Priests and Offerings: The Holiness Code now moves to cultic issues. Chapter 21 treats issues related to priests, who carry a special holiness, and chapter 22 provides instruction on offerings that are to be handled with great care. These chapters apply the holiness perspective to the priesthood as an institution and to various offerings.

Chapter 21 addresses priests and their families and then delineates the physical requirements for entering the priesthood.

21:1–9 The chapter begins with the notion that death causes uncleanness. In the Nazirite vow, the promise is also made to avoid dead things. Presumably death is understood to be an enemy of God, and so the priests are to avoid contact with what is dead, which brings uncleanness. This concern is related to all priests and not just the hi…