Chapter 18

1 The charge of the priests and Levites. 9 The priests’ portion. 21 The Levites’ portion. 25 The heave offering to the priests out of the Levites’ portion.

And 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.

1. Bear the iniquity. The priests, as distinct from the remainder of the Levites, were to be responsible for seeing that no unauthorized person approached the tabernacle, thereby defiling it. This would allay the fears of the congregation that in coming near the tabernacle they risked death.

2. Thy brethren also. A reference to the Gershonites and the Merarites, the other two branches of the tribe of Levi.

Be joined unto thee. The verb here translated “joined” is probably the root word of the name Levi (see on Gen. 29:34).

3. Keep thy charge. They were the appointed guardians of the sanctuary.

Not come nigh. This would not refer to the Kohathites (ch. 4:15), but only to the other Levites. The Kohathites were not to handle the vessels when uncovered, nor even to look upon them (ch. 4:19, 20). This prohibition also included the brazen altar Ex. 29:37) as well as the altar of incense, for both were “most holy.”

The vessels. Literally, “the furniture.” The word translated “vessels” includes all the sacred vessels and furnishings of the sanctuary.

4. Joined unto thee. The priests were to look upon their brethren the Levites as an integral part of the corps of men appointed to serve Jehovah in sacred office, even though in an inferior capacity.

A stranger. That is, anyone who was not a Levite (ch. 1:51).

5. No wrath. The Levites were responsible outside the tabernacle, as the priests were within. The priests were to care for all the holy things, such as the shewbread (the bread of the Presence), the lamps, etc., and to cover them when they were to be moved. The Levites were to see that members of the congregation did not inadvertently or impiously profane the sanctuary.

6. Your brethren the Levites. The Levites were not to seek the office of the priesthood, as Korah had done, but to assist the priests in the ministry of the Lord. But the priests were not to look down upon them, but always bear in mind that they were to be regarded and treated as “brethren.”

A gift for the Lord. See chs. 3:12, 41, 45; 8:6, 16, 18.

7. Keep your priest’s office. God’s workers should be proud of their office and service in the Lord’s work, and ever keep them inviolate before God.

The altar, and within the vail. These words are in explanation of the expression “your priest’s office.” The priests were to offer the sacrifices at the brazen altar in the courtyard and to perform all the sacred duties within the sanctuary itself, such as offering the incense, arranging the shewbread, trimming and lighting the lamps, as well as other duties related to such solemn occasions as the Day of Atonement.

The stranger. That is, anyone other than a priest. Such should not presume to approach the tabernacle with the intention of performing any priestly function.

8. Heave offerings. This is a reference to the contributions, those parts of the sacrifice not burned upon the altar but reserved to be eaten by the officiating priest. Aaron was to be responsible for these.

By reason of the anointing. Some commentators refer to Lev. 8:12, and so read, “because you have been consecrated by the anointing oil.” The Hebrew reads literally, “To thee, they are given as a consecrated portion, and to thy sons as a privilege forever” (see Lev. 7:35).

9. Most holy things. To specify the things that appertained to the priesthood and to preserve the distinction between the “holy” and “most holy” things as set forth in Lev. 21:22.

Reserved from the fire. That is, from the altar of burnt offerings. The priests received some things that did not come from the altar, such as the 12 loaves of shewbread, or bread of the Presence (see on Ex. 25:30; Lev. 24:5–8).

For thee and for thy sons. These portions were to be a partial compensation for their lack of an inheritance among the tribes of Israel.

10. In the most holy place. This is generally thought to refer to the tabernacle in contrast to the outer courtyard. In harmony with the obvious intent of Scripture (Lev. 16:2; Heb. 9:6, 7 the RSV reads “a most holy place.”

Every male shall eat it. And none other, as specifically stated elsewhere (Lev. 2:3, 10; 6:17, 18, 29; 7:6).

11. And this is thine. “This” refers to the less holy things.

The heave offering. The breast of the peace offerings was waved before the Lord, and the right shoulder (or thigh) was heaved before Him (see on Ex. 29:27 and Lev. 7:14). Both became the priests’ (Lev. 7:30–34). This was also true of the right shoulder of the ram offered for a Nazirite (Num. 6:19, 20).

And to thy daughters. These gifts were not exclusively for the use of the males (Lev. 10:14; 22:13). The eating was to be done, however, in a clean place (Lev. 10:14) within the camp (Deut. 12:6, 7, 17, 18), and no unclean person was allowed to be a partaker (Lev. 7:20, 21; 22:4).

12. All the best. Literally, “the fat,” the fat being a symbol of richness in both food and sacrifices (Deut. 32:14; Ps. 63:5; Ex. 23:18; 29:13, 22; 1 Sam. 2:15, 16). It was also used in reference to the choicest products of the country (Gen. 45:18). Reference is here made to the products as they come from the field, before being processed for use.

The firstfruits of them. This may be a reference to time, the first of the crop to mature, but it could also refer to quality (cf. “the first of the firstfruits” in Ex. 23:19).

