Deuteronomy 18:1

Priests and Levites

1 Neither the levitical priests nor any Levite tribe member will have a designated inheritance in Israel. They can eat the sacrifices offered to the LORD, which are the LORD's portion,

Deuteronomy 18:1 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 18:1

The priests, the Levites, and all the tribe of Levi, shall have
no part nor inheritance with Israel
That is, in the land of Canaan, in the division of it among the tribes:

they shall eat the offerings of the Lord made by fire, and his
inheritance;
the meat offerings, see ( Leviticus 2:2 Leviticus 2:3 ) ( Leviticus 6:17 Leviticus 6:18 ) , and whatsoever of the sin offerings and peace offerings which were the Lord's; so Ben Melech says, the flesh of the offerings which belonged to the priests was called fire offerings, after part of it was consumed by fire. All these, with other things, ( Numbers 18:8 Numbers 18:9 ) , were given, as the Targum of Jonathan expresses it, for their inheritance, in lieu of their having none in the land of Canaan.

Deuteronomy 18:1 In-Context

1 Neither the levitical priests nor any Levite tribe member will have a designated inheritance in Israel. They can eat the sacrifices offered to the LORD, which are the LORD's portion,

2 but they won't share an inheritance with their fellow Israelites. The LORD alone is the Levites' inheritance—just as God promised them.

3 Now this is what the priests may keep from the people's sacrifices of oxen or sheep: They must give the priest the shoulder, the jaws, and the stomach.

4 You must also give the priest the first portions of your grain, wine, and oil, and the first of your sheep's shearing

5 because the LORD your God selected Levi from all of your tribes to stand and minister in the LORD's name—both him and his descendants for all time.

Footnotes

• [a]. Heb uncertain