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Leviticus 21:18-21 says:

18 No man who has any defect may come near: no man who is blind or lame, disfigured or deformed; 19 no man with a crippled foot or hand, 20 or who is a hunchback or a dwarf, or who has any eye defect, or who has festering or running sores or damaged testicles. 21 No descendant of Aaron the priest who has any defect is to come near to present the food offerings to the Lord. He has a defect; he must not come near to offer the food of his God.

How should we understand this, both on face value and spiritually?

What if the defect arose while serving God on a battlefield? Does this law also apply, or do only birth defects apply?

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    "how to interpret this?" — Literally. What is it you think is ambiguous or unclear about its meaning? Commented Apr 5 at 1:50
  • It doesn't exempt any particular case. Perfection means perfection. You don't have to be perfect to serve God. It was just outward tradition of men concerning temple laws Commented Apr 5 at 5:13
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    Questions of the form "Why did God …" are inappropriate for this site, as evidenced by the "reincarnation" answer, which is a perfectly valid response to this question. Questions should be about the text, not about truth or supernatural motives. ¶Beyond that, this post contains five distinct questions when it should contain only one. Commented Apr 5 at 13:59
  • Here is one answer offered to the same question asked on the Mi Yodea forum: judaism.stackexchange.com/a/80931/27171 Commented Apr 9 at 6:43

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Not only were priests who performed sacrificial duties required to be free from physical defects, but all offerings were also mandated to be without blemish. The Book of Hebrews reveals that the sacrificial system serves as a foreshadowing of Jesus, the ultimate High Priest, who offered Himself as a perfect, once-for-all sacrifice to atone for the sins of humanity.

Hebrews 4:14-16 (NIV)

14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Hebrews 4:15 emphasizes that Jesus is sinless, yet He offered His life as the perfect, once-for-all sacrifice, as stated in Hebrews 10:10:

And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Hebrew 9:22 underscores the principle that "the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness." Under the Old Covenant, the high priest had to enter the Most Holy Place annually, offering blood that was not his own. In contrast, Christ entered the Most Holy Place once-for-all by His own blood, obtaining eternal redemption. Hebrew 9:14 further highlights the unblemished nature of Christ's sacrifice:

How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!

The priesthood and sacrificial system in the Old Testament foreshadow Christ's ultimate role as the High Priest and perfect sacrifice. The demand for holiness and perfection in rituals symbolically reflected God's purity. However, priests with physical defects were not completely excluded from their duties, they remained part of the priesthood and contributed through other tasks within the community.

P.S. Priests with physical defects, whether present from birth or acquired later in life, were prohibited from performing sacrificial duties due to the requirement of perfection and holiness.

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This question (Leviticus 21: Why did God prohibit the physically defected, and what is the deeper spiritual meaning?) can be answered in many good ways, but the book of Hebrews answers it the best.

But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect [τελειοτέρας] tent [σκηνῆς, tabernacle] (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. (Hebrews 9:11–12, ESV2016)

"A perfect tabernacle not made with human hands" is no tabernacle or temple here on Earth where animals are sacrificed. It is the tabernacle in heaven. In heaven everything is perfect and complete without blemish or sin. Thus, the reason for the people involved in the sacrifice to be without defect for blemish is because they symbolize Christ's sacrifice without sin or blemish presented in the tabernacle in heaven.

For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. (Hebrews 9:13–14, ESV2016)

P.S.

Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.  And count the patience of our Lord as salvation (2 Peter 3:14–15, ESV2016)

Note peace in Hebrew is שָׁלוֹם. Intact insinuates without blemish.

שָׁלוֹם ... —1. prosperity, success:... —2. intactness:... —3. greeting formula,... —4. personal safety, welfare, state of health:... —5a. peace in a public sense, also as the opposite to war:... —5b. peace in a private sense:... —6. שָׁלוֹם peace in a weakened meaning: friendliness:... —7. deliverance, salvation:... —8. שָׁלוֹם in the meaning peace, or salvation:...

Koehler, L., Baumgartner, W., Richardson, M. E. J., & Stamm, J. J. (1994–2000). In The Hebrew and Aramaic lexicon of the Old Testament (electronic ed., p. 1508-1510). E.J. Brill.

The answer to the question before it was edited

This includes injuries as well as birth defects. They cannot officiate/participate in the sacrifice ritual, but can eat the food allowed for their family. No indication is given for any exceptions based on how the defect occurred.

  1. No man of your offspring throughout the ages who has a defect Hebrew mum, “defect, blemish,” is used with respect to both humans and animals. A mum may be the result of an injury, as is indicated in 24:19–20.

shall be qualified to offer the food of his God On the sense of Hebrew leḥem, “food,” as a way of referring to sacrificial offerings, see Comment to verse 6. Priests who are physically unsound are deprived only of the right to officiate in the cult, not of their emoluments, since it is through no fault of their own that they suffer from such defects.

Levine, B. A. (1989). Leviticus (p. 145). Jewish Publication Society.

  1. He may eat of the food of his God A physically defective priest was prohibited only from officiating; he was not denied his emoluments. The intent was to prevent his presence in the holy precincts where sacrifices were offered—at the altar of sacrifice or inside the Shrine proper.

Ibid., p. 146.

24:19-20

  1. If anyone maims his fellow Hebrew mum, “blemish, injury,” here refers to a permanent condition—the loss of a limb, an eye—or a break that does not mend, as is specified in the following verses. The same term, mum, is used in 21:17 and 22:20f. to describe disqualifying defects in priests and sacrificial animals.

  2. fracture for fracture, … The injury he inflicted on another shall be inflicted on him The full implications of retaliatory punishment for injuries are explored in Excursus 9.

Ibid., p. 168.

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Why did God prohibit the physically defected, and what is the deeper spiritual meaning?"

I believe it is for the same reason that there were regulations about physical uncleannesses requirements for Israel and why, on the Day of Atonement, atonement was made not just for their trespasses but also for the physical uncleannesses of the people of Israel of whom Exodus 19:5-6 had previously refered to as a kingdom of priests and a holy nation:

16 Thus he shall make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleannesses of the people of Israel and because of their transgressions, all their sins. And so he shall do for the tent of meeting, which dwells with them in the midst of their uncleannesses. Leviticus 16:16

The straightforward interpretation is that God demands not only moral perfection but also physical perfection in his priestly kingdom, in his presence.

Turns out this is actually fundamental to the logic of the Gospel, as Paul explains:

50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption.
-1 Corinthians 15:50

We cannot fully dwell, serve, and fulfill God's purpose for us in his presence, in his kingdom, if our bodies are compromised, which all of ours are. We must be made perfect. And so, Paul describes the victory that we have in Christ Jesus as the solution to this problem.

53 ...This perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:
“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
55 “O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:53-57

Indeed, it is in this hope of the redemption of our bodies from this present corruption unto perfection for which we were saved:

23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. Romans 8:23-24a

This is why Jesus himself, in order to become the source of salvation for us, after his suffering death, had to be made physically perfect:

7 In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. 8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. 9 And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, 10 being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek. Hebrews 5:7-10

So in conclusion:
The deeper spiritual meaning is that:

  1. We all must be not only morally but also physically perfect in order to fully dwell with God in his kingdom, serving him, and fulfilling his ultimate purpose for us.

And

  1. The ultimate representative of us (The High Priest) who will redeem us from all our moral and physical imperfections must first himself be perfect - not just morally but also physically.
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  • Thank you, kind stranger, for the upvote. Please upvote the question if you haven't already and you found this answer helpful. It could use some love. :-) Commented Apr 8 at 4:20

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