And the Lord spake unto Moses ,.... And not unto Aaron, because a tithe out of the tithe was to be given to Aaron, as Aben Ezra observes, and it was not so proper that he should have this order to deliver to the Levites, in which he and his sons were so much concerned, and therefore it was given to Moses to acquaint them of it: saying ; as follows. read more
Thus speak unto the Levites, and say unto them ,.... Aaron was to tell them what a provision would be made for them on account of their service, but Moses was to inform them what part Aaron was to have out of it: when ye take of the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them for your inheritance ; which was done at the time of their harvest, and of the ingathering of the fruits of the earth: then ye shall offer up an heave offering of it for the Lord ; in token of... read more
And this your heave offering ,.... The tithe of the tithe, which though not properly heaved or lifted up, as the heave offerings, strictly so called, were, any more than the tithe itself, Numbers 18:24 ; yet is so called, because separated to the use and service of the Lord, as they were: shall be reckoned unto you, as though it were the corn of the threshingfloor, and as the fulness of the winepress ; that is, it should be as acceptable to God as if they had fields and vineyards,... read more
Thus you also shall offer an heave offering unto the Lord ,.... As the Israelites did when they paid tithes to them, Numbers 18:24 , of all your tithes which ye receive of the children of Israel ; which heave offering was a tenth part of them: and ye shall give thereof the Lord's heave offering to Aaron the priest ; that is, the said tenth part of the tithe was to be given not to Aaron only, as the high priest, as some have thought, and so to his successors in the high priesthood;... read more
Out of all your gifts ye shall offer every heave offering of the Lord ,.... Not only out of their tithes, but out of whatsoever gifts were given by the Israelites to them, and out of the produce of the fields which belonged to their cities, Numbers 35:4 ; the Levites were to take a tenth, and bring it to the Lord as an heave offering; that is, they were to give it to the priests, to testify their gratitude for everything they had, and to sanctify the rest unto them, and confirm their right... read more
Therefore thou shalt say unto them ,.... The Targum of Jonathan is,"thou shalt say to them the priests;'but the words seem manifestly spoken to the Levites: when ye have heaved the best thereof from it ; taken out the tenth part of it, and that the best: then it shall be counted unto the Levites as the increase of the threshing floor, and as the increase of the wine press ; then what remains shall be reckoned as much their own, and may be as lawfully enjoyed, as the corn of the... read more
Thus ye also shall offer a heave-offering - As the Levites had the tithe of the whole land, they themselves were obliged to give the tithe of this tithe to the priests, so that this considerably lessened their revenue. And this tithe or tenth they were obliged to select from the best part of the substance they had received, Numbers 18:29 , etc. A portion of all must be given to God, as an evidence of his goodness, and their dependence on him. See the end at Numbers 20:28 . read more
Verse 25 25.And the Lord spake unto Moses. This is another kind of tithe, i.e., a hundredth part of the whole produce, which the Levites paid to the priests. Some reckon a third kind; but I have given my reasons why I do not agree with this opinion. Assuredly it is not probable that in the same year double tithes were exacted and paid. Let this twofold division, therefore, be enough for us. A larger portion was given to the priests, not only as an honorable distinction, but. because greater... read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Numbers 18:20-32
Here is a further account of the provision that was made both for the Levites and for the priests, out of the country. I. They must have no inheritance in the land; only cities to dwell in were afterwards allowed them, but no ground to occupy: Thou shalt not have any part among them, Num. 18:20. It is repeated again Num. 18:23; and again Num. 18:24; Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance, either by purchase or descent. God would have them comfortably provided for, but... read more