18:1 The Levitical priests 5 – 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. 6 18:2 They 7 will have no inheritance in the midst of their fellow Israelites; 8 the Lord alone is their inheritance, just as he had told them.
1 tn Or “the priesthood of the
2 tn Or “inheritance.”
3 sn Levi has no allotment or inheritance. As the priestly tribe, Levi would have no land allotment except for forty-eight towns set apart for their use (Num 35:1-8; Josh 21:1-42). But theirs was a far greater inheritance, for the
4 tn That is, among the other Israelite tribes.
5 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.
6 sn Of his inheritance. This is a figurative way of speaking of the produce of the land the
7 tn Heb “he” (and throughout the verse).
8 tn Heb “brothers,” but not referring to actual siblings. Cf. NASB “their countrymen”; NRSV “the other members of the community.”