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Leviticus 21:5

3 or his unmarried sister who is near to him, since she has no husband.

4 He is not to defile himself for those related to him by marriage, and so profane himself.

Priests must not make bald spots on their heads, shave off the edges of their beards, or make cuts in their bodies.

6 They must be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God. Because they present to the LORD the offerings made by fire, the food of their God, they must be holy.

7 A priest must not marry a woman defiled by prostitution or divorced by her husband, for the priest is holy to his God.

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This was said to Israel at a particular time, so it is wise to read it together with the surrounding text. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB
Priests must not make bald spots on their heads, shave off the edges of their beards, or make cuts in their bodies.
KJV
They shall not make baldness upon their head, neither shall they shave off the corner of their beard, nor make any cuttings in their flesh.
WEB
“‘They shall not shave their heads or shave off the corners of their beards or make any cuttings in their flesh.
ASV
They shall not make baldness upon their head, neither shall they shave off the corner of their beard, nor make any cuttings in their flesh.
DARBY
They shall not make any baldness upon their head, neither shall they shave off the corners of their beard, nor make any cuttings in their flesh.
BLB
They shall not make baldness on their heads, and they shall not shave the edges of their beards, and they shall not make a cutting in their flesh.
ÅB
De skal ikke rake seg skallet på noen del av sitt hode og ikke klippe sitt skjegg kort og ikke skjære i sitt kjøtt.
OTB
Prester må ikke lage skallede flekker på hodet, barbere kantene av skjegget, eller lage noen kutt på kroppen.
B1930
De skal ikke rake sig skallet på nogen del av sitt hode og ikke klippe sitt skjegg kort og ikke skjære i sitt kjøtt.

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

  • Deuteronomy 14:1

    You are sons of the LORD your God; do not cut yourselves or shave your foreheads on behalf of the dead,

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  • Ezekiel 44:20

    They must not shave their heads or let their hair grow long, but must carefully trim their hair.

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  • Leviticus 19:27–28

    You must not cut off the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard.

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  • Isaiah 22:12

    On that day the Lord GOD of Hosts called for weeping and wailing, for shaven heads and the wearing of sackcloth.

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  • Amos 8:10

    I will turn your feasts into mourning and all your songs into lamentation. I will cause everyone to wear sackcloth and every head to be shaved. I will make it like a time of mourning for an only son, and its outcome like a bitter day.

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  • Micah 1:16

    Shave yourselves bald and cut off your hair in mourning for your precious children; make yourselves as bald as an eagle, for they will go from you into exile.

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  • Isaiah 15:2

    Dibon goes up to its temple to weep at its high places. Moab wails over Nebo, as well as over Medeba. Every head is shaved, every beard is cut off.

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  • Jeremiah 16:6

    “Both great and small will die in this land. They will not be buried or mourned, nor will anyone cut himself or shave his head for them.

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