Leviticus 21:21-23

21:21 No man from the descendants of Aaron the priest who has a physical flaw may step forward ¹  to present the Lord’s gifts; he has a physical flaw, so he must not step forward to present the food of his God. 21:22 He may eat both the most holy and the holy food of his God, 21:23 but he must not go into the veil-canopy ²  or step forward to the altar because he has a physical flaw. Thus ³  he must not profane my holy places, for I am the Lord who sanctifies them.’”

Numbers 3:10

3:10 So you are to appoint Aaron and his sons, and they will be responsible for their priesthood; ⁴  but the unauthorized person ⁵  who comes near must be put to death.”

Numbers 16:40

16:40 It was a memorial for the Israelites, that no outsider who is not a descendant of ⁶  Aaron should approach to burn incense before the Lord, that he might not become like Korah and his company – just as the Lord had spoken by the authority ⁷  of Moses.

Numbers 18:7

18:7 But you and your sons with you are responsible for your priestly duties, for everything at the altar and within the curtain. And you must serve. I give you the priesthood as a gift for service; but the unauthorized person who approaches must be put to death.”

¹ tn Or “shall approach” (see HALOT 670 s.v. נגשׁ).

² sn See the note on Lev 16:2 for the rendering “veil-canopy.”

³ tn Heb “And.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) can be considered to have resultative force here.

⁴ tc The LXX includes the following words here: “and all things pertaining to the altar and within the veil.” Cf. Num 18:7.

⁵ tn The word is זָר (zar), usually rendered “stranger, foreigner, pagan.” But in this context it simply refers to anyone who is not a Levite or a priest, an unauthorized person or intruder in the tabernacle. That person would be put to death.

⁶ tn Heb “from the seed of.”

⁷ tn Heb “hand.”