Contradictions and Paradoxes in Leviticus 21:4

Check out Contradictions Catalog of Leviticus 21:4 for the comprehensive list of verses that contradicts Leviticus 21:4. Some key contradictions and paradoxes are described below.

According to Moses, a priest should not become unclean by touching or being near a dead person because it would make him not fit to serve God. This is because he has an important job among his people.

Leviticus 21:4: [But] he shall not defile himself, [being] a chief man among his people, to profane himself. [he...: or, being an husband among his people, he shall not defile himself for his wife, etc]

Contradiction with Matthew 8:21-22

Jesus instructs a disciple to prioritize following Him over burying his father, contrasting with the priestly concern for kinship duties in Leviticus 21:4.

Matthew 8:21-22: And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.

Contradiction with Luke 9:59-60

Again, Jesus emphasizes the spiritual mission over familial obligations, differing from Leviticus 21:4 which underscores responsibility to kin.

Luke 9:59-60: And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.

Contradiction with Numbers 6:6-7

Nazarites are instructed not to go near a dead body, illustrating a stricter separation than the allowance given to priests for close kin in Leviticus 21:4.

Numbers 6:6-7: All the days that he separateth [himself] unto the LORD he shall come at no dead body.

Contradiction with Ezekiel 24:16-18

God commands Ezekiel not to mourn for his deceased wife, contrasting the allowance for mourning certain close relatives given to priests in Leviticus 21:4.

Ezekiel 24:16-18: Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke: yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down. [run down: Heb. go]

Contradiction with Matthew 12:46-50

Jesus redefines family as those who do God’s will, shifting priority from blood relations, unlike the kinship focus in Leviticus 21:4.

Matthew 12:46-50: While he yet talked to the people, behold, [his] mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him.
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