Leviticus 21:11 Made Simple

KJV ORIGINAL

Neither shall he go in to any dead body, nor defile himself for his father, or for his mother;

Close to the original. Clear modern English.

✦ MADE SIMPLE

He must not go near any dead body or make himself ceremonially unclean, not even for his father or mother.

⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE

This verse is telling the high priest that he cannot participate in funeral rituals or touch dead bodies, even for his own parents, because he must remain ceremonially pure.

📚 Historical Context

This command was specifically for the high priest of Israel, who had the most sacred duties in the temple and needed to maintain the highest level of ritual purity. In ancient Israel, contact with dead bodies made someone ceremonially unclean and unable to perform religious duties. While regular priests could become unclean for close family members, the high priest's role was so sacred that he couldn't even do this for his own parents.

←

PreviousLeviticus 21:10

NextLeviticus 21:12

→

Explore Similar Verses

Hebrews 9:13

I mean, if the blood from bulls and goats, plus the ashes from a cow sprinkled on people who were considered 'unclean,' could actually make their bodies ceremonially pure...

Ezekiel 44:25

They shouldn't go near dead bodies because it makes them ceremonially unclean. But there are exceptions — they can do this for their dad, mom, son, daughter, brother, or unmarried sister.

Haggai 2:13

Then Haggai asked, 'If someone who's ceremonially unclean because they touched a dead body comes and touches any of these holy things, does that make them unclean too?' The priests answered, 'Yes, it becomes unclean.'

Ask the AI Assistant

Have a question about this chapter or verse? Ask below for a clear explanation.

Share or Save

📚 Historical Context

Explore Similar Verses

Ask the AI Assistant

Translation & Methodology Sources