Numbers 18:1-7

Duties of Levites

1 So the LORD said to Aaron, "You and your sons and your father's household with you shall ¹bear the guilt in connection with the sanctuary, and you and your sons with you shall bear the guilt in connection with your priesthood.

2 "But bring with you also your brothers, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, that they may be ²joined with you and serve you, while you and your sons with you are before the tent of the testimony.

3 "And they shall thus attend to your obligation and the obligation of all the tent, but ³they shall not come near to the furnishings of the sanctuary and ⁴the altar, or both they and you will die.

4 "They shall be joined with you and attend to the obligations of the tent of meeting, for all the service of the tent; but an outsider may not come near you.

5 "So you shall attend to the ⁵obligations of the sanctuary and the obligations of the altar, ⁶so that there will no longer be wrath on the sons of Israel.

6 "Behold, I Myself ⁷have taken your fellow Levites from among the sons of Israel; they are ⁸a gift to you, dedicated to the LORD, to perform the service for the tent of meeting.

7 "But you and your sons with you shall ⁹attend to your priesthood for everything concerning the altar and inside * the veil, and you are to perform service. I am giving you the priesthood as ¹⁰a bestowed service, but ¹¹the outsider who comes near shall be put to death."

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Numbers 18:1-7 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO NUMBERS 18

This chapter gives an account of the distinct work and service of the priests and Levites, Nu 18:1-7; and of several things given to the priests for their maintenance, Nu 18:8-19; and of the tithes the Levites should have to live upon, since they were to have no inheritance in the land of Israel, Nu 18:20-24; and of the tenth out of those tithes they were to give to the high priest, Nu 18:25-32.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 11

1. Exodus 28:38; Leviticus 10:17; Leviticus 22:16
2. Numbers 3:5-10
3. Numbers 4:15-20
4. Numbers 1:51; Numbers 18:7
5. Exodus 27:21; Leviticus 24:3
6. Numbers 16:46
7. Numbers 3:12, 45
8. Numbers 3:9
9. Exodus 29:9
10. Numbers 18:20; Deuteronomy 18:2; Matthew 10:8; 1 Peter 5:2, 3
11. Numbers 1:51

Footnotes 7

[a]. Lit "of the sanctuary"
[b]. Lit "of your priesthood"
[c]. Lit "a stranger"
[d]. Lit "brethren the"
[e]. Lit "given"
[f]. Lit "service of gift"
[g]. Lit "stranger"