The Fourth Book of Moses, called Numbers
Numbers 18
Chapter XVIII · Vol. I, pp. 444–445
1 The charge of the priests and Levites. 8 The priests' portion. 21 The Levites' portion. 25 The heave-offering to the priests out of the Levites' portion.
1 AND the LORD said unto Aaron, Thou, and thy sons, and thy father's house with thee, shall a bear the iniquity of the sanctuary: and thou, and thy sons with thee, shall bear the iniquity1 of your priesthood.
a They were to be answerable for whatever was done about the sanctuary. ch. 5.31; 14.34. Le. 20.20; 22.9. ver. 22. Eze. 18.4.
1 'Iniquity' signifies not simply what is wrong, but the tendency to do wrong. This tendency lies in the disposition to fear, comply with, or flatter the errors of the people; to be negligent of instruction or reproof, and to seek theirs, not them, 2 Co. 12.14.—Note, The ministerial office, instead of conferring exemption from guilt, increases accountability, He. 13.17.—C.
2 And thy b 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.
b ch. 3.6-9, 25, 26, 31, 32, 36, 37; 4.15-33; 8.15-26. Ge. 29.34.
3 And they shall keep thy charge, and the charge of all the tabernacle: c only they shall not come nigh the vessels of the sanctuary and the altar, that neither they nor ye also die.
c ch. 4.19, 20.
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 d stranger shall not come nigh unto you.
d ch. 3.10; 1.51. 1 Sa. 6.19. ver. 6.
5 And e ye shall keep the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge of the altar: that there be nof wrath any more upon the children of Israel.
e 1 Ch. 9.19, 23, 33. Le. i.-xxvi. Ex. 27.21; 30.7.
f ch. 8.19; 16.46. Le. 10.1, 2.
6 And I, behold I, have g 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.
A.M. 2533. B.C. 1471.
g ch. 3.9, 12, 45; 8.16, 19.
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 h the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.
h ch. 16.40; 3.10, 38; 1.51. 1 Sa. 6.19. ver. 6.
8 And the LORD spake unto Aaron, Behold, I also have given thee i the charge of mine heave-offerings of all the hallowed things of the children of Israel; unto thee have I given them, k by reason of the anointing, and to thy sons, by an ordinance for ever.
i ch. 5.9. Le. 6.16, 18, 26; 7.6, 32.
k Le. 7.35; 21.10. Ex. 29.29. 1 Co. 9.13, 14.
9 This shall be thine of the l 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 m most holy place2 shalt thou eat it; every male shall eat it: it shall be holy unto thee.
m Inner court, Ex. 29.31. Le. 6.16, 26, 29; 7.6; 10.13, 17, with 14.13.
2 To three parts of the tabernacle was the word 'holy' applied. (1) The most holy place, where was the mercy-seat, Ex. 26.33, &c. (2) The holy place, where was the altar of burnt-offering, &c. (3) In this instance it is applied to the court of the tabernacle, Le. 6.16, 26, 29; which here is called most holy, not in respect of the divisions of the tabernacle, but in respect of the camp, or other places, where the other offerings were to be eaten. See note on ver. 14.—C.
11 And this is thine; the n 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 Allo the best3 of the oil, and all the best of the wine, and of the wheat, the first-fruits of them which they shall offer unto the LORD, them have I given thee.
o De. 18.4. Ne. 10.35, 39. ch. 15.19-21. Le. 23.38. Ex. 23.15.
3 Heb. fat.
13 And whatsoever is p 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 Everyq thing devoted in Israel shall be thine.4
q Le. 27.28.
