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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Leviticus 21:11 He must not go near any dead body; he must not defile himself, even for his father or mother.</title><link rel="canonical" href="https://biblehub.com/leviticus/21-11.htm" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/new9.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><meta property="og:image" content="https://biblehub.com/visuals/10/03_Lev_21_11.jpg" /><meta property="og:title" content="Leviticus 21:11 - Holiness Required of Priests" /><meta property="og:site_name" content="Bible Hub" /><meta property="og:description" content="He must not go near any dead body; he must not defile himself, even for his father or mother." /><script type="application/javascript" src="https://scripts.webcontentassessor.com/scripts/8a2459b64f9cac8122fc7f2eac4409c8555fac9383016db59c4c26e3d5b8b157"></script><script src='https://qd.admetricspro.com/js/biblehub/biblehub-layout-loader-revcatch.js'></script><script id='HyDgbd_1s' src='https://prebidads.revcatch.com/ads.js' type='text/javascript' async></script><script>(function(w,d,b,s,i){var cts=d.createElement(s);cts.async=true;cts.id='catchscript'; cts.dataset.appid=i;cts.src='https://app.protectsubrev.com/catch_rp.js?cb='+Math.random(); document.head.appendChild(cts); }) (window,document,'head','script','rc-anksrH');</script></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="/vmenus/leviticus/21-11.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="/bmc/leviticus/21-11.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="/">Bible</a> > <a href="/leviticus/">Leviticus</a> > <a href="/leviticus/21.htm">Chapter 21</a> > Verse 11</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div><div id="ad1"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/ad11.htm" width="100%" height="48" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="/leviticus/21-10.htm" title="Leviticus 21:10">◄</a> Leviticus 21:11 <a href="/leviticus/21-12.htm" title="Leviticus 21:12">►</a></div></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="topverse"> <a href="#audio" class="clickchap2" title="Context and Audio Bible"> Audio </a> <a href="#crossref" class="clickchap2" title="Cross References"> Cross </a> <a href="#study" class="clickchap2" title="Study Bible"> Study </a> <a href="#commentary" class="clickchap2" title="Commentary"> Comm </a> <a href="#lexicon" class="clickchap2" title="Lexicon"> Heb </a> </div><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheadingv"><b>Verse</b><a href="/bsb/leviticus/21.htm" class="clickchap" style="color:#001320" title="Click any translation name for full chapter">  (Click for Chapter)</a></div><div id="par"><span class="versiontext"><a href="/niv/leviticus/21.htm">New International Version</a></span><br />He must not enter a place where there is a dead body. He must not make himself unclean, even for his father or mother,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nlt/leviticus/21.htm">New Living Translation</a></span><br />He must not defile himself by going near a dead body. He may not make himself ceremonially unclean even for his father or mother.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/esv/leviticus/21.htm">English Standard Version</a></span><br />He shall not go in to any dead bodies nor make himself unclean, even for his father or for his mother.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/bsb/leviticus/21.htm">Berean Standard Bible</a></span><br />He must not go near any dead body; he must not defile himself, even for his father or mother.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/kjv/leviticus/21.htm">King James Bible</a></span><br />Neither shall he go in to any dead body, nor defile himself for his father, or for his mother;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nkjv/leviticus/21.htm">New King James Version</a></span><br />nor shall he go near any dead body, nor defile himself for his father or his mother;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb_/leviticus/21.htm">New American Standard Bible</a></span><br />nor shall he approach any dead person, nor defile himself <i>even</i> for his father or his mother;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb/leviticus/21.htm">NASB 1995</a></span><br />nor shall he approach any dead person, nor defile himself even for his father or his mother;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb77/leviticus/21.htm">NASB 1977 </a></span><br />nor shall he approach any dead person, nor defile himself <i>even</i> for his father or his mother;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsb/leviticus/21.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a></span><br />nor shall he approach any dead person nor defile himself <i>even</i> for his father or his mother;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/amp/leviticus/21.htm">Amplified Bible</a></span><br />nor shall he approach any dead person, nor defile himself [by doing so, even] for his father or for his mother;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/csb/leviticus/21.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />He must not go near any dead person or make himself unclean even for his father or mother.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hcsb/leviticus/21.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />He must not go near any dead person or make himself unclean even for his father or mother.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/asv/leviticus/21.htm">American Standard Version</a></span><br />neither shall he go in to any dead body, nor defile himself for his father, or for his mother;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cev/leviticus/21.htm">Contemporary English Version</a></span><br />Don't make yourself unclean by going near a dead body, not even that of your own father or mother. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/erv/leviticus/21.htm">English Revised Version</a></span><br />neither shall he go in to any dead body, nor defile himself for his father, or for his mother;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gwt/leviticus/21.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a></span><br />He must never go near any dead bodies or become unclean, even for his father or mother.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/isv/leviticus/21.htm">International Standard Version</a></span><br />He is not to come near any dead body—whether the deceased is his father or his mother—so as not to defile himself. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/msb/leviticus/21.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a></span><br />He must not go near any dead body; he must not defile himself, even for his father or mother.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/net/leviticus/21.htm">NET Bible</a></span><br />He must not go where there is any dead person; he must not defile himself even for his father and his mother.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nheb/leviticus/21.htm">New Heart English Bible</a></span><br />neither shall he go in to any dead body, nor defile himself for his father, or for his mother;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/wbt/leviticus/21.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a></span><br />Neither shall he go in to any dead body, nor defile himself for his father, or for his mother;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/web/leviticus/21.htm">World English Bible</a></span><br />He must not go in to any dead body, or defile himself for his father or for his mother. <div class="vheading2"><b>Literal Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsv/leviticus/21.htm">Literal Standard Version</a></span><br />nor does he come beside any dead person; he does not defile himself for his father and for his mother;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/ylt/leviticus/21.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a></span><br /> nor beside any dead person doth he come; for his father and for his mother he doth not defile himself;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/slt/leviticus/21.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a></span><br />And to an dead soul he shall not come, for his father, and for his mother, he shall not be defiled.<div class="vheading2"><b>Catholic Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/drb/leviticus/21.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a></span><br />Nor shall he go in at all to any dead person: not even for his father, or his mother, shall he be defiled: <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cpdv/leviticus/21.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a></span><br />And he shall not enter to any dead body whatsoever; likewise, not even by his father or mother shall he be contaminated.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nabre/leviticus/21.htm">New American Bible</a></span><br />nor shall he go near any dead person. Not even for his father or mother may he thus become unclean;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nrsvce/leviticus/21.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a></span><br />He shall not go where there is a dead body; he shall not defile himself even for his father or mother.<div class="vheading2"><b>Translations from Aramaic</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lamsa/leviticus/21.htm">Lamsa Bible</a></span><br />Neither shall he go near any dead body, nor defile himself by mourning for his father or for his mother;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hpbt/leviticus/21.htm">Peshitta Holy Bible Translated</a></span><br />And he shall not enter upon any soul of the dead and he shall not be polluted with his father or with his mother;<div class="vheading2"><b>OT Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/jps/leviticus/21.htm">JPS Tanakh 1917</a></span><br />neither shall he go in to any dead body, nor defile himself for his father, or for his mother;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/sep/leviticus/21.htm">Brenton Septuagint Translation</a></span><br />neither shall he go in to any dead body, neither shall he defile himself for his father or his mother.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/parallel/leviticus/21-11.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></span></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="audio" id="audio"></a><div class="vheadingv"><b>Audio Bible</b></div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NWs_V1RyMFo?start=5633" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><div class="vheadingv"><b>Context</b></div><span class="hdg"><a href="/bsb/leviticus/21.htm">Holiness Required of Priests</a></span><br>…<span class="reftext">10</span>The priest who is highest among his brothers, who has had the anointing oil poured on his head and has been ordained to wear the priestly garments, must not let his hair hang loose or tear his garments. <span class="reftext">11</span><span class="highl"><a href="/hebrew/5921.htm" title="5921: wə·‘al (Conj-w:: Prep) -- Properly, the same as al used as a preposition; above, over, upon, or against in a great variety of applications."></a> <a href="/hebrew/3808.htm" title="3808: lō (Adv-NegPrt) -- Not. Or lowi; or loh; a primitive particle; not; by implication, no; often used with other particles.">He must not</a> <a href="/hebrew/935.htm" title="935: yā·ḇō (V-Qal-Imperf-3ms) -- To come in, come, go in, go. A primitive root; to go or come.">go</a> <a href="/hebrew/3605.htm" title="3605: kāl- (N-msc) -- The whole, all. Or kowl; from kalal; properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every.">near any</a> <a href="/hebrew/4191.htm" title="4191: mêṯ (V-Qal-Prtcpl-ms) -- To die. A primitive root: to die; causatively, to kill.">dead</a> <a href="/hebrew/5315.htm" title="5315: nap̄·šōṯ (N-fpc) -- From naphash; properly, a breathing creature, i.e. Animal of vitality; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense.">body;</a> <a href="/hebrew/3808.htm" title="3808: lō (Adv-NegPrt) -- Not. Or lowi; or loh; a primitive particle; not; by implication, no; often used with other particles.">he must not</a> <a href="/hebrew/2930.htm" title="2930: yiṭ·ṭam·mā (V-Hitpael-Imperf-3ms) -- To be or become unclean. A primitive root; to be foul, especially in a ceremial or moral sense.">defile himself,</a> <a href="/hebrew/1.htm" title="1: lə·’ā·ḇîw (Prep-l:: N-msc:: 3ms) -- Father. A primitive word; father, in a literal and immediate, or figurative and remote application).">even for his father</a> <a href="/hebrew/517.htm" title="517: ū·lə·’im·mōw (Conj-w, Prep-l:: N-fsc:: 3ms) -- A mother. A primitive word; a mother; in a wide sense (like 'ab).">or mother.</a> </span><span class="reftext">12</span>He must not leave or desecrate the sanctuary of his God, for the consecration of the anointing oil of his God is on him. I am the LORD.…<div class="cred"><a href="//berean.bible">Berean Standard Bible</a> · <a href="//berean.bible/downloads.htm">Download</a></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="crossref" id="crossref"></a><div class="vheading">Cross References</div><div id="crf"><span class="crossverse"><a href="/numbers/19-11.htm">Numbers 19:11-16</a></span><br />Whoever touches any dead body will be unclean for seven days. / He must purify himself with the water on the third day and on the seventh day; then he will be clean. But if he does not purify himself on the third and seventh days, he will not be clean. / Anyone who touches a human corpse and fails to purify himself defiles the tabernacle of the LORD. That person must be cut off from Israel. He remains unclean, because the water of purification has not been sprinkled on him, and his uncleanness is still on him. ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/ezekiel/44-25.htm">Ezekiel 44:25</a></span><br />A priest must not defile himself by going near a dead person. However, for a father, a mother, a son, a daughter, a brother, or an unmarried sister, he may do so,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/numbers/6-6.htm">Numbers 6:6-7</a></span><br />Throughout the days of his separation to the LORD, he must not go near a dead body. / Even if his father or mother or brother or sister should die, he is not to defile himself, because the symbol of consecration to his God is upon his head.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/matthew/8-21.htm">Matthew 8:21-22</a></span><br />Another of His disciples requested, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” / But Jesus told him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/luke/9-59.htm">Luke 9:59-60</a></span><br />Then He said to another man, “Follow Me.” The man replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” / But Jesus told him, “Let the dead bury their own dead. You, however, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/john/11-55.htm">John 11:55</a></span><br />Now the Jewish Passover was near, and many people went up from the country to Jerusalem to purify themselves before the Passover.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/hebrews/7-26.htm">Hebrews 7:26</a></span><br />Such a high priest truly befits us—One who is holy, innocent, undefiled, set apart from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/1_peter/1-15.htm">1 Peter 1:15-16</a></span><br />But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do, / for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/2_corinthians/6-17.htm">2 Corinthians 6:17</a></span><br />“Therefore come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/52-11.htm">Isaiah 52:11</a></span><br />Depart, depart, go out from there! Touch no unclean thing; come out from it, purify yourselves, you who carry the vessels of the LORD.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/haggai/2-13.htm">Haggai 2:13</a></span><br />So Haggai asked, “If one who is defiled by contact with a corpse touches any of these, does it become defiled?” “Yes, it becomes defiled,” the priests answered.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/matthew/9-23.htm">Matthew 9:23-24</a></span><br />When Jesus entered the house of the synagogue leader, He saw the flute players and the noisy crowd. / “Go away,” He told them. “The girl is not dead, but asleep.” And they laughed at Him.