Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 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.
6. The reason is given for the restriction in Lev 21:1, viz. that the name of God, whose ministers they are, may not be polluted by ceremonial uncleanness.
the offerings of the Lord made by fire ] This expression, or its equivalent, is very frequent in P.The words are probably an insertion from that source here, and so in Lev 21:21, Lev 22:22; Lev 22:27, Lev 23:13; Lev 23:18.
the bread of their God ] See Lev 3:11; Lev 3:16.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The word here and in Lev 21:8 rendered bread, is the same as is rendered food in Lev 3:11, Lev 3:16, etc., and meat in Lev 22:11. The reader of the English Bible should keep in view that bread, meat, and food, were nearly equivalent terms when our translation was made, and represent no distinctions that exist in the Hebrew.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Holy unto their God; devoted to Gods service, and always prepared and fit for it; and therefore shall keep themselves as far as they can from all defilement, which makes them unmeet for their Masters use.
Not profane the name of their God, which they especially bear; they shall not disparage the service of God by making it give place to such slight occasions.
The bread of their God, i.e. the shew-bread; or rather, all the other offerings besides burntofferings; which are called bread, either because bread is commonly put for all food, as below, Lev 21:17,21; or because God is satisfied and refreshed with these offerings, as a man is with his bread; or rather, because they, or part of them, are the bread or food of the priests, and are here called the bread of their God, either objectively, because they were offered to God, or efficiently, because they were given by God to the priests. And these are called bread in opposition to the burnt-offerings, which being wholly consumed gave no food to the priests. Or, the offerings made by fire are here put synecdochically for all the rest, the most eminent kind for all, which are here called bread, because devoured by fire to the honour of God; for the particle and is not in the Hebrew, and may be omitted.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
They shall be holy unto their God,…. Sacred to his service, and wholly given up to it, and not interest themselves in things which hindered from it, or made them unfit for it; and such care becomes the ministers of the word, who should give up themselves to it, and not entangle themselves with other affairs; they should be clean, pure, and holy, that bear the vessels of the Lord, and minister in holy things, and should set an example of purity and holiness to others:
and not profane the name of their God; or cause it to be profaned and evil spoken of on their account, or his service to be interrupted, and they who bore his name put upon a level with common persons through their pollutions:
for the offerings of the Lord made by fire; the burnt offerings, which were offered up to the Lord on the altar of burnt offering every day, besides others on divers occasions:
[and] the bread of their God do they offer; the shewbread, which they set every week before the Lord on the shewbread table, and the meat or bread offering, the “minchah”, which they continually offered along with the sacrifices: or the word “and”, being a supplement, may be left out; and so this clause is put by way of apposition, and as interpreting the fire offering to be the bread of their God, which being wholly burnt on the altar, and devoted to God, was his meat and food, and accepted by him, see Le 3:11;
therefore they shall be holy; separate from all others, and abstain from all impurity both of flesh and spirit, from all uncleanness, moral and ceremonial; it being highly fit and proper that the bread of God should be offered by holy persons.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(6) They shall be holy unto their God.This is the reason why the priests are not to disfigure themselves by maiming their outward appearance. Being sacred to the Lord, they are not to indulge in those outward manifestations of grief which would interfere with the discharge of their sacred duties, and thus cause the name of God to be profaned.
The offerings of the Lord made by fire, and the bread of their God.Better, the offerings of the Lord made by fire, being the food of God. As the altar was the table, the sacrifice burnt on it was called His food. (See Lev. 3:11.)
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
6. Holy unto their God See Lev 10:3; Lev 11:44; Lev 19:2, notes. This denotes entire consecration to God and perfect assimilation to his moral character.
Not profane See Lev 18:21, note.
The bread of their God See Lev 3:11, note.
Therefore they shall be holy Holiness of service demands holiness of character. It is astonishing how much is said about holiness in this book. See Introduction, (8.)
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Lev 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.
Ver. 6. They shall be holy. ] Heb., Holiness, i.e. all holy, even as holiness itself, merely spiritual.
Not profane the name of their God.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
holy = set apart, or separate. See note on Exo 3:5. Here, a singular noun = a separated set.
God. Hebrew. Elohim. App-4.
offerings = Hebrew. ishsheh. App-43.
bread = food of all kinds. Put by Figure of speech Synecdoche (of Species). App-6. See note on Lev 3:11. of their God. Genitive of relation. App-17.
offer = bring near. Hebrew. karab, App-43.
holy. See note on Exo 3:5.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
holy: Lev 21:8, Lev 10:3, Exo 28:36, Exo 29:44, Ezr 8:28, 1Pe 2:9
profane: Lev 18:21, Lev 19:12, Mal 1:6, Mal 1:11, Mal 1:12
bread: Lev 3:11, Eze 44:7, Mal 1:7
therefore: Isa 52:11
Reciprocal: Lev 21:21 – to offer Lev 22:2 – that they profane not Lev 22:25 – the bread Num 16:5 – who is holy Num 28:2 – my bread Psa 106:16 – the saint Hos 9:4 – their bread
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Lev 21:6. Holy unto their God Devoted to Gods service, and always prepared for it, and therefore shall keep themselves from all defilements. The name of their God Which they especially bear. The bread of their God That is, the show-bread; or rather, all the other offerings besides burnt-offerings; which are called bread, because bread is commonly put for all food.