8 And the LORD H3068 spake H1696 unto Aaron, H175 Behold, I also have given H5414 thee the charge H4931 of mine heave offerings H8641 of all the hallowed things H6944 of the children H1121 of Israel; H3478 unto thee have I given H5414 them by reason of the anointing, H4888 and to thy sons, H1121 by an ordinance H2706 for ever. H5769
And the remainder H3498 thereof shall Aaron H175 and his sons H1121 eat: H398 with unleavened bread H4682 shall it be eaten H398 in the holy H6918 place; H4725 in the court H2691 of the tabernacle H168 of the congregation H4150 they shall eat H398 it.
Every male H2145 among the priests H3548 shall eat H398 thereof: it shall be eaten H398 in the holy H6918 place: H4725 it is most H6944 holy. H6944
And thou shalt anoint H4886 them, as thou didst anoint H4886 their father, H1 that they may minister unto me in the priest's office: H3547 for their anointing H4888 shall surely be an everlasting H5769 priesthood H3550 throughout their generations. H1755
Then thou shalt say H559 before H6440 the LORD H3068 thy God, H430 I have brought away H1197 the hallowed things H6944 out of mine house, H1004 and also have given H5414 them unto the Levite, H3881 and unto the stranger, H1616 to the fatherless, H3490 and to the widow, H490 according to all thy commandments H4687 which thou hast commanded H6680 me: I have not transgressed H5674 thy commandments, H4687 neither have I forgotten H7911 them:
But G2532 the anointing G5545 which G3739 ye G5210 have received G2983 of G575 him G846 abideth G3306 in G1722 you, G5213 and G2532 ye need G5532 G2192 not G3756 that G2443 any man G5100 teach G1321 you: G5209 but G235 as G5613 the same G846 anointing G5545 teacheth G1321 you G5209 of G4012 all things, G3956 and G2532 is G2076 truth, G227 and G2532 is G2076 no G3756 lie, G5579 and G2532 even as G2531 it hath taught G1321 you, G5209 ye shall abide G3306 in G1722 him. G846
Thou hast loved G25 righteousness, G1343 and G2532 hated G3404 iniquity; G458 therefore G1223 G5124 God, G2316 even thy G4675 God, G2316 hath anointed G5548 thee G4571 with the oil G1637 of gladness G20 above G3844 thy G4675 fellows. G3353
And it shall come to pass in that day, H3117 that his burden H5448 shall be taken away H5493 from off thy shoulder, H7926 and his yoke H5923 from off thy neck, H6677 and the yoke H5923 shall be destroyed H2254 because H6440 of the anointing. H8081
And thou shalt take H3947 of the blood H1818 that is upon the altar, H4196 and of the anointing H4888 oil, H8081 and sprinkle H5137 it upon Aaron, H175 and upon his garments, H899 and upon his sons, H1121 and upon the garments H899 of his sons H1121 with him: and he shall be hallowed, H6942 and his garments, H899 and his sons, H1121 and his sons' H1121 garments H899 with him.
Then there shall be a place H4725 which the LORD H3068 your God H430 shall choose H977 to cause his name H8034 to dwell H7931 there; thither shall ye bring H935 all that I command H6680 you; your burnt offerings, H5930 and your sacrifices, H2077 your tithes, H4643 and the heave offering H8641 of your hand, H3027 and all your choice H4005 vows H5088 which ye vow H5087 unto the LORD: H3068
And thither ye shall bring H935 your burnt offerings, H5930 and your sacrifices, H2077 and your tithes, H4643 and heave offerings H8641 of your hand, H3027 and your vows, H5088 and your freewill offerings, H5071 and the firstlings H1062 of your herds H1241 and of your flocks: H6629
This shall be thine of the most H6944 holy things, H6944 reserved from the fire: H784 every oblation H7133 of theirs, every meat offering H4503 of theirs, and every sin offering H2403 of theirs, and every trespass offering H817 of theirs, which they shall render H7725 unto me, shall be most H6944 holy H6944 for thee and for thy sons. H1121
And he that is the high H1419 priest H3548 among his brethren, H251 upon whose head H7218 the anointing H4888 oil H8081 was poured, H3332 and that is consecrated H4390 H3027 to put H3847 on the garments, H899 shall not uncover H6544 his head, H7218 nor rend H6533 his clothes; H899
And the wave H8573 breast H2373 and heave H8641 shoulder H7785 shall ye eat H398 in a clean H2889 place; H4725 thou, and thy sons, H1121 and thy daughters H1323 with thee: for they be thy due, H2706 and thy sons' H1121 due, H2706 which are given H5414 out of the sacrifices H2077 of peace offerings H8002 of the children H1121 of Israel. H3478 The heave H8641 shoulder H7785 and the wave H8573 breast H2373 shall they bring H935 with the offerings made by fire H801 of the fat, H2459 to wave H5130 it for a wave offering H8573 before H6440 the LORD; H3068 and it shall be thine, and thy sons' H1121 with thee, by a statute H2706 for ever; H5769 as the LORD H3068 hath commanded. H6680
And Moses H4872 took H3947 of the anointing H4888 oil, H8081 and of the blood H1818 which was upon the altar, H4196 and sprinkled H5137 it upon Aaron, H175 and upon his garments, H899 and upon his sons, H1121 and upon his sons' H1121 garments H899 with him; and sanctified H6942 Aaron, H175 and his garments, H899 and his sons, H1121 and his sons' H1121 garments H899 with him.
