Bilangan 18:20

Duties of the Levites

18:20 The Lord spoke to Aaron, “You will have no inheritance in their land, nor will you have any portion of property ¹  among them – I am your portion and your inheritance among the Israelites.

Ulangan 18:1-2

Provision for Priests and Levites

18:1 The Levitical priests ²  – indeed, the entire tribe of Levi – will have no allotment or inheritance with Israel; they may eat the burnt offerings of the Lord and of his inheritance. ³  18:2 They ⁴  will have no inheritance in the midst of their fellow Israelites; ⁵  the Lord alone is their inheritance, just as he had told them.

Yosua 13:33

13:33 However, Moses did not assign land as an inheritance ⁶  to the Levites; their inheritance ⁷  is the Lord God of Israel, as he instructed ⁸  them.

[18:20]  ¹ tn The phrase “of property” is supplied as a clarification.

[18:1]  ² tn The MT places the terms “priests” and “Levites” in apposition, thus creating an epexegetical construction in which the second term qualifies the first, i.e., “Levitical priests.” This is a way of asserting their legitimacy as true priests. The Syriac renders “to the priest and to the Levite,” making a distinction between the two, but one that is out of place here.

[18:1]  ³ sn Of his inheritance. This is a figurative way of speaking of the produce of the land the Lord will give to his people. It is the Lord’s inheritance, but the Levites are allowed to eat it since they themselves have no inheritance among the other tribes of Israel.

[18:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “he” (and throughout the verse).

[18:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “brothers,” but not referring to actual siblings. Cf. NASB “their countrymen”; NRSV “the other members of the community.”

[13:33]  ⁶ tn Heb “Moses did not assign an inheritance.” The word “land” has been supplied in the translation to clarify what the inheritance consisted of.

[13:33]  ⁷ tn That is, “their source of food and life.”

[13:33]  ⁸ tn Or “as he promised”; Heb “as he spoke to.”

[13:33]  sn For the background of this observation, see Deut 18:1-2.