The Meaning of Leviticus 21:5 Explained

Leviticus 21:5

KJV: They shall not make baldness upon their head, neither shall they shave off the corner of their beard, nor make any cuttings in their flesh.

YLT: they do not make baldness on their head, and the corner of their beard they do not shave, and in their flesh they do not make a cutting;

Darby: They shall not make any baldness upon their head, neither shall they shave off the corners of their beard, nor make any cuttings in their flesh.

ASV: They shall not make baldness upon their head, neither shall they shave off the corner of their beard, nor make any cuttings in their flesh.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

They shall not make  baldness  upon their head,  neither shall they shave off  the corner  of their beard,  nor make  any cuttings  in their flesh. 

What does Leviticus 21:5 Mean?

Chapter Summary: Leviticus 21

1  Of the priests' mourning
6  Of their holiness
7  Of their marriages
8  Of their estimation
9  Of the high priest's holiness
10  Of his marriage
13  The priests that have blemishes must not minister in the sanctuary

What do the individual words in Leviticus 21:5 mean?

Not - they shall make any bald [place] on their heads and the edges of their beards nor shall they shave and in their flesh make any cuttings
לֹֽא־ [יקרחה] (יִקְרְח֤וּ) קָרְחָה֙ בְּרֹאשָׁ֔ם וּפְאַ֥ת זְקָנָ֖ם לֹ֣א יְגַלֵּ֑חוּ וּבִ֨בְשָׂרָ֔ם יִשְׂרְט֖וּ שָׂרָֽטֶת

[יקרחה]  - 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person feminine singular
(יִקְרְח֤וּ)  they  shall  make 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: קָרַח  
Sense: to be bald, make bald.
קָרְחָה֙  any  bald  [place] 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: קָרַח  
Sense: baldness, bald.
בְּרֹאשָׁ֔ם  on  their  heads 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine plural
Root: רֹאשׁ 
Sense: head, top, summit, upper part, chief, total, sum, height, front, beginning.
וּפְאַ֥ת  and  the  edges 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: פֵּאָה 
Sense: corner, edge, side, quarter, extremity.
זְקָנָ֖ם  of  their  beards 
Parse: Noun, common singular construct, third person masculine plural
Root: זָקָן  
Sense: beard, chin.
לֹ֣א  nor 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
יְגַלֵּ֑חוּ  shall  they  shave 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: גָּלַח  
Sense: to poll, shave, shave off, be bald.
וּבִ֨בְשָׂרָ֔ם  and  in  their  flesh 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine plural
Root: בָּשָׂר  
Sense: flesh.
יִשְׂרְט֖וּ  make 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: שָׂרַט  
Sense: to incise, scratch, tattoo, cut.
שָׂרָֽטֶת  any  cuttings 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: שֶׂרֶט 
Sense: incision, cut.