Leviticus 21:9
New International Version
“’If a priest’s daughter defiles herself by becoming a prostitute, she disgraces her father; she must be burned in the fire.

New Living Translation
“If a priest’s daughter defiles herself by becoming a prostitute, she also defiles her father’s holiness, and she must be burned to death.

English Standard Version
And the daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by whoring, profanes her father; she shall be burned with fire.

Berean Standard Bible
If a priest’s daughter defiles herself by prostituting herself, she profanes her father; she must be burned in the fire.

King James Bible
And the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the whore, she profaneth her father: she shall be burnt with fire.

New King James Version
The daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by playing the harlot, she profanes her father. She shall be burned with fire.

New American Standard Bible
Also the daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by prostitution, she profanes her father; she shall be burned with fire.

NASB 1995
‘Also the daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by harlotry, she profanes her father; she shall be burned with fire.

NASB 1977
‘Also the daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by harlotry, she profanes her father; she shall be burned with fire.

Legacy Standard Bible
Also the daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by harlotry, she profanes her father; she shall be burned with fire.

Amplified Bible
The daughter of any priest who profanes herself by prostitution profanes her father; she shall be burned in fire.

Christian Standard Bible
If a priest’s daughter defiles herself by promiscuity, she defiles her father; she must be burned to death.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
If a priest’s daughter defiles herself by promiscuity, she defiles her father; she must be burned up.”

American Standard Version
And the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the harlot, she profaneth her father: she shall be burnt with fire.

Contemporary English Version
If any of you priests has a daughter who disgraces you by serving as a temple prostitute, she must be burned to death.

English Revised Version
And the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the harlot, she profaneth her father: she shall be burnt with fire.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
When a priest's daughter dishonors herself by becoming a prostitute, she dishonors her father. She must be burned.

Good News Translation
If a priest's daughter becomes a prostitute, she disgraces her father; she shall be burned to death.

International Standard Version
"Now if the daughter of any priest defiles herself by being a prostitute, she defiles her father. She is to be incinerated.

Majority Standard Bible
If a priest?s daughter defiles herself by prostituting herself, she profanes her father; she must be burned in the fire.

NET Bible
If a daughter of a priest profanes herself by engaging in prostitution, she is profaning her father. She must be burned to death.

New Heart English Bible
"'The daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by playing the prostitute, she profanes her father: she shall be burned with fire.

Webster's Bible Translation
And the daughter of any priest, if she shall profane herself by lewdness, she profaneth her father: she shall be burnt with fire.

World English Bible
“‘The daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by playing the prostitute, she profanes her father. She shall be burned with fire.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And when a daughter of any priest defiles herself by going whoring—she is defiling her father; she is burned with fire.

Young's Literal Translation
'And a daughter of any priest when she polluteth herself by going a-whoring -- her father she is polluting; with fire she is burnt.

Smith's Literal Translation
And the daughter of a man a priest, if she shall be profaned to commit fornication, it is profaning her father: she shall be burnt in fire.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
If the daughter of a priest be taken in whoredom, and dishonour the name of her father, she shall be burnt with fire.

Catholic Public Domain Version
If the daughter of a priest will have been taken into prostitution, and will have violated the name of her father, she shall be consumed by fire.

New American Bible
If a priest’s daughter debases herself by prostitution, she thereby debases her father; she shall be burned with fire.

New Revised Standard Version
When the daughter of a priest profanes herself through prostitution, she profanes her father; she shall be burned to death.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And the daughter of any priest, when she starts playing the whore, she profanes her father; she shall be burned with fire.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And the daughter of a man, a Priest, when she will begin to commit fornication, her father is defiled; she shall burn in fire.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the harlot, she profaneth her father: she shall be burnt with fire.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And if the daughter of a priest should be profaned to go a whoring, she profanes the name of her father: she shall be burnt with fire.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Holiness Required of Priests
8You 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. 9If a priest’s daughter defiles herself by prostituting herself, she profanes her father; she must be burned in the fire. 10The priest who is highest among his brothers, who has had the anointing oil poured on his head and has been ordained to wear the priestly garments, must not let his hair hang loose or tear his garments.…

Cross References
Deuteronomy 22:21
she shall be brought to the door of her father’s house, and there the men of her city will stone her to death. For she has committed an outrage in Israel by being promiscuous in her father’s house. So you must purge the evil from among you.

Exodus 20:14
You shall not commit adultery.

Numbers 25:1-9
While Israel was staying in Shittim, the men began to indulge in sexual immorality with the daughters of Moab, / who also invited them to the sacrifices for their gods. And the people ate and bowed down to these gods. / So Israel joined in worshiping Baal of Peor, and the anger of the LORD burned against them. ...

Deuteronomy 22:22
If a man is found lying with another man’s wife, both the man who slept with her and the woman must die. You must purge the evil from Israel.

Deuteronomy 23:17
No daughter or son of Israel is to be a shrine prostitute.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10
Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who submit to or perform homosexual acts, / nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.

1 Corinthians 5:1-5
It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is intolerable even among pagans: A man has his father’s wife. / And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have been stricken with grief and have removed from your fellowship the man who did this? / Although I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit, and I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did this, just as if I were present. ...

Revelation 21:8
But to the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and sexually immoral and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death.”

Revelation 22:15
But outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

1 Timothy 1:9-10
We realize that law is not enacted for the righteous, but for the lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinful, for the unholy and profane, for killers of father or mother, for murderers, / for the sexually immoral, for homosexuals, for slave traders and liars and perjurers, and for anyone else who is averse to sound teaching

Hebrews 13:4
Marriage should be honored by all and the marriage bed kept undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers.

Matthew 5:27-28
You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ / But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Matthew 15:19
For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander.

