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Chapter 21

Sanctity of the Priesthood. [a]The Lord said to Moses: Speak to the priests, Aaron’s sons, and tell them: None of you shall make himself unclean for any dead person among his kindred,(A) except for his nearest relatives, his mother or father, his son or daughter, his brother(B) or his unmarried sister, who is of his own family while she remains single; for these he may make himself unclean. But as a husband among his kindred[b] he shall not make himself unclean and thus profane himself.

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Footnotes

  1. 21:1–12 While off duty the regular priests are not to become corpse-contaminated except for the close relatives listed in vv. 2–3. While on duty they presumably could not become impure at all. The high priest is restricted from all corpse contamination, on or off duty (vv. 11–12). Lay Israelites are not restricted from corpse contamination, except when in contact with what is holy (cf. Dt 26:14). See note on Lv 11:39–40. Israelites who undertake a nazirite vow enter into a sanctified state and cannot contact corpses (Nm 6:6–12). Cf. Ez 44:25–27.
  2. 21:4 Husband among his kindred: this probably refers to relatives by marriage and may even include his wife.