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The Portion of the Priests

The Lord spoke to Aaron, “See, I have given you the responsibility for my raised offerings; I have given all the holy things of the Israelites to you as your priestly portion[a] and to your sons as a perpetual ordinance. Of all the most holy offerings reserved[b] from the fire this will be yours: Every offering of theirs, whether from every grain offering or from every purification offering or from every reparation offering which they bring to me, will be most holy for you and for your sons. 10 You are to eat it as a most holy offering; every male may eat it. It will be holy to you.

11 “And this is yours: the raised offering of their gift, along with all the wave offerings of the Israelites. I have given them to you and to your sons and daughters with you as a perpetual ordinance. Everyone who is ceremonially clean in your household may eat of it.

12 “All the best of the olive oil and all the best of the wine and of the wheat, the firstfruits of these things that they give to the Lord, I have given to you.[c] 13 And whatever first ripe fruit in their land they bring to the Lord will be yours; everyone who is ceremonially clean in your household may eat of it.

14 “Everything devoted[d] in Israel will be yours. 15 The firstborn of every womb which they present to the Lord, whether human or animal, will be yours. Nevertheless, the firstborn sons you must redeem,[e] and the firstborn males of unclean animals you must redeem. 16 And those that must be redeemed you are to redeem when they are a month old, according to your estimation, for five shekels of silver according to the sanctuary shekel (which is twenty gerahs). 17 But you must not redeem the firstborn of a cow or a sheep or a goat; they are holy. You must splash[f] their blood on the altar and burn their fat for an offering made by fire for a pleasing aroma to the Lord. 18 And their meat will be yours, just as the breast and the right hip of the raised offering is yours. 19 All the raised offerings of the holy things that the Israelites offer to the Lord, I have given to you, and to your sons and daughters with you, as a perpetual ordinance. It is a covenant of salt[g] forever before the Lord for you and for your descendants with you.”

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Footnotes

  1. Numbers 18:8 tn This is an uncommon root. It may be connected to the word “anoint” as here (see RSV). But it may also be seen as an intended parallel to “perpetual due” (see Gen 47:22; Exod 29:28; Lev 6:11 [HT]).
  2. Numbers 18:9 tn Heb “from the fire.” It probably refers to those parts that were not burned.
  3. Numbers 18:12 tn This form may be classified as a perfect of resolve—he has decided to give them to them, even though this is a listing of what they will receive.
  4. Numbers 18:14 tn The “ban” (חֵרֶם, kherem) in Hebrew describes that which is exclusively the Lord’s, either for his sanctuary use, or for his destruction. It seems to refer to an individual’s devoting something freely to God.
  5. Numbers 18:15 tn The construction uses the infinitive absolute and the imperfect tense of the verb “to redeem” in order to stress the point—they were to be redeemed. N. H. Snaith suggests that the verb means to get by payment what was not originally yours, whereas the other root גָאַל (gaʾal) means to get back what was originally yours (Leviticus and Numbers [NCB], 268).
  6. Numbers 18:17 tn Or “throw, toss.”
  7. Numbers 18:19 sn Salt was used in all the offerings; its importance as a preservative made it a natural symbol for the covenant which was established by sacrifice. Even general agreements were attested by sacrifice, and the phrase “covenant of salt” speaks of such agreements as binding and irrevocable. Note the expression in Ezra 4:14, “we have been salted with the salt of the palace.” See further J. F. Ross, IDB 4:167.

Offerings for Priests and Levites

Then the Lord said to Aaron, “I myself have put you in charge of the offerings presented to me; all the holy offerings the Israelites give me I give to you and your sons as your portion,(A) your perpetual share.(B) You are to have the part of the most holy offerings(C) that is kept from the fire. From all the gifts they bring me as most holy offerings, whether grain(D) or sin[a](E) or guilt offerings,(F) that part belongs to you and your sons. 10 Eat it as something most holy; every male shall eat it.(G) You must regard it as holy.(H)

11 “This also is yours: whatever is set aside from the gifts of all the wave offerings(I) of the Israelites. I give this to you and your sons and daughters as your perpetual share.(J) Everyone in your household who is ceremonially clean(K) may eat it.

12 “I give you all the finest olive oil and all the finest new wine and grain(L) they give the Lord(M) as the firstfruits of their harvest.(N) 13 All the land’s firstfruits that they bring to the Lord will be yours.(O) Everyone in your household who is ceremonially clean may eat it.(P)

14 “Everything in Israel that is devoted[b] to the Lord(Q) is yours. 15 The first offspring of every womb, both human and animal, that is offered to the Lord is yours.(R) But you must redeem(S) every firstborn(T) son and every firstborn male of unclean animals.(U) 16 When they are a month old,(V) you must redeem them at the redemption price set at five shekels[c](W) of silver, according to the sanctuary shekel,(X) which weighs twenty gerahs.(Y)

17 “But you must not redeem the firstborn of a cow, a sheep or a goat; they are holy.(Z) Splash their blood(AA) against the altar and burn their fat(AB) as a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord.(AC) 18 Their meat is to be yours, just as the breast of the wave offering(AD) and the right thigh are yours.(AE) 19 Whatever is set aside from the holy(AF) offerings the Israelites present to the Lord I give to you and your sons and daughters as your perpetual share. It is an everlasting covenant of salt(AG) before the Lord for both you and your offspring.”

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Footnotes

  1. Numbers 18:9 Or purification
  2. Numbers 18:14 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord.
  3. Numbers 18:16 That is, about 2 ounces or about 58 grams