Leviticus 21:18

Lev 21:18 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, or any thing superfluous,

Ver. 18. He shall not approach.] Lest his ministry be slighted for his personal defects and deformities: how much more for his ignorance, envy, indirect aims, uneven walking, injudiciousness, unheavenly mindedness, &c., purported by these bodily imperfections?

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 21:18. A flat nose — Most restrain this word to the nose, and to some great deformity relating to it. But according to others it signifies, more generally, a person that wants some member or members, because the next word, to which it is opposed, signifies one that hath more members than he should.

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

Which is deformed or bruised.

As not of equal proportion, or having in number more or less.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Verse 18. A blind man] That is, in one eye; for he that was utterly blind could not possibly be employed in such a service. A flat nose, like that of an ape; so the best versions. Any thing superfluous, such as six fingers, six toes, &c.

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

(18) For whatsoever man . . . —This part of the verse is simply an emphatic repetition of the same declaration at the end of the last verse to introduce the examples of the bodily blemishes which disqualified the priests for the service at the altar. A similar law obtained among the Greeks and Romans, that a priest should be perfect in all his parts; and according to the Hindoo law, Brahmins born with a bodily defect, or who received one before their sixteenth year, are excluded from the rites of consecration.

A blind man.—During the second Temple, this was not only interpreted to be partial blindness on both eyes, or on one eye, but was taken to include any blemish in the eye or in the eyelid, of which the administrators of the Law enumerate twenty-six cases, nineteen in the eye and seven in the eyelid.

Or a lame.—This was understood during the second Temple to refer to any imperfection in the gait of the priest, which might show itself in twenty different ways.

Or he that hath a flat nose.—Of the nasal deformity no less than nine different illustrations are given.

Or any thing superfluous.—That is, one member of the body more stretched out or longer than the others, or out of proportion, as an eye, shoulder, thigh, leg, &c.

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

18. a flat nose] slit, as R.V. mg., rather than ‘flat.’ The Heb. word does not occur elsewhere in O.T. But the cognate root in Arabic, having the sense perforate, pierce, admits of the sense of perforation of the lip, or the lobe of the ear, as well as a slit in the partition between the nostrils.

any thing superfluous] The rendering of the EVV is too vague. The Heb. root denotes extension, and is applied to an extended (i.e. abnormally long) limb or other member, in this case of a man, in its only other occurrence (Lev_22:23) of a beast. The LXX. ὠτότμητος, having the ear split, following the Aram. rendering mutilated, is wrong.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

For whatsoever man he be that hath a blemish,.... Let him be otherwise ever so well qualified for his office, as with respect to his parentage, against which no objection lies; or, as to his character and abilities, being a man of knowledge and of good manners; and whether these blemishes be, as the Jews (z) call them, fixed, settled ones, which have attended them ever since they were born, and are likely to attend them as long as they live; or are transient ones, only for the present, and perhaps, in a short time, wilt be removed; yet it matters not, while these blemishes are on them:

he shall not approach; to the altar to offer sacrifice, or do any part of the priestly office, for this phrase is expressive of a sacerdotal act: the particular blemishes unfitting a man for such service follow:

a blind man, or a lame; that is blind of one eye, or of both; and is lame of one leg, or of both:

or he that hath a flat nose; which Jarchi explains, whose nose is sunk between his two eyes, whose nose is short, and crooked, or mutilated:

or anything superfluous; more members than usual, as six fingers on an hand, or two gristles in an ear, as Ben Gersom; or whose members are not proportionate, as one eye large and the other small, or one thigh or leg longer than the other, so Jarchi; the Targum of Jonathan is,"whose thigh (or thigh bone) is out of joint;''and so a man draws his foot after him, which is the sense of the Rabbins, as observed by Kimchi (a), and Ben Melech from him; and so such are not fit to be called the priests of the Lord, and much less ministers of his word, who are blind as to the knowledge of divine and spiritual things, and walk not as becomes the Gospel of Christ; or halt between two opinions, or savour not the things of God, and lay not aside all superfluity of naughtiness.

(z) Misn. Zebachim, c. 12. sect 1. & Becorot, c. 7. sect. 1. (a) Sepher Shorash. rad.

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

Nose. Hebrew, "a flat nose, or any thing superfluous." Septuagint, "the nose, (hand) or ears slit." This verse rejects those whose members are too large, as the next does those who have them too small.

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).

He shall not approach unto God, or to serve him in his sanctuary.

A flat nose: most restrain this word to the nose and to some great deformity relating to it, either the want of it wholly or in part, or the shortness, flatness, or crookedness of it. But according to others, it signifies more generally a person that wants some member or members, because the next word, to which it is opposed, signifies one that hath more members than he should.

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

18. Blemish — The blemishes may be classified as 1.) essential physical defects, rendering the adequate performance of the service impossible, and 2.) aesthetical defects, where the powers may be unimpaired but the appearance is repulsive. Of the former are the blind, the lame, and various kinds of maimed.

A flat nose — Furst, following the Seventy, renders it snub-nosed. The Vulgate has three nasal blemishes, si parvo, vel grandi, vel torto naso, “if he has a small, or a huge, or a twisted nose.”

