Leviticus 21

Footnotes

1. 1 The Hebrew term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “soul, person, life”) can sometimes refer to a “dead person” (cf. Lev 19:28 above and the literature cited there).
2. 2 Heb “no one,” but “priest” has been used in the translation to clarify that these restrictions are limited to the priests, not to the Israelites in general (note the introductory formula, “say to the priests, the sons of Aaron”).
3. 3 The has “in his peoples,” but , , , , and . have “in his people,” referring to the Israelites as a whole.
4. 4 Heb “except for his flesh, the one near to him.”
5. 5 Cf. v. 2a.
6. 6 Heb “He shall not defile himself a husband in his peoples, to profane himself.” The meaning of the line is disputed, but it appears to prohibit a priest from burying any relative by marriage (as opposed to the blood relatives of vv. 2–3), including his wife (compare B. A. Levine, Leviticus [], with J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [], , ).
7. 7 Heb “they”; the referent (priests, see the beginning of v. 1) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
8. 8 Heb “and in their body they shall not [cut] slash[es]” (cf. Lev 19:28). The context connects these sorts of mutilations with mourning rites (cf. Lev 19:27–28 above).
9. 9 Regarding “profane,” see the note on above.
10. 10 Regarding the Hebrew term for “gifts,” see the note on above (cf. also 3:11 and 16 in combination with the word for “food” that follows in the next phrase here).
11. 11 and all early versions have the plural adjective “holy” rather than the singular noun “holiness.”
12. 12 Heb “A wife harlot and profaned they shall not take.” The structure of the verse (e.g., “wife” at the beginning of the two main clauses) suggests that “harlot and profaned” constitutes a hendiadys, meaning “a wife defiled by harlotry” (see the explanation in B. A. Levine, Leviticus [], , as opposed to that in J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [], , ; cf. v. 14 below). Cf. “a woman who is profaned by harlotry.”
13. 13 For a helpful discussion of divorce in general and as it relates to this passage see B. A. Levine, Leviticus (), .
14. 14 Heb “he”; the referent (the priest) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
15. 15 The pronoun “he” in this clause refers to the priest, not the former husband of the divorced woman.
16. 16 The three previous second person references in this verse are all singular, but this reference is plural. By adding “all” this grammatical distinction is preserved in the translation.
17. 17 See the note on “burned to death” in .
18. 18 The adjective “high” has been supplied in the translation for clarity, as in many English versions.
19. 19 Heb “and he has filled his hand.” For this expression see the note on .
20. 20 Regarding these signs of mourning see the note on . His head had been anointed (v. 10a) so it must not be unkempt (v. 10b), and his garments were special priestly garments (v. 10a) so he must not tear them (v. 10b). In the translation “garments” has been employed rather than “clothes” to suggest that the special priestly garments are referred to here; cf. “nor tear his vestments.”
21. 21 Although the has “persons” (plural), the and have the singular “person” corresponding to the singular adjectival participle “dead” (cf. also Num 6:6).
22. 22 Regarding “profane,” see the note on above.
23. 23 Heb “And he, a wife in her virginity he shall take.”
24. 24 Heb “take.” In context this means “take as wife,” i.e., “marry.”
25. 25 The has literally, “from his peoples,” but , , , , and . have “from his people,” referring to the Israelites as a whole.
26. 26 The has literally, “in his peoples,” but , , , , and . have “in his people,” referring to the Israelites as a whole.
27. 27 Heb “to their generations.”
28. 28 Heb “who in him is a flaw”; cf. , “any blemish”; , “a defect.” The rendering “physical flaw” is used to refer to any birth defect or physical injury of the kind described in the following verses (cf. the same Hebrew word also in Lev 24:19–20). The same term is used for “flawed” animals, which must not be offered to the Lord in Lev 22:20–25.
29. 29 The particle כִּי (ki) in this context is asseverative, indicating absolutely certainty ( §159.ee).
30. 30 Lexically, the Hebrew term חָרֻם (kharum) seems to refer to a split nose or perhaps any number of other facial defects ( II חרם qal; cf. G. J. Wenham, Leviticus [], , n. 7); cf. , “a flat nose”; “a disfigured face.” The translation is “a limb too short” as a balance to the following term which means “extended, raised,” and apparently refers to “a limb too long” (see the explanation in B. A. Levine, Leviticus [], ).
31. 31 Heb “who there is in him a broken leg or a broken arm,” or perhaps “broken foot or broken hand.” The Hebrew term רֶגֶל (regel) is commonly rendered “foot,” but it can also refer to the “leg,” and the Hebrew יָד (yad) is most often translated “hand,” but can also refer to the “[fore]arm” (as opposed to כַּף, kaf, “palm of the hand” or “hand”). See יָד and רֶגֶל respectively (cf. the translation). In this context, these terms probably apply to any part of the limb that was broken, including hand and the foot. B. A. Levine (Leviticus [], ) points out that such injuries often did not heal properly in antiquity because they were not properly set and, therefore, remained a “physical flaw” permanently.
32. 32 Heb “thin”; cf. “weakly.” This could refer to either an exceptionally small (i.e., dwarfed) man (B. A. Levine, Leviticus [], ) or perhaps one with a “withered limb” (J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [], , ).
33. 33 The term rendered “spot” derives from a root meaning “mixed” or “confused” (cf. “walleyed”). It apparently refers to any kind of marked flaw in the eye that can be seen by others. , , ., and . have plural “his eyes.”
34. 34 The exact meaning and medical reference of the terms rendered “festering eruption” and “feverish rash” is unknown, but see the translations and remarks in B. A. Levine, Leviticus (), ; J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (), , , ; and R. K. Harrison, 1: and 2:.
35. 35 Or “shall approach” (see נגשׁ).
36. 36 See the note on for the rendering “veil-canopy.”
37. 37 Heb “And.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) can be considered to have resultative force here.
38. 38 Heb “And.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) introduces a concluding statement for all the preceding material.
39. 39 The words “these things” are not in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for clarity.