Leviticus 21:15 · Bible study
Leviticus 21:15 Commentary: Holy Priest, Holy Offspring
Hebrew · 8 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why the high priest's marriage choice affects his children's holiness, and what it means that Yahweh sanctifies him.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The high priest must not marry in a way that would disgrace his children, because Yahweh himself has set him apart as holy.
- Key words: “Profane” (chalal, to pollute), “seed” (zera, offspring), “sanctify” (qadash, to consecrate, set apart).
- Main debate: Whether the principle of holy offspring applies only to the high priest or extends to all spiritual leaders.
- Theological theme: God's holiness is both a gift and a demand; those He sanctifies must live accordingly.
- Best use: Preaching or teaching on marriage, family legacy, and the holiness expected of those in ministry.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
so that he does not defile his offspring among his people, for I am the LORD who sanctifies him.”
WEB World English Bible 2000
He shall not profane his offspring among his people, for I am Yahweh who sanctifies him.’”
KJV King James Version 1769
Neither shall he profane his seed among his people: for I the Lord do sanctify him.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And he shall not profane his seed among his people: for I am Jehovah who sanctifieth him.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
and he doth not pollute his seed among his people; for I am Jehovah, sanctifying him.'
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And he shall not profane his seed among his peoples; for I am Jehovah who do hallow him.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
He shall not mingle the stock of his kindred with the common people of this nation: for I am the Lord who sanctify him.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y no amancillará su simiente en sus pueblos; porque yo Jehová soy el que los santifico.
E não profanará sua descendência em seus povos; porque eu o SENHOR sou o que os santifico.
Il ne déshonorera point sa postérité parmi son peuple; car je suis l’ Éternel, qui le sanctifie.
auf daß er nicht seinen Samen entheilige unter seinem Volk; denn ich bin der HERR, der ihn heiligt.
En hij zal zijn zaad onder zijn volken niet ontheiligen; want Ik ben de HEERE, Die hem heilige!
Non disonorerà la sua progenie in mezzo al suo popolo; poiché io sono l’Eterno che lo santifico”.
A nie będzie plugawił nasienia swego w ludu swym; bom Ja Pan, który go poświęcam.
он не должен порочить семени своего в народе своем, ибо Я Господь [Бог], освящающий его.
不可 在民中 辱沒 他的兒女，因為 我是 叫他成聖的 耶和華。」
And he may not make his seed unclean among his people, for I the Lord have made him holy.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Leviticus 21:15
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that this verse prohibits the high priest from entering any marriage that would bring disgrace or dishonor on his children. Barnes and Keil both state that the high priest would “profane his seed” by marrying a woman not in keeping with the holiness of his office. The Cambridge Bible notes that if the mother was not worthy of marriage union with the high priest, the posterity would become unholy. Gill adds that such marriages would render children unfit to succeed in the priesthood. The ground for the command is given in the final clause: “I am Yahweh who sanctifies him.” Wesley explains this as God having separated him from all other men for immediate service. The Geneva Bible margin underscores the same: God sanctifies him, so he must live accordingly. Thus the verse links the high priest's marriage choices to his consecrated status and the purity of his descendants.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: The high priest must not marry in a way that would defile his children, because Yahweh has set him apart for holiness.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning of 'profane his seed' | It refers to marrying a woman who would make the children unholy or unfit for priesthood. | Some traditions emphasize the ethnic purity (virgin of his own people), while others focus on the moral character of the wife. |
| Application to Christian leaders | The principle that spiritual leaders should model holy marriages is widely accepted. | Catholic tradition requires priestly celibacy, so this verse does not directly apply. Protestant traditions use it to support pastoral qualifications like being 'husband of one wife' (1 Tim 3:2). |
| Nature of Yahweh's sanctification | God sets the high priest apart for a holy purpose. | Some see this as a positional sanctification that cannot be lost; others emphasize the ongoing ethical requirement to remain holy. |
| Role of the community | The high priest's holiness was a community concern. | Some traditions believe the community had the duty to enforce these laws; others see it as the priest's personal responsibility. |
Historical & Cultural Context
The high priest occupied the highest religious office in Israel. He alone entered the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement, and anointing oil had been poured on his head (Lev 21:10, 12). That anointing set him apart as holy to Yahweh. Because of this extraordinary consecration, the Torah imposed stricter regulations on the high priest than on ordinary priests. He could not mourn by uncovering his head or rending his clothes (v.10). He could not defile himself even for his father or mother (v.11). He must not leave the sanctuary (v.12). These restrictions guarded the holiness that clung to his person.
