Numbers 18:7

Numbers 18:7 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Therefore thou and thy sons with thee shall keep your priest’s office for every thing of the altar, and within the vail; and ye shall serve: I have given your priest’s office unto you as a service of gift: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.
• New International Version (NIV)But only you and your sons may serve as priests in connection with everything at the altar and inside the curtain. I am giving you the service of the priesthood as a gift. Anyone else who comes near the sanctuary is to be put to death.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)And you and your sons with you shall guard your priesthood for all that concerns the altar and that is within the veil; and you shall serve. I give your priesthood as a gift, and any outsider who comes near shall be put to death."
• New King James Version (NKJV)Therefore you and your sons with you shall attend to your priesthood for everything at the altar and behind the veil; and you shall serve. I give your priesthood to you as a gift for service, but the outsider who comes near shall be put to death.”

Context of Numbers 18:7

5So you shall perform the duties of the sanctuary and the duties of the altar, so that there will no longer be wrath on the sons of Israel. 6Behold, I Myself have taken your fellow Levites from among the sons of Israel; they are a gift to you, dedicated to the Lord, to perform the service for the tent of meeting. But you and your sons with you shall attend to your priesthood for everything that concerns the altar and inside the veil, and you are to perform service. I am giving you the priesthood as a service that is a gift, and the unauthorized person who comes near shall be put to death.” 8Then the Lord spoke to Aaron, “Now behold, I Myself have put you in charge of My offerings, all the holy gifts of the sons of Israel I have given to you as a portion and to your sons as a permanent allotment. 9This shall be yours from the most holy gifts reserved from the fire; every offering of theirs, namely every grain offering, every sin offering, and every guilt offering, with which they shall make restitution to Me, shall be most holy for you and for your sons.

Numbers 18:7 word by word

וְאַתָּ֣ה וּבָנֶ֣יךָ אִ֠תְּךָ תִּשְׁמְר֨וּ אֶת־כְּהֻנַּתְכֶ֜ם לְכָל־דְּבַ֧ר הַמִּזְבֵּ֛חַ וּלְמִבֵּ֥ית לַפָּרֹ֖כֶת וַעֲבַדְתֶּ֑ם עֲבֹדַ֣ת מַתָּנָ֗ה אֶתֵּן֙ אֶת־כְּהֻנַּתְכֶ֔ם וְהַזָּ֥ר הַקָּרֵ֖ב יוּמָֽת׃ סRead the interlinear

• But you and your sonsבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
• attendשָׁמַרshâmar · to keep: guardH8104
• to your priesthoodכְּהֻנָּהkehûnnâh · priesthoodH3550
• for everythingכֹּלkôl kôl · allH3605
• that concernsדָּבָרdâbâr · word: thingH1697
• the altarמִזְבֵּחַmizbêach · altarH4196
• and insideמִן־min minnîy minnêy · fromH4480
• and insideבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: insideH1004
• the veilפָּרֹ֫כֶתpôreketh · curtainH6532
• and you are to performעָבַד‛âbad · to serve: ministerH5647
• serviceעֲבֹדָה‛ăbôdâh ‛ăbôdâh · service: ministryH5656
• I am givingנָתַןnâthan · to give: giveH5414
• serviceעֲבֹדָה‛ăbôdâh ‛ăbôdâh · service: ministryH5656
• that is a giftמַתָּנָהmattânâh · giftH4979
• unauthorizedזוּרzûr · be a strangerH2114
• who comesקָרֵבqârêb · approachingH7131
• shall be putמוּתmûth · to dieH4191

Cross-references for Numbers 18:7

• Numbers 18:5So you shall perform the duties of the sanctuary and the duties of the altar, so that there will no longer be wrath on the sons of Israel.
• Numbers 3:10So you shall appoint Aaron and his sons that they may keep their priesthood, but the layman who comes near shall be put to death.”
• Leviticus 16:2The Lord said to Moses: “Tell your brother Aaron that he shall not enter at any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the atoning cover which is on the ark, or he will die; for I will appear in the cloud over the atoning cover.
• Hebrews 9:3Behind the second veil there was a tabernacle which is called the Most Holy Place,
• Numbers 16:5and he spoke to Korah and all his group, saying, “Tomorrow morning the Lord will make known who is His, and who is holy, and will bring that one near to Himself; indeed, the one whom He will choose, He will bring near to Himself.
• 1 Samuel 2:28Did I not choose them from all the tribes of Israel to be My priests, to go up to My altar, to burn incense, to carry an ephod before Me? And did I not give to the house of your father all the fire offerings of the sons of Israel?
• John 3:27John replied, “A person can receive not even one thing unless it has been given to him from heaven.
• Romans 15:15But I have written very boldly to you on some points so as to remind you again, because of the grace that was given to me from God,
• Ephesians 3:8To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ,
• Hebrews 5:4And no one takes the honor for himself, but receives it when he is called by God, just as Aaron also was.
• Numbers 18:4They shall join you and perform the duties of the tent of meeting, for all the service of the tent; but an unauthorized person shall not come near you.
• Numbers 3:38Now those who were to camp in front of the tabernacle eastward, in front of the tent of meeting toward the sunrise, were Moses and Aaron and his sons, performing the duties of the sanctuary for the obligation of the sons of Israel; but the layman coming near was to be put to death.
• Numbers 16:40as a reminder to the sons of Israel so that no layman, anyone who was not of the descendants of Aaron, would approach to burn incense before the Lord; then he would not become like Korah and his group--just as the Lord had spoken to him through Moses.

Commentaries on Numbers 18:7

• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 7any outsider … must be put to death: This verse warned all Israelites to avoid areas where God did not allow them to be. God prohibited access to certain holy places for those not qualified in a religious sense. Only the holiest members of the community could access these holy areas. Ignoring this rule meant risking one's life because it violated God's holiness (see also 1:51, 53; 3:10, 29–38; 4:1–20).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2-72-7. thy brethren also of the tribe of Levi--The departments of the sacred office, to be filled respectively by the priests and Levites, are here assigned to each. To the priests was committed the charge of the sanctuary and the altar, while the Levites were to take care of everything else about the tabernacle. The Levites were to attend the priests as servants--bestowed on them as "gifts" to aid in the service of the tabernacle--while the high and…Read the comment

Topics related to Numbers 18:7

• Minister, Christian
• Priest

In the dictionaries

• Curtain
• Exodus
• Agrapha
• Atonement, Day of
• Chronicles, Books of
• Criticism
• Ezekiel
• Genealogy
• Gift
• Law in the Old Testament

Commentaries on Numbers 18

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings