Bible Strands
Leviticus 21:13
The woman he marries must be a virgin.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Moses delivers this directive to Aaron and the priestly line as part of a broader mandate on ritual separation and sanctuary conduct. The instruction targets the high priest's household formation within the covenant community.
The words — The Hebrew יִקַּח (yiqqaḥ) and בְּתוּלֶיהָ (betuleha) literally mean "he will take" and "virgin of her," establishing the specific marital status required for the priest's spouse.
The thread — The virgin requirement appears alongside this verse in Leviticus 21:14, is reiterated in Ezekiel 44:22, and is referenced typologically in 2 Corinthians 11:2.
Why it lands — The text explicitly restricts the priest's marriage to an unmarried woman from his own people, requiring the reader to apply the stated boundary to priestly conduct without extrapolating it to other groups.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And he shall take a wife in her virginity.
Cross-references
- Leviticus 21:7 A priest must not marry a woman defiled by prostitution or divorced by her husband, for the priest is holy to his God.
- Ezekiel 44:22 And they shall not marry a widow or a divorced woman, but must marry a virgin of the descendants of the house of Israel, or a widow of a priest.
- 2 Corinthians 11:2 I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. For I promised you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ.
- Revelation 14:4 These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they are virgins. They follow the Lamb wherever He goes. They have been redeemed from among men as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb.