Leviticus 21 Study Notes

21:1-24 The standard of holiness was set higher for the priests. While all Israelites were part of the “holy nation” (Ex 19:5-6), the leaders were held to a higher standard in matters such as mourning, marriage, and family. This concept parallels the NT where church leaders such as elders, bishops, and deacons are held to higher standards (Jms 3:1).

21:1-2 Priests were forbidden from defiling themselves by touching a dead person except in the case of a close relative. This law was a polemic against the cult of the dead, which was widespread in the ancient Near East. The Egyptians were so preoccupied with death that their pharaohs would spend years preparing their tombs.

21:4-5 Since contact with the dead defiled a person (Nm 19:11-22), priests could not even prepare their wives for burial because they were not blood relatives. The priest was also forbidden to follow the mourning laws of the Canaanites, who would mutilate their bodies to show their sorrow and pain as well as to venerate the dead.

21:7 In the ancient Near East, there were two types of prostitutes. Common prostitutes were sexually loose and were paid for their services. Cult prostitutes, on the other hand, committed sexual acts as worship to pagan gods. Although a priest could marry a widow, the high priest could not (v. 14). Perhaps this was to ensure the legitimacy of his offspring to inherit the high priesthood.

21:9 Because the family in Israel was a solid unit, the activity of each member reflected on the others. Since cremation was not an accepted practice in Israel, the punishment for this filial promiscuity was probably being burned to death after which the charred body was buried.

21:16-23 A priest in Israel had to be in good physical condition and without physical defect. While the text lists twelve blemishes that would prevent a person from serving as a priest, later rabbis expanded the list of blemishes to 142. The NT does not address physical requirements but only spiritual qualifications for ministers. While some cultures today still hold to the OT requirements for ministers, the Levitical law does not carry over to the NT, and it is not binding on the church.