Leviticus 21:11

He must not enter some place where there is a corpse. He must not do that and cause himself to become unfit for his work, even if it is his father or his mother who has died.

Translation for Translators

In The King James Version

Neither shall he go in to any dead body, nor defile himself for his father, or for his mother;

In Context

10The Supreme Priest is the one among his relatives who has been appointed for that work by having his head anointed with olive oil. He is also the one who has been appointed to wear the special garments that priests wear. He must not allow the hair on his head to remain uncombed, and he must not tear his clothes when he is mourning for someone.

12He must not leave the Sacred Tent to join those who are mourning, because he would cause himself to become unfit for his work and would also defile/desecrate the Sacred Tent. He must not leave the Sacred Tent at that time, because by being anointed with olive oil he has been ◄appointed/set apart► to serve his God in the Sacred Tent. I, Yahweh, am the one who am commanding this.

Read all of Leviticus 21

Cross References

Leviticus 19:28‘Do not cut your bodies when you are mourning for people who have died, and do not put tattoos on your bodies. I, Yahweh your God, am commanding this.

Numbers 6:7Even if the person who died is your father or your mother or your brother or your sister, you must not cause yourself to become unacceptable to me by coming close to the corpse. Your long hair [MTY] shows that you belong to me in a special way, so you must not cut your hair.

Deuteronomy 33:9The tribe of Levi did what you told them to do and obeyed the agreement that you made with the Israeli people; those laws were more important to them [HYP] than their siblings and parents and children.

Matthew 12:46While Jesus was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and his younger brothers arrived. They stood outside the house, wanting to speak with him.

Luke 14:26“If anyone comes to me who loves his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters more than [HYP] he loves me, he cannot be my disciple. He must even love me more than he loves his own life!

Matthew Henry on Leviticus 21:11-16

10 And he that is the high priest among his brethren, upon whose head the anointing oil was poured, and that is consecrated to put on the garments, shall not uncover his head, nor rend his clothes; 11 Neither shall he go in to any dead body, nor defile himself for his father, or for his mother; 12 Neither shall he go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his God; for the crown of the anointing oil of his God is upon him: I am the Lord . 13 And he shall take a wife in her virginity. 14 A widow, or a… Read the whole commentary →

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