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Read the Bible

Wycliffe Bible

Leviticus 21:4

but nether he schal be defoulid in the prince of his puple.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Mourning;   Sanctification;   Uncleanness;   The Topic Concordance - Priests;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Defilement;   High Priest, the;   Priests;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Mourning;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Priest;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Clean, Unclean;   Priest, Christ as;   Priest, Priesthood;   Worship;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Purification;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Mourning;   Priest;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Birds of Abomination;   Chief;   Leviticus;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Canon of the Old Testament;   Congregation, Assembly;   Crimes and Punishments;   Deuteronomy;   Hexateuch;   Holiness;   Law;   Leviticus;   Priests and Levites;   Sanctification, Sanctify;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Priesthood, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Leviticus;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Priest;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
He shall not defile himself, [being] a chief man among his people, to profane himself.
King James Version
But he shall not defile himself, being a chief man among his people, to profane himself.
Lexham English Bible
He must not make himself unclean as a kinsman by marriage, defiling himself.
New Century Version
But a priest must not make himself unclean if the dead person was only related to him by marriage.
New English Translation
He must not defile himself as a husband among his people so as to profane himself.
Amplified Bible
'He shall not become unclean as a relative by marriage among his people, and so profane himself.
New American Standard Bible
'He shall not defile himself as a relative by marriage among his people, so as to profane himself.
Geneva Bible (1587)
He shall not lament for the Prince among his people, to pollute him selfe.
Legacy Standard Bible
He shall not defile himself as a relative by marriage among his people, and so profane himself.
Contemporary English Version
Don't make yourself unclean by attending the funeral of someone related to you by marriage.
Complete Jewish Bible
He may not make himself unclean, because he is a leader among his people; doing so would profane him.
Darby Translation
He shall not make himself unclean [who is] a chief among his peoples, to profane himself.
Easy-to-Read Version
But a priest must not make himself unclean if the dead person was only one of his slaves.
English Standard Version
He shall not make himself unclean as a husband among his people and so profane himself.
George Lamsa Translation
But he shall not defile himself for the prince of his people, lest he profane himself.
Good News Translation
He shall not make himself unclean at the death of those related to him by marriage.
Christian Standard Bible®
He is not to make himself unclean for those related to him by marriage and so defile himself.
Literal Translation
A leader shall not defile himself among his people, to pollute himself;
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Morouer he shal not defyle him self vpo eny ruler in his people, to vnhalowe him self.
American Standard Version
He shall not defile himself, being a chief man among his people, to profane himself.
Bible in Basic English
But let him, being a chief among his people, not make himself unclean in such a way as to put shame on himself.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
But he shall not be defiled vpon hym that hath aucthoritie among his people, to pollute him selfe.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
He shall not defile himself, being a chief man among his people, to profane himself.
King James Version (1611)
But hee shall not defile himselfe being a chiefe man among his people, to prophane himselfe.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
He shall not defile himself suddenly among his people to profane himself.
English Revised Version
He shall not defile himself, being a chief man among his people, to profane himself.
Berean Standard Bible
He is not to defile himself for those related to him by marriage, and so profane himself.
Young's Literal Translation
`A master [priest] doth not defile himself among his people -- to pollute himself;
Update Bible Version
He shall not defile himself suddenly among his relatives, to profane himself.
Webster's Bible Translation
[But] he shall not defile himself, [being] a chief man among his people, to profane himself.
World English Bible
He shall not defile himself, [being] a chief man among his people, to profane himself.
New King James Version
Otherwise he shall not defile himself, being a chief man among his people, to profane himself.
New Living Translation
But a priest must not defile himself and make himself unclean for someone who is related to him only by marriage.
New Life Bible
He should not make himself unclean as a husband among his people, and so make himself sinful.
New Revised Standard
But he shall not defile himself as a husband among his people and so profane himself.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
He shall not make himself unclean being a chief among his people, - by profaning himself:
Douay-Rheims Bible
But not even for the prince of his people shall he do any thing that may make him unclean.
Revised Standard Version
He shall not defile himself as a husband among his people and so profane himself.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
'He shall not defile himself as a relative by marriage among his people, and so profane himself.

