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Numbers 18 Bible study: I am your portion
The priests and Levites got no land: the LORD told Aaron, "I am your portion and your inheritance" (18:20), and gave the Levites the tithe instead (18:21). Even they gave "a tithe of the tithe" (18:26), and Hebrews says Levi, "who receives tithes, has paid tithes" through Abraham (Hebrews 7:9).
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“The LORD said to Aaron, “You shall have no inheritance in their land, neither shall you have any portion among them. I am your portion and your inheritance among the children of Israel.”
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“In Numbers 18, the Levites must give a tenth of the tithe they receive, and it goes to Aaron the priest.”
Is that in Numbers 18, or not? Make your call.
What's really going on
"Will we all perish?"
The chapter before ends with the people's cry: "Everyone who keeps approaching the LORD’s tabernacle, dies! Will we all perish?" (17:13). Then the LORD speaks to Aaron, and the weight is put on Aaron's house: "You and your sons and your fathers’ house with you shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary" (18:1). The Levites keep the Tent, but "shall not come near to the vessels of the sanctuary and to the altar, that they not die, neither they nor you" (18:3). The priests keep the sanctuary and the altar "that there be no more wrath on the children of Israel" (18:5). And "Henceforth the children of Israel shall not come near the Tent of Meeting, lest they bear sin, and die" (18:22).
Where it leads to Jesus
Levi, who receives tithes
Numbers 18:21leads toHebrews 7:9-10
"To the children of Levi, behold, I have given all the tithe in Israel for an inheritance" (18:21), and the Levites give a tithe of that tithe "to Aaron the priest" (18:28). Hebrews speaks of this commandment in the law: "They indeed of the sons of Levi who receive the priest’s office have a commandment to take tithes from the people according to the law, that is, of their brothers" (Hebrews 7:5). Hebrews names the priests from Levi, while in Numbers 18 the whole tribe receives the tithe and the priests a tenth of it; either way the tithe goes to Levi. Then Hebrews says, "We can say that through Abraham even Levi, who receives tithes, has paid tithes, for he was yet in the body of his father when Melchizedek met him" (Hebrews 7:9-10). From there it speaks of "another priest" who arises "after the likeness of Melchizedek" (Hebrews 7:15), and says, "Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant" (Hebrews 7:22).
Honest questions
Questions people ask about Numbers 18
That was a taste
The rest of Numbers 18 is waiting in Favor
- Given as a gift
- "I am your portion"
- Even the Levites give
- "The LORD is my portion"
- Joined, to serve
- 11 questions as you read
- 9 more Hebrew words
- A short check at the end
- Your notes, saved as you go
Favor reads the Bible in order, so you'll reach Numbers 18 with everything before it in view. First week free, then $10 a month per person.
The Hebrew word behind it
חֵלֶקcheleqsay KHE-lek
Brown-Driver-Briggs: "portion, tract, territory". Strong's: "an allotment". It comes twice in one verse: "neither shall you have any portion among them. I am your portion and your inheritance among the children of Israel" (18:20). Psalmists use it of themselves: "God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever" (Psalm 73:26), and "The LORD is my portion" (Psalm 119:57). The song of Moses turns it around: "For the LORD’s portion is his people" (Deuteronomy 32:9).
For your group
Numbers 18 Bible study questions
- 1The LORD gave Aaron no land and said, "I am your portion and your inheritance" (18:20). What would change in how you think about what you have, or don't have, if you took the LORD as your portion?
- 2The Levites lived on the tithe, and still gave a tenth of what they received (18:26). What have you been given that you could give from this week?
- 3The LORD calls the priesthood a gift (18:7), and the Levites a gift to Aaron's family (18:6). Who has God given to help you in what he has given you to do, and how could you thank them?
Leading a group? In Favor, everyone reads Numbers 18 during the week and answers these questions privately. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together, and you can print the week's sheet.
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Questions
What is Favor?
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the Hebrew and Greek behind the words, the details most readers miss, and how each part of the Bible leads to Jesus. Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church.
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Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Hebrew and Greek words are checked against the original-language texts and public-domain lexicons. What we believe · Favor home