Leviticus 21:10 - Meaning and Application

More was expected from a priest than from other people, and even more from the high priest than from the other priests. The reason was that the anointing oil had been poured on his head, and he had been consecrated to wear the holy garments (Leviticus 21:10). These were both signs that pointed forward to the anointing and beauty of the Lord Jesus, who received all the gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit without limit. Scripture calls this the crown of the anointing oil of his God (Leviticus 21:12), for the Spirit’s anointing is a crown of glory and a beautiful diadem for all who have it.

Because the high priest had this special honor, he had stricter rules about mourning. He must not make himself unclean for the dead, not even for his closest relatives, his father or his mother, much less for his child or brother (Leviticus 21:11). He could not show the usual signs of grief, such as uncovering his head or tearing his clothes (Leviticus 21:10). He was to appear so set apart from the sorrows and pleasures of ordinary life that even natural affection had to be held under the higher duty of compassion for the ignorant and tenderness for the people of God, over whom he was placed. In this way, as the holy one entrusted with the Urim and Thummim, he was not to let even father or mother come before his sacred duty (Deuteronomy 33:8-9).

He also must not enter any place where a dead body was present (Leviticus 21:11). If an ordinary priest became ceremonially unclean, other priests could take his place for a time. But if the high priest were defiled, the loss would be greater because of his unique office. The law that kept him away from houses of mourning and funerals also showed the people how great his position was. Our Lord Jesus, the great high priest of our confession, touched the dead daughter of Jairus, the bier of the widow’s son, and the grave of Lazarus to show that he came to change death’s power and remove its terror. Now that death cannot destroy those who are in him, it does not defile them.

He must also not leave the sanctuary while he was serving there (Leviticus 21:12). When he was attending to his duties, and usually staying in his own room in the sanctuary area, he was not to step away for any reason, even to honor a dying relative. Leaving would have treated the service of God as less urgent than another matter, even one as solemn as a death in the family. His first duty was always to the worship of God and the work of his office. In the same way, our Lord Jesus would not stop teaching to speak with his mother and brothers (Matthew 12:48).

The high priest was also not allowed to marry a widow, as other priests could, and much less a divorced woman or a prostitute (Leviticus 21:13-14). This set him apart from the other priests, and some think it also pointed to Christ, to whom the church is to be presented as a pure virgin (2 Corinthians 11:2). See also (Ezekiel 44:22). Christ must have our first love, our pure love, and our whole love. So the virgins love him (Song of Songs 1:3), and only such people are fit to follow the Lamb (Revelation 14:4).

He was also not to dishonor his offspring among the people (Leviticus 21:15). Some understand this as a warning not to marry his children below their rank, which would bring shame on his family. Jehoiada, a priest and protector of the royal house, did marry within his own tribe, but into the royal family (2 Chronicles 22:11). This was not meant to make the high priest proud, but to keep him pure and careful to do nothing unfit for his office or for the honorable name he bore. It may also mean that he must be careful in arranging marriages for his children. Ministers’ children are dishonored if they are unequally joined with unbelievers.