The Levites lived as sojourners among the other Israelites. While they had their own cities, they did not possess land and inheritances as the other Israelites did. However the privilege of serving God as they alone could was compensation much greater than their loss of physical benefits.
In addition to the tithes, the Levites also received the parts of the sacrifices allotted to them that included meat of various kinds, wine, oil, and wool (vv. 3-4).
Evidently not all the Levites served at the tabernacle. Some simply lived in their assigned cities. Participation in sanctuary services was apparently voluntary to some extent (vv. 6-8). God did not preserve in Scripture the plan whereby individual Levites served in carrying out various duties at this period in Israel's history (cf. Num. 18).203
One writer argued that verse 8 permitted the Levites to sell the remains of a sacrificed animal.204Most translators believed this verse allowed them to sell their family possessions.
