34 matching verse commentaries
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
INTRODUCTION TO Numbers 18 This chapter gives an account of the distinct work and service of the priests and Levites, Numbers 18:1; and of several things given to the priests for their maintenance, Numbers 18:8; and of the tithes the Levites should have to live upon, since they were to have no inheritance in the land of Israel, Numbers 18:20; and...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And the Lord spake unto Aaron,.... As the things spoken were such as concerned Aaron, he might be only and immediately spoken unto: thou, and thy sons, and thy father's house with thee; meaning both priests and Levites, the priests by him and his sons, and the Levites by his father's house: shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary; the blame of...
Matthew Henry - Complete Commentary - Matthew Henry
Aaron being now fully established in the priesthood abundantly to his own satisfaction, and to the satisfaction of the people (which was the good that God brought out of the evil opposition made to him), in this chapter God gives him full instructions concerning his office or rather repeats those which he had before given him. He tells him, I....
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And to thy brethren also of the tribe of Levi, the tribe of thy father,.... For his father Amram was of that tribe, and so the Levites were his brethren, as he is directed to consider them; which might serve to conciliate their minds, and make them easy with respect to his enjoyment of the priesthood: bring them with thee; into the court of the...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And they shall keep thy charge, and the charge of all the tabernacle,.... That is, the Levites, whatever Aaron and his sons, the priests, should charge them to do, or commit to their care and charge, that they should observe; as to watch and keep out all unfit persons, to take down and set up the tabernacle when needful, c. only they shall not...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And they shall be joined unto thee,.... As assistants in the sacred service: and keep the charge of tabernacle of the congregation, for all the service of the tabernacle; [See comments on Numbers 3:7] and [See comments on Numbers 3:8]; and a stranger shall not come nigh unto you; not any of the other tribes, only such as were of the tribe of Levi;...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And ye shall keep the charge of the sanctuary,.... That is, the priests, Aaron and his sons; the high priest was to keep the charge of the most holy place particularly, and do what was to be done in that on the day of atonement; and the common priests to keep the charge of the holy place, and do everything relating to the altar of incense, the...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And I, behold, I have taken your brethren the Levites, from among the children of Israel,.... [See comments on Numbers 3:12]; where the same is said, only they, are here called the brethren of the priests for the reason given, Numbers 18:2; to you [they are] given [as] a gift for the Lord, to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation;...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Therefore thou and thy sons with thee shall keep your priest's office,.... Observe all the duties of it, and keep out others from intruding into it: for everything of the altar: both of incense and of burnt offering with respect to burning incense on the one, and offering sacrifices on the other; both were to be done by priests, and by no other:...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And the Lord spake unto Aaron,.... Having pointed out to him the duty of his office, he now informs him of the perquisites of it; or having told him what was his work, now what his wages, or what was his service, and now his maintenance: behold, I also have given thee the charge of my heave offerings, of all the hallowed things of the children of...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
This shall be thine of the most holy things,.... For, as observed, there were some lighter and lesser holy things or sacrifices, and others superlatively so: and those are begun with, such as were [reserved] from the fire; those parts of sacrifices which were not burnt with fire on the altar of burnt offerings: every oblation of theirs; which is a...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
In the most holy [place] shalt thou eat it,.... Not in the holy of holies, eminently so called, nor in the holy place, for they were neither of them places to eat in; but in the tent of the congregation, as Aben Ezra, or court, as Jarchi; called most holy, in distinction from and in comparison of the camp of Israel, and their tents, as afterwards...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And this [is] thine,.... What follow, which appertained to the priests, are the less or lighter holy things: the heave offering of their gift: the right shoulder, given to the priest for an heave offering of the sacrifices of peace offerings, Leviticus 7:32; according to Jarchi, it was what was lifted up or heaved from the thank offering, the...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
All the best of the oil, and all the best of the wine, and of the wheat,.... Or the "fat" (i) of them; the fat of anything being the best, see Deuteronomy 32:14; the firstfruits of them: the oil, and wine, and wheat: which they shall offer unto the Lord, them have I given thee; this Jarchi calls the great heave offering, the firstfruits of their...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
[And] whatsoever is first ripe in the land,.... Of any other sort of fruit, figs, pomegranates, apples, plums, pears, c. besides olives and vines which they shall bring unto the Lord, shall be thine; which they shall bring in a basket to the tabernacle, where it was, or to the temple, when built: this the priests were to have, see Deuteronomy...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Every thing devoted in Israel shall be thine. Fields, houses, cattle, c. if absolutely devoted to the Lord, they were the priest's but if devoted to certain uses, they were appropriated to those uses, as the repairs of the temple, &c. see Leviticus 27:1.
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Every thing that openeth the matrix in all flesh,.... The firstborn of every creature: which they bring unto the Lord; as they were obliged, he claiming it as his own, Exodus 13:2; [whether it be] of men or beasts, shall be thine; every firstborn of either, being the Lord's, became the priest's by his gift: nevertheless, the firstborn of man shalt...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And those that are to be redeemed,.... Which is to be understood not of unclean beasts last mentioned, for they were redeemed with lambs and not with money; and after they were eight days and not a month old, as follows, Exodus 13:13; but of the firstborn of men: from a month old shalt thou redeem, according to thine estimation: that is, take the...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
But the firstling of a cow, or the firstling of a sheep, or the firstling of a goat, thou shalt not redeem,.... That is, shalt not take the redemption price for them, but the creatures themselves; which they, the priests, were to take for their own use: they [are] holy; separated to the Lord, and therefore not to be used in common by men, but were...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And the flesh of them shall be thine,.... For him and his family to eat of, whether blemished or perfect the Jews say (l): as the wave breast and as the right shoulder are thine: which were his part of the peace offerings, for him and his sons to eat of, Leviticus 7:34; and the Jews observe (m), that as the wave breast and heave shoulder of the...