Priests To Distinguish Between The Clean And The Unclean In Their Domain

13:1Yahweh spoke to Moshe and to Aharon, saying, 13:2When a man shall have in the skin of his flesh a rising, or a scab, or a bright spot, and it become in the skin of his flesh the plague of leprosy, then he shall be brought to Aharon the Kohen, or to one of his sons the Kohanim: 13:3and the Kohen shall look on the plague in the skin of the flesh: and if the hair in the plague be turned white, and the appearance of the plague be deeper than the skin of his flesh, it is the plague of leprosy; and the Kohen shall look on him, and pronounce him unclean. 13:4If the bright spot be white in the skin of his flesh, and the appearance of it isn't deeper than the skin, and the hair of it isn't turned white, then the Kohen shall shut up him who has the plague seven days: 13:5and the Kohen shall look on him the seventh day: and, behold, if in his eyes the plague be at a stay, and the plague isn't spread in the skin, then the Kohen shall shut him up seven days more: 13:6and the Kohen shall look on him again the seventh day; and, behold, if the plague be dim, and the plague hasn't spread in the skin, then the Kohen shall pronounce him clean: it is a scab: and he shall wash his clothes, and be clean. 13:7But if the scab spread abroad in the skin, after that he has showed himself to the Kohen for his cleansing, he shall show himself to the Kohen again: 13:8and the Kohen shall look; and, behold, if the scab be spread in the skin, then the Kohen shall pronounce him unclean: it is leprosy.

13:9When the plague of leprosy is in a man, then he shall be brought to the Kohen; 13:10and the Kohen shall look; and, behold, if there be a white rising in the skin, and it have turned the hair white, and there be quick raw flesh in the rising, 13:11it is an old leprosy in the skin of his flesh, and the Kohen shall pronounce him unclean: he shall not shut him up, for he is unclean. 13:12If the leprosy break out abroad in the skin, and the leprosy cover all the skin of him who has the plague from his head even to his feet, as far as appears to the Kohen; 13:13then the Kohen shall look; and, behold, if the leprosy have covered all his flesh, he shall pronounce him clean who has the plague: it is all turned white: he is clean. 13:14But whenever raw flesh appears in him, he shall be unclean. 13:15The Kohen shall look on the raw flesh, and pronounce him unclean: the raw flesh is unclean: it is leprosy. 13:16Or if the raw flesh turn again, and be changed to white, then he shall come to the Kohen; 13:17and the Kohen shall look on him; and, behold, if the plague be turned into white, then the Kohen shall pronounce him clean who has the plague: he is clean.

13:18When the flesh has in the skin of it a boil, and it is healed, 13:19and in the place of the boil there is a white rising, or a bright spot, reddish-white, then is shall be showed to the Kohen; 13:20and the Kohen shall look; and, behold, if the appearance of it be lower than the skin, and the hair of it be turned white, then the Kohen shall pronounce him unclean: it is the plague of leprosy, it has broken out in the boil. 13:21But if the Kohen look on it, and, behold, there be no white hairs therein, and it isn't lower than the skin, but is dim; then the Kohen shall shut him up seven days: 13:22If it spread abroad in the skin, then the Kohen shall pronounce him unclean: it is a plague. 13:23But if the bright spot stay in its place, and hasn't spread, it is the scar of the boil; and the Kohen shall pronounce him clean. 13:24Or when the flesh has in the skin of it a burning by fire, and the quick flesh of the burning become a bright spot, reddish-white, or white; 13:25then the Kohen shall look on it; and, behold, if the hair in the bright spot be turned white, and the appearance of it be deeper than the skin; it is leprosy, it has broken out in the burning: and the Kohen shall pronounce him unclean: it is the plague of leprosy. 13:26But if the Kohen look on it, and, behold, there be no white hair in the bright spot, and it be no lower than the skin, but be dim; then the Kohen shall shut him up seven days: 13:27and the Kohen shall look on him the seventh day: if it spread abroad in the skin, then the Kohen shall pronounce him unclean: it is the plague of leprosy. 13:28If the bright spot stays in its place, and hasn't spread in the skin, but be dim; it is the rising of the burning, and the Kohen shall pronounce him clean: for it is the scar of the burning.

