Imamat 21:5-6

21:5 Priests ¹  must not have a bald spot shaved on their head, they must not shave the corner of their beard, and they must not cut slashes in their body. ² 

21:6 “‘They must be holy to their God, and they must not profane ³  the name of their God, because they are the ones who present the Lord’s gifts, ⁴  the food of their God. Therefore they must be holy. ⁵ 

[21:5]  ¹ tn Heb “they”; the referent (priests, see the beginning of v. 1) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:5]  ² tn Heb “and in their body they shall not [cut] slash[es]” (cf. Lev 19:28). The context connects these sorts of mutilations with mourning rites (cf. Lev 19:27-28 above).

[21:6]  ³ sn Regarding “profane,” see the note on Lev 10:10 above.

[21:6]  ⁴ sn Regarding the Hebrew term for “gifts,” see the note on Lev 1:9 above (cf. also 3:11 and 16 in combination with the word for “food” that follows in the next phrase here).

[21:6]  ⁵ tc Smr and all early versions have the plural adjective “holy” rather than the MT singular noun “holiness.”