Numbers 18:20-24
New English Translation
Duties of the Levites
20 The Lord spoke to Aaron, “You will have no inheritance in their land, nor will you have any portion of property[a] among them—I am your portion and your inheritance among the Israelites. 21 See, I have given the Levites all the tithes in Israel for an inheritance, for their service that they perform—the service of the tent of meeting. 22 No longer may the Israelites approach the tent of meeting, or else they will bear their sin[b] and die. 23 But the Levites must perform the service[c] of the tent of meeting, and they must bear their iniquity.[d] It will be a perpetual ordinance throughout your generations that among the Israelites the Levites[e] have no inheritance.[f] 24 But I have given[g] to the Levites for an inheritance the tithes of the Israelites that are offered[h] to the Lord as a raised offering. That is why I said to them that among the Israelites they are to have no inheritance.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Numbers 18:20 tn The phrase “of property” is supplied as a clarification.
- Numbers 18:22 tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive construct of the verb “to bear” with the preposition ל (lamed) to express the result of such an action. “To bear their sin” would mean that they would have to suffer the consequences of their sin.
- Numbers 18:23 tn The verse begins with the perfect tense of עָבַד (ʿavad) with vav (ו) consecutive, making the form equal to the instructions preceding it. As its object the verb has the cognate accusative “service.”
- Numbers 18:23 sn The Levites have the care of the tent of meeting, and so they are responsible for any transgressions against it.
- Numbers 18:23 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Levites) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
- Numbers 18:23 tn The Hebrew text uses both the verb and the object from the same root to stress the point: They will not inherit an inheritance. The inheritance refers to land.
- Numbers 18:24 tn The classification of the perfect tense here too could be the perfect of resolve, since this law is declaring what will be their portion—“I have decided to give.”
- Numbers 18:24 tn In the Hebrew text the verb has no expressed subject (although the “Israelites” is certainly intended), and so it can be rendered as a passive.
Numbers 18:20-24
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
20 Then the Lord said to Aaron, “You shall have no allotment in their land, nor shall you have any share among them; I am your share and your possession among the Israelites.(A)
21 “To the Levites I have given every tithe in Israel for a possession in return for the service that they perform, the service in the tent of meeting.(B) 22 From now on the Israelites shall no longer approach the tent of meeting, or else they will incur guilt and die.(C) 23 But the Levites shall perform the service of the tent of meeting, and they shall bear responsibility for their own offenses; it shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations. But among the Israelites they shall have no allotment,(D) 24 because I have given to the Levites as their portion the tithe of the Israelites, which they set apart as an offering to the Lord. Therefore I have said of them that they shall have no allotment among the Israelites.”
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