Deuteronomy 18:8

_AND IF A LEVITE COME FROM ANY OF THY GATES OUT OF ALL ISRAEL, WHERE HE SOJOURNED, AND COME WITH ALL THE DESIRE OF HIS MIND UNTO THE PLACE WHICH THE LORD SHALL CHOOSE;_ If a Levite come ... with all the desire of his mind. It appears that the Levites served in rotation from the earliest times; but, from their great numbers, it was only at distant intervals they could be called into actual service. Should any Levite, however, under the influence of eminent piety, resolve to devote himself wholly and continually to the sacred duties of the sanctuary, he was allowed to realize his ardent wishes; and as he was admitted to a share of the work, so also to a share of the remuneration. Though he might have a private property, that was to form no ground for withholding or even diminishing his claim to maintenance like the other ministering priests. The reason or principle of the enactment is obv...

1-8 Care is taken that the priests entangle not themselves with the affairs of this life, nor enrich themselves with the wealth of this world; they have better things to mind. Care is likewise taken that they want not the comforts and conveniences of this life. The people must provide for them. He that has the benefit of solemn religious assemblies, ought to give help for the comfortable support of those that minister in such assemblies....

Verse Deuteronomy 18:8. _THE SALE OF HIS PATRIMONY._] So we find that, though the Levites might have no part of the land by lot, yet they were permitted to make purchases of houses, goods, and cattle, yea, of fields also. See the case of Abiathar, 1 Kings 2:26, and of Jeremiah, Jeremiah 32:7....

These verses presuppose that part of the Levites only will be in residence and officiating at the place of the sanctuary, the others of course dwelling at their own homes in the Levitical cities, or “sojourning” elsewhere; compare the marginal references. But if any Levite out of love for the service of the sanctuary chose to resort to it when he might reside in his own home, he was to have his share in the maintenance which was provided for those ministering in the order of their course. Deuteronomy 18:8 BESIDE THAT WHICH COMETH OF THE SALE OF HIS PATRIMONY - The Levites had indeed “no part nor inheritance with Israel,” but they might individually possess property, and in fact often did so (compare 1 Kings 2:26;...

EXPOSITION RIGHTS OF THE PRIESTS AND THE LEVITES. THE ARTS OF DIVINATION OF THE HEATHEN TO BE AVOIDED. PROPHETS PROMISED WHOM ISRAEL MUST HEAR. THE FALSE AND PRESUMPTUOUS PROPHET TO BE PUT TO DEATH. DEUTERONOMY 18:1 After the ruling powers, the judges and the king, come the priests and the

THEY SHALL HAVE LIKE PORTIONS TO EAT,.... Equal parts of the sacrifices with the priests that usually ministered there; hence we learn, says Jarchi, that they divided the skins and flesh of the sin offerings; perhaps even such as did not come by virtue of the feast, as the daily sacrifices, and the additions of the sabbath, and the vows, and the freewill offerings: BESIDE THAT WHICH COMETH BY THE SALE OF HIS PATRIMONY: for though the priests and Levites had no inheritance divided to them in the land, yet they might buy houses and fields, and leave them to their children, and this may be called their patrimony; now it was not reasonable that they should wholly live upon this, or spend what their fathers left them; but, besides the income of that, were to have their part and portion with their brethren in the sacrifices of the sanctuary. But some interpret these words in a different way,...

14. THE RIGHTS OF THE PRIESTS AND THE LEVITES, THE TRUE AND THE FALSE PROPHET CHAPTER 18 _ 1. The rights of the priests and Levites (Deuteronomy 18:1)_ 2. Forbidden things (Deuteronomy 18:9) kite hate is stirred up in his wicked heart, and he became full of wrath. An unseen being, he who is the murderer from the beginning, told him to make this occasion for destroying all the Jews in the Persian Empire. Esther 3:7. And now Haman waits on his unseen master, the devil. They cast the lot before Haman, from day to day, and from month to month, to the twelfth month, which is the month Adar. He wanted to find out the month which would be best suited for the execution of his wicke

The Levites (_i.e._ the disestablished local priests, see Deuteronomy 10:9 *) are on coming to Jerusalem to be accorded the status and emoluments of the priests of the central sanctuary. Contrast 2 Kings 23:9; perhaps the indiscriminate application of this law was found impracticable. Deuteronomy 18:8. beside. patrimony: read and render (with Steuernagel) except those who acted as heathen priests and practised necromancy. The change in the Heb. is insignificant; the MT is bad Heb. and gives no suitable sense....

_They shall have_ Sam. LXX: _he shall have_. _beside that which cometh of the sale of his patrimony_ a paraphrase of the difficult Heb.: _beside his sales_, or realised _values_, or _prices, on the fathers_(LXX, πλὴν τῆς πράσεως τῆς κατὰ πατριάν). EVV."s paraphrase is generally accepted; cp. Jeremiah 32:6-15; Jeremiah 37:12 (R.V.), which shows a priest from a rural sanctuary, who had removed to Jerusalem, possessing money of his own and by right of redemption able to buy land which a relative desired to sell. Dillm., rejecting the usual interpretation as too obvious, proposes -the money which he realised on such dues as had fallen to him from the families to whom he ministered at his home." A certain solution of the difficulty is hardly possible. Either we have an

_VER._ 6-8. _AND IF A LEVITE_— i.e. One of the tribe of Levi, whether priest or Levite: Shall _come with all the desire of his mind; i.e._ with a sincere desire to consecrate himself entirely to the service of the sanctuary, and to fix his abode in the same place with the sanctuary; _then he shall minister in the name of the Lord,_ ver. 7 or, _he shall minister_ to _the name of the Lord,_ as in the LXX; i.e. he shall continually attend at the altar, to perform the service of the sanctuary, as the other priests do in their courses. This was the case with Samuel. _And they shall have like portions to eat,_ ver. 8 that is, the rest of the priests who wait at the altar shall allow such person the same portion which they themselves have in the sacrifices. Willing to engage the ministers of religion to consecrate themselves entirely to the functions of the ministry, Moses here determines, upon...