Leviticus 21:13 — Word Study
WLCוְה֕וּא אִשָּׁ֥ה בִבְתוּלֶ֖יהָ יִקָּֽח׃
BSAThe womanʼishshâh [a female, a wife, or a bride] ◂hehûwʼ marrieslâqach▸ [takes as his wife, to take in her virginity] must be a virginbᵉthûwlîym [in her virginity, a woman who has not had relations with a man, a maiden, a woman in her purity]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| וְה֕וּא | and he | Conjunction, pronoun |
| אִשָּׁ֥ה | a woman | Noun common, feminine singular absolute |
| בִבְתוּלֶ֖יהָ | in virginiti her | Preposition, noun common masculine plural construct, suffix |
| יִקָּֽח׃ | he will take | Verb, Qal, imperfect third person masculine singular |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | The woman he marries must be a virgin. |
| KJV | And he shall take a wife in her virginity. |
| ASV | And he shall take a wife in her virginity. |
| YLT | 'And he taketh a wife in her virginity; |
| WEB | “‘He shall take a wife in her virginity. |
| BBE | And let him take as his wife one who has not had relations with a man. |
Where they part company is in the interpretation of בְּתוּלִים — see How Translations Differ.
The sentence has a main clause followed by a prepositional phrase that describes the condition of the woman, leading to the conclusion about her status.
8 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
subjectהוּא
verbלָקַח
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Leviticus 21:13
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — Laws for Priestsgenerated
Leviticus 21:13 outlines the requirements for a priest's marriage, emphasizing the importance of marrying a virgin to ensure the sanctity of his lineage. This instruction is part of a broader set of laws aimed at maintaining holiness among the priests, as seen in the surrounding verses, which include prohibitions against marrying certain types of women, such as widows or divorcees, to preserve the integrity of the priestly family.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leviticus 21:7 | A priest must not marry a woman defiled by prostitution or divorced by her husband, for the priest is holy to his God. |
| 2 | Ezekiel 44:22 | And they shall not marry a widow or a divorced woman, but must marry a virgin of the descendants of the house of Israel, or a widow of a priest. |
| 3 | 2 Corinthians 11:2 | I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. For I promised you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. |
| 4 | Revelation 14:4 | These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they are virgins. They follow the Lamb wherever He goes. They have been redeemed from among men as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 4 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — בְּתוּלִים, viv.tu.Lei.hagenerated
The word בְּתוּלִים (b'tulim) is derived from the root that signifies virginity. It refers to the state of being a virgin and can imply the tokens associated with that state. The parsing shows it as a noun in the masculine plural, which emphasizes the concept of virginity in a collective sense.
In this verse, the term highlights the requirement for the priest to take a wife who has not had sexual relations, thereby ensuring that his offspring are born from a pure lineage.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The main verb of the verse is יִקָּֽח, he will take, which governs the noun phrase אִשָּׁ֥ה, a woman, and the prepositional phrase בְּתוּלֶ֖יהָ, in her virginity. The structure shows a clear relationship between the action of taking a wife and the condition of her being a virgin.
The Hebrew word order places emphasis on the subject and the action, highlighting the importance of the priest's choice in marriage.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates אִשָּׁה as γυναῖκα (gunaīka), meaning 'woman.' This choice aligns with the Hebrew meaning but does not carry the same cultural implications as the Hebrew term.
The term for virginity in the Septuagint is παρθένον (parthenon), indicating a focus on purity, similar to the Hebrew, but with a more defined emphasis on the state of being unmarried.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Leviticus 21:13 states that a priest must marry a virgin. This requirement is part of the laws given to the priests to ensure that their lineage remains pure and holy, reflecting the importance of purity in their service to God.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
A priest must marry a virgin to maintain the purity of his lineage and to fulfill the holiness required in his role.
In this context, a virgin is a woman who has not had sexual relations with a man, which is crucial for the priest's marriage to ensure purity.
Yes, a priest is also prohibited from marrying a widow, a divorced woman, or one defiled by prostitution, as stated in the surrounding verses.
This law reflects the values of ancient Israel regarding purity, holiness, and the importance of maintaining a sacred lineage among the priestly class.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What does purity mean in my own life, and how can I strive to maintain it?
- How can I support those in leadership to uphold their commitments to holiness?
- In what ways can I ensure that my relationships reflect the values of integrity and purity?
- How does understanding the cultural context of these laws help me apply them today?
Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Leviticus 21:13 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleAnd he shall take a wife in her virginity. One, and not two, or more, as Ben Gersom observes; and so Maimonides says (q), an high priest might never take two women together; for it is said, "a wife",
Read John Gill on Leviticus 21 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryAnd he that is the high priest among his brethren, upon whose head the anointing oil was poured, and that is consecrated to put on the garments, shall not uncover his head, nor rend his clothes; He that is the high priest.
