Verse Lens · Context pointer
Leviticus 21:23 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 23. 23Only he shall not go in unto the vail, nor come nigh unto the altar, because he hath a blemish; that he profane not my sanctuaries: for I the LORD do sanctify them.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Role in This Section
This verse limits veil and altar approach while retaining priestly belonging and provision.
Read It With
- Leviticus 21:16-24
Track the movement across 21:16-24. When Leviticus 21:23 limits veil and altar approach while retaining priestly belonging and provision, it contributes to this complete claim: 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 It Needs Context
The verse limits veil and altar approach while retaining priestly belonging and provision. Follow Leviticus 21:16-24 before drawing an enduring truth, since the surrounding case determines what this detail does and does not establish.
Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Leviticus 21:16-24 — Disabled priests retain holy food but are barred from altar approachSources used for this context pointer
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 ↗