Leviticus 21:13

Lev 21:13 And he shall take a wife in her virginity.

Ver. 13. In her virginity.] Such is Christ’s wife, {2Co 11:1-33 : 2Ki 14:4 Mat 25:1-13} not giving her love, or his worship to any other.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Lev 21:13. In her virginity — Or, a virgin, partly because, as he was a type of Christ, so his wife was a type of the church, which is compared to a virgin; and partly for greater caution and assurance that his wife was not a defiled or deflowered person. Most of these things are forbidden to all the priests; and here to the high-priest, to show that he also, and he especially, is obliged to the same cautions.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Verse 13. He shall take a wife in her virginity.] בתוליה bethuleyha. This is a full proof that בתולה bethulah is the proper Hebrew term for a virgin; from the emphatic root בתל bathal, to separate; because such a person was in her separate state, and had never been in any way united to man.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(13) A wife in her virginity.—From this verse the administrators of the Law during the second Temple concluded that (1) the high priest must be the husband of one wife, though the ordinary priests might have several; (2) that she must be a virgin, under the age of thirteen; (3) that she must not even have been betrothed to another person; and that (4) she must be the daughter of Jewish parents by race, as it is stated in the next verse, though the ordinary priest was allowed to marry the daughter of proselytes. The first of these enactments is also enjoined by St. Paul on Christian bishops (1Ti_3:2; Tit_1:16); whilst the fourth is actually expressed in the Greek version (LXX.), which has at the end of the verse, “of his own race.”

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And he shall take a wife in her virginity. One, and not two, or more, as Ben Gersom observes; and so Maimonides says (q), an high priest might never take two women together; for it is said, "a wife", or "woman", one, and not two; and so it is explained in the Talmud (r); for though polygamy was practised by the Israelites, and even by the common priests, yet these writers suppose it was by no means allowed to an high priest: among the Egyptians, though they took as many wives as they pleased, their priests, married but one (s); and so a minister of the New Testament is to be the husband of one wife, Ti1 3:2; and this wife the high priest was to take was to be a "virgin", one that not only had never known a man, but that was never betrothed to any; yea, according to the Talmudists (t), who was not quite ripe for marriage, or the time of her puberty not fully completed, which was the age of twelve years; within, or somewhat before that time, the high priest was to marry her, that it might be out of all doubt that she was a pure virgin; since it is said, "in her virginity", within the time of her puberty, before it was quite up; this, by many, is thought to be an emblem of Christ and his church; as he was typified by the high priest, so the church by the virgin he married, which is espoused to Christ as a chaste virgin, Co2 11:2.

(q) Hilchot Issure Biah, c. 17. sect. 13. (r) T. Bab. Yebamot, fol. 59. 1. (s) Diodor. Sicul. l. 1. p. 72. (t) T. Bab. Yebamot, ibid. Maimon. ut supra. (Cele Hamikdash, c. 5. sect. 5, 6.)

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Wife. Josephus says he could not divorce her. The Rabbins allow him only one wife at a time. It is said that Joiada had two. But that might be successively; and it is not certain that he was the high priest; (2 Paralipomenon xxiv. 3.; Calmet) though he has that title in the Vulgate, 2 Paralipomenon xxii. 11. (Haydock) --- His wife must be an Isrealite. The Septuagint intimates, "of his own race." But this is denied by others. He could not marry his brother’s widow, (Selden) nor a girl under twelve and a half. "The Egyptian priests marry only one, while others have as many wives as they please." (Diodorus i.) (Calmet)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Or, a virgin, partly for the decency of the type, because as he was a type of Christ, so his wife was a type of the church, which is compared to a virgin, 2Co 11:2; Rev 14:4; and partly for greater caution and assurance that his wife was not a defiled or defloured person. This and the following rule belong not to all the priests, for then this were a gross tautology, these same things, or most of them, being expressly forbidden to them, Lev 21:7, but only to the high priest, to show that he also, and he especially, is obliged to the same cautions.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

13, 14.

A wife in her virginity — The high priest’s range of choice is made narrower than the priest’s by the elimination of the widows and non-Israelites. His marriage with a virgin beautifully sets forth the character of the Church of Christ espoused unto her Lord as a “chaste virgin.” See 2Co_11:2. Hindoo priests can marry only virgins. This law was probably borrowed from Judaism. If the Hebrew high priest married outside of the prescribed limits, he profaned his seed, or disqualified his sons for the priesthood. This penalty was sufficient to deter the high priest, or the candidates for this office, from violation of this precept.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

In her virginity - Or, a virgin, partly because as he was a type of Christ, so his wife was a type of the church, which is compared to a virgin, and partly for greater caution and assurance that his wife was not a defiled or deflowered person. Most of these things are forbidden to all the priests; and here to the high-priest, to shew that he also, and he especially is obliged to the same cautions.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

He was only to marry a woman in her virginity, not a widow, a woman put away, or a fallen woman, a whore (זונה without a copulative is in apposition to חללה a fallen girl, who was to be the same to him as a whore), but "a virgin of his own people," that is to say, only an Israelitish woman.