Read Robert Jamieson on Leviticus 21 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleOr, a virgin, partly for the decency of the type, because as he was a type of Christ, so his wife was a type of the church, which is compared to a virgin, ; and partly for greater caution and assurance that his wife was not a defiled or defloured person. This and the following rule belong not to all the priests, for then this were a gross tautology, these same things, or most of them, being expressly forbidden to them, , but only to the high priest, to show that he also, and he especially, is obliged to the same cautions.
Read Matthew Poole on Leviticus 21 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsLeviticus 21:13 And he shall take a wife in her virginity.Ver. 13. In her virginity.] Such is Christ’ s wife, not giving her love, or his worship to any other.
Read John Trapp on Leviticus 21 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(13) A wife in her virginity.—From this verse the administrators of the Law during the second Temple concluded that (1) the high priest must be the husband of one wife, though the ordinary priests might have several; (2) that she must be a virgin, under the age of thirteen; (3) that she must not even have been betrothed to another person; and that (4) she must be the daughter of Jewish parents by race, as it is stated in the next verse, though the ordinary priest was allowed to marry the daughter of proselytes. The first of these enactments is also enjoined by St. Paul on Christian bishops (1 Timothy 3:2; Titus 1:16); whilst the fourth is actually expressed in the Greek version (LXX.)…
Read Charles John Ellicott on Leviticus 21 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 13. He shall take a wife in her virginity.] בתוליה bethuleyha. This is a full proof that בתולה bethulah is the proper Hebrew term for a virgin; from the emphatic root בתל bathal, to separate; because such a person was in her separate state, and had never been in any way united to man.
Read AdamClarke on Leviticus 21 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges10–15. Corresponding regulations, but of a somewhat stricter character, for the high priest
Read Cambridge on Leviticus 21 →Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the BibleIN THE PRIESTS, Leviticus 21:1 to Leviticus 22:16.Jehovah, having given general statutes to conserve the purity of Israel, now proceeds to legislate for the priests, whose character and conduct are
Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Leviticus 21 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
The woman he marries must be a virgin.
“‘He shall take a wife in her virginity.
The woman he marries must be a virgin.
He must take a wife who is a virgin.
Tyndale line
And he shall take a wife in her virginity.
And he shall take a wife in her virginity.
And he shall take a wife in her virginity.
And he shall take a wife in her virginity.
Also he shall take a maide vnto his wife:
Strictly literal
And he shall take a wife in her virginity.
'And he taketh a wife in her virginity;
And he takes a wife in her virginity;
And he shall take a wife in her virgin state.
The high priest must marry a virgin as his wife.
From the Latin
He shall take a virgin unto his wife:
Simplified
He can only marry a virgin.
And let him take as his wife one who has not had relations with a man.
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text is confirmed by the Samaritan Pentateuch, which agrees word for word. The Septuagint also matches the Hebrew text closely, with all four words corresponding directly.
וְה֕וּא אִשָּׁ֥ה בִבְתוּלֶ֖יהָ יִקָּֽח׃
4 of the 4 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
והוא אשׁה בבתוליה יקח
Agrees with the Masoretic Text here, word for word.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Leviticus 21:13
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
הוּא (hu) is a third-person singular pronoun meaning he, she, or it, used for emphasis or when no verb is present. It can also refer to oneself or serve as a demonstrative pronoun. The word has various nuances, including resuming the subject with emphasis or expressing it unobtrusively. It can indicate 'that' or 'those' when used with the definite article.
הוּא m. הִיא f., pron. of the 3rd ps. sing. he, she, used also (in both genders) for the neuter it
an emph. he (she, it, they), sometimes equivalent to himself (herself, itself, themselves), or (esp. with the art.) that (those)
It resumes the subj. with emph.
Where, however, the pron. follows the pred., its position gives it the minimum of emphasis, and it expresses (or resumes) the subject as unobtrusively as possible
It anticipates (as it seems) the subject
As an emph. predicate, of God
In a neuter sense, that, it (of an action, occurrence, matte, etc.)
With the art.: so regularly when joined to a subst. defined itself by the art.
base
H1931 הוּא, הִיא he, she, used also (in both genders) for the neuter it . an emph. he (she, it, they), sometimes equivalent to himself (herself, itself, themselves), or (esp. with the art.) that (those)
. It resumes the subj. with emph.
