1The charge of the priests and Levites. 8The portion of the priests. 21The portion of the Levites. 25The heave offering to the priests out of the portion of the Levites.
1AND the LORD 1said unto Aaron, Thou and thy sons and thy father's house with thee shall bear the 2iniquity of the sanctuary: and thou and thy sons with thee shall bear 3the iniquity of your priesthood.
1 To take away the fear from the people that was upon them (mentioned in the two last verse of the previous chapter), and to propose to them the means of preventing the similar mischief hereafter.
2 That is, the punishment of what is done amiss in the sanctuary and the ceremonies thereof; therefore see to it that everyone remain within the limits of his function; otherwise you must undergo the punishment. See Lev. 5 on verse 1.
3 The punishment of what is done amiss in the priestly office; when ye shall not carry yourselves in it as ye ought, or permit a stranger to enter into your office and transgress therein.
2And 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 4witness.
4 See Num. 17 on verse 4.
3And 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, 5nor ye also, die.
5 Hebr. also they, also yourselves, namely, when you prevent it not, or suffer it to be done through carelessness, or connivance.
4And they shall be joined unto thee, and keep the charge of the tabernacle of the congregation, for all the service of the tabernacle: and 6a stranger shall not come nigh unto you.
6 He, who is not of the tribe of Levi, shall not be admitted to serve and minister unto thee.
5And ye shall keep the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge of the altar: that there be no 7wrath any more upon the children of Israel.
7 Understand of the LORD, that is, such a plague or judgment, as formerly befell Korah and his followers from God.
6And I, behold, I have taken youra brethren the Levites from among the children of Israel: to you 8they are given as a gift for 9the LORD, to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation.
a Num. 3:45.
8 Or, they are a gift unto you, given to the LORD, or of the LORD; that is, they are given unto you for your service and thereby given up and dedicated to the service of the LORD.
9 Other, to the LORD.
7Therefore thou and thy sons with thee shall keep your priest's office for every thing of the altar, and within the 10vail; and ye shall serve: I have given your priest's office unto you as a service of 11gift: and the 12stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.
10 Whereby the Holy place is divided from the court.
11 That is, (this) is a mere gift and grace of Me that you and your posterity have been chosen for the priestly office before others and shall administer the same, as I have also given to the Levites their office. Neither you, nor they, have merited this. Thus likewise the spiritual was typified and signified hereby, namely, our communion with our High Priest Jesus Christ, together with His merits and saving mercies, a mere gift of grace of the LORD, Isa. 9:6; Rom. 3:24; 8:32; 11:35; Eph. 2:7, 8, 9, etc.; 2 Tim. 1:9; 1 Peter 2:9, 10; 1 John 4:10; Rev. 1:5, 6.
12 Not being of Aaron’s line, and going about to interfere with the priestly office. See Num. 16:40; 2 Chron. 26:19.
8¶And the LORD spake unto Aaron, Behold, I also have given thee the charge of mine 13heave offerings of all the 14hallowed things of the children of Israel; unto thee have I given them by reason 15of the anointing, and to thy sons, by an ordinance 16for ever.
13 See Num. 5 on verse 9.
14 Hebr. holinesses. See Lev. 5 on verse 15.
15 That is, because thou art anointed to this holy office. See Lev. 8:12, etc.
16 Until the coming of the Messiah. See Gen. 13 on verse 15 and Gen. 17:7.
9This shall be thine of the 17most holy things, reserved from the 18fire: 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 19most holy for thee and for thy sons.
17 See Lev. 2 on verse 3.
18 That is, what is not a burnt offering or appointed to be wholly burnt with fire upon the altar, but which remains of the fire offerings, etc.
19 That is, thou and thy sons ought to account of it as a very holy thing. Other, an Holiness of Holinesses, it shall be thine and thy sons, that is, therefore, because it is a very holy thing, thou and thy sons shalt have it.
10In the 20most holy place shalt thou eat it; every male shall eat it: it shall be holy unto thee.
20 Either within the Holy place, or outside at the altar of burnt offerings, which also itself is called an Holiness of Holinesses, Exod. 29:37. See further, Lev. 6:16, 26; 7:6; 8:31; 14:13. This place is called the Holy of Holies, or the most or very Holy place, in comparison to the entire court where the congregation assembled. God has ordained that the priests eat all these things in this place to show the holiness of these sacrifices, and to refrain the priests thereby from all gluttony and distemper, eating there as in the presence of God and guests at His table. Of what they might otherwise eat in their private houses, and who, see verses 11, 13, 19.