13:29When a man or woman has a plague on the head or on the beard, 13:30then the Kohen shall look on the plague; and, behold, if the appearance of it be deeper than the skin, and there be in it yellow thin hair, then the Kohen shall pronounce him unclean: it is a scall, it is leprosy of the head or of the beard. 13:31If the Kohen look on the plague of the scall, and, behold, the appearance of it isn't deeper than the skin, and there be no black hair in it, then the Kohen shall shut up him who has the plague of the scall seven days: 13:32In the seventh day the Kohen shall look on the plague; and, behold, if the scall isn't spread, and there be in it no yellow hair, and the appearance of the scall isn't deeper than the skin, 13:33then he shall be shaved, but he shall not shave the scall; and the Kohen shall shut up him who has the scall seven days more: 13:34and in the seventh day the Kohen shall look on the scall; and, behold, if the scall hasn't spread in the skin, and the appearance of it isn't deeper than the skin; then the Kohen shall pronounce him clean: and he shall wash his clothes, and be clean. 13:35But if the scall spread abroad in the skin after his cleansing, 13:36then the Kohen shall look on him; and, behold, if the scall be spread in the skin, the Kohen shall not seek for the yellow hair; he is unclean. 13:37But if in his eyes the scall be at a stay, and black hair be grown up therein; the scall is healed, he is clean: and the Kohen shall pronounce him clean.

13:38When a man or a woman has in the skin of the flesh bright spots, even white bright spots; 13:39then the Kohen shall look; and, behold, if the bright spots in the skin of their flesh be of a dull white, it is a harmless rash, it has broken out in the skin; he is clean. 13:40If a man's hair be fallen off his head, he is bald; yet is he clean. 13:41If his hair be fallen off from the front part of his head, he is forehead bald; yet is he clean. 13:42But if there be in the bald head, or the bald forehead, a reddish-white plague; it is leprosy breaking out in his bald head, or his bald forehead. 13:43Then the Kohen shall look on him; and, behold, if the rising of the plague be reddish-white in his bald head, or in his bald forehead, as the appearance of leprosy in the skin of the flesh; 13:44he is a leprous man, he is unclean: the Kohen shall surely pronounce him unclean; his plague is in his head. 13:45The leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be torn, and the hair of his head shall go loose, and he shall cover his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean. 13:46All the days in which the plague is in him he shall be unclean; he is unclean: he shall dwell alone; outside of the camp shall his dwelling be.

13:47The garment also that the plague of leprosy is in, whether it be a woolen garment, or a linen garment; 13:48whether it be in warp, or woof; of linen, or of woolen; whether in a skin, or in anything made of skin; 13:49if the plague be greenish or reddish in the garment, or in the skin, or in the warp, or in the woof, or in anything of skin; it is the plague of leprosy, and shall be showed to the Kohen. 13:50The Kohen shall look on the plague, and shut up that which has the plague seven days: 13:51and he shall look on the plague on the seventh day: if the plague be spread in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in the skin, whatever service skin is used for; the plague is a fretting leprosy; it is unclean. 13:52He shall burn the garment, whether the warp or the woof, in woolen or in linen, or anything of skin, in which the plague is: for it is a fretting leprosy; it shall be burnt in the fire. 13:53If the Kohen shall look, and, behold, the plague hasn't spread in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in anything of skin; 13:54then the Kohen shall command that they wash the thing in which the plague is, and he shall shut it up seven days more: 13:55and the Kohen shall look, after that the plague is washed; and, behold, if the plague hasn't changed its color, and the plague hasn't spread, it is unclean; you shall burn it in the fire: it is a fret, whether the bareness be inside or outside. 13:56If the Kohen look, and, behold, the plague be dim after the washing of it, then he shall tear it out of the garment, or out of the skin, or out of the warp, or out of the woof: 13:57and if it appear still in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in anything of skin, it is breaking out: you shall burn that in which the plague is with fire. 13:58The garment, either the warp, or the woof, or whatever thing of skin it be, which you shall wash, if the plague be departed from them, then it shall be washed the second time, and shall be clean. 13:59This is the law of the plague of leprosy in a garment of woolen or linen, either in the warp, or the woof, or anything of skin, to pronounce it clean, or to pronounce it unclean.