The marriage restrictions in verses 13, 15 follow the same logic. In ancient Israel, marriage was a family and communal affair. A man's wife became the mother of his children, and children inherited their father's status. For the high priest, this meant his wife could not be a widow, divorced, defiled, or a prostitute (v.14). The Cambridge Bible notes that later Jews were very scrupulous about the descent of those a priest could marry. Ezra 2:62 records that priests who could not prove their genealogy were disqualified from the priesthood. Ezra 9:2 laments that the “holy offspring” had mixed with foreign peoples through marriage. Nehemiah 13:29 prays that God would remember those who defiled the priesthood and its covenant. Malachi 2:15 says God seeks “godly offspring.” These cross-references show that the purity of the priestly line was a persistent concern. The high priest's marriage choice directly determined whether his children could serve as priests after him.
Historically, some traditions have debated whether “profane his seed” refers only to marriage to a foreigner or also to a woman who was a virgin but not of his own people. The text specifies “a virgin of his own people” (v.14), so a woman from another tribe or a non-Israelite would indeed profane the offspring. The command is rooted in God's own declaration: “I am Yahweh who sanctifies him.” The high priest's holiness was not self-generated; it came from God. Therefore his life, including his marriage, had to reflect that divine gift.
Textual Notes
The supplied sources note no significant textual variants for Leviticus 21:15. The Hebrew text is stable across manuscript traditions. The lexical notes in Lange's commentary focus on the preceding verse (21:4), not on 21:15. The verse itself presents no textual difficulties.
Reception History
Early Jewish interpretation emphasized the high priest's unique sanctity and the need for genealogical purity. The Qumran community applied strict marriage rules to all priests. In Christian history, many Fathers saw the high priest as a type of Christ, whose “bride” is the church, pure and without blemish. The Reformers (Matthew Henry, Wesley) used the passage to stress that those in sacred office must order their households according to God's word. Catholic tradition developed the practice of clerical celibacy, which goes beyond the Old Testament requirement that the high priest marry; for Catholics, the priest's total consecration precludes marriage altogether. Protestant traditions often point to this verse as background for passages like 1 Timothy 3:2, where a bishop must be “the husband of one wife.” Across traditions, the verse has been cited to argue that leaders' families are a test of their fitness for ministry.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- Holiness demands wise choices. The high priest could not treat marriage as a private matter. His public office required a wife whose character and lineage matched his consecrated calling.
- The next generation is at stake. “Profane his seed” shows that a parent's choices permanently affect children. The high priest's marriage determined his children's fitness for priesthood.
- God's sanctification calls for our response. The phrase “I am Yahweh who sanctifies him” is both promise and command. God sets apart; the one set apart must live in a way that honors that status.
Five-point outline
- The high priest's unique consecration under the anointing oil.
- The specific marriage prohibitions: no widow, divorced, defiled, or prostitute.
- The positive requirement: a virgin of his own people.
- The consequence of disobedience: profaning his offspring.
- The theological grounding: Yahweh himself is the sanctifier.
Illustration hooks
- A corporate CEO's choice of a spouse can affect shareholder confidence; likewise, a spiritual leader's marriage reflects on the holiness of the congregation.
- Family legacy and inheritance: a parent's decisions about marriage can open or close doors for the next generation.
- The church's expectation that pastors' families model godliness is rooted in this Levitical principle of holy offspring.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Does this mean ministers today must marry only certain kinds of people?