Romans 1:24-27
Therefore God gave them over in the desires of their hearts to impurity for the dishonoring of their bodies with one another. / They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is forever worthy of praise! Amen. / For this reason God gave them over to dishonorable passions. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. ...

Galatians 5:19-21
The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; / idolatry and sorcery; hatred, discord, jealousy, and rage; rivalries, divisions, factions, / and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.


Treasury of Scripture

And the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the whore, she profanes her father: she shall be burnt with fire.

the daughter

1 Samuel 2:17,34
Wherefore the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD: for men abhorred the offering of the LORD…

1 Samuel 3:13,14
For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not…

Ezekiel 9:6
Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house.

she shall be burnt

Leviticus 20:14
And if a man take a wife and her mother, it is wickedness: they shall be burnt with fire, both he and they; that there be no wickedness among you.

Genesis 38:24
And it came to pass about three months after, that it was told Judah, saying, Tamar thy daughter in law hath played the harlot; and also, behold, she is with child by whoredom. And Judah said, Bring her forth, and let her be burnt.

Joshua 7:15,25
And it shall be, that he that is taken with the accursed thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he hath: because he hath transgressed the covenant of the LORD, and because he hath wrought folly in Israel…

Jump to Previous
A-Whoring Behaviour Burned Burnt Common Defiles Disgraces Fire Harlot Harlotry Herself Lewdness Makes Playing Polluteth Polluting Priest Priest's Profane Profanes Profaneth Prostitute Puts Shame Whore
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A-Whoring Behaviour Burned Burnt Common Defiles Disgraces Fire Harlot Harlotry Herself Lewdness Makes Playing Polluteth Polluting Priest Priest's Profane Profanes Profaneth Prostitute Puts Shame Whore
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














If a priest’s daughter
The phrase "a priest’s daughter" highlights the familial and spiritual lineage of the individual in question. In ancient Israel, the priesthood was a sacred office, and those connected to it were expected to uphold a standard of holiness. The Hebrew word for "daughter" is "בַּת" (bat), which signifies not only a biological relationship but also a representation of the family’s honor and spiritual legacy. The priest's family was seen as an extension of his ministry, and thus, the behavior of his children reflected on his service to God.

defiles herself
The term "defiles" comes from the Hebrew root "טָמֵא" (tamei), meaning to become unclean or impure. In the context of Levitical law, defilement was not merely a personal failing but a breach of the covenantal relationship with God. This impurity was seen as a spiritual and communal issue, affecting not just the individual but the entire community's relationship with God. The act of defilement here is particularly grievous because it involves a deliberate choice to engage in behavior contrary to the holiness expected of those associated with the priesthood.

by prostituting herself
The phrase "prostituting herself" is translated from the Hebrew "לִזְנוֹת" (liznot), which refers to engaging in sexual immorality, often linked with idolatrous practices. In the ancient Near Eastern context, prostitution was sometimes associated with pagan worship, where sexual acts were part of religious rituals. For a priest’s daughter to engage in such acts was seen as a direct affront to the holiness of God, as it intertwined the sacred with the profane.

she profanes her father
To "profane" is derived from the Hebrew "חָלַל" (chalal), meaning to desecrate or treat something sacred with irreverence. The priest, as a representative of God’s holiness, was expected to maintain a household that reflected divine standards. When his daughter engaged in prostitution, it was not only a personal sin but a public dishonor to her father’s priestly office. This act of profanation was seen as a serious breach of the sanctity associated with the priesthood.

she must be burned in the fire
The phrase "burned in the fire" indicates the severity of the punishment for such an act. The Hebrew word "שָׂרַף" (saraph) means to burn or consume with fire. This form of capital punishment underscores the gravity of the offense in the context of ancient Israelite society. It served as a deterrent and a means of purging evil from the community. The harshness of the penalty reflects the high value placed on holiness and the need to protect the integrity of the priestly line and, by extension, the community’s relationship with God.

(9) And the daughter of any priest.--This statute, according to the administrators of the Law during the second Temple, applies only to betrothed and married daughters. Hence the ancient Chaldee version renders it, "and if the betrothed daughter"

She shall be burnt with fire.--Whilst the married daughter of a layman who had gone astray was punished with death by strangling (see Leviticus 20:10; Deuteronomy 22:23-24), the daughter of a priest who had disgraced herself was to be punished with the severer death by burning. Though the doom of the guilty partner in the crime is not mentioned here, his sentence was death by strangulation.



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
If
כִּ֥י (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

a priest’s
כֹּהֵ֔ן (kō·hên)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3548: Priest

daughter
וּבַת֙ (ū·ḇaṯ)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 1323: A daughter

defiles herself
תֵחֵ֖ל (ṯê·ḥêl)
Verb - Nifal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 2490: To bore, to wound, to dissolve, to profane, to break, to begin, to play

by prostituting herself,
לִזְנ֑וֹת (liz·nō·wṯ)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 2181: To commit adultery, to commit idolatry

she
הִ֣יא (hî)
Pronoun - third person feminine singular
Strong's 1931: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are

profanes
מְחַלֶּ֔לֶת (mə·ḥal·le·leṯ)
Verb - Piel - Participle - feminine singular
Strong's 2490: To bore, to wound, to dissolve, to profane, to break, to begin, to play

her father;
אָבִ֙יהָ֙ (’ā·ḇî·hā)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person feminine singular
Strong's 1: Father

she must be burned
תִּשָּׂרֵֽף׃ (tiś·śā·rêp̄)
Verb - Nifal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 8313: To be, on fire

in the fire.
בָּאֵ֖שׁ (bā·’êš)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - common singular
Strong's 784: A fire


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OT Law: Leviticus 21:9 The daughter of any priest if she (Le Lv Lev.)
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