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Numbers Chapter
Eighteen
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO NUMBERS 18
This
chapter gives an account of the distinct work and service of the priests and
Levites, Numbers 18:1; and
of several things given to the priests for their maintenance, Numbers 18:8; and
of the tithes the Levites should have to live upon, since they were to have no
inheritance in the land of Israel, Numbers 18:20; and
of the tenth out of those tithes they were to give to the high priest, Numbers 18:25.
Numbers 18:1 Then the Lord said to Aaron: “You and your
sons and your father’s house with you shall bear the iniquity related to
the sanctuary, and you and your sons with you shall bear the iniquity associated
with your priesthood.
YLT
1And Jehovah saith unto
Aaron, `Thou, and thy sons, and the house of thy father with thee, do bear the
iniquity of the sanctuary; and thou, and thy sons with thee, do bear the
iniquity of your priesthood;
And the Lord spake unto Aaron,.... As the things spoken
were such as concerned Aaron, he might be only and immediately spoken unto:
thou,
and thy sons, and thy father's house with thee; meaning both
priests and Levites, the priests by him and his sons, and the Levites by his
father's house:
shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary; the blame of
any evil committed there, the punishment of it; the priests, Aaron and his
sons, if they did not perform the duty of their office aright, he in the most
holy place, and they in the holy place, and at the altar of burnt offering in
the court; and the Levites, if they did not take care to watch in the
tabernacle, and keep out strangers and polluted persons:
and thou, and thy sons with thee, shall bear the iniquity of your
priesthood; be answerable for my sins, errors, and mistakes that should be
committed by them in the discharge of their office, through their own
remissness, or not taking care that the Levites did their duty; this shows that
the office of priesthood, though honourable, was burdensome, and not to be
envied; and that the people needed not to be under such terrible apprehensions
as they were, lest they should come too near the sanctuary, as to be in danger
of death, since it lay upon the priests and Levites especially to take care
thereof, and who, if negligent, would suffer.
Numbers 18:2 2 Also bring with you your brethren of the tribe of Levi,
the tribe of your father, that they may be joined with you and serve you while
you and your sons are with you before the tabernacle of witness.
YLT
2and also thy brethren, the
tribe of Levi, the tribe of thy father, bring near with thee, and they are
joined unto thee, and serve thee, even thou and thy sons with thee, before the
tent of the testimony.
And to thy brethren also of the tribe of Levi, the tribe of thy
father,.... For his father Amram was of that tribe, and so the Levites
were his brethren, as he is directed to consider them; which might serve to
conciliate their minds, and make them easy with respect to his enjoyment of the
priesthood:
bring them with thee; into the court of the
tabernacle, for further they might not go:
that they maybe joined unto thee: as their name of Levites
signifies, persons joined and united to others, as they were to the priests:
see reason of their patriarch's name Levi in Genesis 29:34,
and minister unto thee: be assisting to the
priests in killing the sacrifices, receiving the blood, and flaying the beasts,
and in other things about the sanctuary, Numbers 3:6,
but thou, and thy sons with thee, shall minister before the
tabernacle of witness; which was the most holy place, where were the ark of the
testimony or witness, and the tables of the covenant; and they might be said to
minister before that, when they ministered in the holy place, which was before
it, when they burned incense upon the altar of incense, ordered the shewbread,
and trimmed the lamps of the candlestick, which none but the priests the sons
of Aaron might do.
Numbers 18:3 3 They shall attend to your needs and all the needs of
the tabernacle; but they shall not come near the articles of the sanctuary and
the altar, lest they die—they and you also.
YLT
3`And they have kept thy
charge, and the charge of all the tent; only, unto the vessels of the sanctuary
and unto the altar they do not come near, and they die not, either they or you;
And they shall keep thy charge, and the charge of all the
tabernacle,.... That is, the Levites, whatever Aaron and his sons, the
priests, should charge them to do, or commit to their care and charge, that
they should observe; as to watch and keep out all unfit persons, to take down
and set up the tabernacle when needful, &c.
only they shall not come nigh the vessels of the sanctuary; as the ark
and mercy seat in the holy of holies, the shewbread table, and candlestick in
the holy place; wherefore when these were removed from place to place in
journeying, they were covered, that they might not touch them as they carried
them:
and the altar; both of incense and burnt offering, on
neither of which might they offer:
that neither they nor you also die: the priests for
suffering them to meddle with things that did not belong to them, and the
Levites for intruding themselves.
