Numbers 18 · Verse 19

Numbers 18:19

All the heave offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer unto the Lord, have I given thee, and thy sons and thy daughters with thee, by a statute for ever: it is a covenant of salt for ever before the Lord unto thee and to thy seed with thee.
Numbers 18:19, King James Version

Numbers 18:19 in other translations

BSBAll the holy offerings that the Israelites present to the LORD I give to you and to your sons and daughters as a permanent statute. It is a permanent covenant of salt before the LORD for you and your offspring.”
WEBAll the wave offerings of the holy things which the children of Israel offer to the LORD, I have given you and your sons and your daughters with you, as a portion forever. It is a covenant of salt forever before the LORD to you and to your offspring with you.”
ASVAll the heave-offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer unto Jehovah, have I given thee, and thy sons and thy daughters with thee, as a portion for ever: it is a covenant of salt for ever before Jehovah unto thee and to thy seed with thee.
YLTall the heave-offerings of the holy things which the sons of Israel lift up to Jehovah I have given to thee and to thy sons, and to thy daughters with thee, by a statute age-during, a covenant of salt, age-during it is before Jehovah, to thee and to thy seed with thee.'
DARBYAll the heave-offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer to Jehovah, have I given thee, and to thy sons and to thy daughters with thee, by an everlasting statute: it shall be an everlasting covenant of salt before Jehovah unto thee and thy seed with thee.
BBEAll the lifted offerings of the holy things which the children of Israel give to the Lord, I have given to you and to your sons and to your daughters as a right for ever. This is an agreement made with salt before the Lord, to you and to your seed for ever.
WebsterAll the heave-offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer to the LORD, have I given to thee, and to thy sons and thy daughters with thee, by a statute for ever: it is a covenant of salt for ever before the LORD to thee and to thy seed with thee.

What does Numbers 18:19 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
19. it is a covenant of salt--that is, a perpetual ordinance. This figurative form of expression was evidently founded on the conservative property of salt, which keeps meat from corruption; and hence it became an emblem of inviolability and permanence. It is a common phrase among Oriental people, who consider the eating of salt a pledge of fidelity, binding them in a covenant of friendship. Hence the partaking of the altar meats, which were appropriated to the priests on condition of their services and of which salt formed a necessary accompaniment, was naturally called "a covenant of salt" (Le 2:13).

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

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 19 It is a covenant of salt - That is, an incorruptible, everlasting covenant. As salt was added to different kinds of viands, not only to give them a relish, but to preserve them from putrefaction and decay, it became the emblem of incorruptibility and permanence. Hence, a covenant of salt signified an everlasting covenant. We have already seen that, among the Asiatics, eating together was deemed a bond of perpetual friendship; and as salt was a common article in all their repasts, it may be in reference to this circumstance that a perpetual covenant is termed a covenant of salt; because the parties ate together of the sacrifice offered on the occasion, and the whole transaction was considered as a league of endless friendship. See the note on Lev 2:13.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Numbers 18:8-19

All believers are spiritual priests, and God has promised to take care of them. Godliness has the promise of the life that now is. And from the provision here made for the priests, the apostle shows that it is the duty of christian churches to maintain their ministers. Scandalous maintenance makes scandalous ministers. The priests were to be wholly devoted to their ministry, not diverted from it, or disturbed in it…

Read the full comment on Numbers 18:8-19 →

Numbers 18:19 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.

כֹּ֣ל\׀kolallH3605
תְּרוּמֹ֣תte.ru.Mot[the] contributions ofH8641
הַקֳּדָשִׁ֗יםha.ko.da.Shimthe holy giftsH6944
אֲשֶׁ֨ר'a.SherwhichH834
יָרִ֥ימוּya.Ri.muthey will offer upH7311
בְנֵֽי\־ve.nei-[the] people ofH1121
יִשְׂרָאֵל֮Yis.ra.'ElIsraelH3478
לַֽיהוָה֒la.Yah.wehto YahwehH3068
נָתַ֣תִּֽיna.Ta.tiI giveH5414
לְךָ֗le.Khato you
וּלְבָנֶ֧יךָu.le.va.Nei.khaand to sons yourH1121
וְלִבְנֹתֶ֛יךָve.liv.no.Tei.khaand to daughters yourH1323
אִתְּךָ֖'i.te.Khawith youH854
לְחָק\־le.chok-to a prescribed portion ofH2706
עוֹלָ֑םo.LamperpetuityH5769
בְּרִית֩be.Rit[is] a covenant ofH1285
מֶ֨לַחMe.lachsalt ofH4417
עוֹלָ֥םo.LamperpetuityH5769
הִוא֙hi'itH1931
לִפְנֵ֣יlif.Nei<to> beforeH6440
יְהוָ֔הYah.wehYahwehH3068
לְךָ֖le.Khato you
וּלְזַרְעֲךָ֥u.le.zar.'a.Khaand to offspring yourH2233
אִתָּֽךְ\׃'i.Takhwith youH854

