MPV Commentary

The Levites' Portion.

God has given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel as their inheritance for their service. This means that neither the priests nor the Levites were to possess any land allotments but instead depend entirely on God's provision from His own portion. This law served several important purposes: it allowed them to be exclusively devoted to God's service, fostering a bond of mutual love and attachment between the people and the Levites; it ensured that the Levites derived their subsistence from the people they served by performing religious duties for them.

The Levites were responsible for serving in the tabernacle of the congregation. They bore the responsibility for properly discharging their assigned duties, and as a result, they would bear the penalty for negligence or carelessness in guarding the holy things.

From their own tithes, the Levites were to pay a tenth to the priests, just like the people gave to them. The best of their tithes was reserved for the priests, while they enjoyed the same liberty as other Israelites to use the remainder from their threshing floors and wine presses.

The Levites must not bear any sin by neglecting to give the best of their tithes to God and the priests. If they kept the holy things for themselves, they would pollute them by reserving what should be offered to God and the priests.