Numbers 18:4 4 They shall be joined with you and attend to the needs
of the tabernacle of meeting, for all the work of the tabernacle; but an
outsider shall not come near you.
YLT
4and they have been joined
unto thee, and have kept the charge of the tent of meeting, for all the service
of the tent; and a stranger doth not come near unto you;
And they shall be joined unto thee,.... As assistants in the
sacred service:
and keep the charge of tabernacle of the congregation, for all the
service of the tabernacle; See Gill on Numbers 3:7 and See
Gill on Numbers 3:8,
and a stranger shall not come nigh unto you; not any of
the other tribes, only such as were of the tribe of Levi; they only were to be
brought with them, and joined unto them, and assist them, and minister to them,
as in Numbers 18:2;
though the JewsF8Maimon. in Misn. Zebachim, c. 2. sect. 1.
understand by a stranger anyone that was not a priest.
Numbers 18:5 5 And you shall attend to the duties of the sanctuary and
the duties of the altar, that there may be no more wrath on the children
of Israel.
YLT
5and ye have kept the charge
of the sanctuary, and the charge of the altar, and there is no more wrath
against the sons of Israel.
And ye shall keep the charge of the sanctuary,.... That is,
the priests, Aaron and his sons; the high priest was to keep the charge of the
most holy place particularly, and do what was to be done in that on the day of
atonement; and the common priests to keep the charge of the holy place, and do
everything relating to the altar of incense, the shewbread table, and
candlestick:
and the charge of the altar; of burnt offering, which
stood in the court of the tabernacle:
that there be no wrath any more upon the children of Israel: as had been
upon Korah and his company, Numbers 16:32, and
as afterwards came on Uzziah, 2 Chronicles 26:19.
Numbers 18:6 6 Behold, I Myself have taken your brethren the Levites
from among the children of Israel; they are a gift to you, given by the Lord, to do the work of the tabernacle of meeting.
YLT
6`And I, lo, I have taken
your brethren the Levites from the midst of the sons of Israel; to you a gift
they are given by Jehovah, to do the service of the tent of meeting;
And I, behold, I have taken your brethren the Levites, from among
the children of Israel,.... See Gill on Numbers 3:12; where
the same is said, only they, are here called the brethren of the priests for
the reason given, Numbers 18:2,
to you they are given as a gift for the Lord, to do
the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; See Gill on Numbers 3:7, Numbers 3:8, and
See Gill on Numbers 3:9.
Numbers 18:7 7 Therefore you and your sons with you shall attend to
your priesthood for everything at the altar and behind the veil; and you shall
serve. I give your priesthood to you as a gift for service, but the
outsider who comes near shall be put to death.”
YLT
7and thou, and thy sons with
thee, do keep your priesthood, for everything of the altar, and within the
vail, and ye have served; a service of gift I make your priesthood; and the
stranger who is coming near is put to death.'
Therefore thou and thy sons with thee shall keep your priest's
office,.... Observe all the duties of it, and keep out others from
intruding into it:
for everything of the altar: both of incense and of
burnt offering with respect to burning incense on the one, and offering
sacrifices on the other; both were to be done by priests, and by no other:
and within the vail; in the most holy place,
where the high priest entered but once a year, and he only with incense, and
the blood of sacrifices, see Hebrews 9:7,
and ye shall serve; do all the business that is to be done at
either altar, whether in the court, or in the holy place, and whatsoever is to
be done in the most holy place within the vail:
I have given your priest's office unto you as a service of
gift; it was not what they had taken to themselves of their own will,
or had thrust themselves into, but what the Lord had called them to, and had
freely invested them with, see Hebrews 5:4,
and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death; any common
person, as the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan; any Israelite, one that is a
stranger from the priests, though a Levite, as Aben Ezra; such an one might not
come either to the altar of burnt offering to offer any sacrifice upon it, or
the altar of incense, to burn incense on that, or trim the lamps, or put the
shewbread in order, or to do anything peculiar to the priest's office.
Numbers 18:8 8 And the Lord spoke to
Aaron: “Here, I Myself have also given you charge of My heave offerings, all
the holy gifts of the children of Israel; I have given them as a portion to you
and your sons, as an ordinance forever.
YLT
8And Jehovah speaketh unto
Aaron: `And I, lo, I have given to thee the charge of My heave-offerings, of
all the hallowed things of the sons of Israel -- to thee I have given them for
the anointing, and to thy sons, by a statute age-during.
