Bible/Leviticus/21

Leviticus 21:23

21:22 He shall eat the bread of his God, both of the most holy, and of the holy.
Only he shall not go in unto the vail, nor come nigh unto the altar, because he hath a blemish; that he profane not my sanctuaries: for I the LORD do sanctify them.

KJV

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He shall not come near to the veil, nor come near to the altar, because he has a defect; that he may not profane my sanctuaries, for I am Yahweh who sanctifies them.’”

Only he shall not go in unto the vail, nor come nigh unto the altar, because he hath a blemish; that he profane not my sanctuaries: for I the Lord do sanctify them.

Only he shall not go in to the veil, nor come near to the altar, because he has a blemish; that he profane not my sanctuaries: for I the LORD do sanctify them.

21:24 And Moses told it unto Aaron, and to his sons, and unto all the children of Israel.

What does Leviticus 21:23 mean?

Leviticus 21:23 is a verse in the book of Leviticus, in the Old Testament. In the original Hebrew, key words include בּוֹא (bôwʼ), פֹּרֶכֶת (pôreketh), נָגַשׁ (nâgash).

Hebrew interlinear

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Only
he
shall
not
go
inבּוֹאbôwʼ/bo/H935to go or come (in a wide variety of applications)
unto
the
vail,פֹּרֶכֶתpôreketh/po-reh'-keth/H6532a separatrix, i.e. (the sacred) screen
nor
come
nighנָגַשׁnâgash/naw-gash'/H5066to be or come (causatively, bring) near (for any purpose); euphemistically, to lie with a woman; as an enemy, to attack; religious to worship; causatively, to present; figuratively, to adduce an argument; by reversal, to stand back
unto
the
altar,מִזְבֵּחַmizbêach/miz-bay'-akh/H4196an altar
because
he
hath
a
blemish;מאוּםmʼûwm/moom/H3971to stain; a blemish (physically or morally)
that
he
profaneחָלַלchâlal/khaw-lal'/H2490properly, to bore, i.e. (by implication) to wound, to dissolve; figuratively, to profane (a person, place or thing), to break (one's word), to begin (as if by an 'opening wedge'); to play (the flute)
not
my
sanctuaries:מִקְדָּשׁmiqdâsh/mik-dawsh'/H4720a consecrated thing or place, especially, a palace, sanctuary (whether of Jehovah or of idols) or asylum
for
I
the
LORDיְהֹוָהYᵉhôvâh/yeh-ho-vaw'/H3068Jehovah, Jewish national name of God
do
sanctifyקָדַשׁqâdash/kaw-dash'/H6942to be (causatively, make, pronounce or observe as) clean (ceremonially or morally)
them.

Topics

BlemishPriestsSanctification

People & places in this verse

Things

Verses like this

Other verses that share key original-language words with Leviticus 21:23.

Ezekiel 25:3

And say unto the Ammonites, Hear the word of the Lord GOD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou saidst, Aha, against my sanctuary, when it was profaned; and against the land of Israel, when it was desolate; and against the house of Judah, when they went into captivity;

Ezekiel 44:7

In that ye have brought into my sanctuary strangers, uncircumcised in heart, and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in my sanctuary, to pollute it, even my house, when ye offer my bread, the fat and the blood, and they have broken my covenant because of all your abominations. strangers: Heb. children of a stranger

Leviticus 20:3

And I will set my face against that man, and will cut him off from among his people; because he hath given of his seed unto Molech, to defile my sanctuary, and to profane my holy name.

Leviticus 21:12

Neither shall he go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his God; for the crown of the anointing oil of his God is upon him: I am the LORD.

Leviticus 21:21

No man that hath a blemish of the seed of Aaron the priest shall come nigh to offer the offerings of the LORD made by fire: he hath a blemish; he shall not come nigh to offer the bread of his God.

Psalms 73:17

Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.

Frequently asked questions

What does Leviticus 21:23 say?

Leviticus 21:23 (King James Version) reads: "Only he shall not go in unto the vail, nor come nigh unto the altar, because he hath a blemish; that he profane not my sanctuaries: for I the LORD do sanctify them."

Is Leviticus 21:23 in the Old or New Testament?

Leviticus 21:23 is in the Old Testament of the Bible, in the book of Leviticus.

Reflect

As you read Leviticus 21:23, what is one truth here you can carry into today?

Plan a sermon or study on Leviticus 21:23
21:22Read all of Leviticus 2121:24