Números 18

BLIVRE · Chapter 18/36

1E o SENHOR disse a Arão: Tu e teus filhos, e a casa de teu pai contigo, levareis o pecado do santuário: e tu e teus filhos contigo levareis o pecado de vosso sacerdócio.

2E a teus irmãos também, a tribo de Levi, a tribo de teu pai, faze-os chegar a ti, e juntem-se contigo, e te servirão; e tu e teus filhos contigo servireis diante do tabernáculo do testemunho.

3E guardarão o que tu ordenares, e o cargo de todo o tabernáculo: mas não chegarão aos utensílios santos nem ao altar, para que não morram eles e vós.

4Eles se juntarão, pois, contigo, e terão o cargo do tabernáculo do testemunho em todo o serviço do tabernáculo; nenhum estranho se há de chegar a vós.

5E tereis a guarda do santuário, e a guarda do altar, para que não seja mais a ira sobre os filhos de Israel.

6Porque eis que eu tomei os vossos irmãos, os levitas, dentre os filhos de Israel, são dados a vós como presente da parte do SENHOR, para que sirvam no ministério do tabernáculo do testemunho.

7Porém tu e teus filhos contigo guardareis vosso sacerdócio em todo negócio do altar, e do véu dentro, e ministrareis. Eu vos dei como presente o serviço de vosso sacerdócio; e o estranho que se aproximar morrerá.

8Disse mais o SENHOR a Arão: Eis que eu te dei também a guarda de minhas ofertas: todas as coisas consagradas dos filhos de Israel te dei por razão da unção, e a teus filhos, por estatuto perpétuo.

9Isto será teu da oferta das coisas santas separadas do fogo: toda oferta deles, toda oferta de alimentos deles, e toda expiação pelo pecado deles, que me restituirão, será coisa santíssima para ti e para os teus filhos.

10No santuário a comerás; todo homem comerá dela: coisa santa será para ti.

11Isto também será teu: a oferta elevada de suas doações, e todas as ofertas movidas dos filhos de Israel, dei a ti, e aos teus filhos, e às tuas filhas contigo, por estatuto perpétuo; todo o limpo na tua casa comerá delas.

12De azeite, e de mosto, e de trigo, tudo o mais escolhido, as primícias disso, que apresentarão ao SENHOR, a ti as dei.

13As primícias de todas as coisas da terra deles, as quais trarão ao SENHOR, serão tuas: todo limpo em tua casa comerá delas.

14Todo o consagrado por voto em Israel será teu.

15Todo o que abrir madre em toda carne que oferecerão ao SENHOR, tanto de homens como de animais, será teu: mas farás resgatar o primogênito do homem: também farás resgatar o primogênito de animal impuro.

16E de um mês farás efetuar o resgate deles, conforme tua avaliação, por preço de cinco siclos, ao siclo do santuário, que é de vinte óbolos.

17Mas o primogênito de vaca, e o primogênito de ovelha, e o primogênito de cabra, não resgatarás; são santificados; o sangue deles espargirás sobre o altar, e queimarás a gordura deles, como oferta queimada em cheiro suave ao SENHOR.

18E a carne deles será tua: como o peito da oferta movida e como a coxa direita, será tua.

19Todas as ofertas elevadas das coisas santas, que os filhos de Israel oferecerem ao SENHOR, dei-as a ti, e a teus filhos e a tuas filhas contigo, por estatuto perpétuo: pacto de sal perpétuo é diante do SENHOR para ti e para tua descendência contigo.

20E o SENHOR disse a Arão: Da terra deles não terás herança, nem entre eles terás parte: Eu sou tua parte e tua herança em meio dos filhos de Israel.

21E eis que eu dei aos filhos de Levi todos os dízimos em Israel por herança, por seu ministério, porquanto eles servem no ministério do tabernáculo do testemunho.

22E não chegarão mais os filhos de Israel ao tabernáculo do testemunho, para que não levem pecado, pelo qual morram.

23Mas os levitas farão o serviço do tabernáculo do testemunho, e eles levarão sua iniquidade: estatuto perpétuo por vossas gerações; e não possuirão herança entre os filhos de Israel.

24Porque aos levitas dei por herança os dízimos dos filhos de Israel, que oferecerão ao SENHOR em oferta; pelo qual lhes disse: Entre os filhos de Israel não possuirão herança.

25E falou o SENHOR a Moisés, dizendo:

26Assim falarás aos levitas, e lhes dirás: Quando receberdes dos filhos de Israel os dízimos que da parte deles vos dei por vossa herança, deles oferecereis em oferta movida ao SENHOR, o dízimo dos dízimos.

27E a vossa oferta vos será contada como o grão da eira, e como a plenitude da prensa de uvas.

28Assim também vós oferecereis uma oferta ao SENHOR de todos os vossos dízimos que receberdes dos filhos de Israel; e deles dareis a oferta do SENHOR ao sacerdote Arão.

29De todas as vossas doações oferecereis toda oferta ao SENHOR; de todo o melhor delas oferecereis a porção que será consagrada.

30E lhes dirás: Quando oferecerdes o melhor delas, será contado aos levitas por fruto da eira, e como produto da prensa de uvas.

31E o comereis em qualquer lugar, vós e vossa família; pois é vossa remuneração por vosso ministério no tabernáculo do testemunho.

32E quando vós houverdes oferecido disso o melhor seu, não levareis por ele pecado: e não haveis de contaminar as coisas santas dos filhos de Israel, e não morrereis.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

God clearly establishes the responsibilities and provision for the priests and Levites: they receive portions of the people's offerings as their means of living, since they would have no inheritance of land like the other tribes, and the Levites in turn give a tithe of what they receive to the priests.

Explanation

This chapter practically organizes the support of those serving full-time in religious ministry: with no land of their own to farm, priests and Levites depended directly on the people's offerings, creating an interdependence that united the whole nation around worship of God. The statement that 'the LORD is your portion and your inheritance' (v. 20) to Aaron is one of the most beautiful affirmations in the Bible about finding identity and security in relationship with God rather than in material possessions. The principle of the 'tithe of the tithe' (Levites giving a portion of what they received to the priests) shows a chain of generosity at multiple levels within the religious structure itself. The application for today: supporting those who serve the faith community full-time is a consistent biblical principle, not merely a modern practice.

Fun facts

  • The phrase 'I am your portion and your inheritance' (v. 20), spoken to Aaron, is echoed almost literally by the psalmist in Psalms 16:5 and 73:26, showing how this idea became a lasting spiritual expression of trusting in God above material possessions.
  • This system of priestly support through tithes and offerings is cited by Paul in the New Testament (1 Corinthians 9:13-14) as a precedent for supporting those who work in gospel ministry.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Números 18:1Answering directly the people’s fear at the end of the previous chapter, God explains to Aaron that responsibility for any wrong related to the sanctuary falls on him and his priestly family, not on the common people.
  2. Números 18:2Aaron was to bring his own relatives, the tribe of Levi, near to help him, while he and his sons remained directly responsible for the tent of the testimony.
  3. Números 18:3The Levites would take care of the tent in general, but could not come near the sacred objects or the altar, under penalty of death both for them and for the priests.
  4. Números 18:4They would join Aaron in caring for all the service of the tent of the congregation, but no outsider, from outside the tribe of Levi, could come near.
  5. Números 18:5It fell specifically to Aaron and his sons to care for the sanctuary and the altar, precisely so that a tragedy like Korah’s would never happen again.
  6. Números 18:6God reinforces that the Levites were taken from among the people as a gift to Aaron, given to serve in the work of the tent of the congregation.
  7. Números 18:7The priesthood itself, everything related to the altar and the innermost space of the tent, was exclusive to Aaron and his sons; any outsider who came near would die.
  8. Números 18:8God also explains to Aaron that he would receive a portion of the heave offerings and the holy things brought by the people, as a permanent provision tied to his anointing as priest.
  9. Números 18:9Of the most holy things, everything left over from the offerings, grain offerings, sin offerings, and guilt offerings, would be food reserved only for Aaron and his sons.
  10. Números 18:10This portion was to be eaten in a most holy place, and only the men of the priestly family could eat it, since it was considered sacred.
  11. Números 18:11Besides that, the heave portion of the people’s offerings also belonged to Aaron’s family, including his daughters, as long as they were ritually clean to eat it.
  12. Números 18:12The best of the oil, the new wine, and the wheat, the firstfruits offered to the Lord, were also given to Aaron.
  13. Números 18:13The first ripe fruits of everything the land produced, brought to the Lord, belonged to Aaron, and anyone clean in his household could eat of them.
  14. Números 18:14Everything formally devoted to God in Israel also belonged to Aaron.
  15. Números 18:15Every firstborn, whether of humans or animals, belonged to God, but this did not mean human sacrifice: firstborn sons had to be redeemed with money, and unclean animals, which could not be offered, were also redeemed this way. Only the firstborn of clean animals were actually offered up.
  16. Números 18:16Whoever needed to redeem a firstborn from a month old paid five shekels of silver, calculated by the official weight of the sanctuary shekel.
  17. Números 18:17But the firstborn of a cow, sheep, or goat could not be redeemed: they were considered holy and were to be sacrificed, with the blood sprinkled on the altar and the fat burned as an offering.
  18. Números 18:18The meat of these sacrificed animals went to Aaron, the same way the breast and the right thigh of other wave offerings did.
  19. Números 18:19The phrase “a covenant of salt for ever” was an ancient way of saying that agreement was permanent and reliable, because salt was used as a preservative and a symbol of something that does not spoil or change. It is an image that appears a few times in the Bible to reinforce that a promise was final.
  20. Números 18:20God tells Aaron that he would have no land of his own as an inheritance among the tribes, because the Lord Himself would be his inheritance and his portion.
  21. Números 18:21Since the Levites received no land of their own in Canaan, God determines that they would live off the tithes given by the rest of the people. It was their system of support: in exchange for the work of managing worship at the tabernacle, they received a fixed share of what the other tribes produced.
  22. Números 18:22After all this was arranged, ordinary Israelites were no longer to come near the tent of the congregation, so as not to risk dying because of it.
  23. Números 18:23It fell exclusively to the Levites to perform this service, and they would bear any responsibility tied to it, without receiving land of their own as an inheritance.
  24. Números 18:24The practical reason the Levites had no land is that they received the tithes of the people as their own form of support and inheritance.
  25. Números 18:25The Lord speaks once more to Moses, now to explain a specific rule about what the Levites themselves were to do with the tithes they received.
  26. Números 18:26The Levites also had to set apart a portion of what they received: a tithe of the tithe, offered to the Lord.
  27. Números 18:27This offering from the Levites would count as if it were produce of the harvest, equivalent to grain from the threshing floor or wine from the winepress.
  28. Números 18:28So the Levites also presented their portion to the Lord, handing over this specific offering to Aaron the priest.
  29. Números 18:29Of everything they received, the Levites were to set apart the best as the holy portion belonging to the Lord.
  30. Números 18:30Once that best portion was set apart, the rest counted normally as belonging to the Levites, as the produce of their own harvest.
  31. Números 18:31The Levites could eat the rest anywhere, together with their families, since that was payment for their work at the tent of the congregation.
  32. Números 18:32As long as they correctly set apart the best portion for the Lord, the Levites committed no sin in eating the rest, avoiding profaning the holy things of the people.

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