It is the responsibility of the Kohen or priest to determine that those under his domain are clean or unclean! In this vein he must learn how to so determine those who are clean or unclean.

Priests To Exclude The Unclean From The Company Of The Clean

It is also the responsibility of the priest to exclude the unclean from the company of the clean over the duration of their uncleanness. If the unclean are temporarily unclean, they are temporarily excluded from the company of the clean. If the unclean are permanently unclean, they are permanently excluded from the company of the clean.

Where there are signs that a person under the domain of a priest is unclean, the Kohen must diligently investigate the matter. If the matter is difficult to determine, but is potentially and adversely contagious, the priest has a responsibility to temporarily exclude from the company of the clean the person who is unclean, in order to allow time to elapse for the manifestation of the matter. If after due time it is determined that the subject person is not unclean, then that person is brought back into the company of the clean. But if it unmistakably emerges that the subject person is indeed unclean, then he is treated as unclean people are treated. He is excluded from the company of the clean until such time as his uncleanness has departed from him, at which point he is reinstated into the company of the clean.

Priests therefore have the duty of determining whether those under their domain are clean or unclean, and whether the uncleanness by which some under their domain are unclean is adversely contagious to the people or not. If the uncleanness is contagious, the priest has power and responsibility to exclude from the company of the clean the unclean person for so long as that person remains unclean. Upon the person being freed of his uncleanness, the priest is compelled to reinstate that person back into the company of the clean.

Priests To Determine Whether The Unclean Have Been Cleansed Of Their Uncleanness

14:1Yahweh spoke to Moshe, saying, 14:2This shall be the law of the leper in the day of his cleansing: he shall be brought to the Kohen: 14:3and the Kohen shall go forth out of the camp; and the Kohen shall look; and, behold, if the plague of leprosy be healed in the leper, 14:4then shall the Kohen command to take for him who is to be cleansed two living clean birds, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop: 14:5The Kohen shall command to kill one of the birds in an earthen vessel over running water. 14:6As for the living bird, he shall take it, and the cedar wood, and the scarlet, and the hyssop, and shall dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water: 14:7He shall sprinkle on him who is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let go the living bird into the open field.

14:8He who is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, and shave off all his hair, and bathe himself in water; and he shall be clean: and after that he shall come into the camp, but shall dwell outside his tent seven days. 14:9It shall be on the seventh day, that he shall shave all his hair off his head and his beard and his eyebrows, even all his hair he shall shave off: and he shall wash his clothes, and he shall bathe his flesh in water, and he shall be clean. 14:10On the eighth day he shall take two he-lambs without blemish, and one ewe-lamb a year old without blemish, and three tenth parts of an efah of fine flour for a meal-offering, mingled with oil, and one log of oil. 14:11The Kohen who cleanses him shall set the man who is to be cleansed, and those things, before Yahweh, at the door of the tent of meeting. 14:12The Kohen shall take one of the he-lambs, and offer him for a trespass-offering, and the log of oil, and wave them for a wave-offering before Yahweh: 14:13and he shall kill the he-lamb in the place where they kill the sin-offering and the burnt offering, in the place of the sanctuary: for as the sin-offering is the Kohen's, so is the trespass-offering: it is most holy: 14:14and the Kohen shall take of the blood of the trespass-offering, and the Kohen shall put it on the tip of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed, and on the thumb of his right hand, and on the great toe of his right foot. 14:15The Kohen shall take of the log of oil, and pour it into the palm of his own left hand; 14:16and the Kohen shall dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand, and shall sprinkle of the oil with his finger seven times before Yahweh: 14:17and of the rest of the oil that is in his hand shall the Kohen put on the tip of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed, and on the thumb of his right hand, and on the great toe of his right foot, on the blood of the trespass-offering: 14:18and the rest of the oil that is in the Kohen's hand he shall put on the head of him who is to be cleansed: and the Kohen shall make atonement for him before Yahweh. 14:19The Kohen shall offer the sin-offering, and make atonement for him who is to be cleansed because of his uncleanness: and afterward he shall kill the burnt offering; 14:20and the Kohen shall offer the burnt offering and the meal-offering on the altar: and the Kohen shall make atonement for him, and he shall be clean.

