Verse 5

And those of the sons of Levi who receive the priestly office have authorization according to the law to collect a tithe from the people, that is, from their fellow countrymen, although they too are descendants of Abraham.

Referenced Verses

  • Gen 35:11 : 11 Then God said to him,“I am the Sovereign God. Be fruitful and multiply! A nation– even a company of nations– will descend from you; kings will be among your descendants!
  • Gen 46:26 : 26 All the direct descendants of Jacob who went to Egypt with him were sixty-six in number.(This number does not include the wives of Jacob’s sons.)
  • Exod 1:5 : 5 All the people who were directly descended from Jacob numbered seventy. But Joseph was already in Egypt,
  • Exod 28:1 : 1 The Clothing of the Priests“And you, bring near to you your brother Aaron and his sons with him from among the Israelites, so that they may minister as my priests– Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons.
  • Lev 27:30-33 : 30 Redemption of the Tithe“‘Any tithe of the land, from the grain of the land or from the fruit of the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD. 31 If a man redeems part of his tithe, however, he must add one fifth to it. 32 All the tithe of herd or flock, everything which passes under the rod, the tenth one will be holy to the LORD. 33 The owner must not examine the animals to distinguish between good and bad, and he must not exchange it. If, however, he does exchange it, both the original animal and its substitute will be holy. It must not be redeemed.’”
  • Num 16:10-11 : 10 He has brought you near and all your brothers, the sons of Levi, with you. Do you now seek the priesthood also? 11 Therefore you and all your company have assembled together against the LORD! And Aaron– what is he that you murmur against him?”
  • Num 17:3-9 : 3 You must write Aaron’s name on the staff of Levi; for one staff is for the head of every tribe. 4 You must place them in the tent of meeting before the ark of the covenant where I meet with you. 5 And the staff of the man whom I choose will blossom; so I will rid myself of the complaints of the Israelites, which they murmur against you.” 6 So Moses spoke to the Israelites, and each of their leaders gave him a staff, one for each leader, according to their tribes– twelve staffs; the staff of Aaron was among their staffs. 7 Then Moses placed the staffs before the LORD in the tent of the testimony. 8 On the next day Moses went into the tent of the testimony– and the staff of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted, and brought forth buds, and produced blossoms, and yielded almonds! 9 So Moses brought out all the staffs from before the LORD to all the Israelites. They looked at them, and each man took his staff. 10 The Memorial The LORD said to Moses,“Bring Aaron’s staff back before the testimony to be preserved for a sign to the rebels, so that you may bring their murmurings to an end before me, that they will not die.”
  • Num 18:7 : 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.”
  • Num 18:21-32 : 21 See, I have given the Levites all the tithes in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they perform– the service of the tent of meeting. 22 No longer may the Israelites approach the tent of meeting, or else they will bear their sin and die. 23 But the Levites must perform the service of the tent of meeting, and they must bear their iniquity. It will be a perpetual ordinance throughout your generations that among the Israelites the Levites have no inheritance. 24 But I have given to the Levites for an inheritance the tithes of the Israelites that are offered to the LORD as a raised offering. That is why I said to them that among the Israelites they are to have no inheritance.” 25 Instructions for the Levites The LORD spoke to Moses: 26 “You are to speak to the Levites, and you must tell them,‘When you receive from the Israelites the tithe that I have given you from them as your inheritance, then you are to offer up from it as a raised offering to the LORD a tenth of the tithe. 27 And your raised offering will be credited to you as though it were grain from the threshing floor or as new wine from the winepress. 28 Thus you are to offer up a raised offering to the LORD of all your tithes which you receive from the Israelites; and you must give the LORD’s raised offering from it to Aaron the priest. 29 From all your gifts you must offer up every raised offering due the LORD, from all the best of it, and the holiest part of it.’ 30 “Therefore you will say to them,‘When you offer up the best of it, then it will be credited to the Levites as the product of the threshing floor and as the product of the winepress. 31 And you may eat it in any place, you and your household, because it is your wages for your service in the tent of meeting. 32 And you will bear no sin concerning it when you offer up the best of it. And you must not profane the holy things of the Israelites, or else you will die.’”
  • 1 Kgs 8:19 : 19 But you will not build the temple; your very own son will build the temple for my honor.’
  • 2 Chr 31:4-6 : 4 He ordered the people living in Jerusalem to contribute the portion prescribed for the priests and Levites so they might be obedient to the law of the LORD. 5 When the edict was issued, the Israelites freely contributed the initial portion of their grain, wine, olive oil, honey, and all the produce of their fields. They brought a tenth of everything, which added up to a huge amount. 6 The Israelites and people of Judah who lived in the cities of Judah also contributed a tenth of their cattle and sheep, as well as a tenth of the holy items consecrated to the LORD their God. They brought them and placed them in many heaps.
  • Neh 13:10 : 10 I also discovered that the portions for the Levites had not been provided, and that as a result the Levites and the singers who performed this work had all gone off to their fields.
  • Heb 5:4 : 4 And no one assumes this honor on his own initiative, but only when called to it by God, as in fact Aaron was.
  • Heb 7:10 : 10 For he was still in his ancestor Abraham’s loins when Melchizedek met him.