And the Lord spake unto Aaron,.... Having pointed out
to him the duty of his office, he now informs him of the perquisites of it; or
having told him what was his work, now what his wages, or what was his service,
and now his maintenance:
behold, I also have given thee the charge of my heave offerings,
of all the hallowed things of the children of Israel; such as the
heave shoulder and wave breast, and firstfruits, and all other holy things in
general, such as were the most holy things; as in Numbers 18:9; and
the lighter holy things, as the Jews call them, Numbers 18:11; the
charge of these was given to keep for themselves, and for their families:
unto thee have I given them by reason of the anointing: because of
his office as a priest, to which he was consecrated by anointing:
and to thy sons by an ordinance for ever; see Leviticus 7:34.
Numbers 18:9 9 This shall be yours of the most holy things reserved
from the fire: every offering of theirs, every grain offering and every sin
offering and every trespass offering which they render to Me, shall be
most holy for you and your sons.
YLT
9This is thine of the most
holy things, from the fire: all their offering, to all their present, and to
all their sin-offering, and to all their guilt-offering, which they give back
to Me, is most holy to thee, and to thy sons;
This shall be thine of the most holy things,.... For, as
observed, there were some lighter and lesser holy things or sacrifices, and
others superlatively so: and those are begun with, such as were
reserved from the fire; those parts
of sacrifices which were not burnt with fire on the altar of burnt offerings:
every oblation of theirs; which is a general word,
including various offerings, the particulars follow:
every meat offering of theirs: or bread offering, for
they were made of fine flour and oil, and burnt on the altar, the remainder of
which was eaten by Aaron and his sons, Leviticus 6:14,
every sin offering of theirs; which was offered to
make atonement for sin, which also belonged to the priests and their sons,
excepting such whose blood was carried into the most holy place, Leviticus 6:25,
and every trespass offering of theirs, which they shall render
unto me; which was offered for a trespass committed; what remained of
this also, when burnt on the altar, was eaten by the priest and his sons, Leviticus 7:5; and
this sacrifice was a ram, when a trespass was committed, either in the holy
things of the Lord, or in wrongs done to men, Leviticus 5:15;
Jarchi interprets it of an offering for a trespass committed by rapine or
violence to a stranger: these, all of them, it is added:
shall be most holy for
thee and for thy sons; for their use, and for theirs only.
Numbers 18:10 10 In a most holy place you shall eat it; every
male shall eat it. It shall be holy to you.
YLT
10in the holy of holies thou
dost eat it; every male doth eat it; holy it is to thee.
In the most holy place shalt thou eat it,.... Not in
the holy of holies, eminently so called, nor in the holy place, for they were
neither of them places to eat in; but in the tent of the congregation, as Aben
Ezra, or court, as Jarchi; called most holy, in distinction from and in
comparison of the camp of Israel, and their tents, as afterwards of Jerusalem,
and their houses there, where they might not eat the most holy things:
every male shall eat it; the sons of priests, and
they only, not their wives, nor their daughters, and therefore not to be eaten
at home, or in their own houses:
it shall be holy unto thee; separated only for the
use of him and his sons.
Numbers 18:11 11 “This also is yours: the heave offering of
their gift, with all the wave offerings of the children of Israel; I have given
them to you, and your sons and daughters with you, as an ordinance forever.
Everyone who is clean in your house may eat it.
YLT
11`And this [is] thine: the
heave-offering of their gift, to all the wave-offerings of the sons of Israel,
to thee I have given them, and to thy sons, and to thy daughters with thee, by
a statute age-during; every clean one in thy house doth eat it;
And this is thine,.... What follow, which
appertained to the priests, are the less or lighter holy things:
the heave offering of their gift: the right shoulder,
given to the priest for an heave offering of the sacrifices of peace offerings,
Leviticus 7:32;
according to Jarchi, it was what was lifted up or heaved from the thank
offering, the peace offerings, and the ram of the Nazarites, see Leviticus 7:14,
with all the wave offerings of the children of Israel; which were
waved to and fro before the Lord, as the breast of the peace offerings, called
therefore the wave breast, Leviticus 7:30,
I have given them unto thee, and to thy sons, and to thy daughters
with thee, by a statute for ever; for these were to be
eaten in their own houses, and by their families, wives, children, and servants
bought with their money, or born in their houses; but not hired servants, nor
sojourners, nor strangers; nor their daughters married to strangers though, if
widows, or divorced, and without children, and returned to their father's
house, they might eat of them, Leviticus 22:10;
thus a provision was made for the maintenance of the priests of the Lord and
their families, until the Messiah should come; who has also appointed that they
that preach the Gospel should live of it, 1 Corinthians 9:13,
everyone that is clean in thy house shall eat of it: that was
clean in a ceremonial sense; had not touched a dead body, &c. Jarchi says,
this is said to comprehend his wife; but that might be concluded from what is
said before, for if his children, much more might his wife eat of it.