And the priest H3548 shall burn H6999 the fat H2459 upon the altar: H4196 but the breast H2373 shall be Aaron's H175 and his sons'. H1121 And the right H3225 shoulder H7785 shall ye give H5414 unto the priest H3548 for an heave offering H8641 of the sacrifices H2077 of your peace offerings. H8002 He among the sons H1121 of Aaron, H175 that offereth H7126 the blood H1818 of the peace offerings, H8002 and the fat, H2459 shall have the right H3225 shoulder H7785 for his part. H4490 For the wave H8573 breast H2373 and the heave H8641 shoulder H7785 have I taken H3947 of the children H1121 of Israel H3478 from off the sacrifices H2077 of their peace offerings, H8002 and have given H5414 them unto Aaron H175 the priest H3548 and unto his sons H1121 by a statute H2706 for ever H5769 from among the children H1121 of Israel. H3478 This is the portion of the anointing H4888 of Aaron, H175 and of the anointing H4888 of his sons, H1121 out of the offerings H801 of the LORD H3068 made by fire, H801 in the day H3117 when he presented H7126 them to minister unto the LORD H3068 in the priest's office; H3547
The priest H3548 that offereth it for sin H2398 shall eat H398 it: in the holy H6918 place H4725 shall it be eaten, H398 in the court H2691 of the tabernacle H168 of the congregation. H4150
This is the offering H7133 of Aaron H175 and of his sons, H1121 which they shall offer H7126 unto the LORD H3068 in the day H3117 when he is anointed; H4886 the tenth part H6224 of an ephah H374 of fine flour H5560 for a meat offering H4503 perpetual, H8548 half H4276 of it in the morning, H1242 and half H4276 thereof at night. H6153
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Numbers 18
Commentary on Numbers 18 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 18
Nu 18:1-7. The Charge of the Priests and Levites.
1. the Lord said unto Aaron, Thou and thy sons and thy father's house with thee shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary—Security is here given to the people from the fears expressed (Nu 17:12), by the responsibility of attending to all sacred things being devolved upon the priesthood, together with the penalties incurred through neglect; and thus the solemn responsibilities annexed to their high dignity, of having to answer not only for their own sins, but also for the sins of the people, were calculated in a great measure to remove all feeling of envy at the elevation of Aaron's family, when the honor was weighed in the balance with its burdens and dangers.
2-7. thy brethren also of the tribe of Levi—The departments of the sacred office, to be filled respectively by the priests and Levites, are here assigned to each. To the priests was committed the charge of the sanctuary and the altar, while the Levites were to take care of everything else about the tabernacle. The Levites were to attend the priests as servants—bestowed on them as "gifts" to aid in the service of the tabernacle—while the high and dignified office of the priesthood was a "service of gift." "A stranger," that is, one, neither a priest nor a Levite, who should intrude into any departments of the sacred office, should incur the penalty of death.
Nu 18:8-20. The Priests' Portion.
8-13. the Lord spake unto Aaron, Behold, I also have given thee the charge of my heave offerings—A recapitulation is made in this passage of certain perquisites specially appropriated to the maintenance of the priests. They were parts of the votive and freewill offerings, including both meat and bread, wine and oil, and the first-fruits, which formed a large and valuable item.
14. Every thing devoted in Israel shall be thine—provided it was adapted for food or consumable by use; for the gold and silver vessels that were dedicated as the spoils of victory were not given to the priests, but for the use and adornment of the sacred edifice.
19. it is a covenant of salt—that is, a perpetual ordinance. This figurative form of expression was evidently founded on the conservative property of salt, which keeps meat from corruption; and hence it became an emblem of inviolability and permanence. It is a common phrase among Oriental people, who consider the eating of salt a pledge of fidelity, binding them in a covenant of friendship. Hence the partaking of the altar meats, which were appropriated to the priests on condition of their services and of which salt formed a necessary accompaniment, was naturally called "a covenant of salt" (Le 2:13).
Nu 18:21-32. The Levites' Portion.
21, 22. I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they serve—Neither the priests nor the Levites were to possess any allotments of land but to depend entirely upon Him who liberally provided for them out of His own portion; and this law was subservient to many important purposes—such as that, being exempted from the cares and labors of worldly business, they might be exclusively devoted to His service; that a bond of mutual love and attachment might be formed between the people and the Levites, who, as performing religious services for the people, derived their subsistence from them; and further, that being the more easily dispersed among the different tribes, they might be more useful in instructing and directing the people.
23. But the Levites shall do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation: they shall bear their iniquity—They were to be responsible for the right discharge of those duties that were assigned to them, and consequently to bear the penalty that was due to negligence or carelessness in the guardianship of the holy things.
26. the Levites … offer … a tenth of the tithe—Out of their own they were to pay tithes to the priests equally as the people gave to them. The best of their tithes was to be assigned to the priests, and afterwards they enjoyed the same liberty to make use of the remainder that other Israelites had of the produce of their threshing-floors and wine-presses.
32. ye shall bear no sin by reason of it, &c.—Neglect in having the best entailed sin in the use of such unhallowed food. And the holy things would be polluted by the reservation to themselves of what should be offered to God and the priests.