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

Cross references for Numbers 18:19

  • 2 Chronicles 13:5

    Ought ye not to know that the Lord God of Israel gave the kingdom over Israel to David for ever, even to him and to his sons by a covenant of salt?

  • Leviticus 2:13

    And every oblation of thy meat offering shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat offering: with all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt.

  • Numbers 18:11

    And this is thine; the heave offering of their gift, with all the wave offerings of the children of Israel: I have given them unto thee, and to thy sons and to thy daughters with thee, by a statute for ever: every one that is clean in thy house shall eat of it.

  • Leviticus 7:14

    And of it he shall offer one out of the whole oblation for an heave offering unto the Lord, and it shall be the priest’s that sprinkleth the blood of the peace offerings.

  • Numbers 31:29

    Take it of their half, and give it unto Eleazar the priest, for an heave offering of the Lord.

  • Numbers 18:8

    And the Lord spake unto Aaron, Behold, I also have given thee the charge of mine heave offerings of all the hallowed things of the children of Israel; unto thee have I given them by reason of the anointing, and to thy sons, by an ordinance for ever.

  • Numbers 31:41

    And Moses gave the tribute, which was the Lord’s heave offering, unto Eleazar the priest, as the Lord commanded Moses.

  • 2 Chronicles 31:4

    Moreover he commanded the people that dwelt in Jerusalem to give the portion of the priests and the Levites, that they might be encouraged in the law of the Lord.

  • Numbers 15:19-21

    Then it shall be, that, when ye eat of the bread of the land, ye shall offer up an heave offering unto the Lord. Ye shall offer up a cake of the first of your dough for an heave offering: as ye do the heave offering of the threshingfloor, so shall ye heave it. Of the first of your dough ye shall give unto the Lord an heave offering in your generations.

  • Deuteronomy 12:6

    And thither ye shall bring your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, and your tithes, and heave offerings of your hand, and your vows, and your freewill offerings, and the firstlings of your herds and of your flocks:

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
the heave.
8,11; 15:19-21; 31:29,41; Le 7:14; De 12:6; 2Ch 31:4
it is a.
Le 2:13; 2Ch 13:5

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

Context

  • Numbers 18:18

    And the flesh of them shall be thine, as the wave breast and as the right shoulder are thine.

  • Numbers 18:19

    All the heave offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer unto the Lord, have I given thee, and thy sons and thy daughters with thee, by a statute for ever: it is a covenant of salt for ever before the Lord unto thee and to thy seed with thee.

  • Numbers 18:20

    And the Lord spake unto Aaron, Thou shalt have no inheritance in their land, neither shalt thou have any part among them: I am thy part and thine inheritance among the children of Israel.

Read all of Numbers 18

Numbers 18:19 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Todas las ofrendas elevadas de las cosas santas, que los hijos de Israel ofrecieren á Jehová, helas dado para ti, y para tus hijos y para tus hijas contigo, por estatuto perpetuo: pacto de sal perpetuo es delante de Jehová para ti y para tu simiente contigo.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Toutes les offrandes élevées des choses saintes que les fils d’Israël offrent à l’ Éternel, je te les ai données, et à tes fils et à tes filles avec toi, par statut perpétuel; c’est une alliance de sel, à perpétuité, devant l’ Éternel, pour toi et pour ta semence avec toi.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Alle Hebopfer der heiligen Dinge, welche die Kinder Israel dem Jehova heben, habe ich dir gegeben, und deinen Söhnen und deinen Töchtern mit dir, als eine ewige Gebühr; es ist ein ewiger Salzbund vor Jehova für dich und für deinen Samen mit dir.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Omnes primitias sanctuarii, quas offerunt filii Israël Domino, tibi dedi, et filiis, ac filiabus tuis, jure perpetuo. Pactum salis est sempiternum coram Domino, tibi ac filiis tuis.