🔢WEB · Numbers 5:9
What does Numbers 5:9 mean?
"Every heave offering of all the holy things of the children of Israel, which they present to the priest, shall be his."
— Numbers 5:9 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
“Speak to the children of Israel: ‘When a man or woman commits any sin that men commit, so as to trespass against Yahweh, and that soul is guilty;
then he shall confess his sin which he has done, and he shall make restitution for his guilt in full, and add to it the fifth part of it, and give it to him in respect of whom he has been guilty.
But if the man has no kinsman to whom restitution may be made for the guilt, the restitution for guilt which is made to Yahweh shall be the priest’s; besides the ram of the atonement, by which atonement shall be made for him.
Every heave offering of all the holy things of the children of Israel, which they present to the priest, shall be his.
Every man’s holy things shall be his: whatever any man gives the priest, it shall be his.’”
Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
“Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them: ‘If any man’s wife goes astray, and is unfaithful to him,
Explanation
Numbers 5:9 is a brief legal statement embedded within a larger set of priestly regulations, and on its surface it simply establishes an economic and religious principle: whenever an Israelite brings a "heave offering" (a portion lifted up or set apart from a larger gift as holy) to the priest, that offering becomes the priest's personal property. In plain language, it means that once a worshiper dedicates a contribution to God through the sanctuary system, the priest who receives it is entitled to keep it for his own use, rather than it being redistributed elsewhere or reclaimed by the giver.
To understand the context, we need to remember that Numbers was written during Israel's wilderness journey, traditionally attributed to Moses, addressed to the Israelite community as they organized their national and religious life around the tabernacle. Chapters 5 and following deal with various matters of holiness, purity, and restitution — how to keep the camp of Israel clean and rightly ordered before God. This particular verse sits among instructions about offerings and follows discussions of guilt offerings and restitution for wrongdoing (Numbers 5:5-10). The "heave offering" (Hebrew *terumah*) refers to a contribution lifted up and dedicated to God, distinct from the whole burnt offerings consumed on the altar. Since the priests had no inheritance of land and depended on the sanctuary system for their livelihood, portions of the people's offerings were designated as their rightful support.
Theologically, this verse reflects the principle that those who serve at the altar are to be sust
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