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/luke/8-49.htm">Luke 8:49-50</a></span><br />While He was still speaking, someone arrived from the house of the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” he told Jairus. “Do not bother the Teacher anymore.” / But Jesus overheard them and said to Jairus, “Do not be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/john/18-28.htm">John 18:28</a></span><br />Then they led Jesus away from Caiaphas into the Praetorium. By now it was early morning, and the Jews did not enter the Praetorium, to avoid being defiled and unable to eat the Passover.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/acts/10-28.htm">Acts 10:28</a></span><br />He said to them, “You know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with a foreigner or visit him. But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean.</div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div><p class="tsk2">Neither shall he go in to any dead body, nor defile himself for his father, or for his mother;</p><p class="hdg">his father</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/leviticus/21-1.htm">Leviticus 21:1,2</a></b></br> And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto the priests the sons of Aaron, and say unto them, There shall none be defiled for the dead among his people: … </p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/numbers/6-7.htm">Numbers 6:7</a></b></br> He shall not make himself unclean for his father, or for his mother, for his brother, or for his sister, when they die: because the consecration of his God <i>is</i> upon his head.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/numbers/19-14.htm">Numbers 19:14</a></b></br> This <i>is</i> the law, when a man dieth in a tent: all that come into the tent, and all that <i>is</i> in the tent, shall be unclean seven days.</p><div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/leviticus/20-16.htm">Approach</a> <a href="/leviticus/19-28.htm">Body</a> <a href="/leviticus/21-5.htm">Dead</a> <a href="/leviticus/21-4.htm">Defile</a> <a href="/leviticus/19-23.htm">Enter</a> <a href="/leviticus/21-2.htm">Mother</a> <a href="/leviticus/21-4.htm">Unclean</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/leviticus/21-17.htm">Approach</a> <a href="/leviticus/21-17.htm">Body</a> <a href="/leviticus/22-4.htm">Dead</a> <a href="/leviticus/21-15.htm">Defile</a> <a href="/leviticus/23-10.htm">Enter</a> <a href="/leviticus/22-27.htm">Mother</a> <a href="/leviticus/21-15.htm">Unclean</a><div class="vheading2">Leviticus 21</div><span class="reftext">1. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/leviticus/21-1.htm">Of the priests' mourning</a></span><br><span class="reftext">6. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/leviticus/21-6.htm">Of their holiness</a></span><br><span class="reftext">7. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/leviticus/21-7.htm">Of their marriages</a></span><br><span class="reftext">8. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/leviticus/21-8.htm">Of their estimation</a></span><br><span class="reftext">9. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/leviticus/21-9.htm">Of the high priest's holiness</a></span><br><span class="reftext">10. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/leviticus/21-10.htm">Of his marriage</a></span><br><span class="reftext">13. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/leviticus/21-13.htm">The priests that have blemishes must not minister in the sanctuary</a></span><br></div></div><div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div><br /><br /> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:200px;height:200px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="3592799687"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> <br /><br /> </div> </td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="combox"><div class="padcom"><a name="study" id="study"></a><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top"><a href="/study/leviticus/21.htm">Study Bible</a></td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/study/leviticus/" title="Book Summary and Study">Book ◦</a> <a href="/study/chapters/leviticus/21.htm" title="Chapter summary and Study">Chapter </a></tr></table></div><b>He must not go near any dead body;</b><br>This command is directed towards the high priest, emphasizing the need for maintaining ritual purity. In the ancient Israelite context, contact with a dead body rendered a person ceremonially unclean, as outlined in <a href="/numbers/19-11.htm">Numbers 19:11-13</a>. The high priest, serving as the spiritual leader and mediator between God and the people, was held to a higher standard of holiness. This separation from death symbolizes the separation from sin and corruption, reflecting God's holiness. The prohibition underscores the sanctity of life and the priest's role in representing life and purity before God.<p><b>he must not defile himself,</b><br>The concept of defilement in Levitical law pertains to becoming ritually impure, which would disqualify the high priest from performing his sacred duties. This requirement highlights the importance of maintaining a state of holiness, as the high priest was a type of Christ, who is our ultimate High Priest (<a href="/hebrews/4-14.htm">Hebrews 4:14-15</a>). Jesus, who is sinless, did not defile Himself but took on the sins of the world, providing a way for humanity to be reconciled with God. The high priest's avoidance of defilement prefigures Christ's perfect purity and His role in offering a perfect sacrifice.