14:21If he be poor, and can't get so much, then he shall take one he-lamb for a trespass-offering to be waved, to make atonement for him, and one tenth part of an efah of fine flour mingled with oil for a meal-offering, and a log of oil; 14:22and two turtle-doves, or two young pigeons, such as he is able to get; and the one shall be a sin-offering, and the other a burnt offering. 14:23On the eighth day he shall bring them for his cleansing to the Kohen, to the door of the tent of meeting, before Yahweh: 14:24and the Kohen shall take the lamb of the trespass-offering, and the log of oil, and the Kohen shall wave them for a wave-offering before Yahweh. 14:25He shall kill the lamb of the trespass-offering; and the Kohen shall take of the blood of the trespass-offering, and put it on the tip of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed, and on the thumb of his right hand, and on the great toe of his right foot. 14:26The Kohen shall pour of the oil into the palm of his own left hand; 14:27and the Kohen shall sprinkle with his right finger some of the oil that is in his left hand seven times before Yahweh: 14:28and the Kohen shall put of the oil that is in his hand on the tip of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed, and on the thumb of his right hand, and on the great toe of his right foot, on the place of the blood of the trespass-offering: 14:29and the rest of the oil that is in the Kohen's hand he shall put on the head of him who is to be cleansed, to make atonement for him before Yahweh. 14:30He shall offer one of the turtle-doves, or of the young pigeons, such as he is able to get, 14:31even such as he is able to get, the one for a sin-offering, and the other for a burnt offering, with the meal-offering: and the Kohen shall make atonement for him who is to be cleansed before Yahweh. 14:32This is the law of him in whom is the plague of leprosy, who is not able to get that which pertains to his cleansing.

14:33Yahweh spoke to Moshe and to Aharon, saying, 14:34When you are come into the land of Kana`an, which I give to you for a possession, and I put the plague of leprosy in a house of the land of your possession; 14:35then he who owns the house shall come and tell the Kohen, saying, There seems to me to be as it were a plague in the house. 14:36The Kohen shall command that they empty the house, before the Kohen goes in to see the plague, that all that is in the house not be made unclean: and afterward the Kohen shall go in to see the house: 14:37and he shall look on the plague; and, behold, if the plague be in the walls of the house with hollow streaks, greenish or reddish, and the appearance of it be lower than the wall; 14:38then the Kohen shall go out of the house to the door of the house, and shut up the house seven days. 14:39The Kohen shall come again the seventh day, and shall look; and, behold, if the plague be spread in the walls of the house; 14:40then the Kohen shall command that they take out the stones in which the plague is, and cast them into an unclean place outside of the city: 14:41and he shall cause the house to be scraped within round about, and they shall pour out the mortar, that they scrape off, outside of the city into an unclean place: 14:42and they shall take other stones, and put them in the place of those stones; and he shall take other mortar, and shall plaster the house. 14:43If the plague come again, and break out in the house, after that he has taken out the stones, and after he has scraped the house, and after it is plastered; 14:44then the Kohen shall come in and look; and, behold, if the plague be spread in the house, it is a fretting leprosy in the house: it is unclean. 14:45He shall break down the house, the stones of it, and the timber of it, and all the mortar of the house; and he shall carry them forth out of the city into an unclean place. 14:46Moreover he who goes into the house all the while that it is shut up shall be unclean until the even. 14:47He who lies in the house shall wash his clothes; and he who eats in the house shall wash his clothes.