. Where, however, the pron. follows the pred., its position gives it the minimum of emphasis, and it expresses (or resumes) the subject as unobtrusively as possible
. It anticipates (as it seems) the subject
. As an emph. predicate, of God
. In a neuter sense, that, it (of an action, occurrence, matte, etc.)
. With the art.: so regularly when joined to a subst. defined itself by the art.
1931 huw' hoo
of which the feminine (beyond the Pentateuch) is hiyw {he}; a
primitive word, the third person pronoun singular, he (she or
it); only expressed when emphatic or without a verb; also
(intensively) self, or (especially with the article) the same;
sometimes (as demonstrative) this or that; occasionally
(instead of copula) as or are:--he, as for her, him(-self),
it, the same, she (herself), such, that (...it), these, they,
this, those, which (is), who.
הוּא (hu) — he/she/it.
pron 3p s
1) he, she, it
1a) himself (with emphasis)
1b) resuming subj with emphasis
1c) (with minimum emphasis following predicate)
1d) (anticipating subj)
1e) (emphasising predicate)
1f) that, it (neuter) demons pron
2) that (with article)
Conj | Pron — Conjunction · pronounHC/Pp3ms
ha: The fifth letter of the Hebrew alphabet; transliterated in this Encyclopedia as "h." It came also to be used for the number 5. For name, etc., see ALPHABET.
אִשָּׁה (ishshah) means 'woman,' 'wife,' or 'female.' It can refer to a woman in general, a wife in relation to a man, or the female of animals. The term also has distributive and reciprocal uses, indicating 'each woman' from her neighbor. The word is derived from the masculine forms אִישׁ (ish) and אִישָׁה (ishah), indicating a broad range of meanings.
אִשָּׁה 773 n.f. woman, wife, female
woman
Wife (woman belonging to a man, usually cstr. or sf.)
Female of animals
With distrib. & recipr. sense, each woman from her neighbor; each one
base
H802 אִשָּׁה woman, wife, female . woman
. Wife (woman belonging to a man, usually cstr. or sf.)
. Female of animals
. With distrib. & recipr. sense, each woman from her neighbor; each one
802 'ishshah ish-shaw'
feminine of 376 or 582; irregular plural, nashiym
{naw-sheem'}; a woman (used in the same wide sense as
582):--(adulter)ess, each, every, female, X many, + none,
one, + together, wife, woman. Often unexpressed in English.
see HEBREW for 0376
see HEBREW for 0582
see HEBREW for 0582
אִשָּׁה (ish.shah) — woman.
: woman
1) woman, wife, female
1a) woman (opposite of man)
1b) wife (woman married to a man)
1c) female (of animals)
1d) each, every (pronoun)
אִשָּׁה (ish.shah) — woman: wife.
: wife/widow
1) woman, wife, female
1a) woman (opposite of man)
1b) wife (woman married to a man)
1c) female (of animals)
1d) each, every (pronoun)
אִשָּׁה (ish.shah) — woman: another.
: another
1) woman, wife, female
1a) woman (opposite of man)
1b) wife (woman married to a man)
1c) female (of animals)
1d) each, every (pronoun)
N-fs — Noun common · feminine singular absoluteHNcfsa
woom'-an ('ishshah, "a woman" (feminine of 'ish, "a man"]; gune, "a woman" "wife"):
I. IN THE CREATIVE PLAN
II. IN OLD TESTAMENT TIMES
1. Prominence of Women
2. Social Equality
3. Marriage Laws
4. Inheritance
5. Domestic Duties
6. Dress and Ornaments
7. Religious Devotion and Service
(1) in Idolatry and False Religion
(2) in Spiritual Religion
III. INTER-TESTAMENTAL ERA
IV. IN NEW TESTAMENT TIMES
1. Mary and Elisabeth
2. Jesus and Women
3. In the Early Church
4. Official Service
5. Widows
6. Deaconesses
IV. LATER TIMES
1. Changes in Character and Condition
2. Notable Examples of Christian Womanhood
3. Woman in the 20th Century
The generic term "man" includes woman. In the narrative of the creation (Ge 1:26,27) Adam is a collective term for mankind. It may signify human being, male or female, or humanity entire. "God said, Let us make man .... and let them"…
Woman
Was “taken out of man” (Gen. 2:23), and therefore the man has the preeminence. “The head of the woman is the man;” but yet honour is to be shown to the wife, “as unto the weaker vessel” (1 Cor. 11:3, 8, 9; 1 Pet. 3:7). Several women are mentioned in Scripture as having been endowed with prophetic gifts, as Miriam (Ex. 15:20), Deborah (Judg. 4:4, 5), Huldah (2 Kings 22:14), Noadiah (Neh. 6:14), Anna (Luke 2:36, 37), and the daughters of Philip the evangelist…
Is spoken of in Scripture as the beloved and honored companion and helpmeet, not the servant, of man, Ge 2:23,24, created as the necessary completion of man, Ge 3:16 1Co 11:3,8,9 14:34,35 1Ti 2:11-14, yet specially qualified for that sphere, and as necessary in it as man in his. Man and woman are indeed essentially one, the natural qualities of each so responding to those of the other as to lay the foundation of the most tender and abiding unity. The Bible thus raised the Jewish woman high above the woman of heathenism; and the Old Testament contains some of the finest portraitures of female character. But still greater is the contrast between the women of heathenism and…
בְּתוּלִים (bthuwliym) is a masculine plural form meaning 'virginity.' It refers both collectively and abstractly to the concept of virginity, and can imply the tokens associated with it, such as a maid or virgin. The entries consistently emphasize this focus on virginity without notable disagreement.