<p><b>even for his father or mother.</b><br>This phrase illustrates the extent of the high priest's commitment to his divine duties, even above familial obligations. In the cultural context of ancient Israel, honoring one's parents was a significant commandment (<a href="/exodus/20-12.htm">Exodus 20:12</a>), yet the high priest's service to God took precedence. This reflects the principle that devotion to God must surpass all other loyalties, as seen in Jesus' teaching in <a href="/matthew/10-37.htm">Matthew 10:37</a>. The high priest's separation from mourning rituals for close family members underscores the total dedication required in serving God, foreshadowing the complete devotion Christ demonstrated in His earthly ministry.<div class="vheading2">Persons / Places / Events</div>1. <b><a href="/topical/t/the_high_priest.htm">The High Priest</a></b><br>The primary subject of this verse, the high priest in Israel, held a unique and sacred role, serving as the spiritual leader and mediator between God and the people.<br><br>2. <b><a href="/topical/d/dead_body.htm">Dead Body</a></b><br>Refers to the deceased, contact with whom would render a person ceremonially unclean according to the Levitical law.<br><br>3. <b><a href="/topical/f/father_and_mother.htm">Father and Mother</a></b><br>Represents the closest familial relationships, highlighting the severity of the high priest's restrictions even in the face of personal loss.<div class="vheading2">Teaching Points</div><b><a href="/topical/h/holiness_and_separation.htm">Holiness and Separation</a></b><br>The high priest's restrictions underscore the call to holiness and separation from impurity. As believers, we are called to live lives set apart for God, avoiding spiritual contamination.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/p/prioritizing_god's_commands.htm">Prioritizing God's Commands</a></b><br>The high priest's duty to remain ceremonially clean, even over familial obligations, teaches us the importance of prioritizing God's commands above personal desires or societal expectations.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/s/symbolism_of_death_and_life.htm">Symbolism of Death and Life</a></b><br>The prohibition against contact with the dead symbolizes the separation between life and death, purity and impurity. In Christ, we are called to walk in newness of life, avoiding the "dead works" of sin.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/r/role_of_the_mediator.htm">Role of the Mediator</a></b><br>The high priest's role as a mediator foreshadows Christ's ultimate mediation. We are reminded of the importance of intercession and the privilege of approaching God through Jesus.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/s/spiritual_leadership.htm">Spiritual Leadership</a></b><br>The high priest's example challenges spiritual leaders today to maintain integrity and purity, serving as examples to their communities.<div class="vheading2">Lists and Questions</div><a href="/top10/lessons_from_leviticus_21.htm">Top 10 Lessons from Leviticus 21</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/were_leviticus_21_laws_enforced_in_israel.htm">Are there any scientific or historical indications that the laws in Leviticus 21 were uniformly enforced or widely practiced in ancient Israel?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/any_evidence_of_ritual_for_touching_dead.htm">Numbers 9:6-7: Is there any archaeological record or external source that confirms the strict ritual handling of those who had touched a dead body?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/is_leviticus_21_1-4_historically_accurate.htm">How historically accurate is the claim in Leviticus 21:1-4 that any contact with the dead (apart from immediate family) defiled a priest?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/what_does_it_mean_to_be_irreverent.htm">What does it mean to be irreverent?</a><a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/ellicott/leviticus/21.htm">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</a></div>(11) <span class= "bld">Neither shall he go in to any dead body.</span>--Not only is he to abstain from the manifestation of sorrow for the troubles which befell the community, or those whom he loves, but in the case of death he is not to enter into a tent, house, or place where a human corpse was lying (<a href="/numbers/19-14.htm" title="This is the law, when a man dies in a tent: all that come into the tent, and all that is in the tent, shall be unclean seven days.">Numbers 19:14</a>), lest he should contract defilement. According to the administrators of the Law during the second Temple, the expression <span class= "ital">any dead body </span>extends to any portion of it, so that when the pontiff entered a place where a certain quantity of the blood of the dead body was to be found, he became defiled. Accordingly, "any dead soul," which is literally the meaning of the phrase here translated by "dead body," denotes the blood which constitutes the soul or life. (See <a href="/context/leviticus/17-10.htm" title="And whatever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, that eats any manner of blood; I will even set my face against that soul that eats blood, and will cut him off from among his people.">Leviticus 17:10-14</a>.)