Verse Lens · Concise explanation
Leviticus 21:16 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 16. 16And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
This verse introduces bodily-eligibility instruction addressed through Moses.
A list of bodily conditions bars altar approach
This verse is one part of that explanation in Leviticus 21:16-24. The complete section carries the connected meaning and how it should shape life.
Read It With
- Leviticus 21:16-24
Read through 21:16-24 and watch how each actor, material, status, or command relates. Leviticus 21:16 introduces bodily-eligibility instruction addressed through Moses; the whole unit establishes this: A list of bodily conditions excludes descendants of Aaron from veil and altar service while explicitly allowing them to eat holy and most-holy food.
Why This Verse Appears Here
The bodily eligibility list belongs to the book's priestly office and sanctuary-proximity system; it does not define disabled people's human or spiritual worth. Within the whole book, this unit contributes: A list of bodily conditions excludes descendants of Aaron from veil and altar service while explicitly allowing them to eat holy and most-holy food. Within that movement, this verse introduces bodily-eligibility instruction addressed through Moses.
What Remains True
Introduces bodily-eligibility instruction addressed through Moses. Within Leviticus 21:16-24, this contributes to the larger claim that a list of bodily conditions excludes descendants of Aaron from veil and altar service while explicitly allowing them to eat holy and most-holy food.
Continue in Context
Read the complete section for the connected explanation and how it should shape life. This verse is a doorway into that passage, not a saying that stands alone.
Read Leviticus 21:16-24 — Disabled priests retain holy food but are barred from altar approachSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact reader-facing KJV wording, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage for this thought unit.
Exact location: Leviticus 21:16-24, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Leviticus
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Hebrew wording, morphology, ritual and legal vocabulary, names, clause relationships, KJV language controls, and translation limits.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v.2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Lev.xml, Masoretic words and morphology for 21:16-24
Open source ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible: Leviticus with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
eBible.org distribution of the NET Bible, PDF generated 2025-12-31
Supports: Unit-bounded translator notes on Hebrew, syntax, ritual vocabulary, measures, textual questions, and older-English wording; silence is not treated as evidence.
Exact location: NET Bible Leviticus PDF, complete PDF pp. 1-99, translation and translator notes for 21:16-24
Open source ↗