Numbers 18:12 12 “All the best of the oil, all the best of the new wine
and the grain, their firstfruits which they offer to the Lord, I have given them to you.
YLT
12all the best of the oil,
and all the best of the new wine, and wheat -- their first-[fruits] which they
give to Jehovah -- to thee I have given them.
All the best of the oil, and all the best of the wine, and of the
wheat,.... Or the "fat"F9חלב
"pinguedinem", Pagninus, Montanus, &c. of them; the fat of
anything being the best, see Deuteronomy 32:14,
the firstfruits of them: the oil, and wine, and
wheat:
which they shall offer unto the Lord, them have I given thee; this Jarchi
calls the great heave offering, the firstfruits of their harvest and vintage,
which being offered to the Lord, was given to the priests: the quantity is not
fixed, but left to the generosity of the people, and was a free gift; liberal
men would give a fortieth part, those of a meaner spirit a fiftieth, and
niggardly ones a sixtieth, and less than that was not given See Gill on Exodus 22:29;
compare with this Ezekiel 45:13.
Numbers 18:13 13 Whatever first ripe fruit is in their land, which they
bring to the Lord, shall be yours. Everyone who is clean in your house may eat it.
YLT
13`The first-fruits of all
that [is] in their land, which they bring in to Jehovah, are thine; every clean
one in thy house doth eat it;
And whatsoever is first ripe
in the land,.... Of any other sort of fruit, figs, pomegranates, apples,
plums, pears, &c. besides olives and vines:
which they shall bring unto the Lord, shall be thine; which they
shall bring in a basket to the tabernacle, where it was, or to the temple, when
built: this the priests were to have, see Deuteronomy 26:2,
everyone that is clean in thine house shall eat of it; See Gill on Numbers 18:11.
Numbers 18:14 14 “Every devoted thing in Israel shall be yours.
YLT
14every devoted thing in
Israel is thine,
Every thing devoted in Israel shall be thine. Fields,
houses, cattle, &c. if absolutely devoted to the Lord, they were the
priest's; but if devoted to certain uses, they were appropriated to those uses,
as the repairs of the temple, &c. see Leviticus 27:1.
Numbers 18:15 15 “Everything that first opens the womb of all flesh,
which they bring to the Lord, whether man or beast, shall be
yours; nevertheless the firstborn of man you shall surely redeem, and the
firstborn of unclean animals you shall redeem.
YLT
15every one opening a womb of
all flesh which they bring near to Jehovah, among man and among beast, is
thine; only, thou dost certainly ransom the first-born of man, and the
firstling of the unclean beast thou dost ransom.
Every thing that openeth the matrix in all flesh,.... The
firstborn of every creature:
which they bring unto the Lord; as they were obliged, he
claiming it as his own, Exodus 13:2,
whether it be of men or
beasts, shall be thine; every firstborn of either, being the Lord's, became the priest's
by his gift:
nevertheless, the firstborn of man shalt thou surely redeem; that is, take
the redemption price for it, which was five shekels, as in Numbers 18:16; for
the original proprietor was, strictly speaking, the redeemer, and paid the
money, and the priest was the receiver, to whom it was paid; see Exodus 13:13,
and the firstlings of unclean beasts shall thou redeem; with lambs,
as an ass, which is put for unclean beasts, is ordered to be redeemed with a
lamb, or its neck to be broken, Exodus 13:13; the
Africans, the shepherds among them, as Herodotus relatesF11Melpomene,
sive, l. 4. c. 188. , of their firstlings they cut off the ear of the beast and
throw it over a house, and then turn its neck back, for they worship only the
sun and moon; which seems to be an imitation of this law.
Numbers 18:16 16 And those redeemed of the devoted things you shall
redeem when one month old, according to your valuation, for five shekels of silver,
according to the shekel of the sanctuary, which is twenty gerahs.
YLT
16`And their ransomed ones
from a son of a month, thou dost ransom with thy valuation, of silver, five
shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary, twenty gerahs it [is].
