Levites and Priests

Levites and Priests

"Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, 'Thus you shall bless the sons of Israel. You shall say to them:

The LORD bless you, and keep you;
The LORD make His face shine on you, And be gracious to you;
The LORD lift up His countenance on you, And give you peace.'

So they shall invoke My name on the sons of Israel, and I then will bless them." " (Numbers 6:23-27) The literal commandment is that the Aaronic priests should bless the sons of Israel using what is traditionally called "The Aaronic Blessing". How frequently this should be done is not specified in this passage.

"A widow, or a divorced woman, or one who is profaned by harlotry, these he may not take; but rather he is to marry a virgin of his own people, so that he will not profane his offspring among his people; for I am the LORD who sanctifies him." (Leviticus 21:14) The high priest (verse 10) may not take a widow for a wife.

"'A widow, or a divorced woman, or one who is profaned by harlotry, these he may not take; but rather he is to marry a virgin of his own people, so that he will not profane his offspring among his people; for I am the LORD who sanctifies him.'"" (Leviticus 21:15) The literal commandment is that the high priest (verse 10) should not profane his offspring [literally: seed] among his people. Since that would occur through sexual relations with someone G-d has forbidden to him this prohibition is understood that he cannot have sexual relations (even outside of marriage) with a widow.

"He shall take a wife in her virginity." (Leviticus 21:13) The literal commandment is that the high priest (verse 10) should take a wife who is a virgin.

"They shall not take a woman who is profaned by harlotry, nor shall they take a woman divorced from her husband; for he is holy to his God." (Leviticus 21:7) The priests, the sons of Aaron (verse 1) may not take a woman divorced from her husband for a wife.

"They shall not take a woman who is profaned by harlotry, nor shall they take a woman divorced from her husband; for he is holy to his God." (Leviticus 21:7) The priests, the sons of Aaron (verse 1) may not take a woman who has been "profaned by harlotry". The Hebrew phrase translated as "profaned by harlotry" uses a word (tzanah) that implies willful and harlotrous behavior.

"They shall not take a woman who is profaned by harlotry, nor shall they take a woman divorced from her husband; for he is holy to his God." (Leviticus 21:7) The priests, the sons of Aaron (verse 1) may not take a profaned woman for a wife.

"The Levitical priests, the whole tribe of Levi, shall have no portion or inheritance with Israel; they shall eat the LORD'S offerings by fire and His portion." (Deuteronomy 18:1) This commandment is literally that the members of the tribe of Levi have no portion or inheritance in the Land of Israel.

"The Levitical priests, the whole tribe of Levi, shall have no portion or inheritance with Israel; they shall eat the LORD'S offerings by fire and His portion." (Deuteronomy 18:1) The Levites are forbidden to have any portion with Israel.

"Command the sons of Israel that they give to the Levites from the inheritance of their possession cities to live in; and you shall give to the Levites pasture lands around the cities." (Numbers 35:2)

"But he did not give any to the sons of Kohath because theirs was the service of the holy objects, which they carried on the shoulder." (Numbers 7:9)

"Only the Levites shall perform the service of the tent of meeting, and they shall bear their iniquity; it shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations, and among the sons of Israel they shall have no inheritance." (Numbers 18:23)

"And they shall thus attend to your obligation and the obligation of all the tent, but they shall not come near to the furnishings of the sanctuary and the altar, or both they and you will die." (Numbers 18:3)

"You shall consecrate him, therefore, for he offers the food of your God; he shall be holy to you; for I the LORD, who sanctifies you, am holy." (Leviticus 21:8)

"Now if a Levite comes from any of your towns throughout Israel where he resides, and comes whenever he desires to the place which the LORD chooses," (Deuteronomy 18:6-8)

"You shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty." (Exodus 28:2)

"There shall be an opening at its top in the middle of it; around its opening there shall be a binding of woven work, like the opening of a coat of mail, so that it will not be torn." (Exodus 28:32)

"Do not drink wine or strong drink, neither you nor your sons with you, when you come into the tent of meeting, so that you will not die--it is a perpetual statute throughout your generations--" (Leviticus 10:9)

"hen Moses said to Aaron and to his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, 'Do not uncover your heads nor tear your clothes, so that you will not die and that He will not become wrathful against all the congregation. But your kinsmen, the whole house of Israel, shall bewail the burning which the LORD has brought about." (Leviticus 10:6)

"hen Moses said to Aaron and to his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, 'Do not uncover your heads nor tear your clothes, so that you will not die and that He will not become wrathful against all the congregation. But your kinsmen, the whole house of Israel, shall bewail the burning which the LORD has brought about." (Leviticus 10:6)

"he LORD said to Moses: 'Tell your brother Aaron that he shall not enter at any time into the holy place inside the veil, before the mercy seat which is on the ark, or he will die; for I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat." (Leviticus 16:2)

"You shall not even go out from the doorway of the tent of meeting, or you will die; for the LORD'S anointing oil is upon you.' So they did according to the word of Moses." (Leviticus 10:7)

"Command the sons of Israel that they send away from the camp every leper and everyone having a discharge and everyone who is unclean because of a dead person." (Numbers 5:2)

"You shall send away both male and female; you shall send them outside the camp so that they will not defile their camp where I dwell in their midst." (Numbers 5:3)

"But it shall be when evening approaches, he shall bathe himself with water, and at sundown he may reenter the camp." (Deuteronomy 23:11)

"Tell Aaron and his sons to be careful with the holy gifts of the sons of Israel, which they dedicate to Me, so as not to profane My holy name; I am the LORD." (Leviticus 22:2)

"No man of the descendants of Aaron, who is a leper or who has a discharge, may eat of the holy gifts until he is clean. And if one touches anything made unclean by a corpse or if a man has a seminal emission, or if a man touches any teeming things by which he is made unclean, or any man by whom he is made unclean, whatever his uncleanness; a person who touches any such shall be unclean until evening, and shall not eat of the holy gifts unless he has bathed his body in water. But when the sun sets, he will be clean, and afterward he shall eat of the holy gifts, for it is his food." (Leviticus 22:4-7)

"Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet from it [bronze laver]; when they enter the tent of meeting, they shall wash with water, so that they will not die; or when they approach the altar to minister, by offering up in smoke a fire sacrifice to the LORD." (Exodus 30:19) The priests, the sons of Aaron must wash their hands and feet before ministering in the tabernacle or Temple.

"nly he shall not go in to the veil or come near the altar because he has a defect, so that he will not profane My sanctuaries. For I am the LORD who sanctifies them.'" (Leviticus 21:23)

"Speak to Aaron, saying, 'No man of your offspring throughout their generations who has a defect shall approach to offer the food of his God." (Leviticus 21:17)

"Speak to Aaron, saying, 'No man of your offspring throughout their generations who has a defect shall approach to offer the food of his God." (Leviticus 21:17)

"They shall be joined with you and attend to the obligations of the tent of meeting, for all the service of the tent; but an outsider may not come near you." (Numbers 18:4)

"nor shall he approach any dead person, nor defile himself even for his father or his mother;" (Leviticus 21:11)

"nor shall he approach any dead person, nor defile himself even for his father or his mother;" (Leviticus 21:11)

"hen the LORD said to Moses, 'Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them: 'No one shall defile himself for a dead person among his people," (Leviticus 21:1)