John Gill Commentary Leviticus 21:13

"And he shall take a wife in her virginity." — Leviticus 21:13 (ASV)

And he shall take a wife in her virginity .
] One, and not two, or more, as Ben Gersom observes; and so Maimonides says ^F17 , an high priest might never take two women together; for it is said, "a wife", or "woman", one, and not two; and so it is explained in the Talmud ^F18 ; for though polygamy was practised by the Israelites, and even by the common priests, yet these writers suppose it was by no means allowed to an high priest:

among the Egyptians, though they took as many wives as they pleased, their priests, married but one ^F19 ; and so a minister of the New Testament is to be the husband of one wife, (1 Timothy 3:2) ;

and this wife the high priest was to take was to be a "virgin", one that not only had never known a man, but that was never betrothed to any; yea, according to the Talmudists ^F20 , who was not quite ripe for marriage, or the time of her puberty not fully completed, which was the age of twelve years; within, or somewhat before that time, the high priest was to marry her, that it might be out of all doubt that she was a pure virgin; since it is said, "in her virginity", within the time of her puberty, before it was quite up;

this, by many, is thought to be an emblem of Christ and his church; as he was typified by the high priest, so the church by the virgin he married, which is espoused to Christ as a chaste virgin, (2 Corinthians 11:2) .

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FOOTNOTES:

• F17: Hilchot Issure Biah, c. 17. sect. 13.
• F18: T. Bab. Yebamot, fol. 59. 1.
• F19: Diodor. Sicul. l. 1. p. 72.
• F20: T. Bab. Yebamot, ibid. Maimon. ut supra. (Cele Hamikdash, c. 5. sect. 5, 6.)