14:48If the Kohen shall come in, and look, and, behold, the plague hasn't spread in the house, after the house was plastered; then the Kohen shall pronounce the house clean, because the plague is healed. 14:49He shall take to cleanse the house two birds, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop: 14:50and he shall kill one of the birds in an earthen vessel over running water: 14:51and he shall take the cedar wood, and the hyssop, and the scarlet, and the living bird, and dip them in the blood of the slain bird, and in the running water, and sprinkle the house seven times: 14:52and he shall cleanse the house with the blood of the bird, and with the running water, and with the living bird, and with the cedar wood, and with the hyssop, and with the scarlet: 14:53but he shall let got the living bird out of the city into the open field: so shall he make atonement for the house; and it shall be clean. 14:54This is the law for all manner of plague of leprosy, and for a scall, 14:55and for the leprosy of a garment, and for a house, 14:56and for a rising, and for a scab, and for a bright spot; 14:57to teach when it is unclean, and when it is clean: this is the law of leprosy.

It is the responsibility of the Kohen or priest to determine whether those who are unclean have been healed of their uncleanness. To so determine the priest is compelled to go out of the company of the clean people and visit the unclean person where the unclean person is dwelling outside the company of the clean people. The unclean person is not to come into the company of the clean people until such time as the priest has determined that such a person has been healed of his or her uncleanness. This is to prevent the clean people being infected by the contagious uncleanness should that uncleanness still be residing upon the unclean person.

Priests To Make Atonement Before Yahweh Upon The Cleansing Of An Unclean Person

It is also the responsibility of the priest to make atonement before Yahweh for the unclean person upon his cleansing, offering appropriate sacrifices and offerings to so make him clean.

Priests To Ensure That Those Under Their Domain Do Not Come In Close Proximity With Contagious Uncleanness

It is also the responsibility of the priest to ensure that the people under his domain do not dwell in a territory, or do not associate themselves with things, that potentially have the effect of transmitting contagious uncleanness to them. Where it is thought that a thing has potential for transmitting a contagious uncleanness to the people, the priest must examine that thing to assess whether it is indeed subject to that contagious uncleanness. If it is, and the contagious uncleanness has not spread throughout the thing, such that it covers the entirety of the thing, then the priest is to see to it that the afflicted part be removed from the thing, and replaced. If the contagion spreads, then the entire thing is indeed unclean, and must be destroyed from the company of the people under the domain of the priest, and must be disposed off in a location safely away from the people.

Yahweh's People Are Not To Associate Themselves With Uncleanness

It should therefore be evident that Yahweh's people are not to associate themselves with uncleanness, whether that of another human being with contagious uncleanness, or that of a thing with contagious uncleanness, uncleanness that can pass from a thing to Yahweh's people. The priest is to ensure that anything that harbours contagious uncleanness, whether living or dead, is removed from the company of Yahweh's people, that it may not infect Yahweh's people with its uncleanness. The priest is also to determine whether such a thing, if previously infected, has been healed of its infection. If healed, it may be restored into the company of Yahweh's people. But it must not be so restored until such time as it has been healed of its uncleanness. This applies whether the thing is animate or not, living or dead.

Priests To Separate Yahweh's People From Their Uncleanness

15:31Thus shall you separate the children of Yisra'el from their uncleanness, that they not die in their uncleanness, when they defile my tent that is in the midst of them.

