Leviticus 21:13
New International Version
“’The woman he marries must be a virgin.

New Living Translation
“The high priest may marry only a virgin.

English Standard Version
And he shall take a wife in her virginity.

Berean Standard Bible
The woman he marries must be a virgin.

King James Bible
And he shall take a wife in her virginity.

New King James Version
And he shall take a wife in her virginity.

New American Standard Bible
He shall take a wife in her virginity.

NASB 1995
‘He shall take a wife in her virginity.

NASB 1977
‘And he shall take a wife in her virginity.

Legacy Standard Bible
And he shall take a wife in her virginity.

Amplified Bible
He shall take a wife in her virginity.

Christian Standard Bible
“He is to marry a woman who is a virgin.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
He is to marry a woman who is a virgin.

American Standard Version
And he shall take a wife in her virginity.

Contemporary English Version
If you are the high priest, you must marry only a virgin

English Revised Version
And he shall take a wife in her virginity.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"The anointed priest must marry a virgin.

Good News Translation
He shall marry a virgin,

International Standard Version
"Furthermore, he is to marry a true virgin.

Majority Standard Bible
The woman he marries must be a virgin.

NET Bible
He must take a wife who is a virgin.

New Heart English Bible
"'He shall take a wife in her virginity.

Webster's Bible Translation
And he shall take a wife in her virginity.

World English Bible
“‘He shall take a wife in her virginity.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And he takes a wife in her virginity;

Young's Literal Translation
'And he taketh a wife in her virginity;

Smith's Literal Translation
And he shall take a wife in her virginity.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
He shall take a virgin unto his wife:

Catholic Public Domain Version
He shall take a virgin as his wife.

New American Bible
He shall marry only a woman who is a virgin.

New Revised Standard Version
He shall marry only a woman who is a virgin.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And he shall take a wife in her virginity.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And this one shall take a virgin woman.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And he shall take a wife in her virginity.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
He shall take for a wife a virgin of his own tribe.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Holiness Required of Priests
12He must not leave or desecrate the sanctuary of his God, for the consecration of the anointing oil of his God is on him. I am the LORD. 13The woman he marries must be a virgin. 14He is not to marry a widow, a divorced woman, or one defiled by prostitution. He is to marry a virgin from his own people,…

Cross References
Ezekiel 44:22
And they shall not marry a widow or a divorced woman, but must marry a virgin of the descendants of the house of Israel, or a widow of a priest.

1 Timothy 3:2
An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,

1 Timothy 3:12
A deacon must be the husband of but one wife, a good manager of his children and of his own household.

Titus 1:6
An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, having children who are believers and who are not open to accusation of indiscretion or insubordination.

1 Corinthians 7:2
But because there is so much sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband.

Genesis 24:3-4
and I will have you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites among whom I am dwelling, / but will go to my country and my kindred to take a wife for my son Isaac.”

Genesis 28:1-2
So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him. “Do not take a wife from the Canaanite women,” he commanded. / “Go at once to Paddan-aram, to the house of your mother’s father Bethuel, and take a wife from among the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother.

Deuteronomy 7:3-4
Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, / because they will turn your sons away from following Me to serve other gods. Then the anger of the LORD will burn against you, and He will swiftly destroy you.

2 Corinthians 6:14
Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership can righteousness have with wickedness? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness?

Malachi 2:11
Judah has broken faith; an abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem. For Judah has profaned the LORD’s beloved sanctuary by marrying the daughter of a foreign god.

Ezra 9:12
Now, therefore, do not give your daughters in marriage to their sons or take their daughters for your sons. Never seek their peace or prosperity, so that you may be strong and may eat the good things of the land, leaving it as an inheritance to your sons forever.’

Nehemiah 13:25
I rebuked them and called down curses on them. I beat some of these men and pulled out their hair. Then I made them take an oath before God and said, “You must not give your daughters in marriage to their sons or take their daughters as wives for your sons or for yourselves!

1 Corinthians 9:5
Have we no right to take along a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas?

Matthew 19:4-6
Jesus answered, “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ / and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? / So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”

Ephesians 5:31
“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”


Treasury of Scripture

And he shall take a wife in her virginity.

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.

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.

2 Corinthians 11:2
For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

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Leviticus 21
1. Of the priests' mourning
6. Of their holiness
7. Of their marriages
8. Of their estimation
9. Of the high priest's holiness
10. Of his marriage
13. The priests that have blemishes must not minister in the sanctuary














The woman he marries
This phrase sets the context for the specific marital requirements for the high priest. In Hebrew, the word for "woman" is "אִשָּׁה" (ishah), which can mean woman or wife. The high priest, as a spiritual leader, was held to a higher standard, reflecting the holiness and purity expected in his service to God. Historically, marriage was not only a personal union but also a communal and covenantal act, symbolizing the relationship between God and His people. The high priest's marriage was a public testament to his commitment to God's laws and the sanctity of his office.

must be a virgin
The Hebrew word for "virgin" is "בְּתוּלָה" (betulah), indicating a woman who has not had sexual relations. This requirement underscores the importance of purity and holiness in the priestly line, as the high priest was a direct representative of God to the people. The emphasis on virginity reflects the broader biblical theme of purity, both physical and spiritual, as a prerequisite for those who serve in God's presence. In a historical context, this requirement also ensured the legitimacy of the priestly lineage, as the high priest's children would inherit his sacred duties. Theologically, this mirrors the purity and faithfulness expected of God's people, who are called to be a holy nation.

(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 (1Timothy 3:2; Titus 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."



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
The woman
אִשָּׁ֥ה (’iš·šāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 802: Woman, wife, female

he
וְה֕וּא (wə·hū)
Conjunctive waw | Pronoun - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1931: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are

marries
יִקָּֽח׃ (yiq·qāḥ)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3947: To take

must be a virgin.
בִבְתוּלֶ֖יהָ (ḇiḇ·ṯū·le·hā)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine plural construct | third person feminine singular
Strong's 1331: Virginity, the tokens of it


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OT Law: Leviticus 21:13 He shall take a wife in her (Le Lv Lev.)
Leviticus 21:12
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