Who is “Profaned?” Rabbinic and Samaritan (Re)formulations of Leviticus 21:9

Abstract

Second Temple, rabbinic, and Samaritan sources preserve a variety of interpretations and (re)formulations of Leviticus 21:9. The pivotal issue informing the various approaches to this verse is the identity of the person “profaned” by the conduct of the priest’s daughter; specifically, is it the daughter, herself, or her father who is (directly) affected? The present essay examines various rabbinic and Samaritan interpretations of this verse, noting the exegetical (i.e., morphological and syntactic) similarities and differences obtaining among these positions. Especial attention is devoted to the formulation of Targum Onqelos, for which two explanations are proposed, and the similar exegetical features reflected in Samaritan renderings of this passage. It is demonstrated that, like Targum Onqelos and additional rabbinic/Jewish targumic sources, Samaritan sources indicate that some Samaritan students of Leviticus understood Lev 21:9 to mean that it is the daughter, herself, who is profaned by her conduct.