Deuteronomy 14:27
in Deuteronomy 14And do not neglect the Levite within your gates, since he has no portion or inheritance among you.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And the Levite that is within thy gates, thou shalt not forsake him; for he hath no portion nor inheritance with thee.
KJV
And the Levite that is within thy gates; thou shalt not forsake him; for he hath no part nor inheritance with thee.
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This verse in Deuteronomy 14
Commentary
4 notes on this verseAnd the Levite that is within thy gates, thou shalt not forsake him,.... As not from giving him the first tithe, as Jarchi remarks, so he was not to forget him in this; he was not to leave him behind, but take him with him to partake of this entertainment: for he hath no part nor inheritance with thee in the land: see Deu 12:12.
This site's exposition
You must be sure to set aside a tenth
on Deuteronomy 14:22-27
The tithe here is eaten by the man who brings it at the chosen place. The meal's stated reason is “so that you may learn to fear the LORD your God always”, which makes the feast itself the lesson.
This site's exposition
do not neglect the Levite
John Gill, following Jarchi, reads this as a second duty: the Levite had his first tithe and was also to be taken to the feast. Deuteronomy 12:19 gives the same charge. Nehemiah 13:10-11 finds the Levites gone back to their fields when their portions were withheld.
The record, by era
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed--The dedication of a tenth part of the year's produce in everything was then a religious duty. It was to be brought as an offering to the sanctuary; and, where distance prevented its being taken in kind, it was by this statute convertible into money.
How the passage was read
On Deuteronomy 14:22-29On Deuteronomy 14:22-29
The tithe system behind the mint and cumin
The Torah's tithe was agricultural: a tenth of grain, wine, and oil, eaten before the LORD or given, in the third year, to the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow. The oral tradition extended the duty far beyond the named crops. The Mishnah's tractate on tithes opens with the general rule: “whatever is food, and is looked after, and grows from the land, is liable for tithes” (Maasrot 1:1). Under that rule even kitchen herbs were tithed, a scruple carried out leaf by leaf.
That is the practice behind Jesus' words about tithing “mint and dill and cumin” (Matthew 23:23). Read His sentence whole: “these you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.” He affirms the scruple and indicts the inversion of weight, the tithed herb beside the neglected justice, mercy, and faithfulness. The woe is about proportion, not about tithing.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
The words behind it
11 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְהַלֵּוִ֥י | vehalevi | and the Levite | H3881 → | 291 times |
| אֲשֶׁר־ | ʾasher- | who | H834 → | 5497 times |
| בִּשְׁעָרֶ֖יךָ | bishareikha | [is] in gates your | H8179 → | 374 times |
| לֹ֣א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| תַֽעַזְבֶ֑נּוּ | taazvenu | you will neglect him | H5800 → | 215 times |
| כִּ֣י | ki | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| אֵ֥ין | ʾein | not | H369 → | 789 times |
| ל֛וֹ | lo | [belongs] to <the> him | ||
| חֵ֥לֶק | chelek | a portion | H2506 → | 67 times |
| וְנַחֲלָ֖ה | venachalah | and an inheritance | H5159 → | 222 times |
| עִמָּֽךְ׃ ס | ʾimakh | with you | H5973 → | 1050 times |
וְהַלֵּוִ֥יand the Levite
vehaleviH3881 →291 times
אֲשֶׁר־who
ʾasher-H834 →5497 times
בִּשְׁעָרֶ֖יךָ[is] in gates your
bishareikhaH8179 →374 times
לֹ֣אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
תַֽעַזְבֶ֑נּוּyou will neglect him
taazvenuH5800 →215 times
כִּ֣יfor
kiH3588 →4482 times
אֵ֥יןnot
ʾeinH369 →789 times
ל֛וֹ[belongs] to <the> him
lo
חֵ֥לֶקa portion
chelekH2506 →67 times
וְנַחֲלָ֖הand an inheritance
venachalahH5159 →222 times
עִמָּֽךְ׃ סwith you
ʾimakhH5973 →1050 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
1 Timothy 5:17Elders who lead effectively are worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.
it leads to
- Hebrews 13:17
Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they watch over your souls as those who must give an account. To this end, allow them to lead with joy and not with grief, for…
- 1 Thessalonians 5:12–13
But we ask you, brothers, to acknowledge those who work diligently among you, who preside over you in the Lord and give you instruction.
- Galatians 6:6
Nevertheless, the one who receives instruction in the word must share in all good things with his instructor.
- Luke 10:7
Stay at the same house, eating and drinking whatever you are offered. For the worker is worthy of his wages. Do not move around from house to house.
- Hebrews 13:7
Remember your leaders who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.
- Hebrews 13:17
Through
Numbers 18:20Then the LORD said to Aaron, “You will have no inheritance in their land, nor will you have any portion among them. I am your portion and your inheritance among the Israelites.
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 10:9
That is why Levi has no portion or inheritance among his brothers; the LORD is his inheritance, as the LORD your God promised him.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Ezekiel 44:28
In regard to their inheritance, I am their inheritance. You are to give them no possession in Israel, for I am their possession.
- Joshua 13:33
To the tribe of Levi, however, Moses had given no inheritance. The LORD, the God of Israel, is their inheritance, just as He had promised them.
- Deuteronomy 10:9
Where this verse is studied
About Deuteronomy
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible and John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763).