Numbers 18:1-32
1 And the LORD said unto Aaron, Thou and thy sons and thy father's house with thee shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary: and thou and thy sons with thee shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood.
2 And thy brethren also of the tribe of Levi, the tribe of thy father, bring thou with thee, that they may be joined unto thee, and minister unto thee: but thou and thy sons with thee shall minister before the tabernacle of witness.
3 And they shall keep thy charge, and the charge of all the tabernacle: only they shall not come nigh the vessels of the sanctuary and the altar, that neither they, nor ye also, die.
4 And they shall be joined unto thee, and keep the charge of the tabernacle of the congregation, for all the service of the tabernacle: and a stranger shall not come nigh unto you.
5 And ye shall keep the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge of the altar: that there be no wrath any more upon the children of Israel.
6 And I, behold, I have taken your brethren the Levites from among the children of Israel: to you they are given as a gift for the LORD, to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation.
7 Therefore thou and thy sons with thee shall keep your priest's office for every thing of the altar, and within the vail; and ye shall serve: I have given your priest's office unto you as a service of gift: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.
8 And the LORD spake unto Aaron, Behold, I also have given thee the charge of mine heave offerings of all the hallowed things of the children of Israel; unto thee have I given them by reason of the anointing, and to thy sons, by an ordinance for ever.
9 This shall be thine of the most holy things, reserved from the fire: every oblation of theirs, every meat offering of theirs, and every sin offering of theirs, and every trespass offering of theirs, which they shall render unto me, shall be most holy for thee and for thy sons.
10 In the most holy place shalt thou eat it; every male shall eat it: it shall be holy unto thee.
11 And this is thine; the heave offering of their gift, with all the wave offerings of the children of Israel: I have given them unto thee, and to thy sons and to thy daughters with thee, by a statute for ever: every one that is clean in thy house shall eat of it.
12 All the besta of the oil, and all the best of the wine, and of the wheat, the firstfruits of them which they shall offer unto the LORD, them have I given thee.
13 And whatsoever is first ripe in the land, which they shall bring unto the LORD, shall be thine; every one that is clean in thine house shall eat of it.
14 Every thing devoted in Israel shall be thine.
15 Every thing that openeth the matrix in all flesh, which they bring unto the LORD, whether it be of men or beasts, shall be thine: nevertheless the firstborn of man shalt thou surely redeem, and the firstling of unclean beasts shalt thou redeem.
16 And those that are to be redeemed from a month old shalt thou redeem, according to thine estimation, for the money of five shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, which is twenty gerahs.
17 But the firstling of a cow, or the firstling of a sheep, or the firstling of a goat, thou shalt not redeem; they are holy: thou shalt sprinkle their blood upon the altar, and shalt burn their fat for an offering made by fire, for a sweet savour unto the LORD.
18 And the flesh of them shall be thine, as the wave breast and as the right shoulder are thine.
19 All the heave offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer unto the LORD, have I given thee, and thy sons and thy daughters with thee, by a statute for ever: it is a covenant of salt for ever before the LORD unto thee and to thy seed with thee.
20 And the LORD spake unto Aaron, Thou shalt have no inheritance in their land, neither shalt thou have any part among them: I am thy part and thine inheritance among the children of Israel.
21 And, behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they serve, even the service of the tabernacle of the congregation.
22 Neither must the children of Israel henceforth come nigh the tabernacle of the congregation, lest they bear sin, and die.b
23 But the Levites shall do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they shall bear their iniquity: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations, that among the children of Israel they have no inheritance.
24 But the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer as an heave offering unto the LORD, I have given to the Levites to inherit: therefore I have said unto them, Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.
25 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
26 Thus speak unto the Levites, and say unto them, When ye take of the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then ye shall offer up an heave offering of it for the LORD, even a tenth part of the tithe.
27 And this your heave offering shall be reckoned unto you, as though it were the corn of the threshingfloor, and as the fulness of the winepress.
