🔢WEB · Numbers 18:19
What does Numbers 18:19 mean?
"All the wave offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer to Yahweh, I have given you, and your sons and your daughters with you, as a portion forever. It is a covenant of salt forever before Yahweh to you and to your offspring with you.”"
— Numbers 18:19 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
You shall redeem those who are to be redeemed of them from a month old, according to your estimation, for five shekels of money, after the shekel of the sanctuary, which weighs twenty gerahs.
“But you shall not redeem the firstborn of a cow, or the firstborn of a sheep, or the firstborn of a goat. They are holy. You shall sprinkle their blood on the altar, and shall burn their fat for an offering made by fire, for a pleasant aroma to Yahweh.
Their meat shall be yours, as the wave offering breast and as the right thigh, it shall be yours.
All the wave offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer to Yahweh, I have given you, and your sons and your daughters with you, as a portion forever. It is a covenant of salt forever before Yahweh to you and to your offspring with you.”
Yahweh said to Aaron, “You shall have no inheritance in their land, neither shall you have any portion among them. I am your portion and your inheritance among the children of Israel.
“To the children of Levi, behold, I have given all the tithe in Israel for an inheritance, in return for their service which they serve, even the service of the Tent of Meeting.
Henceforth the children of Israel shall not come near the Tent of Meeting, lest they bear sin, and die.
Explanation
Numbers 18:19 records God's words to Aaron, establishing that the "wave offerings" — portions of the sacrifices that the Israelites brought to the tabernacle — belong permanently to Aaron and his descendants, including his sons and daughters, as their rightful provision. This is sealed as "a covenant of salt forever," a phrase signifying an unbreakable, enduring agreement.
To understand this verse in context, we need to look at the broader chapter. Numbers 18 is God's instruction to Aaron regarding the priesthood, given through Moses. The Levites, and specifically Aaron's line within the tribe of Levi, were set apart to serve at the tabernacle. Because this service occupied them fully, they received no tribal land inheritance like the other twelve tribes. Instead, God provided for their material needs through a system of offerings brought by the rest of Israel — portions of grain offerings, sin offerings, guilt offerings, firstfruits, and wave offerings were designated as the priests' food and income. This verse specifically addresses the wave offerings — sacrifices that were symbolically "waved" before the Lord as an act of dedication before a portion was given to the priests.
Theologically, this verse emphasizes God's faithfulness in providing for those he calls to sacred service. The phrase "covenant of salt" is significant; in the ancient Near East, salt was a symbol of preservation, purity, and permanence because it does not decay or spoil easily. Covenants sealed with salt (see also 2 Chronicles 13
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