Priests are to ensure that those under their domain are separated from their uncleanness, for uncleanness defiles Yahweh's dwelling place in the midst of the people.

The High Priest Must Make Atonement For All Of Yahweh's People

16:32The Kohen, who shall be anointed and who shall be consecrated to be Kohen in his father's place, shall make the atonement, and shall put on the linen garments, even the holy garments: 16:33and he shall make atonement for the holy sanctuary; and he shall make atonement for the tent of meeting and for the altar; and he shall make atonement for the Kohanim and for all the people of the assembly. 16:34This shall be an everlasting statute to you, to make atonement for the children of Yisra'el because of all their sins once in the year. He did as Yahweh commanded Moshe.

It is the responsibility of the anointed Kohen or priest to make atonement for all of Yahweh's people, including the priests, at the appointed time.

In the Malki-Tzedek priesthood, the anointed priest, Yah'shuah the Messiah, has already made atonement for all human beings by the perfect sacrifice of his life. There is therefore no longer any need for him to do so again, seeing that his perfect sacrifice was sufficient for the atonement of all human beings, including those to be made priests after the Malki-Tzedek order.

Priests Must Not Defile Themselves

21:1Yahweh said to Moshe, Speak to the Kohanim, the sons of Aharon, and say to them, There shall none defile himself for the dead among his people; 21:2except for his relatives, that is near to him, for his mother, and for his father, and for his son, and for his daughter, and for his brother, 21:3and for his sister a virgin, that is near to him, that has had no husband; for her may he defile himself. 21:4He shall not defile himself, being a chief man among his people, to profane himself. 21:5They shall not make baldness on their head, neither shall they shave off the corner of their beard, nor make any cuttings in their flesh. 21:6They shall be holy to their Mighty One, and not profane the name of their Mighty One; for the offerings of Yahweh made by fire, the bread of their Mighty One, they do offer: therefore they shall be holy. 21:7They shall not take a woman that is a prostitute, or profane; neither shall they take a woman put away from her husband: for he is holy to his Mighty One. 21:8You shall sanctify him therefore; for he offers the bread of your Mighty One: he shall be holy to you: for I Yahweh, who sanctify you, am holy. 21:9The daughter of any Kohen, if she profane herself by playing the prostitute, she profanes her father: she shall be burnt with fire.

21:10He who is the Kohen Gadol among his brothers, on whose head the anointing oil is poured, and that is consecrated to put on the garments, shall not let the hair of his head go loose, nor tear his clothes; 21:11neither shall he go in to any dead body, nor defile himself for his father, or for his mother; 21:12neither shall he go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his Mighty One; for the crown of the anointing oil of his Mighty One is on him: I am Yahweh. 21:13He shall take a wife in her virginity. 21:14A widow, or one divorced, or a profane woman, a prostitute, these shall he not take: but a virgin of his own people shall he take as a wife. 21:15He shall not profane his seed among his people: for I am Yahweh who sanctifies him.

Priests are holy to Yahweh. They are therefore not to engage themselves in any conduct that defiles them.

Priests Must Competently Determine Various Matters According To The Law

27:1Yahweh spoke to Moshe, saying, 27:2Speak to the children of Yisra'el, and tell them, When a man shall accomplish a vow, the persons shall be for Yahweh by your estimation. 27:3Your estimation shall be of the male from twenty years old even to sixty years old, even your estimation shall be fifty shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary. 27:4If it be a female, then your estimation shall be thirty shekels. 27:5If it be from five years old even to twenty years old, then your estimation shall be of the male twenty shekels, and for the female ten shekels. 27:6If it be from a month old even to five years old, then your estimation shall be of the male five shekels of silver, and for the female your estimation shall be three shekels of silver. 27:7If it be from sixty years old and upward; if it be a male, then your estimation shall be fifteen shekels, and for the female ten shekels. 27:8But if he be poorer than your estimation, then he shall be set before the Kohen, and the Kohen shall value him; according to the ability of him who vowed shall the Kohen value him.