And those that are to be redeemed,.... Which is to be
understood not of unclean beasts last mentioned, for they were redeemed with
lambs and not with money; and after they were eight days and not a month old,
as follows, Exodus 13:13; but
of the firstborn of men:
from a month old shalt thou redeem, according to thine estimation: that is, take
the redemption money next mentioned; and though both time and price are fixed,
yet said to be according to the estimation of the priest; see Leviticus 27:5,
for the money of five shekels; which was about eleven
or twelve shillings of our money, and is the price given for the redemption of
the firstborn, when the Levites were taken in their stead, Numbers 3:47,
after the shekel of the sanctuary, which is twenty gerahs; see Gill on Numbers 3:47; of
the manner of redeeming the firstborn; see Gill on Exodus 13:15.
Numbers 18:17 17 But the firstborn of a cow, the firstborn of a sheep,
or the firstborn of a goat you shall not redeem; they are holy. You
shall sprinkle their blood on the altar, and burn their fat as an
offering made by fire for a sweet aroma to the Lord.
YLT
17`Only, the firstling of a
cow, or the firstling of a sheep, or the firstling of a goat, thou dost not
ransom, holy they [are]: their blood thou dost sprinkle on the altar, and of
their fat thou makest perfume, a fire-offering of sweet fragrance to Jehovah,
But the firstling of a cow, or the firstling of a sheep, or the
firstling of a goat, thou shalt not redeem,.... That is, shalt not
take the redemption price for them, but the creatures themselves; which they,
the priests, were to take for their own use:
they are holy; separated to the Lord,
and therefore not to be used in common by men, but were sacred to the Lord, or
became the property of his priests; see Deuteronomy 15:19;
how they were to be made use of follows:
thou shalt sprinkle their blood upon the altar; for they were
to be sacrificed, and their blood used as in other sacrifices:
and shalt burn their fat for an offering made by fire; for
a sweet savour unto the Lord; as the fat of other sacrifices was, and
particularly of the peace offerings, which were wholly eaten otherwise, Leviticus 7:31.
Numbers 18:18 18 And their flesh shall be yours, just as the wave
breast and the right thigh are yours.
YLT
18and their flesh is thine,
as the breast of the wave-offering, and as the right leg, it is thine;
And the flesh of them shall be thine,.... For him
and his family to eat of, whether blemished or perfect the Jews sayF12Maimon.
& Bartenora in Misn. Becorot, c. 4. sect. 2. & 5. 2. :
as the wave breast and as the right shoulder are thine: which were
his part of the peace offerings, for him and his sons to eat of, Leviticus 7:34; and
the Jews observeF13Maimon. & Bartenora in Misn. Zebachim, c. 5.
sect. 8. , that as the wave breast and heave shoulder of the peace offerings
might be eaten in two days and one night, so might those of the firstlings.
Numbers 18:19 19 “All the heave offerings of the holy things, which the
children of Israel offer to the Lord, I have
given to you and your sons and daughters with you as an ordinance forever; it is
a covenant of salt forever before the Lord with you
and your descendants with you.”
YLT
19all the heave-offerings of
the holy things which the sons of Israel lift up to Jehovah I have given to
thee and to thy sons, and to thy daughters with thee, by a statute age-during,
a covenant of salt, age-during it [is] before Jehovah, to thee and to thy seed
with thee.'
All the heave offerings of the holy things,.... All
before mentioned, and whatsoever comes under that name:
which the children of Israel offer unto the Lord; either by his
commandment, or of their own freewill:
have I given thee, and thy sons, and thy daughters with thee, by a
statute for ever: so providing for their maintenance by an irrepealable law as
long as their priesthood lasted, even until the Messiah should come:
it is a covenant of salt for ever before the Lord unto
thee, and thy seed with thee: an incorruptible, inviolable, durable
covenant, which should last for ever, even until the Gospel dispensation or
world to come should take place; and it would remain ever before the Lord in
his sight, who would take care it should never be made void, but stand fast
with Aaron and his posterity as long as his priesthood endured.
Numbers 18:20 20 Then the Lord said to
Aaron: “You shall have no inheritance in their land, nor shall you have any
portion among them; I am your portion and your inheritance among the
children of Israel.
