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Leviticus 21:18–20

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21:18Certainly29 no man who has a physical flaw is to approach: a blind man, or one who is lame, or one with a slit nose,30 or a limb too long, 21:19or a man who has had a broken leg or arm,3121:20or a hunchback, or a dwarf,32 or one with a spot in his eye,33 or a festering eruption, or a feverish rash,34 or a crushed testicle.

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Footnotes

  1. 29 The particle כִּי (ki) in this context is asseverative, indicating absolutely certainty ( §159.ee).
  2. 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 [], ).
  3. 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.
  4. 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 [], , ).
  5. 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.”
  6. 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:.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

For no one who has a blemish shall draw near, a man blind or lame, or one who has a mutilated face or a limb too long, or a man who has an injured foot or an injured hand, or a hunchback or a dwarf or a man with a defect in his sight or an itching disease or scabs or crushed testicles.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

No man who has any defect may come near: no man who is blind or lame, disfigured or deformed; no man with a crippled foot or hand, or who is a hunchback or a dwarf, or who has any eye defect, or who has festering or running sores or damaged testicles.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

No man who has any defect is to come near: no man who is blind, lame, facially disfigured, or deformed; no man who has a broken foot or hand, or who is a hunchback or a dwarf, or who has an eye defect, a festering rash, scabs, or a crushed testicle.

NLTNew Living Translation

No one who has a defect qualifies, whether he is blind, lame, disfigured, deformed, or has a broken foot or arm, or is hunchbacked or dwarfed, or has a defective eye, or skin sores or scabs, or damaged testicles.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

Indeed, any man in whom is a physical defect shall not come near: a blind man or lame or disfigured or deformed, or a man in whom is a broken foot or a broken hand, or a hunchback or a dwarf, or a spot in his eye or a skin disorder or a skin eruption or a crushed testicle.

KJV 1900King James Version

For whatsoever man he be that hath a blemish, he shall not approach: a blind man, or a lame, or he that hath a flat nose, or any thing superfluous, Or a man that is brokenfooted, or brokenhanded, Or crookbackt, or a dwarf, or that hath a blemish in his eye, or be scurvy, or scabbed, or hath his stones broken;