27:9If it be a animal, whereof men offer an offering to Yahweh, all that any man gives of such to Yahweh shall be holy. 27:10He shall not alter it, nor change it, a good for a bad, or a bad for a good: and if he shall at all change animal for animal, then both it and that for which it is changed shall be holy. 27:11If it be any unclean animal, of which they do not offer an offering to Yahweh, then he shall set the animal before the Kohen; 27:12and the Kohen shall value it, whether it be good or bad: as you the Kohen value it, so shall it be. 27:13But if he will indeed redeem it, then he shall add the fifth part of it to your estimation.

27:14When a man shall sanctify his house to be holy to Yahweh, then the Kohen shall estimate it, whether it be good or bad: as the Kohen shall estimate it, so shall it stand. 27:15If he who sanctified it will redeem his house, then he shall add the fifth part of the money of your estimation to it, and it shall be his. 27:16If a man shall sanctify to Yahweh part of the field of his possession, then your estimation shall be according to the sowing of it: the sowing of a homer of barley shall be valued at fifty shekels of silver. 27:17If he sanctify his field from the year of jubilee, according to your estimation it shall stand. 27:18But if he sanctify his field after the jubilee, then the Kohen shall reckon to him the money according to the years that remain to the year of jubilee; and an abatement shall be made from your estimation. 27:19If he who sanctified the field will indeed redeem it, then he shall add the fifth part of the money of your estimation to it, and it shall be assured to him. 27:20If he will not redeem the field, or if he has sold the field to another man, it shall not be redeemed any more: 27:21but the field, when it goes out in the jubilee, shall be holy to Yahweh, as a field devoted; the possession of it shall be the Kohen's.

27:22If he sanctify to Yahweh a field which he has bought, which is not of the field of his possession; 27:23then the Kohen shall reckon to him the worth of your estimation to the year of jubilee: and he shall give your estimation in that day, as a holy thing to Yahweh. 27:24In the year of jubilee the field shall return to him of whom it was bought, even to him to whom the possession of the land belongs. 27:25All your estimations shall be according to the shekel of the sanctuary: twenty gerahs shall be the shekel.

27:26Only the firstborn among animals, which is made a firstborn to Yahweh, no man shall sanctify it; whether it be ox or sheep, it is Yahweh's. 27:27If it be of an unclean animal, then he shall ransom it according to your estimation, and shall add to it the fifth part of it: or if it isn't redeemed, then it shall be sold according to your estimation. 27:28Notwithstanding, no devoted thing, that a man shall devote to Yahweh of all that he has, whether of man or animal, or of the field of his possession, shall be sold or redeemed: every devoted thing is most holy to Yahweh. 27:29No one devoted, who shall be devoted from among men, shall be ransomed; he shall surely be put to death.

27:30All the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is Yahweh's: it is holy to Yahweh. 27:31If a man will redeem anything of his tithe, he shall add to it the fifth part of it. 27:32All the tithe of the herd or the flock, whatever passes under the rod, the tenth shall be holy to Yahweh. 27:33He shall not search whether it be good or bad, neither shall he change it: and if he change it at all, then both it and that for which it is changed shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed. 27:34These are the commandments, which Yahweh commanded Moshe for the children of Yisra'el in mount Sinai.

Priests have responsibility for determining various matters according to the law. They must therefore be skilled and well versed in the law, that they may properly determine the various matters that they are supposed to determine.

Those Who Are Holy Within Yisrael

3:1Now this is the history of the generations of Aharon and Moshe in the day that Yahweh spoke with Moshe in mount Sinai. 3:2These are the names of the sons of Aharon: Nadav the firstborn, and Avihu, El`azar, and Itamar. 3:3These are the names of the sons of Aharon, the Kohanim who were anointed, whom he consecrated to minister in the Kohen's office. 3:4Nadav and Avihu died before Yahweh, when they offered strange fire before Yahweh, in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children; and El`azar and Itamar ministered in the Kohen's office in the presence of Aharon their father.

