What different limits does Leviticus 21 set for priests, the high priest, and Aaron’s descendants with a blemish?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

Priests may incur uncleanness at a death only for the named close relatives, while the high priest must not be defiled even for his parents. The chapter also gives marriage rules and bars Aaron’s descendants with listed blemishes from offering or approaching the altar, while allowing them to eat the sanctuary loaves.

Chapter breakdown

Leviticus 21 gives commands about priests. The Lord tells Moses to speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron. A priest must not incur uncleanness at the death of his citizens.

Challoner explains this uncleanness as that incurred by laying out or touching a dead body, entering the house, assisting at the funeral, and similar acts. These examples belong to the note.

The exception is for close blood relatives: his father, mother, son, daughter, brother, and a maiden sister who has had no husband. Not even for the prince of his people may he do anything that makes him unclean. Priests must not shave their heads or beards or cut their flesh. They must be holy to their God and must not profane his name, because they offer the Lord’s burnt offering and the bread of their God.

Priests must not marry a harlot or a vile prostitute, or a woman put away from her husband. They are consecrated to God and offer the loaves of proposition. God says they must be holy because he, the Lord who sanctifies them, is holy. If a priest’s daughter is taken in prostitution and dishonours her father’s name, she shall be burned with fire.

The high priest is the greatest among his brethren. Anointing oil has been poured on his head, his hands have been consecrated for the priesthood, and he has been clothed in the holy vestments. He must not uncover his head or tear his garments. He must not enter where there is any dead person or be defiled even for his father or mother. He must not leave the holy places lest he defile the Lord’s sanctuary, because his God’s holy anointing oil is upon him. God declares that he is the Lord.

The high priest must marry a virgin, a maiden of his own people. He must not marry a widow, a divorced woman, a defiled woman, or a harlot. The command says he must not mingle the stock of his kindred with the common people of this nation, because the Lord sanctifies him.

The Lord speaks to Moses again and tells him to say to Aaron that any of his descendants throughout their families who has a blemish must not offer bread to God or approach to minister to him. The list names blindness, lameness, a little, great, or crooked nose, a broken foot or hand, a crooked back, blear eyes, a pearl in the eye, a continual scab, dry scurf in the body, or a rupture. These last bodily conditions are kept in the edition’s terms. A descendant of Aaron the priest with a blemish must not approach to offer sacrifices to the Lord or bread to his God.

Nevertheless, he may eat the loaves offered in the sanctuary. He must not enter within the veil or approach the altar because he has a blemish and must not defile God’s sanctuary. The Lord says he sanctifies them. Moses tells Aaron, his sons and all Israel everything that God commanded him.

The story inside

The chapter distinguishes three situations rather than giving one rule for every priest. A priest has named close-relative exceptions to the death-related uncleanness rule, but the prince’s status does not create an exception. The high priest has no such exception even for his father or mother; the text connects his restriction on leaving the holy places with the holy anointing oil upon him. Aaron’s descendants with a blemish face a different distinction: they may eat the loaves, but may not offer sacrifices, enter within the veil or approach the altar. Food access and permission to minister are therefore kept separate. These distinctions are stated commands, without a narrated funeral decision or an added explanation of why physical blemishes were chosen.

Lessons worth keeping

1
The death-related exception for a priest has a specific list. Father, mother, son, daughter, brother and a maiden sister who has had no husband are named; a prince’s death does not add another exception.
2
The high priest’s restrictions include his own parents. His head, garments, entry to a dead person, presence in the holy places and marriage each have stated rules, connected to his consecration and God’s sanctifying action.
3
A blemish bars a descendant of Aaron from the named forms of ministry without barring him from eating the sanctuary loaves. The chapter keeps that permission alongside the ban on entering within the veil or approaching the altar.

Test your recall

How do the named family exceptions for priests differ from the high priest’s rule, and why is permission to eat the loaves different from permission to approach the altar?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 12951–12957
Leviticus Chapter 21 Ordinances relating to the priests. 21:1. The Lord said also to Moses: Speak to the priests the sons of Aaron, and thou shalt say to them: Let not a priest incur an uncleanness at the death of his citizens.
Lines 12959–12961
An uncleanness.... Viz., such as was contracted in laying out the dead body, or touching it; or in going into the house, or assisting at the funeral, etc.
Lines 12963–12977
21:2. But only for his kin, such as are near in blood: that is to say, for his father and for his mother, and for his son, and for his daughter, for his brother also: 21:3. And for a maiden sister, who hath had no husband. 21:4. But not even for the prince of his people shall he do any thing that may make him unclean. 21:5. Neither shall they shave their head, nor their beard, nor make incisions in their flesh. 21:6. They shall be holy to their God, and shall not profane his name. For they offer the burnt offering of the Lord, and the bread of their God: and therefore they shall be holy.
Lines 12979–12987
21:7. They shall not take to wife a harlot or a vile prostitute, nor one that has been put away from her husband: because they are consecrated to their God, 21:8. And offer the loaves of proposition. Let them therefore be holy because I also am holy: the Lord, who sanctify them. 21:9. If the daughter of a priest be taken in whoredom and dishonour the name of her father, she shall be burnt with fire.
Lines 12989–13000
21:10. The high priest, that is to say, the priest who is the greatest among his brethren, upon whose head the oil of unction hath been poured; and whose hands have been consecrated for the priesthood; and who hath been vested with the holy vestments. He shall not uncover his head: he shall not rend his garments. 21:11. Nor shall he go in at all to any dead person: not even for his father, or his mother, shall he be defiled. 21:12. Neither shall he go out of the holy places, lest he defile the sanctuary of the Lord: because the oil of the holy unction of his God is upon him. I am the Lord.
Lines 13002–13008
21:13. He shall take a virgin unto his wife. 21:14. But a widow or one that is divorced, or defiled, or a harlot, he shall not take: but a maid of his own people. 21:15. He shall not mingle the stock of his kindred with the common people of this nation: for I am the Lord who sanctify him.
Lines 13010–13025
21:16. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 21:17. Say to Aaron: Whosoever of thy seed throughout their families, hath a blemish, he shall not offer bread to his God. 21:18. Neither shall he approach to minister to him: If he be blind; if he be lame; if he have a little, or a great, or a crooked nose; 21:19. If his foot, or if his hand be broken; 21:20. If he be crookbacked; or blear eyed; or have a pearl in his eye, or a continual scab, or a dry scurf in his body, or a rupture. 21:21. Whosoever of the seed of Aaron the priest hath a blemish: he shall not approach to offer sacrifices to the Lord, nor bread to his God.
Lines 13027–13037
21:22. He shall eat nevertheless of the loaves that are offered in the sanctuary. 21:23. Yet so that he enter not within the veil, nor approach to the altar: because he hath a blemish, and he must not defile my sanctuary. I am the Lord who sanctify them. 21:24. Moses, therefore spoke to Aaron, and to his sons and to all Israel, all the things that had been commanded him.