22 `Bread of his God -- of the most holy things, and of the holy things -- he doth eat;
This is thine of the most holy things, from the fire: all their offering, to all their present, and to all their sin-offering, and to all their guilt-offering, which they give back to Me, is most holy to thee, and to thy sons; in the holy of holies thou dost eat it; every male doth eat it; holy it is to thee.
`And the remnant of it do Aaron and his sons eat; `with' unleavened things it is eaten, in the holy place, in the court of the tent of meeting they do eat it. It is not baken `with' any thing fermented, their portion I have given it, out of My fire-offerings; it `is' most holy, like the sin-offering, and like the guilt-offering.
`And no stranger doth eat of the holy thing; a settler of a priest and an hireling doth not eat of the holy thing; and when a priest buyeth a person, the purchase of his money, he doth eat of it, also one born in his house; they do eat of his bread. `And a priest's daughter, when she is a strange man's, -- she, of the heave-offering of the holy things doth not eat; and a priest's daughter, when she is a widow, or cast out, and hath no seed, and hath turned back unto the house of her father, as `in' her youth, of her father's bread she doth eat; but no stranger doth eat of it.
`On each sabbath-day he arrangeth it before Jehovah continually, from the sons of Israel -- a covenant age-during; and it hath been to Aaron, and to his sons, and they have eaten it in the holy place, for it `is' most holy to him, from the fire-offerings of Jehovah -- a statute age-during.'
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Leviticus 21
Commentary on Leviticus 21 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 21
This chapter might borrow its title from Mal. 2:1, "And now, O you priests, this commandment is for you.' It is a law obliging priests with the utmost care and jealousy to preserve the dignity of their priesthood.
Lev 21:1-9
It was before appointed that the priests should teach the people the statutes God had given concerning the difference between clean and unclean, ch. 10:10, 11. Now here it is provided that they should themselves observe what they were to teach the people. Note, Those whose office it is to instruct must do it by example as well as precept, 1 Tim. 4:12. The priests were to draw nearer to God than any of the people, and to be more intimately conversant with sacred things, and therefore it was required of them that they should keep at a greater distance than others from every thing that was defiling and might diminish the honour of their priesthood.
Lev 21:10-15
More was expected from a priest than from other people, but more from the high priest than from other priests, because upon his head the anointing oil was poured, and he was consecrated to put on the garments (v. 10), both which were typical of the anointing and adorning of the Lord Jesus, with all the gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit, which he received without measure. It is called the crown of the anointing oil of his God (v. 12); for the anointing of the Spirit is, to all that have it, a crown of glory, and a diadem of beauty. The high priest being thus dignified,
Lev 21:16-24
The priesthood being confined to one particular family, and entailed upon all the male issue of that family throughout their generations, it was very likely that some or other in after-ages that were born to the priesthood would have natural blemishes and deformities: the honour of the priesthood would not secure them from any of those calamities which are common to men. Divers blemishes are here specified; some that were ordinarily for life, as blindness; others that might be for a time, as a scurf or scab, and, when they were gone, the disability ceased. Now,