YLT
20And Jehovah saith unto
Aaron, `In their land thou dost not inherit, and a portion thou hast not in
their midst: I [am] thy portion, and thine inheritance in the midst of the sons
of Israel;
And the Lord spake unto Aaron,.... What is said, being
what concerned the tribe of Levi, at the head of which Aaron was, even
concerning the maintenance of the Levites:
thou shalt have no inheritance in their land; in the land
of Israel when they come to possess it, as the rest of the tribes had:
neither shalt thou have any part among them; any part of
the land when it is divided by lot, as it was in the times of Joshua, when
taken from the Canaanites; no tract of land was peculiarly assigned to them as
were to the other tribes, as fields, nor vineyards; they had cities appointed
them, and they had houses and fields devoted to the Lord which fell to them,
and others they had by gift or legacy, or by purchase, as had Jeremiah the
priest and Barnabas the Levite, Jeremiah 32:9 Acts 4:36; but they
had no share in the distribution of the land of Canaan at the time of the
division of it among the tribes; no, not even in the spoil of the cities of the
land of Canaan, when they were conquered; this MaimonidesF14Hilchot
Shemittah Veyobel, c. 13. sect. 10, 11. says they were warned not to take; and
a son of Levi that took any part of the spoil was to be beaten; but the spoil
of other lands, subdued by the kings of Israel, they might take, as other
Israelites did: the reason of all this was, because they had a sufficient
provision made for them in another way, and that they might not be entangled in
worldly affairs, or spend their time in the culture of fields and vineyards,
but wholly give themselves to the service of God in his house:
I am thy part and thine inheritance among the children of
Israel; in things temporal, the offerings, tithes, firstfruits, &c.
which were given to the Lord, being bestowed upon them; and in things
spiritual, they being employed in the work and service of God, and having a
peculiar nearness to him, and communion with him: so all that are made priests
unto God, as all believers in Christ are, 1 Peter 2:5, have
God for their portion and inheritance; God, in his persons and in all his
perfections, and under every character, as the God of nature, providence, and
grace, is the portion of his people; and a rich, large, and satisfying portion
he is, and which is inexhaustible, and will endure for ever; he is their
portion in life and at death, in time and to all eternity; see Psalm 73:26.
Numbers 18:21 21 “Behold, I have given the children of Levi all the
tithes in Israel as an inheritance in return for the work which they perform,
the work of the tabernacle of meeting.
YLT
21and to the sons of Levi,
lo, I have given all the tenth in Israel for inheritance in exchange for their
service which they are serving -- the service of the tent of meeting.
And, behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in
Israel for an inheritance,.... The tenth part of the produce of the
land; of the wheat, barley, oil, and wine; the tenth part of their harvest and
vintage; so that though they were the least of the tribes, they had the
greatest share of the increase of the land, and that without any labour or
expense; the other having but nine parts among them all, and at the charge and
labour of manuring, cultivating, &c. and this they were to have
for their service which they serve, even the service of the tabernacle
of the congregation; see Numbers 18:3.
Numbers 18:22 22 Hereafter the children of Israel shall not come near
the tabernacle of meeting, lest they bear sin and die.
YLT
22`And the sons of Israel
come no more near unto the tent of meeting, to bear sin, to die,
Neither must the children of Israel henceforth come nigh the
tabernacle of the congregation,.... To do any part of the priest's office,
as to burn incense, as Korah and his company had done; or to do any part of the
work of the Levites, by watching in the tabernacle, by taking it down and
setting it up, and bearing the vessels of it; otherwise they might come to it,
to bring their sacrifices, to pay their vows, and for their purification when
necessary, and such like things:
lest they bear sin and die; lest sin be charged upon
them, and punishment be inflicted, even the punishment of death; for it was
death to intrude into the priest's office.
Numbers 18:23 23 But the Levites shall perform the work of the
tabernacle of meeting, and they shall bear their iniquity; it shall be a
statute forever, throughout your generations, that among the children of Israel
they shall have no inheritance.
YLT
23and the Levites have done
the service of the tent of meeting, and they -- they bear their iniquity; a
statute age-during to your generations, that in the midst of the sons of Israel
they have no inheritance;
But the Levites shall do the service of the tabernacle of the
congregation,.... In guarding the tabernacle, that no unclean persons enter
into it, or any others take anything out of it, and in assisting the priests in
their service, and carrying the vessels of the sanctuary when required:
and they shall bear their iniquity: that is, when they fail
in the duty of their office, are not careful in their service and work, and
business appointed them; if either they did not do their business themselves,
or suffered others to do it, or such to come to the tabernacle who should not,
they would be blameworthy and suffer for it:
it shall be a statute for
ever throughout your generations, that the children of Israel they have no
inheritance; having such a plentiful provision made for them, by a statute as
durable as this.
Numbers 18:24 24 For the tithes of the children of Israel, which they
offer up as a heave offering to the Lord, I have
given to the Levites as an inheritance; therefore I have said to them, ‘Among
the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.’”
YLT
24but the tithe of the sons
of Israel which they lift up to Jehovah, a heave-offering, I have given to the
Levites for inheritance; therefore I have said of them, In the midst of the
sons of Israel they have no inheritance.'
But the tithe of the children of Israel,.... The tenth
of the produce of their land, as before:
which they offer as an heave offering unto the Lord: by way of
gratitude to him for giving them the land, and for making it so fruitful to
them, and as an acknowledgment of his being the sovereign Lord and proprietor
of it:
I have given to the Levites to inherit; so that the
Levites had the tithe not immediately from the Israelites, nor were they
dependent on them for them; but they were first given to the Lord, and then by
him to the Levites, who held them of him, and not of the Israelites; and were a
portion and an inheritance, settled upon them by the Lord himself, which they
had as good a right and title unto as the rest of the tribes had to their
several inheritances:
therefore have I said unto them, among the children, of Israel
they shall have no inheritance; as in Numbers 18:23.
Numbers 18:25 25 Then the Lord spoke to Moses,
saying,
YLT
25And Jehovah speaketh unto
Moses, saying,
And the Lord spake unto Moses,.... And not unto Aaron,
because a tithe out of the tithe was to be given to Aaron, as Aben Ezra
observes, and it was not so proper that he should have this order to deliver to
the Levites, in which he and his sons were so much concerned, and therefore it
was given to Moses to acquaint them of it:
saying; as follows.
Numbers 18:26 26 “Speak thus to the Levites, and say to them: ‘When you
take from the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them as
your inheritance, then you shall offer up a heave offering of it to the Lord, a tenth of the tithe.
YLT
26`And unto the Levites thou
dost speak; and thou hast said unto them, When ye take from the sons of Israel
the tithe which I have given to you from them, for your inheritance, then ye
have lifted up from it the heave-offering of Jehovah, a tithe of the tithe;
Thus speak unto the Levites, and say unto them,.... Aaron was
to tell them what a provision would be made for them on account of their
service, but Moses was to inform them what part Aaron was to have out of it:
when ye take of the children of Israel the tithes which I have
given you from them for your inheritance; which was done at the time
of their harvest, and of the ingathering of the fruits of the earth:
then ye shall offer up an heave offering of it for the Lord; in token of
gratitude for the liberal provision he had made for the maintenance of them:
even a tenth part
of the tithe; a tenth part out of the tenth of the produce of the land of
Israel.
Numbers 18:27 27 And your heave offering shall be reckoned to you as
though it were the grain of the threshing floor and as the fullness of
the winepress.
YLT
27and your heave-offering
hath been reckoned to you as corn from the threshing-floor, and as fulness from
the wine-vat;
And this your heave offering,.... The tithe of the
tithe, which though not properly heaved or lifted up, as the heave offerings,
strictly so called, were, any more than the tithe itself, Numbers 18:24; yet
is so called, because separated to the use and service of the Lord, as they
were:
shall be reckoned unto you, as though it were the corn of
the threshingfloor, and as the fulness of the winepress; that is, it
should be as acceptable to God as if they had fields and vineyards, threshing
floors, and wine presses of their own, from whence corn and wine were taken, as
the Israelites when they received their tithes from them; and what remained
they had as good a right unto, and might make use of as their own, as well as
they; see Numbers 18:30.
Numbers 18:28 28 Thus you shall also offer a heave offering to the Lord from all your tithes which you receive from the children of Israel,
and you shall give the Lord’s heave offering from it to
Aaron the priest.
YLT
28so ye do lift up -- ye also
-- the heave-offering of Jehovah from all your tithes which ye receive from the
sons of Israel; and ye have given from it the heave-offering of Jehovah to
Aaron the priest;
Thus you also shall offer an heave offering unto the Lord,.... As the
Israelites did when they paid tithes to them, Numbers 18:24,
of all your tithes which ye receive of the children of Israel; which heave
offering was a tenth part of them:
and ye shall give thereof the Lord's heave offering to Aaron the
priest; that is, the said tenth part of the tithe was to be given not to
Aaron only, as the high priest, as some have thought, and so to his successors
in the high priesthood; but to him and his sons, even to all the priests in
common, the high priest having his share of it; and JosephusF15Antiqu.
l. 4. c. 4. sect. 3. is clear for it, that the tithe of the annual fruits was
paid to the Levites, and to the priests. Hecataeus, an Heathen writer, who
lived in the times of Alexander the great, saysF16Apud Joseph.
contr. Apion. l. 1. sect. 22. , that all the priests of the Jews received the
tenth of whatsoever was produced, and ministered things in common, and were
1500 in number.
