Later text
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.
Intertextuality Pair
Ezekiel 44:22 → Leviticus 21:7
Allusion
Earlier text
A priest must not marry a woman defiled by prostitution or divorced by her husband, for the priest is holy to his God.
Significance
Ezekiel 44:22 restricts priestly marriage to virgins from the house of Israel or widows of priests, echoing Leviticus 21:7 which prohibits priests from marrying a prostitute (זוֹנָה, zonah), a profaned woman (חֲלָלָה, chalalah), or a divorced woman (גְּרוּשָׁה, gerushah). Both texts protect the priestly household's holiness status through marriage restrictions. Ezekiel's regulation is slightly more permissive than the high-priestly standard of Leviticus 21:13-14 (which requires only a virgin) by allowing marriage to a priest's widow, but stricter than the ordinary priest's standard by extending the restriction to all priests in the eschatological temple. This unified regulation suggests a single priestly class operating at an elevated holiness standard. Leviticus 21:7 grounds this restriction in the priest's own consecrated status — "he is holy to his God" — rooting the marriage law in the priest's personal holiness rather than merely protecting his lineage.
- Found via
- Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
- Reference Type
- Allusion
- Connection Method(s)
- Longitudinal Theme
Linked Mentions 1