Leviticus 21:15
in Leviticus 21so that he does not defile his offspring among his people, for I am the LORD who sanctifies him.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And he shall not profane his seed among his people: for I am Jehovah who sanctifieth him.
KJV
Neither shall he profane his seed among his people: for I the Lord do sanctify him.
⋯
This verse in Leviticus 21
Commentary
5 notes on this verseSome understand it as forbidding him to marry any of an inferior rank, which would be a disparagement to his family. Jehoiada indeed married of his own tribe, but then it was into the royal family, 2 Chron. xxii. This was not to teach him to be proud, but to teach him to be pure, and to do nothing unbecoming his office and the worthy name by which he was called.
This site's exposition
he shall take a wife in her virginity
on Leviticus 21:13-15
The circle narrows at every step toward the altar. An ordinary Israelite may marry a widow, the priest at verse 7 may not marry a harlot or a divorced woman, and verse 14 adds the widow to the list for the high priest alone and requires a virgin of his own people. Verse 15 puts the reason on his seed rather than on himself, since the office passes to his sons, and closes with I the LORD do sanctify him.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
Neither shall he profane his seed among his people,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
Moreover, the high dignity of his office demanded a corresponding superiority in personal holiness, and stringent rules were prescribed for the purpose of upholding the suitable dignity of his station and family. The same rules are extended to the families of Christian ministers (1Ti 3:2;
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Profane his seed - i. e. by a marriage which was not in keeping with the holiness of his office.
The words behind it
8 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְלֹֽא־ | velo'- | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יְחַלֵּ֥ל | yechalel | he will profane | H2490 → | 143 times |
| זַרְע֖וֹ | zaro | offspring his | H2233 → | 229 times |
| בְּעַמָּ֑יו | beamav | among kinspeople<s> his | H5971 → | 1873 times |
| כִּ֛י | ki | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| אֲנִ֥י | ʾani | I | H589 → | 874 times |
| יְהוָ֖ה | yahweh | [am] Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| מְקַדְּשֽׁוֹ׃ פ | mekadesho | [who] sets apart as holy him | H6942 → | 171 times |
וְלֹֽא־and not
velo'-H3808 →5168 times
יְחַלֵּ֥לhe will profane
yechalelH2490 →143 times
זַרְע֖וֹoffspring his
zaroH2233 →229 times
בְּעַמָּ֑יוamong kinspeople<s> his
beamavH5971 →1873 times
כִּ֛יfor
kiH3588 →4482 times
אֲנִ֥יI
ʾaniH589 →874 times
יְהוָ֖ה[am] Yahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
מְקַדְּשֽׁוֹ׃ פ[who] sets apart as holy him
mekadeshoH6942 →171 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Genesis 18:19For I have chosen him, so that he will command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, in order that…
it leads to
- 1 Timothy 3:4–5
An overseer must manage his own household well and keep his children under control, with complete dignity.
- Deuteronomy 6:6–7
These words I am commanding you today are to be upon your hearts.
- Deuteronomy 4:9–10
Only be on your guard and diligently watch yourselves, so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen, and so that they do not slip from your heart as long as…
- Ephesians 6:4
Fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath; instead, bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
- 2 Timothy 3:15
From infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
- 1 Timothy 3:4–5
Through
Malachi 2:15Has not the LORD made them one, having a portion of the Spirit? And why one? Because He seeks godly offspring. So guard yourselves in your spirit and do not break faith with the…
it leads to
- Matthew 19:4–6
Jesus answered, “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’
- Malachi 2:14
Yet you ask, “Why?” It is because the LORD has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have broken faith, though she is your companion and your…
- Mark 10:6–8
However, from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’
- Matthew 19:4–6
About Leviticus
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: The Pentateuch and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.