to-Read Version

Leviticus 21:9

"If a priest's daughter becomes a prostitute, she ruins her reputation and brings shame to her father. She must be burned to death in the fire!

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Adultery;   Fire;   Harlotry;   Minister, Christian;   Mourning;   Priest;   Punishment;   Sanctification;   Uncleanness;   Thompson Chain Reference - Burning, a Punishment;   Nation, the;   Punishments;   The Topic Concordance - Priests;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - High Priest, the;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Adultery;   Mourning;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Funeral;   Prostitution;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Funeral;   Kill, Killing;   Leadership;   Prostitution;   Sexuality, Human;   Worship;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Fire;   Fornication;   Funeral;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Harlot;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Capital Punishment;   Crimes and Punishments;   Fire;   Fornication;   Leviticus;   Woman;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Canon of the Old Testament;   Congregation, Assembly;   Crimes and Punishments;   Deuteronomy;   Harlot;   Hexateuch;   Holiness;   Law;   Leviticus;   Marriage;   Priests and Levites;   Sanctification, Sanctify;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Eternal Fire (2);   Tomb, Grave, Sepulchre;   Zacharias ;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Children;   Punishments;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Priesthood, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Burial;   Fire;   Harlot;   Leviticus;   Punishments;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Adultery;   Capital Punishment;   Cremation;   Fire;   ḥalalah;   Tamar;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
The daughter of any Kohen, if she profane herself by playing the prostitute, she profanes her father: she shall be burnt with fire.
King James Version
And the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the whore, she profaneth her father: she shall be burnt with fire.
Lexham English Bible
"‘As for the daughter of any priest, if she is defiled by prostituting, she is disgracing her father—she shall be burned in the fire.
New Century Version
"‘If a priest's daughter makes herself unclean by becoming a prostitute, she shames her father. She must be burned with fire.
New English Translation
If a daughter of a priest profanes herself by engaging in prostitution, she is profaning her father. She must be burned to death.
Amplified Bible
'The daughter of any priest who profanes herself by prostitution profanes her father; she shall be burned in fire.
New American Standard Bible
'Also the daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by prostitution, she profanes her father; she shall be burned with fire.
Geneva Bible (1587)
If a Priestes daughter fall to play the whore, she polluteth her father: therefore shal she be burnt with fire.
Legacy Standard Bible
Also the daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by harlotry, she profanes her father; she shall be burned with fire.
Contemporary English Version
If any of you priests has a daughter who disgraces you by serving as a temple prostitute, she must be burned to death.
Complete Jewish Bible
The daughter of a cohen who profanes herself by prostitution profanes her father; she is to be put to death by fire.
Darby Translation
And the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the whore, she profaneth her father: she shall be burned with fire.
English Standard Version
And the daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by whoring, profanes her father; she shall be burned with fire.
George Lamsa Translation
And the daughter of any priest, when she starts playing the whore, she profanes her father; she shall be burned with fire.
Good News Translation
If a priest's daughter becomes a prostitute, she disgraces her father; she shall be burned to death.
Christian Standard Bible®
If a priest’s daughter defiles herself by promiscuity, she defiles her father; she must be burned to death.
Literal Translation
And when a daughter of any priest pollutes herself by going whoring, she is polluting her father; she shall be burned with fire.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Yf a prestes doughter fall to whoringe, she shalbe burnt with fyre, for she hath shamed hir father.
American Standard Version
And the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the harlot, she profaneth her father: she shall be burnt with fire.
Bible in Basic English
And if the daughter of a priest makes herself common and by her loose behaviour puts shame on her father, let her be burned with fire.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
If a priestes daughter fall to play the whore, she polluteth her father, therefore must she be burnt with fire.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the harlot, she profaneth her father: she shall be burnt with fire.
King James Version (1611)
And the daughter of any Priest, if she profane her selfe, by playing the whore, she profaneth her father: shee shall be burnt with fire.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And if the daughter of a priest should be profaned to go a whoring, she profanes the name of her father: she shall be burnt with fire.
English Revised Version
And the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the harlot, she profaneth her father: she shall be burnt with fire.
Berean Standard Bible
If a priest's daughter defiles herself by prostituting herself, she profanes her father; she must be burned in the fire.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
If the `doutir of a preest is takun in defoulyng of virgynite, and defoulith the name of hir fadir, sche schal be brent in flawmes.
Young's Literal Translation
`And a daughter of any priest when she polluteth herself by going a-whoring -- her father she is polluting; with fire she is burnt.
Update Bible Version
And the daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by prostituting, she profanes her father: she shall be burnt with fire.
Webster's Bible Translation
And the daughter of any priest, if she shall profane herself by lewdness, she profaneth her father: she shall be burnt with fire.
World English Bible
The daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the prostitute, she profanes her father: she shall be burnt with fire.
New King James Version
The daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by playing the harlot, she profanes her father. She shall be burned with fire.
New Living Translation
"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.
New Life Bible
If the daughter of any religious leader makes herself sinful by selling the use of her body, she puts her father to shame. She will be burned with fire.
New Revised Standard
When the daughter of a priest profanes herself through prostitution, she profanes her father; she shall be burned to death.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, the daughter of any priest, when she profaneth herself by unchastity, Her father, she, doth profane, with fire, shall she be consumed.
Douay-Rheims Bible
If the daughter of a priest be taken in whoredom and dishonour the name of her father, she shall be burnt with fire.
Revised Standard Version
And the daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by playing the harlot, profanes her father; she shall be burned with fire.
THE MESSAGE
"If a priest's daughter defiles herself in prostitution, she disgraces her father. She must be burned at the stake.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
'Also the daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by harlotry, she profanes her father; she shall be burned with fire.

