5 They shall not make H7139 baldness H7144 upon their head, H7218 neither shall they shave off H1548 the corner H6285 of their beard, H2206 nor make H8295 any cuttings H8296 in their flesh. H1320
Ye are the children H1121 of the LORD H3068 your God: H430 ye shall not cut H1413 yourselves, nor make H7760 any baldness H7144 between your eyes H5869 for the dead. H4191
Neither shall they shave H1548 their heads, H7218 nor suffer their locks H6545 to grow long; H7971 they shall only H3697 poll H3697 their heads. H7218
Ye shall not round H5362 the corners H6285 of your heads, H7218 neither shalt thou mar H7843 the corners H6285 of thy beard. H2206 Ye shall not make H5414 any H3793 cuttings H8296 in your flesh H1320 for the dead, H5315 nor print H5414 any marks H7085 upon you: I am the LORD. H3068
And in that day H3117 did the Lord H136 GOD H3069 of hosts H6635 call H7121 to weeping, H1065 and to mourning, H4553 and to baldness, H7144 and to girding H2296 with sackcloth: H8242
And Moses H4872 said H559 unto Aaron, H175 and unto Eleazar H499 and unto Ithamar, H385 his sons, H1121 Uncover H6544 not your heads, H7218 neither rend H6533 your clothes; H899 lest ye die, H4191 and lest wrath H7107 come upon all the people: H5712 but let your brethren, H251 the whole house H1004 of Israel, H3478 bewail H1058 the burning H8316 which the LORD H3068 hath kindled. H8313
Both the great H1419 and the small H6996 shall die H4191 in this land: H776 they shall not be buried, H6912 neither shall men lament H5594 for them, nor cut H1413 themselves, nor make themselves bald H7139 for them:
For every head H7218 shall be bald, H7144 and every beard H2206 clipped: H1639 upon all the hands H3027 shall be cuttings, H1417 and upon the loins H4975 sackcloth. H8242
And I will turn H2015 your feasts H2282 into mourning, H60 and all your songs H7892 into lamentation; H7015 and I will bring up H5927 sackcloth H8242 upon all loins, H4975 and baldness H7144 upon every head; H7218 and I will make H7760 it as the mourning H60 of an only H3173 son, and the end H319 thereof as a bitter H4751 day. H3117
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Leviticus 21
Commentary on Leviticus 21 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 21
This chapter might borrow its title from Mal. 2:1, "And now, O you priests, this commandment is for you.' It is a law obliging priests with the utmost care and jealousy to preserve the dignity of their priesthood.
Lev 21:1-9
It was before appointed that the priests should teach the people the statutes God had given concerning the difference between clean and unclean, ch. 10:10, 11. Now here it is provided that they should themselves observe what they were to teach the people. Note, Those whose office it is to instruct must do it by example as well as precept, 1 Tim. 4:12. The priests were to draw nearer to God than any of the people, and to be more intimately conversant with sacred things, and therefore it was required of them that they should keep at a greater distance than others from every thing that was defiling and might diminish the honour of their priesthood.
Lev 21:10-15
More was expected from a priest than from other people, but more from the high priest than from other priests, because upon his head the anointing oil was poured, and he was consecrated to put on the garments (v. 10), both which were typical of the anointing and adorning of the Lord Jesus, with all the gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit, which he received without measure. It is called the crown of the anointing oil of his God (v. 12); for the anointing of the Spirit is, to all that have it, a crown of glory, and a diadem of beauty. The high priest being thus dignified,
Lev 21:16-24
The priesthood being confined to one particular family, and entailed upon all the male issue of that family throughout their generations, it was very likely that some or other in after-ages that were born to the priesthood would have natural blemishes and deformities: the honour of the priesthood would not secure them from any of those calamities which are common to men. Divers blemishes are here specified; some that were ordinarily for life, as blindness; others that might be for a time, as a scurf or scab, and, when they were gone, the disability ceased. Now,