Leviticus 21:6
New International Version
They must be holy to their God and must not profane the name of their God. Because they present the food offerings to the LORD, the food of their God, they are to be holy.

New Living Translation
They must be set apart as holy to their God and must never bring shame on the name of God. They must be holy, for they are the ones who present the special gifts to the LORD, gifts of food for their God.

English Standard Version
They shall be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God. For they offer the LORD’s food offerings, the bread of their God; therefore they shall be holy.

Berean Standard Bible
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.

King James Bible
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.

New King James Version
They shall be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God, for they offer the offerings of the LORD made by fire, and the bread of their God; therefore they shall be holy.

New American Standard Bible
They shall be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God, because they present the offerings by fire to the LORD, the food of their God; so they shall be holy.

NASB 1995
‘They shall be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God, for they present the offerings by fire to the LORD, the food of their God; so they shall be holy.

NASB 1977
‘They shall be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God, for they present the offerings by fire to the LORD, the bread of their God; so they shall be holy.

Legacy Standard Bible
They shall be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God, for they bring near the offerings to Yahweh by fire, the food of their God; so they shall be holy.

Amplified Bible
They shall be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God; for they present the offerings by fire to the LORD, the food of their God; so they shall be holy.

Christian Standard Bible
They are to be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God. For they present the food offerings to the LORD, the food of their God, and they must be holy.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
They are to be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God. For they present the fire offerings to Yahweh, the food of their God, and they must be holy.

American Standard Version
They shall be holy unto their God, and not profane the name of their God; for the offerings of Jehovah made by fire, the bread of their God, they do offer: therefore they shall be holy.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
But they shall be Holy Ones to their God and they shall not pollute the Name of their God, because they receive the offering of LORD JEHOVAH, the bread of their God, and they shall be Holy Ones.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
They shall be holy to their God, and they shall not profane the name of their God; for they offer the sacrifices of the Lord as the gifts of their God, and they shall be holy.

Contemporary English Version
I am the LORD your God, and I have chosen you alone to offer sacrifices of food to me on the altar. That's why you must keep yourselves holy.

Douay-Rheims Bible
They shall be holy to their God, and shall not profane his name: for they offer the burnt offering of the Lord, and the bread of their God, and therefore they shall be holy.

English Revised Version
They shall be holy unto their God, and not profane the name of their God: for the offerings of the LORD made by fire, the bread of their God, they do offer: therefore they shall be holy.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"Be God's holy men, and don't dishonor the name of your God. Be holy because you bring sacrifices by fire to the LORD. It is the food of your God.

Good News Translation
He must be holy and must not disgrace my name. He offers food offerings to me, and he must be holy.

International Standard Version
They are to be holy to their God. They are not to defile the name of their God, because they're the ones who bring the offerings of the LORD made by fire—the food of their God—so they are to be holy.

JPS Tanakh 1917
They shall be holy unto their God, and not profane the name of their God; for the offerings of the LORD made by fire, the bread of their God, they do offer; therefore they shall be holy.

Literal Standard Version
they are holy to their God, and they do not defile the Name of their God, for the fire-offerings of YHWH, bread of their God, they are bringing near, and have been holy.

Majority Standard Bible
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.

New American Bible
They shall be holy to their God, and shall not profane their God’s name, since they offer the oblations of the LORD, the food of their God; so they must be holy.

NET Bible
"'They must be holy to their God, and they must not profane the name of their God, because they are the ones who present the LORD's gifts, the food of their God. Therefore they must be holy.

New Revised Standard Version
They shall be holy to their God, and not profane the name of their God; for they offer the LORD’s offerings by fire, the food of their God; therefore they shall be holy.

New Heart English Bible
They shall be holy to their God, and not profane the name of their God; for they offer the offerings of the LORD made by fire, the bread of their God; therefore they shall be holy.

Webster's Bible Translation
They shall be holy to 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.

World English Bible
They shall be holy to their God, and not profane the name of their God, for they offer the offerings of Yahweh made by fire, the bread of their God. Therefore they shall be holy.