Contextual Overview

1 The Lord said to Moses, "Tell these things to Aaron's sons, the priests: A priest must not make himself unclean by touching a dead person. 2 But if the dead person was one of his close relatives, he can touch the dead body. The priest can make himself unclean if the dead person is his mother or father, his son or daughter, his brother or 3 his unmarried sister. (This sister is close to him because she has no husband. So the priest may make himself unclean for her if she dies.) 4 But a priest must not make himself unclean if the dead person was only one of his slaves. 5 "Priests must not shave their heads bald. They must not shave off the edges of their beards. They must not make any cuts in their bodies. 6 Priests must be holy for their God. They must show respect for God's name. They offer the bread and special gifts to the Lord , so they must be holy. 7 "A priest serves God in a special way, so he must not marry a woman who has had sexual relations with any other man. He must not marry a prostitute or a divorced woman. 8 A priest serves God in a special way. So you must treat him in a special way, because he carries holy things. He brings the holy bread to me, and I am holy. I am the Lord , and I make you holy. 9 "If a priest's daughter becomes a prostitute, she ruins her reputation and brings shame to her father. She must be burned to death in the fire!

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the daughter: 1 Samuel 2:17, 1 Samuel 2:34, 1 Samuel 3:13, 1 Samuel 3:14, Ezekiel 9:6, Malachi 2:3, Matthew 11:20-24, 1 Timothy 3:4, 1 Timothy 3:5, Titus 1:6

she shall be burnt: Leviticus 20:14, Genesis 38:24, Joshua 7:15, Joshua 7:25, Isaiah 33:14

Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 21:18 - obey the voice Deuteronomy 22:21 - she hath wrought Judges 19:2 - played Ezekiel 23:45 - after the manner of adulteresses Revelation 17:16 - and burn

Cross-References

Genesis 16:1
Sarai was Abram's wife, but she did not have any children. She had an Egyptian slave named Hagar.
Genesis 17:20
"You mentioned Ishmael, and I heard you. I will bless him, and he will have many children. He will be the father of twelve great leaders. His family will become a great nation.
Genesis 21:1
The Lord came back to visit Sarah as he said he would, and he kept his promise to her.
Genesis 21:3
Abraham named his son Isaac.
Genesis 21:5
Abraham was 100 years old when his son Isaac was born.
Genesis 21:6
Sarah said, "God has made me happy, and everyone who hears about this will be happy with me.
Genesis 21:13
But I will also bless the son of your slave woman. He is your son, so I will make a great nation from his family also."
Genesis 21:14
Early the next morning Abraham took some food and water and gave them to Hagar. She carried them and left with her boy. She left that place and wandered in the desert of Beersheba.
Genesis 21:23
So make a promise to me here before God. Promise that you will be fair with me and with my children. Promise that you will be kind to me and this country where you have lived. Promise that you will be as kind to me as I have been to you."
Genesis 21:24
And Abraham said, "I promise to treat you the same way you have treated me."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the daughter of any priest,.... The Targum of Jonathan restrains it to one that is betrothed; but others, as Jarchi and Aben Ezra, whether betrothed or married; and all confess, as the former says, that the Scripture does not speak of one that is single or entirely free: but there is no exception in the text; and besides, the daughter of any man that was betrothed to a man, and guilty of the crime here spoken of, was to die, Deuteronomy 22:23; and therefore such a law respecting the priest's daughter would be needless; unless it can be thought that it was made merely for the sake of the different kind of death she was to be put to, and that burning was a more terrible one than stoning:

if she profane herself by playing the whore; which brings scandal and disgrace on any person, and much more on anyone that had the honour of being related to a person in such a sacred office, and the advantage of a more strictly religious education, and had eaten of the holy things in her father's house; all which were aggravations of her crime, and made it the more scandalous and reproachful to her: some render it, "when she begins to play the whore" b; as soon as ever it is discovered in her, and she is taken in it; even for the first that she commits, she is not to be spared, but put to death:

she profaneth her father: which is another aggravation of her sin; she brings him under disgrace, disparages his office, and exposes him to censure, reproach, and ridicule, as not having taken care of her education, and taught her better, and kept her under restraints; men will upbraid him with it, saying, this is a priest's daughter that has committed this lewdness; nor will say of him, as Jarchi observes, cursed be he that begat her, and cursed be he that brought her up:

she shall be burnt with fire; not with hot melted lead poured down her mouth, but with faggots set about her; Deuteronomy 22:23- :; no punishment is here fixed for the person that lay with her, but, according to the Jewish canons c, she was to be strangled.

b כי תחל לזנות "cum coepit fornicari", Pagninus, Montanus; so Tigurine version. c Misn. Sanhedrin, c. 10. sect. 1. Maimon. Issure Biah, c. 1. sect. 6.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

burnt with fire - See the Leviticus 20:14 note.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Leviticus 21:9. She 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.


 
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