Translations
F.O.G.MPrimary
F.O.G MessageThey must not defile themselves by going near a dead person — except for a father, mother, son, daughter, brother, or an unmarried sister; for these close relatives they may become ritually unclean.
F.O.GSecondary
The F.O.GThey shall not go near a dead person to become tamei — except for father or mother, son or daughter, brother or unmarried sister; for these they may become tamei.
KJV
King James VersionAnd they shall come at no dead person to defile themselves: but for father, or for mother, or for son, or for daughter, for brother, or for sister that hath had no husband, they may defile themselves.
BSB
Berean Standard BibleA priest must not defile himself by going near a dead person. However, for a father, a mother, a son, a daughter, a brother, or an unmarried sister, he may do so,
Footnotes
Contact with a human corpse was the most severe source of ritual impurity in Torah law (Num 19), requiring full purification rites including the red heifer ceremony. For ordinary Israelites, caring for the dead of one's family was both permitted and honourable. For priests, even this is restricted to the closest blood relatives — the same list as in Lev 21:1-3. The unmarried sister (but not the married sister) is included because she remains under her family's protective covering; a married woman belongs primarily to her husband's household. FOG retains 'tamei'; FOG Message renders it 'ritually unclean' for transparency.