Numbers 18:29 29 Of all your gifts you shall offer up every heave
offering due to the Lord, from all the best of them, the
consecrated part of them.’
YLT
29out of all your gifts ye do
lift up the whole heave-offering of Jehovah; out of all its fat, -- its
hallowed part -- out of it.
Out of all your gifts ye shall offer every heave offering of the
Lord,.... Not only out of their tithes, but out of whatsoever gifts
were given by the Israelites to them, and out of the produce of the fields
which belonged to their cities, Numbers 35:4; the
Levites were to take a tenth, and bring it to the Lord as an heave offering;
that is, they were to give it to the priests, to testify their gratitude for
everything they had, and to sanctify the rest unto them, and confirm their
right and title to it, and give them the free use of it:
of all the best thereof, even the hallowed part thereof,
out of it; which was the tenth part, for that Was holy, as Aben Ezra says,
and that was to be the best of it, which was always to be given to the Lord.
Numbers 18:30 30 Therefore you shall say to them: ‘When you have lifted
up the best of it, then the rest shall be accounted to the Levites as
the produce of the threshing floor and as the produce of the winepress.
YLT
30`And thou hast said unto
them, In your lifting up its fat out of it, then it hath been reckoned to the
Levites, as increase of a threshing-floor, and as increase of a wine-vat;
Therefore thou shalt say unto them,.... The Targum of
Jonathan is,"thou shalt say to them the priests;'but the words seem
manifestly spoken to the Levites:
when ye have heaved the best thereof from it; taken out the
tenth part of it, and that the best:
then it shall be counted unto the Levites as the increase of the
threshing floor, and as the increase of the wine press; then what
remains shall be reckoned as much their own, and may be as lawfully enjoyed, as
the corn of the threshing floor, and the wine of the wine fat, of any Israelite
whatever.
Numbers 18:31 31 You may eat it in any place, you and your households,
for it is your reward for your work in the tabernacle of meeting.
YLT
31and ye have eaten it in
every place, ye and your households, for it [is] your hire in exchange for your
service in the tent of meeting;
And ye shall eat it in every place,.... In any of their
tents or dwelling houses, not being obliged to eat it in the tabernacle, where
the priests, were obliged to eat many of their holy things, and second tithes
were only to be eaten at Jerusalem, Deuteronomy 14:22;
but the Levites might eat theirs any where, in any place, clean or unclean,
according to Jarchi; for, he says, it might be eaten even in a graveyard; but
Aben Ezra much better, in a clean place, be that where it would:
ye, and your households; they and their wives,
their sons and daughters, their servants, whether bought or hired; and they
might sell it to strangers, to purchase other necessaries with. The Targum of
Jonathan interprets this of the priests; but the Levites only are plainly
spoken of:
for it is your
reward for your service in the tabernacle of the congregation; which is said
to encourage them in their work, and animate them to it, as well as to clear
their right to such a maintenance against all objections; for the labourer is
worthy of his reward, as those that labour in the word and doctrine are of theirs,
1 Timothy 5:17
Numbers 18:32 32 And you shall bear no sin because of it, when you have
lifted up the best of it. But you shall not profane the holy gifts of the
children of Israel, lest you die.’”
YLT
32and ye bear no sin for it,
in your lifting up its fat out of it, and the holy things of the sons of Israel
ye do not pollute, and ye die not.'
And ye shall bear no sin by reason of it,.... Shall have
no blame laid upon them, or guilt imputed to them, or punishment inflicted on
them, on account of their having and enjoying their tithes and gifts:
when ye have heaved from it the best of it; took out the
tenth, and that the best, and given it to the priests; or otherwise they would
be blameworthy, guilty, and liable to punishment:
neither shall ye pollute the holy things of the children of Israel; the gifts
they have given for holy uses, and so are holy; which would be the case if they
ate of them, or enjoyed them, without giving the priests the tenth part of
them:
lest ye die; for it seems such a neglect was punishable with death.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》