Leviticus 21
11 Aug 2026 - Theology
Laws for Priests
When the Lord commands Moses to talk to the people or the priests, that statement is often something like: “The Lord said to Moses: Speak [daber] to …” But at the beginning of this chapter, that statement is made:
Leviticus 21:1 - “And the Lord said unto Moses, Speak [emor] unto the priests the sons of Aaron…”
Both daber and emor mean “speak”. But scholars say there is a difference:
- Daber may also mean “instruct” or “tell” or “command”
- Emor is more often used for talking directly to a particular person or group
The commands given in this chapter are aimed directly at one group of Israelites, the priests. The priests here are specifically called “the sons of Aaron” (1), but they were more than just Aaron and his sons.
There was once a tribe called Levi, which began from Levi, the son of Jacob and Leah (see Genesis 49). We know from the geneology in Exodus 6 that Moses and Aaron are descendants from the tribe of Levi. This means that Aaron and all his descendants are also a part of the tribe of Levi. Their families may have been the first priests of the Israelites.
Levite priests passed the priesthood from father to son, but sometimes those who were not born Levites also became priests, such as the prophet Samuel, who was from the tribe of Ephraim (we will see this later). By the time of the First Temple, the official priests of Israel were called kohen, also meaning “priest”. The High Priest was called kohen ha-gadol, “the great priest”. So when the law speaks to the “sons of Aaron”, it is speaking to all of the priests of the tribe of Levi.
This chapter details many laws for the priests, some of which set the Israelite priests apart from the priests of Egypt.
A priest must not come into contact with the dead (1). This law sets the Israelite priests apart from the Egyptian priests, who spent much time preparing the dead for burial.
Also, nearly all Egyptians shaved their heads bare. Pharaohs and other royalty wore wigs and false beards, but priests generally left their bald heads uncovered. The Lord commanded that the Israelite priests should not shave any part of their heads (5).
The rest of the laws in the chapter detailed:
- Who the priests could (or could not) marry (13-15)
- Who could (or could not) serve as a priest at the altar (17-23)
Leviticus 21:24 - “And Moses told [daber] it unto Aaron, and to his sons, and unto all the children of Israel.”
References
- The Hebrew - Greek Key Study Bible (KJV Version)
- The Torah Portion-by-Portion by Rabbi Seymour Rossel (2007)