Leviticus 21:17-23

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Leviticus 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... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Leviticus 21:17

Speak unto Aaron, saying ,.... Who being the high priest, it was incumbent on him, at least at this time, to see that the laws and rules relating to the priesthood were observed; and particularly to examine carefully who were and who were not to be admitted to serve in it: whosoever he be of thy seed in their generations ; or, "a man of thy seed" F23 איש מזרעך "vir de semine tuo", Pagninus, Montanus, &c.; , for this only respected his male seed, females of his seed had no... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Leviticus 21:18

For whatsoever man he be that hath a blemish ,.... Let him be otherwise ever so well qualified for his office, as with respect to his parentage, against which no objection lies; or, as to his character and abilities, being a man of knowledge and of good manners; and whether these blemishes be, as the Jews F26 Misn. Zebachim, c. 12. sect 1. & Becorot, c. 7. sect. 1. call them, fixed, settled ones, which have attended them ever since they were born, and are likely to attend them as... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Leviticus 21:19

Or a man that is brokenfooted or brokenhanded. That has any of the bones or joints in his hands and feet broke, or when they are distorted, and he is clubfooted, or his fingers crooked and clustered together; and such a man could not be fit to ascend the altar, and lay the sacrifice in order upon it; and may be an emblem of such as are awkward or disorderly in their walk and conservation, and to every good work and action unfit, and so unfit for their master's use. read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Leviticus 21:20

Or crookbackt ,.... That has a protuberance, or bunch upon his back, one that we commonly call "hunchbacked"; the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem paraphrase it,"whose eyebrows lying cover his eyes;'and so Jarchi, interprets it, the hair of whose eyebrows is long and lying; and so other Jewish writers understand it of some deformity about the eyes, the hair of the eyebrows being thick and heavy over them, and so hinder the sight, at least it makes the person not so sightly and graceful; it... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Leviticus 21:21

No man that hath a blemish, of the seed of Aaron the priest ,.... Whether an high priest or a common priest that lies on him anyone of the above blemishes; and which the Jewish writers F6 Maimon. Biath Hamikdash, c. 8. sect. 17. make to amount to the number of one hundred and forty, and which they reckon, so many in one part of the booty and so many in another, till they make up the said number; and whoever had any might not come nigh to offer up the sacrifices of the Lord made by... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Leviticus 21:22

He shall eat the bread of his God ,.... That part of the sacrifices which was appropriated by the Lord to the priests, for the maintenance of them and their families; for though their natural infirmities disqualified them for service, yet they did not become hereby impure, either in a moral nor ceremonial sense, and might eat of the sacrifices, which impure persons might not; and so the tradition is, blemished persons, whether their blemishes are fixed or transient, may divide and eat, but... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Leviticus 21:23

Only he shall not go in unto the vail ,.... So far as to the vail, which divided between the holy and the holy of holies; that is, he shall not go into the holy place which was before the vail; not to set the shewbread upon the table there, nor to light and him the lamps in the candlestick, nor to offer incense on the altar of incense, which stood in it: some render it "within the vail" F8 אל הפרכת "intra velum", V. L. , where only the high priest might enter once a year; but if he... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Leviticus 21:17

Whosoever - hath any blemish, let him not approach to offer the bread of his God - Never was a wiser, a more rational, and a more expedient law enacted relative to sacred matters. The man who ministers in holy things, who professes to be the interpreter of the will of God, should have nothing in his person nor in his manner which cannot contribute to render him respectable in the eyes of those to whom he ministers. If, on the contrary, he has any personal defect, any thing that may render... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Leviticus 21:18

A blind man - That is, in one eye; for he that was utterly blind could not possibly be employed in such a service. A flat nose, like that of an ape; so the best versions. Any thing superfluous, such as six fingers, six toes, etc. read more

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