4 That we may judge rightly of the emoluments allotted to Aaron, we must recollect that he and his whole tribe 'had no inheritance in the land,' ver. 20, and consequently were precluded from agriculture, God's great ordinance for the national prosperity. To compensate for this privation, God allots them twenty-four sacrificial gifts, viz. Eight to be eaten in the sanctuary, by the attendant priests and Levites. (1) The flesh of the sin-offering, Le. 6.25, 26. (2) Of the trespass-offering, Le. 7.1-6. (3) The peace-offering, Le. 23.19, 20. (4) Part of the sheaf, Le. 23.10. (5) Part of the meat-offerings. (6) Two loaves, Le. 23.17. (7) The show-bread, Le. 24.9. (8) Oil, Le. 14.10. Five were to be eaten anywhere in the camp, or at Jerusalem. (1) Parts of the peace-offering, Le. 7.31-34. (2) Heave-offering, Le. 7.12, 14. (3) Parts of the Nazarite's ram, Nu. 6.17, 20. (4) The firstling, Nu. 18.15. (5) The first-fruits, Le. 18.13. Five peculiar to Canaan. (1) Heave-offering of first-fruits, ver. 12. (2) Of the tithe, ver. 28. (3) The cake, Nu. 15.20. (4) The first of the fleece, De. 18.4. (5) Field of possession, Nu. xxxv. Five were due in every place. (1) Gifts of slain beasts, De. 18.3. (2) Redemption of first-born, Nu. 18.15. (3) Lamb substitute, Ex. 4.20. (4) Certain things unclaimed, Nu. 5.8. (5) Things devoted. One gift was from the sanctuary, Le. 7.8.—C.
15 Everyr 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 first-born of man shalt thou surely redeem, and the firstling of unclean beasts shalt thou redeem.
r Ex. 13.2, 12, 13; 34.2, 20; 22.29. Le. 27.26. ch. 3.13.
16 And s those that are to be redeemed, from a month old shalt thou redeem, according to thine estimation, for the money of five shekels[≈ 57 g · 2 oz], after the shekel of the sanctuary, t which is twenty gerahs[≈ 11 g · 0.4 oz].
s Le. 27.6, 25, 29. ch. 3.47.
t Ex. 30.13. Le. 27.25. ch. 3.47. Eze. 45.12.
17 But the u 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 x wave-breast and as the right shoulder are thine.
x Ex. 29.20, 26. ver. 8, 9, 11.
19 All y 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 z covenant of salt6 for ever before the LORD unto thee, and to thy seed with thee.
y Ne. 13.10. 2 Ch. 31.4. Is. 53.10-12. Jn. 16.13, 14. 1 Co. 3.21, 22.
z A perpetual covenant, Le. 2.13. 2 Ch. 13.5.
6 See note Le. 2.13.—P. Salt was absolutely required in every offering, Le. 2.13, and from its power of preserving dead flesh from putrefaction, so that it might be offered 'of a sweet savour' to the Lord, it became an impressive emblem of the incorruptibility of God's covenant, and the perpetuity of man's obligation. This emblematical use of salt seems to have passed by tradition into the manners of the Arabs, and some other oriental nations—with any of whom, should even an enemy have eaten salt, the person with whom he has so eaten is bound to become, for the occasion, his friend and protector.—C.
20 And the LORD spake unto Aaron, a Thou shalt have no inheritance in their land, neither shalt thou have any part among them: b I am thy part and thine inheritance among the children of Israel.
a De. 18.1, 2; 10.9; 14.27, 29. Jos. 13.14, 33; 14.3; xxi. ch. 26.62; xxxv; ver. 23, 24.
b De. 12.12; 18.1, 2, 19. Jos. 13.14, 33. Eze. 44.28. Ps. 73.26; 142.5.
21 And, behold, I c 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 d come nigh the tabernacle of the congregation, lest they bear sin, 7 and die.8
d ch. 3.10; 1.51; ver. 4. 1 Sa. 6.19.
7 Heb. to die.
8 This prohibition reminds us that God is to be worshipped only by the service of his own appointment and the servants of his own choosing. Ps. 65.4, whilst it contains an awful warning against thoughtless and formal prayer, and presumptuous confidence in our own righteousness.—C.
23 But the Levites shall e 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, f that among the children of Israel they have no inheritance.
