Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Leviticus 21:20
Or crookbacked, or a dwarf, or that hath a blemish in his eye, or be scurvy, or scabbed, or hath his stones broken;
20. a dwarf ] lit. thin, hence shrunk, withered.
a blemish ] lit. a confusion, obscurity.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 20. Crooked-backed] Hunch-backed or gibbous. A dwarf, dak, a person too short or too thin, so as to be either particularly observable, or ridiculous in his appearance.
A blemish in his eye] A protuberance on the eye, observable spots or suffusions.
Scurvy, or scabbed] A bad habit of body, evidenced by scorbutic or scrofulous affections.
Stones broken] Is ruptured; an infirmity which would render him incapable of fulfilling the duties of his office, which might be often very fatiguing.
In the above list of blemishes we meet with some that might render the priest contemptible in the eyes of men, and be the means of leading them, not only to despise the man, but to despise the ministry itself; and we meet with others that would be a very great impediment in the discharge of his ministerial duties, and therefore any person thus blemished is by this law precluded from the ministry.
The blemishes here enumerated have been considered by some in an allegorical point of view, as if only referring to the necessity of moral purity; but although holiness of heart and righteousness of life be essentially necessary in a minister of God, yet an absence of the defects mentioned above is, I fully believe, what God intends here, and for the reasons too which have been already advanced. It must however be granted, that there have been some eminent divines who have been deformed; and some with certain blemishes have been employed in the Christian ministry, and have been useful. The Mosaic rule, however, will admit of but few exceptions, when even examined according to the more extended interpretation of the Christian system.
“The Hebrews say there are in all 120 blemishes which disable the priest-eight in the head, two in the neck, nine in the ears, five in the brows, seven in the eyelids, nineteen in the eyes, nine in the nose, nine in the mouth, three in the belly, three in the back, seven in the hands, sixteen in the secrets, eight in any part of the body, eight in the skin, and seven in the strength and in the breath.” – Ainsworth. In ancient times, even among heathens, persons of the most respectable appearance were appointed to the priesthood; and the emperor, both among the ancient Greeks and Romans, was both king and priest. It is reported of Metellus, that, having lost an eye in endeavouring to save the Palladium from the flames, when the temple of Vesta was on fire, he was denied the priesthood, though he had rendered such an excellent piece of service to the public; yet the public opinion was that a priest who was defective in any member was to be avoided as ominous. – See Dodd. “At Elis, in Greece, the judges chose the finest looking man to carry the sacred vessels of the deity; he that was next to him in beauty and elegance led the ox; and the third in personal beauty, c., carried the garlands, ribbons, wine, and the other matters used for the sacrifice.” – Athen. Deipnisoph., l. xiii., c. 2.
Formerly the Church of England was very cautious in admitting to her ministry those who had gross personal defects but now we find the hump-backed, the jolt-headed, bandy-legged, club-footed, one-eyed, &c., priests even of her high places. Why do our prelates ordain such?
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Or crookbackt,…. That has a protuberance, or bunch upon his back, one that we commonly call “hunchbacked”; the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem paraphrase it,
“whose eyebrows lying cover his eyes;”
and so Jarchi, interprets it, the hair of whose eyebrows is long and lying; and so other Jewish writers understand it of some deformity about the eyes, the hair of the eyebrows being thick and heavy over them, and so hinder the sight, at least it makes the person not so sightly and graceful; it is said b, he that hath no eyebrows, or but one eyebrow, is the “Gibben” (the word here used) spoken of in the law,
Le 21:20:
or a dwarf; one of a small stature, as Aben Ezra, as generally hunchbacked persons are, and so unfit to attend the altar, being scarce able to reach up to it, and do the business of it, as well as must make a very mean appearance; but the above Targums understand this also of some blemish about the eyes, paraphrasing it
“or he that has no hair on his eyebrows,”
just the reverse of the former; Jarchi seems to understand it of a thin small film upon the eye; though something of that kind seems to be intended in the next clause:
or that hath a blemish in his eye; a mixture, a confusion, or rather a suffusion in it, as the above Targum; in which, as one of them says, the white is mixed with the black, and with which agrees what is said in the Misnah c, where it is asked, what is the confusion or suffusion? the white which spreads in the his, and enters into the black of the eye; it seems to be a white speck in the pupil of the eye, and so Jarchi, Kimchi d, and others interpret it:
or be scurvy or scabbed; both these were kinds of ulcers, according to the Jewish writers, particularly Jarchi, who says of the first, that it is a dry scab within and without; and of the other, that it is the Egyptian scab, which is moist without and dry with it; and so the Targum of Jonathan:
or hath his stones broken; this is differently interpreted in the Misnah e, and by other Jewish writers; some say it signifies one that has no testicles, or only one; so the Septuagint and the Jerusalem Targum: others, whose testicles are broken or bruised, so Jarchi: or are inflated, so Akiba, Aben Ezra, and the Targum of Jonathan; some understand it of an “hernia” or rupture, when a man is burstened: all which may in a moral and mystical sense signify either some defect in the understanding, or vices in the heart or life, which render unfit for public service in the sanctuary.