28 Thus ye also shall offer an heave offering unto the LORD of all your tithes, which ye receive of the children of Israel; and ye shall give thereof the LORD'S heave offering to Aaron the priest.
29 Out of all your gifts ye shall offer every heave offering of the LORD, of all the bestc thereof, even the hallowed part thereof out of it.
30 Therefore thou shalt say unto them, When ye have heaved the bestd thereof from it, then it shall be counted unto the Levites as the increase of the threshingfloor, and as the increase of the winepress.
31 And ye shall eat it in every place, ye and your households: for it is your reward for your service in the tabernacle of the congregation.
32 And ye shall bear no sin by reason of it, when ye have heaved from it the best of it: neither shall ye pollute the holy things of the children of Israel, lest ye die.
The Old Testament Book of Numbers
In the Desert
Numbers
Marion Adams
Chapter 18
The duties of the priests and the men from Levi’s *tribe – Numbers 18:1-7
v1 The *LORD spoke to Aaron. He said, ‘You and your sons alone are responsible for the *sins that affect the priests. You, your sons and your *clan are responsible if anyone *sins against *God’s Tent. v2 Levi’s *tribe are your relatives. When you and your sons serve me in *God’s Tent, bring in Levi’s *tribe. They must help you. v3 They must work for you and they must do all their duties in *God’s Tent. But they must not go near to any of the *sacred objects or to the *altar. If they do this, all of you will die. v4 They must help you and they must do all their own work in *God’s Tent. But I will not allow anyone else to come near to *God’s Tent.
v5 Only you and your sons must look after the *Holy Place and the *altar. Obey these instructions! Then I will never become angry and punish the *Israelites again. v6 It was I, the *LORD, who chose Levi’s *tribe from all the other *tribes. They belong to me. I have given them to you. They are your helpers in *God’s Tent. v7 But only you and your sons can serve me as priests at the *altar and in the *Most Holy Place. I have given to you these duties as a gift. Anyone else who comes near to the *sacred objects must die.’
Verses 1-7 God had already provided protection for the people. They could not go near to *God’s Tent by accident. Levi’s *tribe guarded *God’s Tent so that this should not happen (Numbers 8:19).
God spoke to Aaron about this. It was unusual for God to speak to Aaron alone. Usually, Moses gave Aaron instructions from God. But Aaron had special responsibilities as the *High Priest. God reminded Aaron about the duties of the priests and also the duties of Levi’s *tribe.
God did not allow Levi’s *tribe to do any of the priests’ duties. If anyone from Levi’s *tribe came too near to the *sacred objects, God would punish both the priests and the people from Levi’s *tribe. It was the priests’ fault if this happened. They had to check that Levi’s *tribe did only their own jobs.
The priests’ share of the *sacrifices – Numbers 18:8-20
v8-9 The *LORD said to Aaron, ‘I have given you responsibility for the *offerings that people give to me. The priests will receive all the most holy things from the *Israelites’ *offerings. I give them to you, your sons and your *descendants. You will receive part of the *sin offerings. You will receive also part of the *grain offerings and the *guilt offerings. These are the most holy *offerings. Your share of these *sacrifices will be the parts that you do not burn on the *altar. v10 You must eat them near to *God’s Tent, because they are holy. Only men may eat them.
v11 Also, you will receive part of the other special gifts and *offerings that the *Israelites bring to me. Any person in your family who is *clean may eat these things.
v12 You may have the first *olive oil that the *Israelites make after the harvest. Also, you may have the first wine and grain that they offer to me after the harvest. v13 The first and the best part of the crops and the *grapes that they produce belong to you, too. Any person in your family who is *clean may eat these things. v14 Everything that the *Israelites have given to me completely belongs to you (see note below).
v15 All the *Israelites’ *first-born sons and their *first-born male animals belong to me. But you must accept a payment to buy back from me every *first-born son and every *first-born *unclean animal. v16 Each *first-born son over one month old costs 5 pieces of silver. Each piece must be the official weight (see Numbers 3:47). v17 But all the *first-born *bulls, sheep and goats belong to me. They are holy. You must not accept a payment to buy them back from me. Throw their blood against the *altar. Burn their fat so that the smell of it pleases me.
v18 The meat of these animals belongs to you. It is like the breast and the right back leg of the special gifts that you lift up to me (see Numbers 6:20).
v19 From this time, the holy things that the *Israelites offer to me will belong to you and your *descendants. This rule will never change.
v20 You will not receive any property or land in *Israel as your own. I am the *LORD. I will give to you everything that you need.’