24 Butg 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 h an heave-offering of it for the LORD, even a tenth part of the tithe.9
h Ne. 10.38. He. 7.4, 5. Re. 5.8-10. Ca. 8.11, 12. 1 Co. 9.10-14.
9 The Levites, receiving tithes of the people, gave a tithe of them to the priests; and some have conjectured that the tenth of this tithe was allotted to the high-priest's support, according to the pre-eminence to which he was advanced.—I.
27 And this your heave-offering shall be reckoned1 unto you, as though it were the corn of the thrashing-floor, and as the fulness of the wine-press.2
1 Your offering shall be as acceptable to the Lord as those which the tribes present, and your right to what remains as good as that of the people to their corn and wine, after they have paid their tithes, and made their appointed offerings.—I.
A.M. 2533. B.C. 1471.
2 The priests might eat of it as freely as if their own fields had produced it.
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 i ye shall give thereof the LORD's heave-offering to Aaron the priest.
i ver. 11, 12.
29 Out of all your gifts ye shall offer every heave-offering of the LORD of k all the 3 best thereof, even the hallowed part thereof, out of 4 it.
k Pr. 3.9, 10. Phi. 2.7-11; 3.8, 9.
3 Heb. fat.
4 Of what they had received by God's appointment, they must again offer the best to him. What a lesson for the use of genius, talents, and opportunities! What a lesson for healthful youth, vigorous manhood, and matured intellect! What an exact emblem of the one offering—the unspeakable gift—'the best—the hallowed part.' He. 10.14. 2 Co. 9.15.—C.
30 Therefore thou shalt l say unto them, When ye have heaved the best thereof from it, then it shall be counted unto the Levites as the increase of the thrashing-floor, and as the increase of the wine-press.
31 And l ye shall eat it in every place,5 ye and your households: for it is m your reward for your service in the tabernacle of the congregation.
5 When they had taken out the tenth part as sacred to God, they might use the remainder freely as they pleased. They would bear no sin because of it: nor would they be considered as polluting holy things, as they would have been had they neglected to present their tithes.—I.
m 1 Ti. 5.17, 18. Lu. 10.7. Mat. 10.10. Ga. 6.6. 1 Th. 5.12, 13. 1 Co. 9.10-14.
32 And ye shall bear no sin by reason of it, when ye have heaved from it the best of it: neither shall ye n pollute the holy things of the children of Israel, lest ye die.
n By eating them in an improper place or time, Le. 19.7, 8; 22.2-16. 1 Ti. 4.16.
Notes
[Ver. 7. The sphere of the priest's labours is here distinctly defined. It embraced the offering of all sacrifices upon the altar; it embraced besides the performance of all duties and service within the tabernacle, whether in the holy or the most holy place. No Levite could enter the tabernacle on pain of death. In most cases 'the veil' means the curtain which separated the holy from the 'holy of holies;' here, however, it is taken for the outer veil or door of the tabernacle. P.]
Reflections.—The ministerial work is necessary and important; and the greatest care and diligence is necessary to render a person faithful in it. He must not only put away sin from himself, but take all care to prevent it in others. And extensive is the account that must be given to God, not only for himself, but for others under his care. How needful then is it that all in their stations, particularly parents, masters, and magistrates, should exert themselves to render the ministry comfortable and successful! God will have his servants decently provided for in the church, and in the heavenly state; nor will ever a godly people fail to make a liberal provision for a gospel ministry. But base are the minds of those ministers who, having a competency, entangle themselves with the affairs of this life, or desire to excuse themselves from being charitable out of what God hath brought to their hand! And may I not also, in all this, discern the extensive charge, faithful labours, and glorious rewards of my Redeemer; and his improvement of all to his Father's honour and his people's good!
Measures in square brackets are modern equivalents added for this edition. They are not in the King James text or in Brown’s notes. They use common scholarly estimates: a cubit is about 45.7 cm (18 in), a shekel about 11.4 g (0.4 oz), an ephah about 22 litres. Money values give the worth of the silver or gold at spot prices on 28 October 2026, not what the sum would buy in the ancient world.