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)

Wives of Priests; Blemishes

v. 13. And he shall take a wife in her virginity, a pure virgin.

v. 14. A widow, or a divorced woman, or profane, a fallen woman, or an harlot, these shall he not take,

v. 7. but he shall take a virgin of his own people to wife, a daughter of Israel.

v. 15. Neither shall he profane his seed among his people by being joined in wedlock in a way which would not harmonize with the sanctity of his position; for I, the Lord, do sanctify him.

v. 16. And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

v. 17. Speak unto Aaron, saying, Whosoever he be of thy seed in their generations, among all his coming descendants, that hath any blemish, any bodily defect, let him not approach to offer the bread of his God, the sacrifices in general, for these culminated in the showbread.

v. 18. For whatsoever man he be that hath a blemish, he shall not approach: a blind man, or a lame, or he that hath a flat nose, misshapen or slit, or anything superfluous, abnormal members of the body,

v. 19. or a man that is broken-footed, that has broken-down arches, or broken-handed,

v. 20. or crookbacked, one that has a hump, or a dwarf, one that is abnormally slender, or that hath a blemish in his eye, that is, a white spot conspicuous enough to draw attention, or be scurvy, affected with a growth which resembled leprosy,or scabbed, with a disfiguring skin-disease, or hath his stones broken, affected with a disease of the sexual organs;

v. 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, he was excluded from the characteristic work of the priesthood.

v. 22. He shall eat the bread of his God, both of the most holy, Lev 2:3, and of the holy, of the wave-breast and of the heave-shoulder, of first-fruits, tithes, and gifts. This compassionate provision compensated, in a way, for the exclusion of these men from active service in the Sanctuary.

v. 23. Only he shall not go in unto the veil, nor come nigh unto the altar, he shall not discharge the official functions of the high priest or of the priests, because he hath a blemish; that he profane not My sanctuaries; for I, the Lord, do sanctify them.

v. 24. And Moses told it unto Aaron and to his sons and unto all the children of Israel; for the entire congregation was interested in the observance of these ordinances. In the New Testament the congregation of the believers is even more interested in the keeping of God’s ordinances, because the discrimination between a special priesthood and a laity no longer exists, and every member is responsible for matters of doctrine and of life.

Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

from his own people

"from among his own tribe, the tribe of Levi"

he will not defile his children among his people

By marrying an unholy or ungodly woman, the priest would have children unworthy to be priest. AT: "that he will not have unworthy children by marrying an ungodly woman" (See: Idiom)

translationWords

virgin

divorce

prostitute

kind

obey

defile

children

holy

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

AND HE SHALL TAKE A WIFE IN HER VIRGINITY. This means that he is not to wed a woman who is not a virgin, this being a negative commandment which is derived from a positive commandment [which carries the force of a positive commandment]. to marry a woman who is not a virgin. And the reason why it is stated in a positive form, is to make the negative aspect of it carry the force of a positive commandment, because it is an accepted principle that a negative commandment which is derived from a positive commandment carries only the force of a positive commandment. Therefore if he marries a woman who is not a virgin, he does not incur whipping, since the prohibition thereof is derived from a positive commandment, and only carries the force of a positive commandment, for the violation of which the court is not empowered to mete out punishment. This interpretation is made necessary by the following Verse 14, where it is stated again, but a virgin of his own people shall he take to wife. As Ramban will explain further on, it is this expression in Verse 14 which established the positive aspect thereof, while Verse 13 before us expresses the prohibitive part thereof. Thus the two verses are not redundant, but instead complement each other. Afterwards [in the following verse] He forbids the High Priest by means of a negative commandment to marry a widow or other disqualified woman, and then says, but a virgin of his own people shall he take to wife, thus commanding him [in a positive manner] to take a virgin as a wife. It is this which our Rabbis have said: “He is forbidden [to marry] a widow, and he is commanded to marry a virgin.” And so the Rabbis taught in the Torath Kohanim: 2:6. “But a virgin. This teaches that he is commanded to marry a virgin.”

Ramban (Nachmanides) on the Tanakh — English translation: “Commentary on the Torah by Ramban (Nachmanides). Translated and annotated by Charles B. Chavel. New York, Shilo Pub. House, 1971-1976” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.