Verses 8-20 God did not allow the priests to own any property or land. Instead, he promised to provide what they needed by means of the people’s gifts to him (verse 20).
This passage describes which parts of the *sacrifices and *offerings belonged to the priests.
There were two types of *offerings:
1. The ‘most holy things’ (verses 8-9). These were the *sin offering, the *guilt offering and the *grain offering. God allowed only the priests to eat parts of these *offerings.
2. The ‘holy things’ (verses 11-18). The priests could share parts of these *offerings with their families. But anyone who ate them had to be *clean (verses 11 and 13). This was because people had offered the food to God first.
‘Everything that the *Israelites have completely given to me’ (verse 14). Usually, this phrase meant the things that the *Israelites had taken during a war (compare with Leviticus 27:28-29; Joshua 6:18-19; Joshua 6:1 Samuel 15:21).
Also, the priests received money. This money was the payments for the *first-born sons and also the *first-born male animals that were *unclean (see Numbers 3:41).
The people did not give their *first-born sons to the priests. Instead, they paid 5 pieces of silver. This was the same amount of money as a person would earn in six months. The priests could not *sacrifice *unclean animals. So they received a payment for every *first-born animal that was *unclean, too.
By this means, God promised to provide everything that the priests and their families needed.
What Levi’s *tribe receive – Numbers 18:21-24
v21 ‘One-tenth of the *Israelites’ crops and one out of every ten of their animals belong to me. But I give all this to Levi’s *tribe. This is their pay for the work that they do at *God’s Tent. v22-23 They are the only people whom I will allow to work at *God’s Tent. They must not allow any of the other *Israelites to come near to it. If any other *Israelite comes near to it, that person must die. Levi’s *tribe have the responsibility for this matter, so they will suffer punishment too. This law will never change.
Levi’s *tribe will not receive any land in *Israel as their own. v24 Instead, I will give to them the crops and animals that the *Israelites offer to me. That is why I said, “Levi’s *tribe will not receive any land in *Israel as their own.” ’
Verses 21-24 Levi’s *tribe did an important job. Their job was dangerous sometimes. They looked after the *sacred objects. They carried the parts of *God’s Tent when the *Israelites travelled. Also, Levi’s *tribe had to guard *God’s Tent so that the other *Israelites did not come too near. If this happened, it was the fault of Levi’s *tribe. So Levi’s *tribe received a punishment, too.
But, like the priests, God did not allow Levi’s *tribe to own land or property. Instead, he gave to them a part of the things that belonged to him.
In ancient *Israel, people gave one-tenth of their crops and animals to God. Both Abraham and Jacob had done this (Genesis 14:20; Genesis 28:22). But it was a new rule that Levi’s *tribe must receive it.
What Levi’s *tribe must give – Numbers 18:25-32
v25 Then, the *LORD said to Moses, v26 ‘Speak to Levi’s *tribe. Tell them, “You will receive one-tenth of the *Israelites’ crops and one out of ten of their animals. You must give to me one-tenth of these as a special gift. v27 The *Israelites give to me a part of their grain and their wine. You must give to me a part of the things that you receive, too. v28 So you will give your gift to me. It will come from all the gifts that you receive from the *Israelites. You must give this special gift to Aaron the priest. v29 So the best part of the things that you receive belongs to me.
v30 The other *Israelites offer their grain and their wine to me. But you, Levi’s *tribe, will give the best part to me instead. v31 And then you can eat what remains. You, Levi’s *tribe, and your families may eat your share anywhere. It is your pay for your work in *God’s Tent. v32 If you have offered the best parts to me already, I will not punish you. But remember this! The gifts and the *sacrifices that the people bring to me are holy. If you do not offer to me the best part, you must die.” ’
Verses 25-32 Levi’s *tribe helped the priests. They were not farmers, like the other *Israelites. They did not receive wages for their work. But they did have an income. Their income was one-tenth of the other *Israelites’ food and drink. The other *Israelites had to give to Levi’s *tribe the best part of their food and drink.
Then Levi’s *tribe had to give one-tenth to God of what they received. They had to give to God the best part. The rest belonged to them.
LORD ~ a special name for God that his people use. In Hebrew, it is Yahweh. This name means something like ‘I am’ or ‘always alive’.Lord ~ one who rules. God is the Lord who rules everyone.
Hebrew ~ the language of the *Jews.
sin ~ the nature of all people since Adam chose not to obey God. People’s lives are not acceptable to God because of sin. ‘Sins’ are states, attitudes and acts that are not acceptable to God. A person sins whenever that person is guilty of a sin.
sacred ~ special for God. ‘Sacred’ means that something is separate from other things, for God’s purposes only.
altar ~ a special table where the priests burned animals or other gifts as a *sacrifice to God (or, to a false god).
holy ~ what God is like. God’s character: perfect, completely good with nothing bad in it. Separate from sin.
sin ~ the nature of all people since Adam chose not to obey God. People’s lives are not acceptable to God because of sin. ‘Sins’ are states, attitudes and acts that are not acceptable to God. A person sins whenever that person is guilty of a sin.
Israel ~ the Israelites and their nation.'Most Holy Place ~ the smaller room in *God’s Tent. The Ark was in that room.
Ark ~ a wooden box that contained things that were special to the Israelites. God said that he would meet his people at the Ark. It was a *symbol that God was there in a special way.
Israel ~ the Israelites and their nation.
'High Priest ~ the most important priest.clean ~ in the Jewish religion, this means something or someone that God accepts. People had to be clean in order to approach *God’s Tent. People had to be clean to be in the Israelites’ camp. There is no human way to explain what was clean or unclean. We know only because God has shown us, in the Bible.
Jewish ~ the word that describes a *Jew or anything that belongs to the *Jews.
Israel ~ the Israelites and their nation.
unclean ~ in the Jewish religion, an unclean person could not go near to *God’s Tent or into the Israelites’ camp, depending on the type of uncleanness. There is no human way to explain what was clean or unclean. We know only because God has shown us, in the Bible.
uncleanness ~ the state of something that is unclean.
'olive oil ~ oil that people make from fruit called *olives. They use the oil to cook food. Also, they put it on their hair and their bodies.'first-born ~ the first child to be born to a mother; the oldest child in a family. The word can refer to animals as well as people.unclean ~ in the Jewish religion, an unclean person could not go near to *God’s Tent or into the Israelites’ camp, depending on the type of uncleanness. There is no human way to explain what was clean or unclean. We know only because God has shown us, in the Bible.
Jewish ~ the word that describes a *Jew or anything that belongs to the *Jews.
Israel ~ the Israelites and their nation.
uncleanness ~ the state of something that is unclean.
clean ~ in the Jewish religion, this means something or someone that God accepts. People had to be clean in order to approach *God’s Tent. People had to be clean to be in the Israelites’ camp. There is no human way to explain what was clean or unclean. We know only because God has shown us, in the Bible.
'guilt offering ~ an *offering for particular sins (see Leviticus 5:14-6).sin ~ the nature of all people since Adam chose not to obey God. People’s lives are not acceptable to God because of sin. ‘Sins’ are states, attitudes and acts that are not acceptable to God. A person sins whenever that person is guilty of a sin.
'grain offering ~ an *offering of something that people made from grain.