Numbers 3:2-3

3:2 These are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab, the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 3:3 These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the anointed ¹  priests, whom he consecrated ²  to minister as priests. ³ 

Numbers 18:1

Responsibilities of the Priests

18:1 ⁴ The Lord said to Aaron, “You and your sons and your tribe ⁵  with you must bear the iniquity of the sanctuary, ⁶  and you and your sons with you must bear the iniquity of your priesthood.

Numbers 18:7

18:7 But you and your sons with you are responsible for your priestly duties, for everything at the altar and within the curtain. And you must serve. I give you the priesthood as a gift for service; but the unauthorized person who approaches must be put to death.”

Exodus 6:16

6:16 Now these are the names of the sons of Levi, according to their records: ⁷  Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. (The length of Levi’s life was 137 years.)

Exodus 6:20

6:20 Amram married ⁸  his father’s sister Jochebed, and she bore him Aaron and Moses. (The length of Amram’s life was 137 years.)

[3:3]  ¹ tn The verb מָשַׁח (mashakh) means “to anoint”; here the form modifies the “priests.” The service of consecration was carried out with anointing oil (Exod 30:30). The verb is used for the anointing of kings as well as priests in the OT, and so out of that derived the technical title “Messiah” for the coming ideal king – the “Anointed One.”

[3:3]  ² tn In this verse the expression is in a relative clause: “who he filled their hand” means “whose hands he filled,” or “whom he consecrated.” The idiomatic expression used here is from Lev 8; it literally is “he filled their hand” (מִלֵּא יָדָם, mille’ yadam). In the ordination service Moses placed some of the meat from the sacrifice in the hand of the ordinand, and this signified what he was going to be about – having his hand full, or being consecrated to the priesthood. There is some evidence that this practice or expression was also known in Mesopotamia. In modern ordination services a NT or a Bible may be placed in the ordinand’s hand – it is what the ministry will be about.

[3:3]  ³ tn The form is an infinitival construction for the word for the priest, showing the purpose for the filling of the hands.

[18:1]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ tn Heb “your father’s house.”

[18:1]  ⁶ 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.

[6:16]  ⁷ tn Or “generations.”

[6:20]  ⁸ tn Heb “took for a wife” (also in vv. 23, 25).