Leviticus 21:7-9

TEXT 21:7-9

7

They shall not take a woman that is a harlot, or profane; neither shall they take a woman put away from her husband: for he is holy unto his God,

8

Thou shalt sanctify him therefore; for he offereth the bread of thy God: he shall be holy unto thee, for I Jehovah, who sanctify you, am holy.

9

And the daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by playing the harlot, she profaneth her father: she shall be burnt with fire.

THOUGHT QUESTIONS 21:7-9

477.

How absurd it seems to us to read that a priest of the Holy God should not marry a harlot, or a profane or divorced woman. Why was it necessary to say this?

478.

The sacrifices are here called the bread of God i.e. the food of God. How are we to understand this?

479.

The daughter of the priest really carries a heavy responsibility. Why? Cf. Joshua 7:15; Joshua 7:25.

PARAPHRASE 21:7-9

A priest shall not marry a prostitute, nor a woman of another tribe, and he shall not marry a divorced woman, for he is a holy man of God. The priest is set apart to offer the sacrifices of your God; he is holy, for I, the Lord who sanctifies you, am holy. The daughter of any priest who becomes a prostitute, thus violating her father's holiness as well as her own, shall be burned alive.

COMMENT 21:7-9

Leviticus 21:7-8 We need to remember that these regulations were to stand as long as the priesthood served. There would be times in the history of Israel when no such prohibitions were needed; their moral standards were higher than the thought of a priest marrying a prostitute. But there would be other times when every man did that which was right in his own eyes, and such a prohibition was very much needed. The defiled or profaned woman would be one who had become such by some unnamed violation of the law of God.

The altar was the table of God and the sacrifices were the food served to Him as bread. The priests had the priceless privilege of serving God's bread at His table. For this reason they must be holy.

Leviticus 21:9 The daughter of any Israelite who was guilty of whoredom was punished by strangling. Cf. Leviticus 20:10, Deuteronomy 22:23-24. But the daughter of the priest has been given more, and more is required. Once again we need to be reminded that the limits of the moral code are here emphasized. We trust that not many daughters were stoned and then burned with fire for such a practice.

FACT QUESTIONS 21:7-9

489.

There would be times when such regulations were needed, and times when they were not. Discuss.

490.

Could a priest marry a widow?

491.

In what sense were the sacrifices the bread of God?

492.

Why so severe with the punishment of the daughter of the priest?