Lev. 21 Priests must not defile themselves, in mourning over the dead: cases excepted, Lev. 21:1–6. Nor marry with a whore, profane, or divorced woman, Lev. 21:7–8. His daughter, if a whore, to be burnt with fire, Lev. 21:9. The high priest must in no case defile himself with the dead, Lev.

To wit, by touching of the dead body, or abiding in the same house with it, or assisting at his funerals, or eating of the funeral feast. The reason of this law is evident, because by such pollution they were excluded from converse with men, to whom by their function they were to be serviceable…

For his kin that is near unto him: under this general expression his wife seems to be comprehended, though she be not expressed in the following instances, because from the mention of others more remote it was easy to gather that so near a relation was not excluded.

For his sister, either by father or mother. Nigh unto him, i.e. by nearness, not of relation, (for that might seem a needless addition,) but of habitation, i.e. one not yet cut off from the family, as it follows.

Or, seeing he is a chief man, & c., or ruler, &c., for such not only the high priest, but others also of the inferior priests, were. And therefore though he might defile himself for the persons now named, yet he, above all others, must take heed so to do it that he do not profane himself by doing…

To wit, in funerals, as the heathens did: q. d. Though I allow them to defile themselves for some of the dead, yet in no case shall they use these superstitious and heathenish rites, which also the people are forbidden to do, Lev. 19:27, Deut.

Holy unto their God; devoted to God’s service, and always prepared and fit for it; and therefore shall keep themselves as far as they can from all defilement, which makes them unmeet for their Master’s use.

Or profane, or defiled, or defloured, though it were done secretly, or by accident, or by force; because the priest must take care that all the members of his family be free not only from gross wickedness, but from all suspicion of evil, and occasions of reproach or contempt, because this would…

Thou, O Moses, and whosoever shall succeed in thy place, to whom it belongs to see those and other of my laws observed, shall take care that the priest be holy, and do not defile himself by any of these forbidden marriages, though he would do it. He shall be holy unto thee; either 1.

And by analogy his son also, and his wife, because the reason of the law here added concerns all. And nothing is more common than to name one kind for the rest of the same nature, as also is done Lev. 18:0. She profaneth her father, i.e.

Upon whose head the anointing oil was poured, Lev. 8:12; which was only sprinkled upon inferior priests, blood also being mixed with it, Lev. 8:30. The garments, to wit, those holy garments which were peculiar to him, as well as those common to others.

Neither shall he go, to wit, into the chamber or house where they lie. This and divers other rites here prescribed were from hence translated by the heathens into their use, whose priests were put under the same obligations.

Out of the sanctuary, to wit, to attend the funerals of any person; for upon other occasions he might and did commonly go out. Nor profane the sanctuary; either by making the service thereof give place to the discharge of his passions, or the performance of a civility, or by entering into the…

Or, a virgin, partly for the decency of the type, because as he was a type of Christ, so his wife was a type of the church, which is compared to a virgin, 2 Cor. 11:2, Rev. 14:4; and partly for greater caution and assurance that his wife was not a defiled or defloured person.

A widow; except she were the widow of his predecessor, which some gather from Ezek. 44:22. But that place speaks only of the common priest, not of the high priest. Of his own people, i.e. either, 1. Of his own tribe, which is confuted by the examples of holy men; see 2 Chron. 22:11; or, 2.

Neither shall he profane his seed by mixing it with forbidden kinds, whereby the children would be disparaged, and rendered unfit for their priestly function. Do sanctify him, i.e.

Whosoever he be of thy seed, whether the high priest or the inferior ones. In their generations; in all successive ages, as long as your priesthood and policy endures. Any blemish, i.e. any defect or excess of parts, any notorious deformity, or imperfection in his body.

He shall not approach unto God, or to serve him in his sanctuary. A flat nose: most restrain this word to the nose and to some great deformity relating to it, either the want of it wholly or in part, or the shortness, flatness, or crookedness of it.

No man that hath a blemish; any notorious blemish whereby he is disfigured, though not here mentioned.

Which a priest having any uncleanness upon him might not do; whereby God would show the great difference between natural infirmities sent upon a man by God, and moral defilements which a man brought upon himself. What was holy, and what most holy, was declared before. See Lev. 2:3, Lev. 6:17, Lev.

In unto the veil i.e. to the second veil, which was between the holy and the most holy place, Ex. 26:13, Ex. 26:36, to burn incense, to order the shew-bread, and to dress the lamps, which were nigh unto that veil, though without. Nor come nigh unto the altar, i.e.