Contextual Overview

1 And the Lord seide to Moyses, Speke thou to preestis, the sones of Aaron, and thou schalt seie to hem, A preest be not defoulid in the deed men of hise citeseyns, 2 no but oneli in kynesmen and niy of blood, that is, on fadir and modir, and sone and douyter, 3 and brother and sister, virgyn, which is not weddid to man; 4 but nether he schal be defoulid in the prince of his puple. 5 Preestis schulen not schaue the heed, nether beerd, nether thei schulen make keruyngis in her fleischis; thei schulen be hooli to her God, 6 and thei schulen not defoule his name; for thei offren encense of the Lord, and the looues of her God, and therfore thei schulen be hooli. 7 A preest schal not wedde a wijf a corrupt womman, and a `foul hoore, nether he schal wedde `hir that is forsakun of the hosebonde, for he is halewid to his God, 8 and offrith the looues of settyng forth; therfor be he hooly, for `Y am the hooli Lord that halewith you. 9 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.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Or, the verse may be read, being an husband among his people, he shall not defile himself for his wife, etc. Ezekiel 24:16, Ezekiel 24:17

Cross-References

Genesis 21:10
Cast thou out the handmayde and hir sone; for the sone of the handmayde schal not be eir with my sone Ysaac.
Genesis 21:12
and God seide to hym, Be it not seyn scharp to thee on the child, and on thin handmayde; alle thingis whiche Sare seith to thee, here thou hir vois, for in Isaac seed schal be clepid to thee;
Genesis 21:22
In the same tyme Abymelech, and Ficol, prince of his oost, seide to Abraham, God is with thee in alle thingis whiche thou doist;
Genesis 21:23
therfore swere thou bi God that thou noye not me, and myn eiris, and my kynrede; but bi the mersi whych Y dide to thee, do thou to me, and to the lond in which thou lyuedist a comelyng.
Exodus 12:48
that if ony pilgrym wole passe into youre feith and worschipyng, and make fase of the Lord, ech male kynde of hym schal be circumcidid bifore, and thanne he schal make lawfuli, and he schal be to gidere as a man borun of the lond; forsothe if ony man is not circumcidid, he schal not ete therof.
Leviticus 12:3
and the yong child schal be circumsidid in the eiytithe dai.
Deuteronomy 12:32
Do thou to the Lord this thing oneli which Y comaunde to thee, nethir adde thou ony thing, nether abate.
Luke 1:6
And bothe weren iust bifor God, goynge in alle the maundementis and iustifiyngis of the Lord, withouten pleynt.
Luke 1:59
And it was don in the eiyte dai, thei camen to circumcide the child; and thei clepiden hym Zacarie, bi the name of his fadir.
Luke 2:21
And aftir that the eiyte daies weren endid, that the child schulde be circumcided, his name was clepid Jhesus, which was clepid of the aungel, bifor that he was conceyued in the wombe.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

[But] he shall not defile himself, [being] a chief man among his people,.... Which is not to be understood of any lord or nobleman or any chief ruler or governor of the people; for the context speaks only of priests, and not of other personages; besides, such might defile themselves, or mourn for their dead, as Abraham did for Sarah; nor of any husband for his wife, for even a priest, as has been observed, might do this for his wife, and much more a private person; nor is there any need to restrain it, as some Jewish writers do, to an adulterous wife, which a husband might not mourn for, though he might for his right and lawful wife; but there is nothing in the text, neither of an husband, nor a wife: the words are to be interpreted of a priest, and either of him as considered as a person of eminence, consequence, and importance, and sons giving a reason why he should not defile himself for the dead, because he was a principal person among his people to officiate for them in sacred things; wherefore if he did not take care that he was not defiled for the dead, which might often happen, he would be frequently hindered from doing his office for the people, which would be attended with ill consequence to them; and therefore the above cases are only excepted, as being such that rarely happened: or rather the words are to be considered as a prohibition of defiling himself "for [any] chief" s, or principal man, lord, ruler, or governor, among his people; even for such an one he was not to defile himself, being no relation of his:

to profane himself; make himself unfit for sacred service, or make himself a common person; put himself upon a level with a common private man, and be no more capable of serving at the altar, or doing any part of the work off priest, than such an one.

s בעל בעמיו "in principe populi sui", V. L. so Pesicta & Ben Melech in loc. & Kimchi Sepher Shorash. rad. בעל

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The sense seems to be that, owing to his position in the nation, the priest is not to defile himself in any cases except those named in Leviticus 21:2-3. The Septuagint appear to have followed a different reading of the text which would mean, “he shall not defile himself for a moment.” The explanation in the margin of our version is hardly in keeping with the prohibition to Ezekiel on a special occasion. See Ezekiel 24:16.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Leviticus 21:4. A chief man among his people — The word בעל baal signifies a master, chief, husband, &c., and is as variously translated here.

1. He being a chief among the people, it would be improper to see him in such a state of humiliation as mourning for the dead necessarily implies.

2. Though a husband he shall not defile himself even for the death of a wife, because the anointing of his God is upon him. But the first sense appears to be the best.


 
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