Bible Strands
Leviticus 21:17
“Say to Aaron, ‘For the generations to come, none of your descendants who has a physical defect may approach to offer the food of his God.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The LORD instructs Moses to deliver a command to Aaron regarding priestly qualifications. This directive occurs during the establishment of standards for those who handle holy things.
The words — דַּבֵּ֥ר (da.Ber) = speak; אַהֲרֹ֖ן ('a.ha.Ron) = Aaron. The text explicitly commands verbal transmission of the restriction to Aaron’s lineage.
The thread — This restriction on approaching the divine presence parallels Leviticus 10:3, Numbers 16:5, and Psalms 65:4, which consistently link readiness with the privilege of drawing near to God.
Why it lands — The text demands that only unblemished descendants may perform priestly duties, establishing a concrete standard for approaching God’s altar. It requires readers to recognize that proximity to the divine carries strict operational boundaries.
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
Speak unto Aaron, saying, Whosoever he be of thy seed in their generations that hath any blemish, let him not approach to offer the bread of his God.
Cross-references
- Leviticus 10:3 Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the LORD meant when He said: ‘To those who come near Me I will show My holiness, and in the sight of all the people I will reveal My glory.’” But Aaron remained silent.
- Numbers 16:5 Then he said to Korah and all his followers, “Tomorrow morning the LORD will reveal who belongs to Him and who is holy, and He will bring that person near to Himself. The one He chooses He will bring near to Himself.
- Psalms 65:4 Blessed is the one You choose and bring near to dwell in Your courts! We are filled with the goodness of Your house, the holiness of Your temple.
- Leviticus 3:11 Then the priest is to burn them on the altar as food, a food offering to the LORD.
- Leviticus 3:16 Then the priest is to burn the food on the altar as a food offering, a pleasing aroma. All the fat is the LORD’s.
- Leviticus 21:6 They must be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God. Because they present to the LORD the food offerings, the food of their God, they must be holy.
- Leviticus 21:21 No descendant of Aaron the priest who has a defect shall approach to present the food offerings to the LORD. Since he has a defect, he is not to come near to offer the food of his God.
- Leviticus 22:20 You must not present anything with a defect, because it will not be accepted on your behalf.
- 1 Thessalonians 2:10 You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous, and blameless our conduct was among you who believed.
- 1 Timothy 3:2 An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,