Numbers 18 · Verse 1

Numbers 18:1

And the Lord said unto Aaron, Thou and thy sons and thy father’s house with thee shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary: and thou and thy sons with thee shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood.
Numbers 18:1, King James Version

Numbers 18:1 in other translations

BSBSo the LORD said to Aaron, “You and your sons and your father’s house must bear the iniquity involving the sanctuary. And you and your sons alone must bear the iniquity involving your priesthood.
WEBThe LORD said to Aaron, “You and your sons and your fathers’ house with you shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary; and you and your sons with you shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood.
ASVAnd Jehovah said unto Aaron, Thou and thy sons and thy fathers’ house with thee shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary; and thou and thy sons with thee shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood.
YLTAnd Jehovah saith unto Aaron, ‘Thou, and thy sons, and the house of thy father with thee, do bear the iniquity of the sanctuary; and thou, and thy sons with thee, do bear the iniquity of your priesthood;
DARBYAnd Jehovah said to Aaron, Thou and thy sons and thy father's house with thee shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary; and thou and thy sons with thee shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood.
BBEAnd the Lord said to Aaron, You and your sons and your father's family are to be responsible for all wrongdoing in relation to the holy place: and you and your sons are to be responsible for the errors which come about in your work as priests.
WebsterAnd the LORD said to Aaron, Thou and thy sons and thy father's house with thee shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary: and thou and thy sons with thee shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood.

What does Numbers 18:1 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

Nu 18:1-7. The Charge of the Priests and Levites.

1. the Lord said unto Aaron, Thou and thy sons and thy father's house with thee shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary--Security is here given to the people from the fears expressed (Nu 17:12), by the responsibility of attending to all sacred things being devolved upon the priesthood, together with the penalties incurred through neglect; and thus the solemn responsibilities annexed to their high dignity, of having to answer not only for their own sins, but also for the sins of the people, were calculated in a great measure to remove all feeling of envy at the elevation of Aaron's family, when the honor was weighed in the balance with its burdens and dangers.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Introduction

The priests are to bear the iniquity of the sanctuary, Num 18:1. The Levites to minister to the priests, and have charge of the tabernacle, Num 18:2-4. The priests alone to have the charge of the sanctuary, etc., no stranger to come nigh on pain of death, Num 18:5-7 The portion allowed for their maintenance, Num 18:8. They shall have every meat-offering; and they shall eat them in the holy place, Num 18:9, Num 18:10. The wave-offerings, Num 18:11. The first-fruits of the oil, wine, and wheat, and whatever is first ripe, and every devoted thing, Num 18:12-14; also, all the first-born of men and beasts, Num 18:15-18; and heave-offerings, Num 18:19. The priests shall have no inheritance, Num 18:20. The Levites shall have no inheritance, but shall have the tenth of the produce in Israel, Num 18:21-24, of which they are to give a tenth to the priests, taken from the best parts, Num 18:25-30. Verse 1 Thou and thy sons - shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary, etc. - That is, They must be answerable for its legal pollutions, and must make the necessary atonements and expiations. By this they must feel that though they had got a high and important office confirmed to them by a miraculous interference, yet it was a place of the highest responsibility; and that they must not be high-minded, but fear.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Numbers 18:1-7
The people complained of their difficulty and peril in drawing near to God. God here gives them to understand, that the priests should come near for them. Aaron would see reason not to be proud of his preferment, when he considered the great care and charge upon him. Be not high-minded, but fear. The greater the trust of work and power that is committed to us, the greater danger there is of betraying that trust. This is a good reason why we should neither envy others' honours, nor desire high places.

Matthew Henry, 1706 · public domain

Numbers 18:1 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַיֹּ֤אמֶרvai.Yo.merand he saidH559
יְהוָה֙Yah.wehYahwehH3068
אֶֽל\־'el-toH413
אַהֲרֹ֔ן'a.ha.RonAaronH175
אַתָּ֗ה'a.TahyouH859
וּבָנֶ֤יךָu.va.Nei.khaand sons yourH1121
וּבֵית\־u.veit-and [the] house ofH1004
אָבִ֙יךָ֙'a.Vi.khaancestor yourH1
אִתָּ֔ךְ'i.Takhwith youH854
תִּשְׂא֖וּtis.'Uyou will bearH5375
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
עֲוֹ֣ן'a.Von[the] guilt ofH5771
הַמִּקְדָּ֑שׁha.mik.Dashthe sanctuaryH4720
וְאַתָּה֙ve.'a.Tahand youH859
וּבָנֶ֣יךָu.va.Nei.khaand sons yourH1121
אִתָּ֔ךְ'i.Takhwith youH854
תִּשְׂא֖וּtis.'Uyou will bearH5375
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
עֲוֹ֥ן'a.Von[the] guilt ofH5771
כְּהֻנַּתְכֶֽם\׃ke.hu.nat.Khempriesthood yourH3550

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Numbers 18:1

  • Exodus 28:38

    And it shall be upon Aaron’s forehead, that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things, which the children of Israel shall hallow in all their holy gifts; and it shall be always upon his forehead, that they may be accepted before the Lord.

  • 1 Peter 2:24

    Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

  • Acts 20:26-27

    Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.

  • Hebrews 4:15

    For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

  • Ezekiel 3:18-19

    When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.

  • Hebrews 13:17

    Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.

  • Numbers 18:22-23

    Neither must the children of Israel henceforth come nigh the tabernacle of the congregation, lest they bear sin, and die. But the Levites shall do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they shall bear their iniquity: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations, that among the children of Israel they have no inheritance.

  • Numbers 14:34

    After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise.

  • Numbers 17:13

    Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die: shall we be consumed with dying?

  • Leviticus 22:9

    They shall therefore keep mine ordinance, lest they bear sin for it, and die therefore, if they profane it: I the Lord do sanctify them.

  • Isaiah 53:11

    He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

  • Numbers 17:7

    And Moses laid up the rods before the Lord in the tabernacle of witness.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
1 The charge of the priests and Levites.
8 The priests' portion.
21 The Levites' portion.
25 The heave offering to the priests out of the Levites' portion.

Aaron, Thou.
17:3,7,13; Heb 4:15
shall bear.To counterbalance the high honour conferred on Aaron and his family, and to allay the fears and abate the envy of the people, it is here declared, that the priest must bear the blame of everything which was not properly conducted in the sanctuary.
22; 14:34; Ex 28:38; Le 22:9; Isa 53:6,11; Eze 3:18,19
Ac 20:26,27; Heb 13:17; 1Pe 2:24

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Numbers 18:1

    And the Lord said unto Aaron, Thou and thy sons and thy father’s house with thee shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary: and thou and thy sons with thee shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood.

  • Numbers 18:2

    And thy brethren also of the tribe of Levi, the tribe of thy father, bring thou with thee, that they may be joined unto thee, and minister unto thee: but thou and thy sons with thee shall minister before the tabernacle of witness.

Read all of Numbers 18

Numbers 18:1 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y JEHOVÁ dijo á Aarón: Tú y tus hijos, y la casa de tu padre contigo, llevaréis el pecado del santuario: y tú y tus hijos contigo llevaréis el pecado de vuestro sacerdocio.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et l’ Éternel dit à Aaron: Toi, et tes fils, et la maison de ton père avec toi, vous porterez l’iniquité du sanctuaire; et toi et tes fils avec toi, vous porterez l’iniquité de votre sacrificature.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und Jehova sprach zu Aaron: Du und deine Söhne und das Haus deines Vaters mit dir, ihr sollt die Ungerechtigkeit des Heiligtums tragen; und du und deine Söhne mit dir, ihr sollt die Ungerechtigkeit eures Priestertums tragen.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Dixitque Dominus ad Aaron: Tu, et filii tui, et domus patris tui tecum, portabitis iniquitatem sanctuarii: et tu et filii tui simul sustinebitis peccata sacerdotii vestri.