- How does the Old Testament law about the high priest apply to ordinary Christians?
- What does it mean that God “sanctifies” someone, and how do we live that out?
Leading a Discussion
Leviticus 21:15 may feel distant from modern church life, but it raises a question every believer must face: do my private choices affect my children's spiritual inheritance? The high priest's marriage was not his own business; it was the community's concern. This passage invites us to consider how we guard the spiritual legacy we pass on.
Discussion questions
- Read Leviticus 21:13, 15. What does the high priest's wife need to be, and what must she not be?
- Why do you think God required the high priest to marry a virgin of his own people? What does this protect?
- How does the phrase “I am Yahweh who sanctifies him” tie the command to God's own character?
- Look up Malachi 2:15 and Ezra 9:2. How do these passages connect marriage to the holiness of God's people?
- In what ways do the choices of church leaders affect the spiritual health of the congregation today?
- This passage is addressed specifically to the high priest. Should it shape how we think about marriage for all believers? Why or why not?
- What steps can you take to ensure that your own family or your church community values holiness in the next generation?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Genesis 18:19 | For I have known him, to the end that he may command his children and his household after him, that they may keep the way of Yahweh, to do righteousness and justice; to the end that Yahweh may bring on Abraham that which he has spoken of him.” |
| Leviticus 21:8 | Therefore you shall sanctify him, for he offers the bread of your God. He shall be holy to you, for I Yahweh, who sanctify you, am holy. |
| Ezra 2:62 | These sought their place among those who were registered by genealogy, but they were not found; therefore they were deemed disqualified and removed from the priesthood. |
| Ezra 9:2 | For they have taken of their daughters for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy offspring have mixed themselves with the peoples of the lands. Yes, the hand of the princes and rulers has been chief in this trespass.” |
| Nehemiah 13:23 | In those days I also saw the Jews who had married women of Ashdod, of Ammon, and of Moab; |
| Nehemiah 13:29 | Remember them, my God, because they have defiled the priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood and of the Levites. |
| Malachi 2:11 | Judah has dealt treacherously, and an abomination is committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah has profaned the holiness of Yahweh which he loves, and has married the daughter of a foreign god. |
| Malachi 2:15 | Did he not make you one, although he had the residue of the Spirit? Why one? He sought godly offspring. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let no one deal treacherously against the wife of his youth. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
8 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes clarifies that "profane his seed" refers specifically to a priest's children being tainted by a marriage that violates the holiness required for his sacred office. The dishonor comes not from the children themselves but from an improper union that undermines the family's set-apart status.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The high priest's marriage laws were stricter than those for ordinary priests, since his children would be considered unholy if their mother was not a worthy wife. Jewish practice later became extremely scrupulous about the ancestry of any woman a priest could
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Notes stress that the sanctity of a priest's office extends to his family life. Because the Lord has set him apart, he must not marry or produce children with anyone unsuited to that holy calling. His offspring must not be defiled through an unsuitable marriage.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill highlights that such marriages would disgrace the priest's children and disqualify them from succeeding him in the priesthood. The restriction preserves the honor of the office, since God himself has set the high priest apart for a holy purpose.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil and Delitzsch explain that the command forbids the high priest from profaning his descendants through a marriage that does not match the holiness of his office. The restriction protects the sanctity of the priestly lineage, which must remain separate from anything that contradicts its consecrated status.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange highlights a graded symbolism in these laws: the common priest is held to a higher standard than the people, and the high priest to an even higher one. He also draws a key distinction between passive defilement from unavoidable contact with the dead and the active defilement of mourning rituals, which the priests were forbidden to perform.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry emphasizes that the high priest's anointing set him apart with stricter duties than ordinary priests, including a total refusal to mourn even his closest relatives. This detachment from natural affection was not coldness but a sign that his sacred office and compassion for God's household must override every earthly tie.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley notes that God sanctifies this individual by separating him from all others for His direct service. Because the Lord has consecrated him in this way, He will not permit that lineage to be corrupted.