בְּתוּלִים n.f. virginity
base
H1331 בְּתוּלִים virginity
1331 bthuwliym beth-oo-leem'
masculine plural of the same as 1330; (collectively and
abstractly) virginity; by implication and concretely, the
tokens of it:--X maid, virginity.
see HEBREW for 01330
בְּתוּלִים (be.tu.lim) — virginity.
virginity
Prep | N-cp | Suff — Preposition · noun common masculine plural construct · suffixHR/Ncmpc/Sp3fs
The Hebrew word לָקַח (*laqach*) means 'to take' and encompasses a wide range of actions, including to receive, seize, capture, and carry away. It can refer to taking something in hand, taking a wife, or even taking vengeance. The verb has various forms indicating different nuances, such as being taken away or captured.
לָקַח 965 vb. take
Qal
take, take in hand
take and carry along with oneself
take from, or out of
take, carry away
take away from, so as to deprive of
esp. take away life
take to or for a person
take up, upon = put upon
= fetch
take = lead, conduct (with or without contact)
take = capture, seize
take = carry off
in phr. take vengeance
Niph.
be captured, of ark
be taken away, removed
be taken, brought unto
Pu.
be taken from, out of
= be stolen from
be taken captive
be taken away, removed
Hoph.
be taken, brought unto
be taken out of
be taken away from
Hithp. lit. fire taking hold of itself, of lightning
base
H3947 לָקַח take .. take, take in hand
. take and carry along with oneself
. . take from, or out of
. take, carry away
. take away from, so as to deprive of
. esp. take away life
. take to or for a person
. take up, upon = put upon
. = fetch
. take = lead, conduct (with or without contact)
. take = capture, seize
. take = carry off
. in phr. take vengeance
. . be captured, of ark
. be taken away, removed
. be taken, brought unto
. . be taken from, out of
. = be stolen from
. be taken captive
. be taken away, removed
. . be taken, brought unto
. be taken out of
. be taken away from
. lit. fire taking hold of itself, of lightning
3947 laqach law-kakh'
a primitive root; to take (in the widest variety of
applications):--accept, bring, buy, carry away, drawn, fetch,
get, infold, X many, mingle, place, receive(-ing), reserve,
seize, send for, take (away, -ing, up), use, win.
לָקַח (la.qach) — to take: take.
: take
1) to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to take, take in the hand
1a2) to take and carry along
1a3) to take from, take out of, take, carry away, take away
1a4) to take to or for a person, procure, get, take possession of, select, choose, take in marriage, receive, accept
1a5) to take up or upon, put upon
1a6) to fetch
1a7) to take, lead, conduct
1a8) to take, capture, seize
1a9) to take, carry off 1a10) to take (vengeance)
1b) (Niphal)
1b1) to be captured
1b2) to be taken away, be removed
1b3) to be taken, brought unto
1c) (Pual)
1c1) to be taken from or out of
1c2) to be stolen from
1c3) to be taken captive
1c4) to be taken away, be removed
1d) (Hophal)
1d1) to be taken unto, be brought unto
1d2) to be taken out of
1d3) to be taken away
1e) (Hithpael)
1e1) to take hold of oneself
V-Qal-Imperf-3ms — Verb · Qal · imperfect third person masculine singularHVqi3ms
tak: Most of the very numerous examples of this word are still in good use and only a few call for special attention. "To take" in the sense of "capture" is still common, but when a person or living animal is in point, modern English usually adds "prisoner" or "captive." English Versions of the Bible not infrequently has this addition (Ge 14:14, etc.), but more commonly "take" is used without it (Jos 10:39; Job 5:13; Sirach 23:21; Joh 7:30, etc.). An occasional obscurity is thus caused, as in Ge 27:3, "take me venison" for "hunt venison for me." "To take advice" (2Ch…