Leviticus 21:4

But he shall not defile himself, being a chief man among his people, to profane himself.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
defile	יִטַּמָּ֖א yi.ta.Ma'	H2930	to be foul · verb, hithpael imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
man	בַּ֣עַל Ba.'al	H1167	a master · noun, common masculine singular absolute
people	בְּעַמָּ֑יו be.'a.Mav	H5971	a people (as a congregated unit) · preposition + noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
profane	לְהֵ֖חַלּֽוֹ le.He.cha.Lo	H2490	properly · preposition + verb, niphal infinitive construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Ezekiel 24:16-17 Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke: yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy t…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Leviticus 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, Lev 10:10, Lev 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, Ti1 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. I. They must take care not to disparage th…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Leviticus 21:4

But he shall not defile himself--"for any other," as the sense may be fully expressed. "The priest, in discharging his sacred functions, might well be regarded as a chief man among his people, and by these defilements might be said to profane himself" [BISHOP PATRICK]. The word rendered "chief man" signifies also "a husband"; and the sense according to others is, "But he being a husband, shall not defile himself by the obsequies of a wife" (Eze 44:25).

Adam Clarke on Leviticus 21:4

A chief man among his people - The word בעל baal signifies a master, chief, husband, etc., and is as variously translated here. 1. He being a chief among the people, it would be improper to see him in such a state of humiliation as mourning for the dead necessarily implies. 2. Though a husband he shall not defile himself even for the death of a wife, because the anointing of his God is upon him. But the first sense appears to be the best.

John Gill on Leviticus 21:4

But he shall not defile himself, being a chief man among his people,.... Which is not to be understood of any lord or nobleman or any chief ruler or governor of the people; for the context speaks only of priests, and not of other personages; besides, such might defile themselves, or mourn for their dead, as Abraham did for Sarah; nor of any husband for his wife, for even a priest, as has been observed, might do this for his wife, and much more a private person; nor is there any need to restrain it, as some Jewish writers do, to an adulterous wife, which a husband might not mourn for, though he might for his right and lawful wife; but there is nothing in the text, neither of an husband, nor a…

Dictionary and topics

Hair — (1.) The Egyptians let the hair of their head and beard grow only when they were in mourning, shaving it off at other times. “So particular were they on this point that to have neglected it was a…
Purification — The process by which a person unclean, according to the Levitical law, and thereby cut off from the sanctuary and the festivals, was restored to the enjoyment of all these privileges. The great…
Defilement · Priests: Specially required to avoid — Priests: Specially required to avoid
High Priest, The · Forbidden to mourn for any — Forbidden to mourn for any
Mourning · .Cutting the flesh — .Cutting the flesh
Priests · Special laws respecting: Not to defile themselves for the dead except the nearest of kin — Special laws respecting: Not to defile themselves for the dead except the nearest of kin
Sanctification · UNCLASSIFIED SCRIPTURES RELATING TO — UNCLASSIFIED SCRIPTURES RELATING TO
Uncleanness · (Ceremonially speaking) — (Ceremonially speaking)

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Leviticus 21:4

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Leviticus 21:1-9

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Leviticus 21:4

Adam Clarke on Leviticus 21:4

John Gill on Leviticus 21:4

Dictionary and topics

Leviticus 21:4

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Leviticus 21:1-9

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Leviticus 21:4

Adam Clarke on Leviticus 21:4

John Gill on Leviticus 21:4

Dictionary and topics

John Calvin on Leviticus 21:1-15

Keil & Delitzsch on Leviticus 21:1-6

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Leviticus 21:1–end

Rashi on Leviticus 21:4