3:5Yahweh spoke to Moshe, saying, 3:6Bring the tribe of Levi near, and set them before Aharon the Kohen, that they may minister to him. 3:7They shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole congregation before the tent of meeting, to do the service of the tent. 3:8They shall keep all the furniture of the tent of meeting, and the charge of the children of Yisra'el, to do the service of the tent. 3:9You shall give the Levites to Aharon and to his sons: they are wholly given to him on the behalf of the children of Yisra'el. 3:10You shall appoint Aharon and his sons, and they shall keep their priesthood: and the stranger who comes near shall be put to death. 3:11Yahweh spoke to Moshe, saying, 3:12I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Yisra'el instead of all the firstborn who opens the womb among the children of Yisra'el; and the Levites shall be mine: 3:13for all the firstborn are mine; on the day that I struck all the firstborn in the land of Mitzrayim I made holy to me all the firstborn in Yisra'el, both man and animal; mine they shall be: I am Yahweh.

The Tribe Of Levi Given To Aharon

3:5-7 notes that Yahweh gave the tribe of Levi to Aharon, to keep both Aharon's charge and that of the congregation of Yisrael, to do the service of the tent of meeting.

Firstborns In Yisrael Belong To Yahweh

3:11-13 notes that among the children of Yisrael those who are Yahweh's are the firstborns who open the womb.

Seeing that there can only be one opening of the womb, it appears that all those who open the womb, irrespective of whether or not they are male, belong to Yahweh. These belong to Yahweh in the context of serving near Yahweh, meaning at the tent of meeting.

The Time Yahweh Sanctified The Firstborns In Yisrael

3:13 notes the TIME when Yahweh made the firstborn in Yisrael his, both of man and animal. It was at the time when he struck the firstborn of Mitzrayim. These are holy to Yahweh, in the sense that Yahweh has dedicated them to him for his service.

It should also be noted that sometimes Yahweh undertakes actions affecting human beings without telling those humans the actions that he has undertaken. For Yahweh consecrated the firstborn in Yisrael to himself, but did not immediately inform the children of Yisrael of what he had done, informing them about his action some time after it occurred.

Within Yisrael The Priesthood Belongs To Aharon's House

3:10 notes that the priesthood within Yisrael was given to Aharon's house, and ONLY to Aharon's house. Anyone outside the Aharonic house who came to perform the priesthood duties was to be put to death. Such a stranger or outsider is a usurper of that which does not belong to him.

[<< Previous Section] [Contents] [Next Section >>]

Your comments on this article

Return to Servants of Yahweh Site Contents page.

Go to Home Page

© 1999, Isaac Aluochier, All rights reserved. Published by Servants of Yahweh, P O Box 22855, London, NW9 8ZF, United Kingdom. E-mail: servantsofyahweh@serveyahweh.org. Permission is hereby GRANTED to reproduce this and other publications in the Servants of Yahweh web site, http://www.serveyahweh.org, unless otherwise stated.

Financial contributions, payable to Servants of Yahweh, and sent to P O Box 22855, London, NW9 8ZF, United Kingdom, are welcome and gratefully received. These facilitate the effective distribution of the word Yahweh has given us, both in electronic and hard copy formats. Not all have easy access to the Internet and therefore cannot easily access our web site, http://www.serveyahweh.org, for this information where it is freely available. These need hard copies of the information published on our web site. Production and distribution of books and booklets is significantly more costly than publishing and distributing material over the Internet. In this regard your financial contributions, whether by way of tithes and/or freewill offerings, go a great way in disseminating the word Yahweh has given us to the people he wills it to reach. May Yahweh richly bless you for your financial contributions to Servants of Yahweh.