Numbers 18:8

18:8-19 All believers are spiritual priests, and God has promised to take care of them. Godliness has the promise of the life that now is. And from the provision here made for the priests, the apostle shows that it is the duty of christian churches to maintain their ministers. Scandalous maintenance makes scandalous ministers. The priests were to be wholly devoted to their ministry, not diverted from it, or disturbed in it, by worldly care or business. Also, that they might be examples of living by faith, not only in God's providence, but in his ordinances. The best should be offered for the first-fruits unto the Lord. Those who think to save, by putting God off with the refuse, deceive themselves, for God is not mocked.

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 Israel; such as the heave shoulder and wave breast, and firstfruits, and all other holy things in general, such as were the most holy things; as in Numbers 18:9; and the lighter holy things, as the Jews call them, Numbers 18:11; the charge of these was given to keep for themselves, and for their families: unto thee have I given them by reason of the anointing: because of his office as a priest, to which he was consecrated by anointing: and to thy sons by an ordinance for ever; see Leviticus 7:34.

Numbers 18:8-9 . Having pointed out to him the duties of his function, now follows a detail of the emoluments annexed to it; which emoluments are expressly declared to be for Aaron and his sons — That is, for the high- priest, who undoubtedly had a principal portion, and for the inferior priests. I also have given thee the charge — I have bestowed them upon thee for thine use, with a charge that none have them but thyself. By reason of the anointing — Because thou art anointed with the sacred oil, and thereby consecrated to the office of priest, see Leviticus 8:12 . Most holy things — Such as were to be eaten only by the priests, and that in the sanctuary. Reserved from the fire — That is, such sacrifices, or parts of sacrifices, as were not burned in the fire. Which they shall render unto me — By way of compensation for a trespass committed against me, in which case a ram was to be offered, which was a most holy thing, and may be particularly designed here.

(8) The charge of mine heave offerings.— See Leviticus 7:34 , and Numbers 18:11 of this chapter. Unto thee have I given them by reason of the anointing.—Better, unto thee have I given them for an anointing portion. (See Leviticus 7:35, and Note.) By an ordinance for ever.—Better, as an eternal statute.

8 . A general statement that all the holy things of Israel are the property of the priests. This is afterwards limited by the regulations in the following verses. the charge of my contributions ] i.e. the contributions made to me. See on Numbers 18:9 . If ‘the charge’ (the ordinary rendering of the Heb. mishmereth ) is correct, the expression must mean ‘the duty of taking care that the contributions are not profaned through being eaten by non-priestly persons.’ But it is better to render that which is kept of my contributions , i.e. that portion of the sacrifice which is not burnt, but reserved to be eaten. This concrete force of the word mishmereth is unique, but not impossible. by reason of the anointing ] The marg. for a portion is correct. In Leviticus 7:35 a word from the same root is rendered ‘anointing-portion,’ but it is doubtful if it has any connexion with the root mâshaḥ which signifies ‘anoint.’ 8–20 . The priests’ dues . These are as follows: ( a ) All meal-, sin-, and guilt-offerings, with the exception of those parts which are burnt on the altar, i.e. given to God.

These may be eaten by any male member of the priestly families ‘in a very holy place’ ( Numbers 18:9-10 ). ( b ) Those portions of a ‘gift’ (i.e. a peace-offering) which are not eaten by the worshipper himself, nor given to God by being burnt on the altar; the priests’ portions thus consisted of the ‘contribution,’ including that part of it called the ‘wave-offering.’ These may be eaten by any member, male or female , of the priestly families, who is free from ceremonial pollution ( Numbers 18:11 ). The fact that females might eat it implies that it might be eaten anywhere outside the sacred precincts, into which no female was admitted, ( c ) All the best of the fresh oil, wine, and corn (further defined as ‘the first’ of them), and the first-ripe fruits. These may be eaten by the same persons as in ( b ) ( Numbers 18:12-13 ). ( d ) Every ‘devoted’ thing ( Numbers 18:14 ). ( e ) The first-born of all clean cattle ( Numbers 18:15 a), with the exception of the blood and fat which were given to God ( Numbers 18:17 ). ( f ) The five shekels paid for the redemption of the first-born of men, and the redemption price (amount not stated) of the first-born of unclean beasts ( Numbers 18:15 b, Num 18: 16).

Verse 8. - And the Lord spake unto Aaron. The charge and responsibility of the priests having been declared, the provision for their maintenance is now to be set forth. The charge, מִשְׁמֶרֶת , as in verse 5, &c.; but here it means "the keeping" for their own use (cf. Exodus 12:6 ). Mine heave offerings. תְּרוּמֹתָי . The possessive pronoun marks the fact that these did not belong to the priest in the first instance, although they naturally came to be looked on as his perquisites (cf. 1 Samuel 2:16 ), but were a gift to him from the Lord out of what the people had dedicated. The word terumoth must here be understood in its widest sense, as including everything which the Israelites dedicated or "lifted" of all their possessions, so far as these were not destroyed in the act of offering. Of all the hallowed things. The genitive of identity: "consisting of all the hallowed things." By reason of the anointing. Rather, "for a portion," לְמָשְׁחָה (see on Leviticus 7:35). The Septuagint has εἰς γέρας , "as an honour," or peculium. Numbers 18:8

Unto thee have I given them; not only the charge of them, but the use of them for thyself and family, in such manner as I have elsewhere expressed. The anointing, to wit, to the priestly office, i.e. because thou art priest, and art to devote thyself wholly to my service; which, that thou mayst perform more diligently and cheerfully, I give thee this recompence.

And the LORD spake unto Aaron, Behold, I also have given thee the charge of mine heave {d} offerings of all the hallowed things of the children of Israel; unto thee have I given them by reason of the anointing, and to thy sons, by an ordinance for ever. (d) As the first fruit, first born, and the tithes.

Nu 18:8-20. The Priests' Portion. 8-13. the Lord spake unto Aaron, Behold, I also have given thee the charge of my heave offerings—A recapitulation is made in this passage of certain perquisites specially appropriated to the maintenance of the priests. They were parts of the votive and freewill offerings, including both meat and bread, wine and oil, and the first-fruits, which formed a large and valuable item.

The Revenues of the Priests. - These are summed up in Numbers 18:8 in these words, "I give thee the keeping of My heave-offerings in all holy gifts for a portion, as an eternal statute." The notion of משׁמרת, keeping, as in Exodus 12:6 ; Exodus 16:23 , Exodus 16:32 , is defined in the second parallel clause as משׁחה, a portion (see at Leviticus 7:35 ). The priests were to keep all the heave-offerings, as the portion which belonged to them, out of the sacrificial gifts that the children of Israel offered to the Lord. תּרוּמת, heave-offerings (see at Exodus 25:2 , and Leviticus 2:9 ), is used here in the broadest sense, as including all the holy gifts (kodashim, see Leviticus 21:22 ) which the Israelites lifted off from their possessions and presented to the Lord (as in Numbers 5:9 ). Among these, for example, were, first of all, the most holy gifts in the meat-offerings, sin-offerings, and trespass-offerings ( Numbers 18:9 , Numbers 18:10 ; see at Leviticus 2:3 ). The burnt-offerings are not mentioned, because the whole of the flesh of these was burned upon the altar, and the skin alone fell to the portion of the priest ( Leviticus 7:8 ). "From the fire," sc., of the altar. אשׁ, fire, is equivalent to אשּׁה ot , firing (see Leviticus 1:9 ). These gifts they were to eat, as most holy, in a most holy place, i.e., in the court of the tabernacle (see Leviticus 6:9 , Leviticus 6:19 ; Leviticus 7:6 ), which is called "most holy" here, to lay a stronger emphasis upon the precept.