Bible Commentaries
Numbers 18

Verse 1

18:1 And the LORD said unto Aaron, Thou and thy sons and thy father’s house with thee shall bear {a} the iniquity of the sanctuary: and thou and thy sons with thee shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood.

(a) If you trespass in anything concerning the ceremonies of the sanctuary of your office, you will be punished.

Verse 3

18:3 And they shall {b} 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.

(b) That is, the things which are committed to you, or, which you command them.

Verse 4

18:4 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 {c} stranger shall not come nigh unto you.

(c) Which was not of the tribe of Levi.

Verse 8

18:8 And the LORD spake unto Aaron, Behold, I also have given thee the charge of mine heave {d} 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.

(d) As the first fruit, first born, and the tithes.

Verse 9

18:9 This shall be thine of the most holy things, [reserved] from the {e} 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.

(e) That which was not burned should be the priests.

Verse 10

18:10 In the most {f} holy [place] shalt thou eat it; every male shall eat it: it shall be holy unto thee.

(f) That is, in the sanctuary between the court and the holiest of holies.

Verse 11

18:11 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 {g} daughters with thee, by a statute for ever: every one that is clean in thy house shall eat of it.

(g) Read Leviticus 10:14.

Verse 12

18:12 All the {h} 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.

(h) Or, fat; chiefest.

Verse 17

18:17 But the firstling of a cow, or the firstling of a sheep, or the firstling of a goat, thou shalt not {i} 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.

(i) Because they are appointed for sacrifice.

Verse 19

18:19 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 {k} of salt for ever before the LORD unto thee and to thy seed with thee.

(k) That is, sure, stable and incorruptible.

Verse 20

18:20 And the LORD spake unto Aaron, Thou shalt have no inheritance in their {l} land, neither shalt thou have any part among them: I [am] thy part and thine inheritance among the children of Israel.

(l) Of Canaan.

Verse 22

18:22 Neither must the children of Israel henceforth {m} come nigh the tabernacle of the congregation, lest they bear sin, and die.

(m) To serve in it: for the Levites are put in their place.

Verse 23

18:23 But the Levites shall do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they shall bear {n} their iniquity: [it shall be] a statute for ever throughout your generations, that among the children of Israel they have no inheritance.

(n) If they fail in their office, they will be punished.

Verse 27

18:27 And [this] your heave offering shall be reckoned unto you, as though [it were] the {o} corn of the threshingfloor, and as the fulness of the winepress.

(o) As acceptable as the fruit of your own ground or vineyard.

Verse 29

18:29 Out of all your {p} gifts ye shall offer every heave offering of the LORD, of all the {q} best thereof, [even] the hallowed part thereof out of it.

(p) Which you have received from the children of Israel.

(q) Read Numbers 18:12.

Verse 31

18:31 And ye shall eat it in every {r} place, ye and your households: for it [is] your reward for your service in the tabernacle of the congregation.

(r) As in Numbers 18:11.

Verse 32

18:32 And ye shall {f} bear no sin by reason of it, when ye have heaved from it the best of it: neither shall ye pollute the holy {t} things of the children of Israel, lest ye die.

(s) You shall not be punished therefore.

(t) The offerings which the Israelites have offered to God.