<p><span class= "bld">Nor defile himself for his father . . . --</span>Better, <span class= "ital">not for his father </span>. . . <span class= "ital">shall he defile himself </span>or, <span class= "ital">not even for his father, </span>&c. As the rigorous enactment in the preceding clause constitutes already the difference between the high priest and the ordinary priest, this clause simply adduces an instance to illustrate it. Whilst the ordinary priest was not only permitted, but even obliged, to attend the funeral ceremonies of no less than seven of his relations (see <a href="/context/leviticus/21-2.htm" title="But for his kin, that is near to him, that is, for his mother, and for his father, and for his son, and for his daughter, and for his brother.">Leviticus 21:2-3</a>), the high priest was not even allowed to join in the obsequies of his parents. The only exception made in his case was when he found a human body in an isolated place. Under such circumstances he was not only permitted, but it was a meritorious act on his part, to bury it. (See <a href="/leviticus/21-1.htm" title="And the LORD said to Moses, Speak to the priests the sons of Aaron, and say to them, There shall none be defiled for the dead among his people:">Leviticus 21:1</a>.)<p><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/commentaries/leviticus/21-11.htm">Parallel Commentaries ...</a></span><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><a name="lexicon" id="lexicon"></a><div class="vheading">Hebrew</div><span class="word">He must not</span><br /><span class="heb">לֹ֣א</span> <span class="translit">(lō)</span><br /><span class="parse">Adverb - Negative particle<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3808.htm">Strong's 3808: </a> </span><span class="str2">Not, no</span><br /><br /><span class="word">go</span><br /><span class="heb">יָבֹ֑א</span> <span class="translit">(yā·ḇō)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_935.htm">Strong's 935: </a> </span><span class="str2">To come in, come, go in, go</span><br /><br /><span class="word">near any</span><br /><span class="heb">כָּל־</span> <span class="translit">(kāl-)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine singular construct<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3605.htm">Strong's 3605: </a> </span><span class="str2">The whole, all, any, every</span><br /><br /><span class="word">dead</span><br /><span class="heb">מֵ֖ת</span> <span class="translit">(mêṯ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_4191.htm">Strong's 4191: </a> </span><span class="str2">To die, to kill</span><br /><br /><span class="word">body</span><br /><span class="heb">נַפְשֹׁ֥ת</span> <span class="translit">(nap̄·šōṯ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - feminine plural construct<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_5315.htm">Strong's 5315: </a> </span><span class="str2">A soul, living being, life, self, person, desire, passion, appetite, emotion </span><br /><br /><span class="word">or make himself unclean,</span><br /><span class="heb">יִטַּמָּֽא׃</span> <span class="translit">(yiṭ·ṭam·mā)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Hitpael - Imperfect - third person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_2930.htm">Strong's 2930: </a> </span><span class="str2">To be or become unclean</span><br /><br /><span class="word">even for his father</span><br /><span class="heb">לְאָבִ֥יו</span> <span class="translit">(lə·’ā·ḇîw)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_1.htm">Strong's 1: </a> </span><span class="str2">Father</span><br /><br /><span class="word">or mother.</span><br /><span class="heb">וּלְאִמּ֖וֹ</span> <span class="translit">(ū·lə·’im·mōw)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l | Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_517.htm">Strong's 517: </a> </span><span class="str2">A mother, )</span><br /><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/leviticus/21-11.htm">Leviticus 21:11 NIV</a><br /><a href="/nlt/leviticus/21-11.htm">Leviticus 21:11 NLT</a><br /><a href="/esv/leviticus/21-11.htm">Leviticus 21:11 ESV</a><br /><a href="/nasb/leviticus/21-11.htm">Leviticus 21:11 NASB</a><br /><a href="/kjv/leviticus/21-11.htm">Leviticus 21:11 KJV</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="//bibleapps.com/leviticus/21-11.htm">Leviticus 21:11 BibleApps.com</a><br /><a href="//bibliaparalela.com/leviticus/21-11.htm">Leviticus 21:11 Biblia Paralela</a><br /><a href="//holybible.com.cn/leviticus/21-11.htm">Leviticus 21:11 Chinese Bible</a><br /><a href="//saintebible.com/leviticus/21-11.htm">Leviticus 21:11 French Bible</a><br /><a href="/catholic/leviticus/21-11.htm">Leviticus 21:11 Catholic Bible</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/leviticus/21-11.htm">OT Law: Leviticus 21:11 Neither shall he go in to any (Le Lv Lev.) </a></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="/leviticus/21-10.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Leviticus 21:10"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Leviticus 21:10" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="/leviticus/21-12.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Leviticus 21:12"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Leviticus 21:12" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhnew2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>