Deuteronomy 18 - Introduction

Of the Priests the Levites

Of the priestly tribe of Levi, who have no land, Jehovah is the inheritance, and they shall live by the offerings to Him (Deuteronomy 18:1 f.), which are detailed (Deuteronomy 18:3 f.); He chose Levi and his sons as His priests for ever (Deuteronomy 18:5). If a rural Levite earnestly desires to come to the One Altar he may there discharge the priestly office and live by it equally with his brother Levites who already minister there (Deuteronomy 18:6-8). Sg. throughout and in D's phraseology; but the unity of the passage has been questioned because of the doublets in Deuteronomy 18:1 f., the double designation, the priests the Levites = all the tribe of Levi, and the parallels with Deuteronomy 10:8 f.

In Deuteronomy 18:1 Steuern. takes as original only all the tribe of Leviand attaches it as subject to Deuteronomy 18:2 (except the formula, as he hath spoken, etc.), Deuteronomy 18:3 f., Deuteronomy 18:6 (except out of all Israel), and 8; the rest he regards as secondary. Berth, on the contrary separates all the tribe of Leviin Deuteronomy 18:1, with Deuteronomy 18:2; Deuteronomy 18:5(in its LXX form), as a quotation from Deuteronomy 10:8, first placed here on the margin, and then absorbed into the text. The differences between these theories (and others) show that a reliable analysis is impossible. Steuern."s reason for considering the standard title, the Priests the Levites, to be later than Ezekiel (cp. Kennett, Journal of Theol. Studies, 1904) is not convincing. The original author of the Code may well have used it and added all the tribe of Leviin order to put his meaning beyond doubt. At the same time there are the doublets in Deuteronomy 18:1 f., and the striking fact that while the plur. vb in Deuteronomy 18:1 suits the priests the Levites, the sing. pronouns in the Heb. of Deuteronomy 18:2, he, his, him, agree with all the tribe of Levi. It is probable, therefore, that this law is another instance of the fusion of two originally distinct laws on the subject.

Whichever analysis be preferred, the substance of this law is unmistakeable. It is not a complete law of the Priesthood, but like so many others in D, is concerned only with the people's duties to its subject, under the new conditions introduced by the centralisation of the worship. It fixes the priest's share of the people's offerings (Deuteronomy 18:8 f.) and provides for the dispossessed Levites, when they come to Jerusalem (Deuteronomy 18:6-8). Its assertion of the equality of all members of the tribe of Levi in priestly rank and rights (qualified only by the condition that these are valid only at the One Altar) is, as we have seen on Deuteronomy 10:8, characteristic of D. It agrees besides with the spirit of the earlier practice in Israel 1 [140] 1 Kings 12:31; Ezekiel 44:10-16; and it proves that the author, or authors, of D's Code were ignorant of this (therefore, probably later) distinction which P makes between the sons of Aaron, as alone priests, and the rest of the tribe, who have not priestly rank and whose revenues are distinct from those of the priests. In P also the revenues of the priests differ from those assigned in D; see above on Deuteronomy 10:8 f., and Driver's Deut.218 ff.

[140] But at one time in Israel others than sons of the tribe of Levi were admitted to the priesthood and called Levites: see Exodus 4:14, with Driver's note, and Judges 17:7-13.