Bible Strands
Leviticus 21:9
If a priest’s daughter defiles herself by prostituting herself, she profanes her father; she must be burned in the fire.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Yahweh issues this command through Moses to the Israelite assembly while establishing the holiness standards for the priestly line. The directive appears mid-discourse between instructions for ordinary priests and the high priest.
The words — The verse centers on תֵחֵל (te.chel), meaning "she will profane herself," and לִ/זְנ֑וֹת (li.z.not), meaning "by acting as a prostitute." These terms define the specific ritual defilement that activates the stated penalty.
The thread — The prohibition against treating a daughter as a prostitute appears in Leviticus 19:29, while the execution-by-fire penalty for sexual immorality recurs in Leviticus 20:14. The narrative account in Genesis 38:24 provides a contrasting historical instance of the same social category.
Why it lands — The text explicitly states that a priest’s daughter sexual immorality profanes her father and requires burning, demanding strict adherence to priestly family standards. A reader must accept that the law binds the conduct of the priestly household directly to the community’s ritual purity.
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 the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the whore, she profaneth her father: she shall be burnt with fire.
Cross-references
- Genesis 38:24 About three months later, Judah was told, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar has prostituted herself, and now she is pregnant.” “Bring her out!” Judah replied. “Let her be burned to death!”
- Leviticus 19:29 You must not defile your daughter by making her a prostitute, or the land will be prostituted and filled with depravity.
- Leviticus 20:14 If a man marries both a woman and her mother, it is depraved. Both he and they must be burned in the fire, so that there will be no depravity among you.
- Joshua 7:15 The one who is caught with the things devoted to destruction must be burned, along with all that belongs to him, because he has transgressed the covenant of the LORD and committed an outrage in Israel.’”
- Joshua 7:25 “Why have you brought this trouble upon us?” said Joshua. “Today the LORD will bring trouble upon you!” And all Israel stoned him to death. Then they stoned the others and burned their bodies.
- 1 Samuel 2:17 Thus the sin of these young men was severe in the sight of the LORD, for they were treating the LORD’s offering with contempt.
- 1 Samuel 2:34 And this sign shall come to you concerning your two sons Hophni and Phinehas: They will both die on the same day.
- 1 Samuel 3:13 I told him that I would judge his house forever for the iniquity of which he knows, because his sons blasphemed God and he did not restrain them.
- Isaiah 33:14 The sinners in Zion are afraid; trembling grips the ungodly: “Who of us can dwell with a consuming fire? Who of us can dwell with everlasting flames?”
- Ezekiel 9:6 Slaughter the old men, the young men and maidens, the women and children; but do not go near anyone who has the mark. Now begin at My sanctuary.” So they began with the elders who were before the temple.