¹sn This chapter and the next may have been inserted here to explain how the priests are to function because in the preceding chapter Aaron’s position was affirmed. The chapter seems to fall into four units: responsibilities of priests (vv. 1-7), their portions (vv. 8-19), responsibilities of Levites (vv. 20-24), and instructions for Levites (vv. 25-32).
²tn Heb “your father’s house.”
³sn The responsibility for the sanctuary included obligations relating to any violation of the sanctuary. This was stated to forestall any further violations of the sanctuary. The priests were to pay for any ritual errors, primarily if any came too near. Since the priests and Levites come near all the time, they risk violating ritual laws more than any. So, with the great privileges come great responsibilities. The bottom line is that they were responsible for the sanctuary.
⁴sn The verb forms a wordplay on the name Levi, and makes an allusion to the naming of the tribe Levi by Leah in the book of Genesis. There Leah hoped that with the birth of Levi her husband would be attached to her. Here, with the selection of the tribe to serve in the sanctuary, there is the wordplay again showing that the Levites will be attached to Aaron and the priests. The verb is yillawu (WwL*y]), which forms a nice wordplay with Lewi (yw]l@). The tribe will now be attached to the sanctuary. The verb is the imperfect with a vav that shows volitive sequence after the imperative, here indicating a purpose clause.
⁵tn The clause is a circumstantial clause because the disjunctive vav is on a nonverb to start the clause.
⁶tn Now the sentence uses the Niphal perfect with a vav consecutive from the same root lawah (hwl).
⁷tn The word is “stranger, alien”; but it can also mean Israelites here.
⁸tn The clause is a purpose clause, and the imperfect tense a final imperfect.
⁹tn Heb “taken.”
¹⁰tn The infinitive construct in this sentence is from ‘abad (dbu), and so is the noun that serves as its object: to serve the service.
¹¹tn This is an uncommon root. It may be connected to the word “anoint” as here (see RSV). But it may also be seen as an intended parallel to “perpetual due” (see Gen 47:22; Exod 29:28; Lev 6:11 [HT]).
¹²tn Heb “from the fire.” It probably refers to those parts that were not burned.
¹³tn This form may be classified as a perfect of resolve—he has decided to give them to them, even though this is a listing of what they will receive.
¹⁴tn The “ban” (<r\j@, herem) in Hebrew describes that which is exclusively the Lord’s, either for his sanctuary use, or for his destruction. It seems to refer to an individual’s devoting something freely to God.
¹⁵tn The construction uses the infinitive absolute and the imperfect tense of the verb “to redeem” in order to stress the point—they were to be redeemed. Snaith suggests that the verb means to get by payment what was not originally yours, whereas the other root ga’al means to get back what was originally yours (Numbers, 268).
¹⁶tn Or “throw, toss.”
¹⁷sn Salt was used in all the offerings; its importance as a preservative made it a natural symbol for the covenant which was established by sacrifice. Even general agreements were attested by sacrifice, and the phrase “covenant of salt” speaks of such agreements as binding and irrevocable. Note the expression in Ezra 4:14, “we have been salted with the salt of the palace.” See further J. F. Ross, “Salt,” IDB 4:167.
¹⁸tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive construct of the verb “to bear” with the lamed preposition to express the result of such an action. “To bear their sin” would mean that they would have to suffer the consequences of their sin.
¹⁹tn The verse begins with the perfect tense of ‘abad (dbu) with vav consecutive, making the form equal to the instructions preceding it. As its object the verb has the cognate accusative “service.”
²⁰sn The Levites have the care of the tent of meeting, and so they are responsible for any transgressions against it.
²¹tn The Hebrew text uses both the verb and the object from the same root to stress the point: they will not inherit an inheritance. The inheritance refers to land.
²²tn The classification of the perfect tense here too could be the perfect of resolve, since this law is declaring what will be their portion—“I have decided to give.”
²³tn In the Hebrew text the verb has no expressed subject (although the “Israelites” is certainly intended), and so it can be rendered as a passive.
²⁴tn The verb in this clause is the Hiphil perfect with a vav consecutive; it has the same force as an imperfect of instruction: “when…then you are to offer up.”
²⁵tn The verb is hasab, “to reckon; to count; to think”; it is the same verb used for “crediting” Abram with righteousness. Here the tithe of the priests will be counted as if it were a regular tithe.
²⁶tn Heb “fullness,” meaning the fullness of the harvest, i.e., a full harvest.
²⁷tn The construction is “every raised offering of the Lord”; the genitive here is probably to be taken as a genitive of worth—the offering that is due the Lord.
²⁸tn Or “its hallowed thing.”
²⁹tn The wording of this verse is confusing; it may be that it is addressed to the priests, telling them how to deal with the offerings of the Levites.
³⁰tn The clause begins with the infinitive construct with its preposition and suffixed subject serving to indicate the temporal clause.
³¹tn The verb is the perfect tense with vav consecutive; it functions as the equivalent of the imperfect of permission.
³²tn The final clause could also be rendered “in order that you do not die.” The larger section can also be interpreted differently; rather than take it as a warning, it could be taken as an assurance that when they do all of this they will not be profaning it and so will not die (R. K. Harrison, Numbers, 253).