Young's Literal Translation
they are holy to their God, and they pollute not the name of their God, for the fire-offerings of Jehovah, bread of their God, they are bringing near, and have been holy.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Holiness Required of Priests
5Priests must not make bald spots on their heads, shave off the edges of their beards, or make cuts in their bodies. 6They 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. 7A priest must not marry a woman defiled by prostitution or divorced by her husband, for the priest is holy to his God.…

Cross References
Exodus 19:22
Even the priests who approach the LORD must consecrate themselves, or the LORD will break out against them."

Leviticus 3:11
Then the priest is to burn them on the altar as food, an offering made by fire to the LORD.

Leviticus 10:3
Then Moses said to Aaron, "This is what the LORD meant when He said: 'To those who come near Me I will show My holiness, and in the sight of all the people I will reveal My glory.'" But Aaron remained silent.

Leviticus 18:21
You must not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molech, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the LORD.

Leviticus 21:8
You are to regard him as holy, since he presents the food of your God. He shall be holy to you, because I the LORD am holy--I who set you apart.

Leviticus 21:17
"Say to Aaron, 'For the generations to come, none of your descendants who has a physical defect may approach to offer the food of his God.

Leviticus 21:21
No descendant of Aaron the priest who has a defect shall approach to present the offerings made by fire to the LORD. Since he has a defect, he is not to come near to offer the food of his God.


Treasury of Scripture

They shall be holy to 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.

holy

Leviticus 21:8
Thou shalt sanctify him therefore; for he offereth the bread of thy God: he shall be holy unto thee: for I the LORD, which sanctify you, am holy.

Leviticus 10:3
Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the LORD spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace.

Exodus 28:36
And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it, like the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD.

profane

Leviticus 18:21
And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD.

Leviticus 19:12
And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD.

Malachi 1:6,11,12
A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the LORD of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name? …

bread

Leviticus 3:11
And the priest shall burn it upon the altar: it is the food of the offering made by fire unto the LORD.

Ezekiel 44:7
In that ye have brought into my sanctuary strangers, uncircumcised in heart, and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in my sanctuary, to pollute it, even my house, when ye offer my bread, the fat and the blood, and they have broken my covenant because of all your abominations.

Malachi 1:7
Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar; and ye say, Wherein have we polluted thee? In that ye say, The table of the LORD is contemptible.

therefore

Isaiah 52:11
Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the LORD.

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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














(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 Leviticus 3:11.)



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
They must be
יִהְיוּ֙ (yih·yū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

holy
קְדֹשִׁ֤ים (qə·ḏō·šîm)
Adjective - masculine plural
Strong's 6918: Sacred, God, an angel, a saint, a sanctuary

to their God
לֵאלֹ֣הֵיהֶ֔ם (lê·lō·hê·hem)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

and not
וְלֹ֣א (wə·lō)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

profane
יְחַלְּל֔וּ (yə·ḥal·lə·lū)
Verb - Piel - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 2490: To bore, to wound, to dissolve, to profane, to break, to begin, to play

the name
שֵׁ֖ם (šêm)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 8034: A name

of their God.
אֱלֹהֵיהֶ֑ם (’ĕ·lō·hê·hem)
Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

For
כִּי֩ (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

they
הֵ֥ם (hêm)
Pronoun - third person masculine plural
Strong's 1992: They

present
מַקְרִיבִ֖ם (maq·rî·ḇim)
Verb - Hifil - Participle - masculine plural
Strong's 7126: To come near, approach

the offerings made by fire
אִשֵּׁ֨י (’iš·šê)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 801: A burnt-offering, a sacrifice

to the LORD,
יְהוָ֜ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

the food
לֶ֧חֶם (le·ḥem)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3899: Food, bread, grain

of their God.
אֱלֹהֵיהֶ֛ם (’ĕ·lō·hê·hem)
Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

So they must be
וְהָ֥יוּ (wə·hā·yū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

holy.
קֹֽדֶשׁ׃ (qō·ḏeš)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6944: A sacred place, thing, sanctity


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OT Law: Leviticus 21:6 They shall be holy to their God (Le Lv Lev.)
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