11And this is thine; the heave offering of their gift, with all the wave offerings of the children of Israel: Ib 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.
b Lev. 10:14.
12All 21the best 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.
21 Hebr. all the fat of the oil, and so in the sequel, and compare verses 29, 30, 32. See Gen. 45 on verse 18.
13And 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.
14Everyc thing 22devoted in Israel shall be thine.
c Lev. 27:28.
22 See Lev. 27:28.
15Every thing that 23openeth the matrixd 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 24surely redeem, and the firstling of unclean beasts shalt thou redeem.
23 Hebr. all or every opening of the womb. See Exod. 13:2, 12, 13, 15 and Num. 3 on verse 12.
d Exod. 13:2; 22:29; Lev. 27:26; Num. 3:13.
24 Hebr. redeeming redeem, that is, cause to be altogether redeemed; and thus the word redeem is likewise to be understood in the following verses, causing, or letting, permitting to be redeemed.
16And those that are to be redeemed from a month 25old shalt thou redeem, according to thine 26estimation, for 27the money of five shekels, after the 28shekel of the sanctuary,e whichfis twenty 29gerahs.
25 Hebr. from a son of a month.
26 Which thou art to do according to My precept; as appears in the sequel.
27 Or, silver of five shekels.
28 See Gen. 20 on verse 16 and Gen. 23 on verse 15.
e of the sanctuary:* 0.5 ounce or 14.2 grams*
f Exod. 30:13; Lev. 27:25; Num. 3:47; Ezek. 45:12.
29 See Lev. 27 on verse 25.
17But the firstling of a cow, or the firstling of a sheep, or the firstling of a goat, thou shalt not redeem; they are 30holy: 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.
30 Hebr. holiness; that is, an holy thing.
18And the flesh of them shall be thine, as the 31wave breast and as the 32right shoulder are thine.
31 See Lev. 7:34.
32 Or, hind-quarter.
19All 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, 33by a statute for ever: it is a 34covenant of salt for ever before the LORD unto thee and to thy seed with thee.
33 With these and the following words God wanted to prevent and to refrain all further murmurings and quarrels among the Israelites.
34 That is, a lasting and constant one; as the things, which are salted, endure longer and are preserved from rotting and corruption. See Lev. 2 on verse 13 and 2 Chron. 13:5.
20¶And the LORD spake unto Aaron, Thou shalt have no inheritance in their land, neither shalt thou have any part among them: Igam thy 35part and thine inheritance among the children of Israel.
g Deut. 10:9; 18:2; Ezek. 44:28.
35 Compare Deut. 10 on verse 9.
2136And, behold, I have given the children of Levi all the 37tenth in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they serve, even the service of the tabernacle of the congregation.
36 Or, As for the children of Levi, behold, I have given them, etc.
37 See Lev. 27 on verse 30.
22Neither must the children of Israel henceforth come nigh the tabernacle of the congregation, 38lest they bear sin, and 39die.
38 That is, to draw guilt upon themselves and to incur punishment. See on verse 1 and verse 32.
39 As happened unto Korah and his followers. See Numbers 16.
23But the 40Levites shall do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they shall bear 41their iniquity: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations, that among the children of Israel they have no inheritance.
40 Hebr. Levi.
41 That is, they shall bear the punishment themselves, when they transgress in their ministry. See verse 1.
24But 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,
26Thus 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.
27And this your heave offering shall be reckoned unto you, 42as though it were the corn of the threshingfloor, and as the fulness of the 43winepress.
42 That is, it shall be accounted, and be as acceptable as if ye had land of your own, and did offer the tenths or tithes thereof like the rest of the tribes.
43 Wine-vat, and oil-press; see Joel 2:24.
28Thus 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.
29Out of all your 44gifts ye shall offer 45every heave offering of the LORD, of all 46the best thereof, even the 47hallowed part thereof out of it.
44 That is, of all the tithes which are given you.
45 That is, all manner of.
46 Hebr. fat; as verse 12 and in the next verse.
47 That is, that portion thereof whereby your tithes are hallowed, so that you may use and enjoy the same with a good conscience. See verse 32. Other, its holy part thereof.
30Therefore thou shalt say unto them, When ye have heaved the best thereof from it, then it shall be counted unto the Levites 48as the increase of the threshingfloor, and as the increase of the winepress.
48 See on verse 27.
31And 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.
32And ye shall 49bear no sin by reason of it, when ye have heaved from it the 50best of it: neither shall ye pollute the holy things of the children of Israel, lest ye die.
49 See verses 1, 22.
50 Hebr. fat; as verse 12. See there.