Leviticus 21 · Verse 7

Leviticus 21:7

They shall not take a wife that is a whore, or profane; neither shall they take a woman put away from her husband: for he is holy unto his God.
Leviticus 21:7, King James Version

Leviticus 21:7 in other translations

BSBA priest must not marry a woman defiled by prostitution or divorced by her husband, for the priest is holy to his God.
WEB“‘They shall not marry a woman who is a prostitute, or profane. A priest shall not marry a woman divorced from her husband; for he is holy to his God.
ASVThey shall not take a woman that is a harlot, or profane; neither shall they take a woman put away from her husband: for he is holy unto his God.
YLT‘A woman, a harlot, or polluted, they do not take, and a woman cast out from her husband they do not take, for he is holy to his God;
DARBYThey shall not take as wife a whore, or a dishonoured woman; neither shall they take a woman put away from her husband; for he is holy unto his God.
BBEThey may not take as wife a loose or common woman, or one who has been put away by her husband: for the priest is holy to his God.
WebsterThey shall not take a wife that is a lewd woman, or profane; neither shall they take a woman put away from her husband: for he is holy to his God.

What does Leviticus 21:7 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Leviticus 21:7-9
7-9. They shall not take a wife that is a whore, or profane--Private individuals might form several connections, which were forbidden as inexpedient or improper in priests. The respectability of their office, and the honor of religion, required unblemished sanctity in their families as well as themselves, and departures from it in their case were visited with severer punishment than in that of others.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 7 That is a whore - A prostitute, though even reclaimed. Profane - A heathen, or one who is not a cordial believer in the true God. Put away from her husband - Because this very circumstance might lead to suspicion that the priest and the divorced woman might have been improperly connected before.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Leviticus 21:7 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

אִשָּׁ֨ה'i.Shaha womanH802
זֹנָ֤הzo.Naha prostituteH2181
וַחֲלָלָה֙va.cha.la.Lahand a [woman] profanedH2491
לֹ֣אlo'notH3808
יִקָּ֔חוּyi.Ka.chuthey will takeH3947
וְאִשָּׁ֛הve.'i.Shahand a womanH802
גְּרוּשָׁ֥הge.ru.ShahdivorcedH1644
מֵאִישָׁ֖הּme.'i.Shahfrom husband herH376
לֹ֣אlo'notH3808
יִקָּ֑חוּyi.Ka.chuthey will takeH3947
כִּֽי\־ki-forH3588
קָדֹ֥שׁka.Dosh[is] holyH6918
ה֖וּאhu'heH1931
לֵאלֹהָֽיו\׃le.lo.Havto God hisH430

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Leviticus 21:7

  • Leviticus 21:13-14

    And he shall take a wife in her virginity. A widow, or a divorced woman, or profane, or an harlot, these shall he not take: but he shall take a virgin of his own people to wife.

  • Ezekiel 44:22

    Neither shall they take for their wives a widow, nor her that is put away: but they shall take maidens of the seed of the house of Israel, or a widow that had a priest before.

  • Leviticus 21:8

    Thou shalt sanctify him therefore; for he offereth the bread of thy God: he shall be holy unto thee: for I the Lord, which sanctify you, am holy.

  • 1 Timothy 3:11

    Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things.

  • Isaiah 50:1

    Thus saith the Lord, Where is the bill of your mother’s divorcement, whom I have put away? or which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you? Behold, for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves, and for your transgressions is your mother put away.

  • Deuteronomy 24:1-4

    When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house. And when she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another man’s wife. And if the latter husband hate her, and write her a bill of divorcement, and giveth it in her hand, and sendeth her out of his house; or if the latter husband die, which took her to be his wife; Her former husband, which sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after that she is defiled; for that is abomination before the Lord: and thou shalt not cause the land to sin, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
that is a whore.
8; Eze 44:22; 1Ti 3:11
put away.
De 24:1-4; Isa 50:1

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Leviticus 21:6

    They shall be holy unto their God, and not profane the name of their God: for the offerings of the Lord made by fire, and the bread of their God, they do offer: therefore they shall be holy.

  • Leviticus 21:7

    They shall not take a wife that is a whore, or profane; neither shall they take a woman put away from her husband: for he is holy unto his God.

  • Leviticus 21:8

    Thou shalt sanctify him therefore; for he offereth the bread of thy God: he shall be holy unto thee: for I the Lord, which sanctify you, am holy.

Read all of Leviticus 21

Leviticus 21:7 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Mujer ramera ó infame no tomarán: ni tomarán mujer repudiada de su marido: porque es santo á su Dios.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Ils ne prendront point pour femme une prostituée ou une femme déshonorée; et ils ne prendront pas une femme répudiée par son mari, car le sacrificateur est saint, consacré à son Dieu.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Eine Hure und eine Entehrte sollen sie nicht zum Weibe nehmen, und ein von ihrem Manne verstoßenes Weib sollen sie nicht nehmen; denn heilig ist er seinem Gott.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Scortum et vile prostibulum non ducent uxorem, nec eam quæ repudiata est a marito: quia consecrati sunt Deo suo,