What man soever of the seed of Aaron is a leper— These defilements, spoken of at large in the 15th chapter, were to seclude the priests from all public offices, in the same manner as they secluded common Israelites from the general intercourse of life. The words, whoso toucheth any thing that is unclean by the dead, are rendered by Houbigant, whoever shall touch any uncleanness of a funeral: they might more literally be rendered, whoso toucheth any unclean thing of the dead; and they seem to express, that not only the touching of a dead body; but the having any concern at all with such, was sufficient to render the priest legally unclean; see the note on chap. Leviticus 21:1.
Note; (1.) It is no light matter to profane with unhallowed touch the sacred table of the Lord. (2.) The higher the station, the deeper the fall. A priest who perishes, sinks into the lowest pit. (3.) It becomes us with jealousy, knowing what a God we have to do with, to take heed to our ways in this naughty world, and never to omit daily application to the fountain which is opened for sin and for uncleanness.