Deuteronomy 18:3

18:3 This shall be the priests’ fair allotment ¹  from the people who offer sacrifices, whether bull or sheep – they must give to the priest the shoulder, the jowls, and the stomach.

Deuteronomy 20:2

20:2 As you move forward for battle, the priest ²  will approach and say to the soldiers, ³ 

Deuteronomy 26:4

26:4 The priest will then take the basket from you ⁴  and set it before the altar of the Lord your God.

Deuteronomy 17:9

17:9 You will go to the Levitical priests and the judge in office in those days and seek a solution; they will render a verdict.

Deuteronomy 17:18

17:18 When he sits on his royal throne he must make a copy of this law ⁵  on a scroll ⁶  given to him by the Levitical priests.

Deuteronomy 18:1

Provision for Priests and Levites

18:1 The Levitical priests ⁷  – 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. ⁸ 

Deuteronomy 19:17

19:17 then both parties to the controversy must stand before the Lord, that is, before the priests and judges ⁹  who will be in office in those days.

Deuteronomy 24:8

Respect for Human Dignity

24:8 Be careful during an outbreak of leprosy to follow precisely ¹⁰  all that the Levitical priests instruct you; as I have commanded them, so you should do.

Deuteronomy 27:9

27:9 Then Moses and the Levitical priests spoke to all Israel: “Be quiet and pay attention, Israel. Today you have become the people of the Lord your God.

Deuteronomy 17:12

17:12 The person who pays no attention ¹¹  to the priest currently serving the Lord your God there, or to the verdict – that person must die, so that you may purge evil from Israel.

Deuteronomy 21:5

21:5 Then the Levitical priests ¹²  will approach (for the Lord your God has chosen them to serve him and to pronounce blessings in his name, ¹³  and to decide ¹⁴  every judicial verdict ¹⁵ )

Deuteronomy 26:3

26:3 You must go to the priest in office at that time and say to him, “I declare today to the Lord your ¹⁶  God that I have come into the land that the Lord ¹⁷  promised ¹⁸  to our ancestors ¹⁹  to give us.”

Deuteronomy 31:9

The Deposit of the Covenant Text

31:9 Then Moses wrote down this law and gave it to the Levitical priests, who carry the ark of the Lord’s covenant, and to all Israel’s elders.

[18:3]  ¹ tn Heb “judgment”; KJV, NASB, NRSV “the priest’s due.”

[20:2]  ² sn The reference to the priest suggests also the presence of the ark of the covenant, the visible sign of God’s presence. The whole setting is clearly that of “holy war” or “Yahweh war,” in which God himself takes initiative as the true commander of the forces of Israel (cf. Exod 14:14-18; 15:3-10; Deut 3:22; 7:18-24; 31:6, 8).

[20:2]  ³ tn Heb “and he will say to the people.” Cf. NIV, NCV, CEV “the army”; NRSV, NLT “the troops.”

[26:4]  ³ tn Heb “your hand.”

[17:18]  ⁴ tn Or “instruction.” The LXX reads here τὸ δευτερονόμιον τοῦτο (to deuteronomion touto, “this second law”). From this Greek phrase the present name of the book, “Deuteronomy” or “second law” (i.e., the second giving of the law), is derived. However, the MT’s expression מִשְׁנֶה הַתּוֹרָה הַזֹּאת (mishneh hattorah hazzo’t) is better rendered “copy of this law.” Here the term תּוֹרָה (torah) probably refers only to the book of Deuteronomy and not to the whole Pentateuch.

[17:18]  ⁵ tn The Hebrew term סֵפֶר (sefer) means a “writing” or “document” and could be translated “book” (so KJV, ASV, TEV). However, since “book” carries the connotation of a modern bound book with pages (an obvious anachronism) it is preferable to render the Hebrew term “scroll” here and elsewhere.

[18:1]  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.

[18:1]  ⁶ 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.

[19:17]  ⁶ tn The appositional construction (“before the Lord, that is, before the priests and judges”) indicates that these human agents represented the Lord himself, that is, they stood in his place (cf. Deut 16:18-20; 17:8-9).

[24:8]  ⁷ tn Heb “to watch carefully and to do.”

[17:12]  ⁸ tn Heb “who acts presumptuously not to listen” (cf. NASB).

[21:5]  ⁹ tn Heb “the priests, the sons of Levi.”

[21:5]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “in the name of the Lord.” See note on Deut 10:8. The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.

[21:5]  ¹¹ tn Heb “by their mouth.”

[21:5]  ¹² tn Heb “every controversy and every blow.”

[26:3]  ¹⁰ tc For the MT reading “your God,” certain LXX mss have “my God,” a contextually superior rendition followed by some English versions (e.g., NAB, NASB, TEV). Perhaps the text reflects dittography of the kaf (כ) at the end of the word with the following preposition כִּי (ki).

[26:3]  ¹¹ tc The Syriac adds “your God” to complete the usual formula.

[26:3]  ¹² tn Heb “swore on oath.”

[26:3]  ¹³ tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 7, 15).