b Becorot, c. 7. sect. 2. c Ib. c. 6. sect. 2. d Ut supra, (Sepher Shorash.) rad. . e Becorot, c. 7. sect. 5.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
a hump-backed man. , lit., crushed to powder, fine: as distinguished from the former, it signified one how had an unnaturally thin or withered body or member, not merely consumptive or wasted away. mixed, i.e., spotted in his eye, one who had a white speck in his eye ( Onk., Vulg., Saad.), not blear-eyed (lxx). , which occurs nowhere else except in Lev 22:22 and Deu 28:27, signifies, according to the ancient versions, the itch; and , which only occurs here and in Lev 22:22, the ring-worm (lxx, Targ., etc.). , crushed in the stones, one who had crushed or softened stones; for in Isa 38:21, the only other place where occurs, it signifies, not to rub to pieces, but to squeeze out, to lay in a squeezed or liquid form upon the wound: the Sept. rendering is , having only one stone. Others understand the word as signifying ruptured ( Vulg., Saad.), or with swollen testicles ( Juda ben Karish). All that is certain is, that we are not to think of castration of any kind (cf. Deu 23:2), and that there is not sufficient ground for altering the text into extension.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
(20) Or crookbackt.Rather, or whose eyebrows cover his eyes. This is the sense given to this clause during the second Temple. Hence the ancient Chaldee version of Jonathan translates it, whose eyebrows lying cover his eyes. That is, the hair, of the eyebrows are so thick, heavy, and long, that they join together and cover his eyes, thus interfering with his eyesight, and rendering him unsightly in appearance.
Or a dwarf, or that hath a blemish in his eye.Better, or hath a cataract or a fusion of the white and black in his eye, as the administrators of the Law during the second Temple interpret the two defects here spoken of.
Or be scurvy, or scabbed.According to the authorities in the time of Christ, both these are kinds of ulcers or scurvy; the former is a scab which is dry both within and without, whilst the second is a scab which is moist within and dry without, and which clings to a man till he dies.
Or hath his stones broken.That is, one whose testicles are injured. This included several kinds of defectiveness, which are exhibited in the different renderings of the ancient versions, but all refer to the same seat of the blemish.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
20. A dwarf This signifies one who is lean or consumptive, or having a withered limb. Onkelos and several versions render it sore-eyed.
Blemish in his eye Either a suppuration, dropping of the eye, or having white spots or stripes.
Scurvy, or scabbed These words in Hebrew are found only here and in Lev 22:22, and the former in Deu 28:27; they may denote almost any skin disease, from leprosy to the common itch.
Stones broken A sort of castration, by bruising the cords of the testicles, hence “ruptured testicles.” (Targ. Onk.)
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Lev 21:20 Or crookbackt, or a dwarf, or that hath a blemish in his eye, or be scurvy, or scabbed, or hath his stones broken;
Ver. 20. A blemish in his eye. ] By a mixture of the humours there, or otherwise; when that little man a in the eye, as the Hebrews call the apple thereof, acteth not his part aright.
a Ishon
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
blemish in his eye = defective vision, or cataract.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
a dwarf: or, too slender
or hath: Deu 23:1
Reciprocal: Deu 28:27 – scab Mat 26:65 – the high priest
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
21:20 Or crookbackt, or a dwarf, {o} or that hath a blemish in his eye, or be scurvy, or scabbed, or hath his stones broken;
(o) Or that has a web or pearl.