Superfluous — The original occurs elsewhere only in Lev_22:23, and Isa_28:20, and seems to signify limbs disproportioned in length. The Vulgate limits it to the nose. The Seventy translates it “with the ears cropped or slit.” The Targum of Palestine says, “mutilated in the thigh.”

Keil inclines to our English rendering — any thing superfluous, as more than ten fingers or toes, or any thing beyond what is normal, such as an ill-formed bodily member.

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

A flat nose - Most restrain this word to the nose, and to some great deformity relating to it. But according to others, it signifies more generally, a person that wants some member or members, because the next word, to which it is opposed, signifies one that hath more members than he should.

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

must not approach Yahweh

A priest had to meet specific physical standards in order to approach Yahweh. This does not imply that physical defects were the result of immorality or that all people with physical defects are unable to approach Yahweh.

one who is disfigured or deformed

"one whose body or face is deformed"

to offer the bread of his God

Here "bread" represents food in general. AT: "to make burnt offering of food on God's altar" (See: Synecdoche)

translationWords

sacrifice

bread

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

כי כל איש אשר בו מום לא יקרב FOR ANY MAN THAT HATH A BLEMISH SHALL NOT APPROACH — This means: it is not right that he should approach; It expresses the same idea as (Malachi 1:8) “[And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? and if ye offer the lame or sick, is it not evil?] offer it now unto thy governor! [will he be pleased with thee?]”.

חרם A FLAT-NOSED MAN — one whose nose is sunk between his two eyes so that he is able to paint both his eyes (for medical or cosmetic purposes) with one stroke (Sifra, Emor, Section 3 7; Mishna Bekhorot 7:3).

שרוע HE THAT HATH A LIMB TOO LARGE — i.e. one of whose limbs forming a pair is larger than the other, e. g. one of his eyes is large and the other small, or, one of his legs is longer than the other (Bekhorot 40b; cf. Sifra, Emor, Section 3 9).

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.

O (OR) CHARUM O (OR) SARU’A.’ “[Charum] is anyone whose nose is sunk between his two eyes, so that he is able to paint both his eyes [for cosmetic purposes] with one stroke.” This is Rashi’s language. And in the Torath Kohanim 3:7. and in the Gemara of Tractate Bechoroth we have been taught: “Charum is one whose nose is sunk. [How do I know about] one whose nose is obstructed? or one whose nose is turned up? or whose nose overhangs his lips? From the expression o charum, [the word ‘o’ (or) includes these blemishes]. Aba Yosei says: The word charum means only one who can paint both his eyes with one stroke. But the Rabbis said to him: ‘You have overstated it. Even though he cannot paint both his eyes with one stroke’” [because his nose is not so deeply sunken, he may nonetheless come within the term charum]. is one whose nose is so far sunk that he is able to paint both his eyes with one stroke. But, as pointed out by Ramban, this is only the opinion of a single Sage, Aba Yosei, while all the other Sages differ with him, as explained in the text. Mizrachi too, writes that he does not know what prompted Rashi to follow the opinion of a single Sage. See also Gur Aryeh.The term charum is of the expressions: None ‘cheirem’ (doomed) who shall be ‘yachoram’ (doomed of man); ‘v’hacharamti’(and I shall utterly destroy) their cities, the meaning thereof being destruction. Now [a man with a sunken nose] is called charum because the nose determines the beauty of the face, just as the Rabbis have said: “Evidence [as to the identity of a corpse] may not be given unless [from proof afforded by recognition] of the face together with the nose,” and if someone’s nose is unlike that of the appearance of normal people, the shape [of his face] is deemed “destroyed.”‘O gibein o dak o t’valul b’eino.’ The expression ‘o gibein’ is connected with the word ‘b’eino’ (in his eye), meaning that he is either a gibein in his eye, or has a dak (membrane) or a t’valul (a speck) in his eye, gibein meaning that the hair of his eyebrows are so long that they lie over his eyes, of the expressions: ‘gav’ (the side of) the altar; upon ‘gabi’ (my back) plowed the plowers. Now Scripture mentioned first [in Verse 18 before us] blemishes of missing limbs: a blind man, or a lame, and afterwards [itmentioned blemishes which are a result of] the smallness of the limbs, such as the charum [whose nose is sunk into his face, and consequently is shorter than the normal nose], or a result of the largeness of the limbs, such as the saru’a [meaning “anything too long,” as where one eye is larger than the other, or one leg longer]. Then in the following verse [19] it cites blemishes because of the breaking of bones even though he has all his limbs with him, nonetheless, if the bone is broken, he is disqualified [from ministering the Service]. Then [in Verse 20] He disqualified [a priest from performing the Service] even on account of a hideous appearance, such as one whose eyebrows overhang his eyes, or who has kernel-like growths in his eyes [like a membrane or a speck], and then it mentioned blemishes on the flesh of the body [such as scabs or scurvy], because he [the priest] must be clean and smooth [in flesh]. And afterwards He added [o m’roach ashech, which means] one who has wind [and as a result of which] his testicles are swollen, even though it is a sickness common amongst older people, and is not a blemish in the bone or flesh. Now our Rabbis have explained many other blemishes which are deduced from these, for those mentioned in the Torah are merely the primary [categories of those] blemishes [deduced by the Rabbis].

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.