Discovery BoxDeuteronomy 18:1-5 
Context18:1 The Levitical priests 1 – indeed, the entire tribe of Levi – will have no allotment or inheritance with Israel; they may eat the burnt offerings of the Lord and of his inheritance. 2 18:2 They 3 will have no inheritance in the midst of their fellow Israelites; 4 the Lord alone is their inheritance, just as he had told them. 18:3 This shall be the priests’ fair allotment 5 from the people who offer sacrifices, whether bull or sheep – they must give to the priest the shoulder, the jowls, and the stomach. 18:4 You must give them the best of your 6 grain, new wine, and olive oil, as well as the best of your wool when you shear your flocks. 18:5 For the Lord your God has chosen them and their sons from all your tribes to stand 7 and serve in his name 8 permanently.
1 tn The MT places the terms “priests” and “Levites” in apposition, thus creating an epexegetical construction in which the second term qualifies the first, i.e., “Levitical priests.” This is a way of asserting their legitimacy as true priests. The Syriac renders “to the priest and to the Levite,” making a distinction between the two, but one that is out of place here.
2 sn Of his inheritance. This is a figurative way of speaking of the produce of the land the
3 tn Heb “he” (and throughout the verse).
4 tn Heb “brothers,” but not referring to actual siblings. Cf. NASB “their countrymen”; NRSV “the other members of the community.”
5 tn Heb “judgment”; KJV, NASB, NRSV “the priest’s due.”
6 tn Heb “the firstfruits of your…” (so NIV).
7 tc Smr and some Greek texts add “before the
8 tn Heb “the name of the
