1The Lord is the inheritance of the priests and Levites. 3The priest's due. 6All Levites who minister are entitled to like portions. 9The abominations of the Canaanites to be avoided. 15A Prophet to arise, like unto Moses, who must be hearkened unto. 20The presumptuous prophet must be put to death. 21How he may be known.
1THE priests the Levites, and all the tribe of Levi, shall have no part nor inheritance with Israel: they shall eat 1thea offerings of the LORD made by fire, and his inheritance.
1 See Lev. 1 on verse 9.
a Num. 18:20; Deut. 10:9; 1 Cor. 9:13.
2Therefore shall 2they have no inheritance among their brethren: 3theb LORD is their inheritance, as he hath said unto them.
2 Or, he, namely, the Levite.
3 See Num. 18:20; Deut. 10 on verse 9.
b Num. 18:20, etc.; Deut. 10:9; Ezek. 44:28.
3¶And this shall be the priest's due from the people, from them that offer a sacrifice, whether it be ox or sheep; and they shall give unto the priest the shoulder, and the two cheeks, and the maw.c
c animal’s stomach
4The firstfruit also of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the first of the fleece of thy sheep, shalt thou give him.
5For the LORD thy God hath chosen him out of all thy tribes, to 4stand to minister in the name of the LORD, him and his sons for ever.
4 Also verse 7. See Deut. 10 on verse 8.
6¶And if a Levite come from any of thy gates out of all Israel, where he sojourned, and come with all the desire of his mind unto the place which the LORD shall choose;
75Then he shall minister in the name of the LORD his God, as all his brethren the Levites do, which stand there before the LORD.
5 Or, So he may minister. And in the following verse: An equal portion they shall eat.
86They shall have like portions to eat, 7beside that which cometh of the sale 8of his patrimony.
6 Hebr. portion like portion.
7 Or, besides everyone’s sales; that is, in addition which they have and do reserve of the price of the goods that are sold, which they may buy again and redeem. See Lev. 25:32, 33.
8 That is, done to, or, by the fathers’ households. Other, according to the father’s households, into which the Levites were divided, Numbers 3. Some join these words with the first words of this verse, in this sense: an equal portion shall they eat, yet so, that everyone be joined to his father’s family. Other, Only of that which is delivered to him after the father’s households.
9¶When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those 9nations.
9 The Canaanites, who dwell therein.
10There shall not be found among you any one thatd maketh his son or his daughter to pass 10through the fire, or 11thate useth divination, or an 12observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,
d Lev. 18:21.
10 See the annotation in Lev. 18 on verse 21.
11 Hebr. a foreteller of foretellings, or, riddler of riddles, guessor of guessings.
e Lev. 20:27; 1 Sam. 28:7; Isa. 8:19.
12 See Lev. 19 on verse 26.
11Or a 13charmer, or a consulter with 14familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.
13 Hebr. who sweareth with exorcism, or, conjereth conjuring; properly, one who couples coupling together.
14 See Lev. 19 on verse 31, Lev. 20 on verse 6.
12For all that do these things are an abomination unto 15the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth 16drive them out from before thee.
15 Hebr. an abomination of the LORD. See Deut. 17:1.
16 Namely, the inhabitants of Canaan.
13Thou shalt be perfect with the LORD thy God.
14For these nations, 17which thou shalt possess, hearkened unto observers of times, and unto diviners:f but as for thee, the LORD thy God 18hath not suffered thee so to do.
17 That is, whose lands you shall inherit, as Deut. 9:1 and more elsewhere.
f predictor using magic, etc.*
18 Hebr. hath also not suffered thee, understand to do.
15¶The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee 19a Prophetg from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, 20like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;
19 Meaning, the Lord Jesus Christ, Acts 3:22; 7:37.
g John 1:46; Acts 3:22; 7:37.
20 Notwithstanding the eternal Godhead, the immaculate manhood and the soul-saving office of our Lord Jesus Christ, He may nevertheless be compared with Moses in the following particulars: I. As Moses was a true man of the seed of Abraham, so was also Christ. II. As Moses brought the people of God out of physical bondage of Egypt, as such did Christ redeem His people from spiritual bondage. III. As Moses stood between God and the people in the covenant of the law, Gal. 3:19, as such is Christ the only Mediator between God and His people in the Covenant of Grace. IV. As Moses was faithful in all God’s house, Heb. 3:2, as such is Christ faithful above all, in taking care of His church, etc. V. Moses was a great prophet and teacher of the people; Christ is the Head of all prophets, by Whose Spirit Moses and the other prophets have spoken, 1 Peter 1:11. Since here the other prophets are not understood, it appears from Deut. 34:10, where it is said that there arose no prophet in Israel like unto Moses.
16According to all that thou desiredst of the LORD thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, Leth me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not.
h Exod. 20:19; Deut. 5:25; Heb. 12:19.
17And the LORD said unto me, 21They have well spoken that which they have spoken.
21 Hebr. They have made good, or, done well what they have spoken; as Deut. 5:28.
18I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his 22mouth; andi he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.
22 Compare this phrase with Exod. 4:15; Deut. 31:19; 2 Sam. 14:3; Psalm 40:3; Jer. 1:9; 5:14, although there be a great difference between this work of God on the Person of Jesus Christ, and the ministry of His servants, or the deeds of other men.
i John 4:25.
19And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.
20But thej prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.
j Deut. 13:5; Jer. 14:14.
21And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken?
22When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the 23thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid 24of him.
23 This is the second mark of a false prophet; of the first consisting in point of doctrine, see Deuteronomy 13.
24 Other, of it, namely, the word, prophecy.