Verses 1-6
The priest was not to defile himself ceremonially by touching a corpse, except in the case of his nearest relatives. Shaving the head, probably above the forehead (Deuteronomy 14:1), shaving the edges of the beard, and self-mutilation were practices of pagan priests who demonstrated mourning in these ways (cf. 1 Kings 18:28). [Note: See M. Bayliss, "The Cult of Dead Kin in Assyria and Babylon," Iraq 35 (1973):115-25.]
"As in other parts of the ancient Near East [besides Sumeria] priests’ heads were normally shaved and no beard was worn." [Note: G. Herbert Livingston, The Pentateuch in Its Cultural Environment, p. 107.]
Defacing the human body was unacceptable because physical perfection symbolized holiness. The priests of Israel were neither to appear nor to behave as pagan priests.
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