13. Every one that is clean. All members of a priestly family were allowed to eat of the “first ripe” things. Only those under the ban of uncleanness were excluded.

14. Every thing devoted. Anything placed under a ban was completely given to God and could not be redeemed (Lev. 27:1–29; cf. Num. 21:2; Mark 7:11).

15. That openeth the matrix. That which was born first, if a male, was to be the priests’. If a female should be born first and a male next, the male was not to be the priests’, since it did not in that case open the womb (Ex. 13:2).

Redeem. Two classes of the first-born that belonged to the priests were to be redeemed, that is, bought back with money: (1) unclean animals, being unacceptable as sacrifices, and (2) human beings.

16. Five shekels. The price set when the first-born were exchanged for the Levites (ch. 3:46, 47). Jews today have a ceremony derived from this redemption, when a first-born son is a month old.

17. Thou shalt not redeem. That is, a redemption sum of money would not be accepted, but the animal itself must be sacrificed. These were clean animals, and only the unclean, which could not be sacrificed, were to be redeemed (v. 15).

Sprinkle. The formula used with peace offerings (Lev. 7:31–33).

18. The flesh of them. Except for the fat portions, which were burned, the entire sacrifice became the priests’.

The wave breast. As this and the right thigh (“shoulder”) of the peace offerings became the property of the priests (see Lev. 10:14, 15), so in this case the entire carcass became theirs.

19. A covenant of salt. An indissoluble covenant, one that never decays, a bond of sacred friendship. Salt, itself a preservative, is an appropriate symbol of that which is incorruptible. It is an emblem of a binding alliance, as when two men would eat bread and salt together. Salt was always added to the sacrifices made to the Lord (Lev. 2:13; Mark 9:49).

20. No inheritance in their land. That is, the Levites received no territorial inheritance in the Holy Land as did the other tribes. Aaron himself did not enter into the Holy Land, but this statement is made to him as the representative of the Levites. Certain sacred dues were to take the place of a landed inheritance.

I am thy part. The priests were devoted altogether to God (Deut. 10:9). On their part, the people were to manifest a spirit of generosity toward their brethren the priests, who had not been provided with a landed inheritance (see Deut. 12:12; Joshua 13:14). The priests lived from God’s altar and were fed, as it were, at God’s table.

21. All the tenth. As a reward for their service the Levites were to receive a tenth part of all produce (vs. 26, 30). In Heb. 7:5 the payment of tithes enters into the argument that the Aaronic priesthood was inferior to the priesthood of Christ.

22. Bear sin, and die. Members of the congregation were not to presume to approach the tabernacle with the idea of engaging in any work of the priesthood or of the Levites, lest they die.

23. Bear their iniquity. If the Levites should allow an unauthorized person to do their work for them, they themselves would suffer the penalty due the perpetrator of the offense.

24. As an heave offering. That the people might be willing to give their tithes to the Levites, these are represented as “an heave offering” unto Jehovah. This does not mean that the ritual of heave offerings was followed, but rather that the tithes were to be offered to God, and that He in turn gave them to the Levites.

26. When ye take. A confirmation to Moses (v. 25) of the words spoken to Aaron (v. 20).

Ye shall offer up. The Levites themselves were to give a tithe of what they received from the tithes of Israel.

A tenth part of the tithe. Literally, “a tithe from the tithe.”

27. Heave offering. The Levites’ contribution, which was to be made to the priests, was a tenth part of the tithe that was their income.

Reckoned unto you. Compare Lev. 7:18, where the same word is translated “imputed.” It is used also of the faith of Abraham (Gen. 15:6, literally, “counted”).

As though it were. The Levites had no corn or wine of their own, but were to tithe their income as if it were from their own threshing floor or wine press.

28. To Aaron the priest. Non-Levites were much more numerous than the Levites, nearly 30 to 1 (see chs. 2:32; 3:39). This meant that the Levites were well provided for indeed. It was therefore fitting that as the Levites received tithes from the people, they in turn should pay tithes to the priests.

29. Out of all your gifts. Out of all that came to their hand the Levites were to make their offering to the priests.

Of all the best. Nothing less than the best could be offered to God.

Hallowed part thereof. This was the tithe, the Lord’s part (Lev. 27:30).

31. In every place. Not in some designated “holy place.”

Your reward. It was under their control, to be used for the home, partaken of by the whole household, or sold to purchase other things (see Matt. 10:10; Luke 10:7; 1 Cor. 9:4; 1 Tim. 5:18).

32. Bear no sin. They would suffer no blame by using it for their own purposes and needs.

Heaved. After they had taken out the tenth part for God.

Pollute the holy things. There would be no pollution, with its attendant penalty, from their putting to personal and non-religious use the remainder of the tithes they had received.

Lest ye die. Literally, “and not shall ye die,” as indeed those did who put holy things to a common use.

Ellen G. White comments

12  AA 337; 4T 77

15, 16  PP 277

20   6T 312

21   CS 71, 103; PP 530; WM 275, 277