Numbers 18:4

18:4 They must join ¹  with you, and they will be responsible for the care of the tent of meeting, for all the service of the tent, but no unauthorized person ²  may approach you.

Numbers 18:1

Responsibilities of the Priests

18:1 ³ The Lord said to Aaron, “You and your sons and your tribe ⁴  with you must bear the iniquity of the sanctuary, ⁵  and you and your sons with you must bear the iniquity of your priesthood.

Numbers 23:28

23:28 So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, that looks toward the wilderness. ⁶ 

[18:4]  ¹ tn Now the sentence uses the Niphal perfect with a vav (ו) consecutive from the same root לָוָה (lavah).

[18:4]  ² tn The word is “stranger, alien,” but it can also mean Israelites here.

[18:1]  ³ sn 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).

[18:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “your father’s house.”

[18:1]  ⁵ sn 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.

[23:28]  ⁶ tn Or perhaps as a place name, “Jeshimon” (cf. 21:20).