And the Levite that is within thy gates; thou shalt not forsake him; for he hath no part nor inheritance with thee.
Parallel translations
- WEB You shall not forsake the Levite who is within your gates, for he has no portion nor inheritance with you.
- BSB And do not neglect the Levite within your gates, since he has no portion or inheritance among you.
- NKJV You shall not forsake the Levite who is within your gates, for he has no part nor inheritance with you.
- NASB Also you shall not neglect the Levite who is in your town, for he has no portion or inheritance among you.
- NLT And do not neglect the Levites in your town, for they will receive no allotment of land among you.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Israel was not to neglect the Levites, who had no land inheritance of their own. Those who served at worship were to be provided for.
Overview
The Levites received no tribal allotment because the Lord himself was their inheritance, so they depended on the offerings of the people. Including them in the festal generosity guarded against their being forgotten. This principle that those devoted to God's service should be supported by the community carries into the New Testament's teaching that gospel workers deserve their living.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Deut 14:29And the Levite, (because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee,) and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, which are within thy gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hand which thou doest.
- Num 18:20And 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.
- Deut 12:12And ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God, ye, and your sons, and your daughters, and your menservants, and your maidservants, and the Levite that is within your gates; forasmuch as he hath no part nor inheritance with you.
- Deut 12:18–19But thou must eat them before the LORD thy God in the place which the LORD thy God shall choose, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates: and thou shalt rejoice before the LORD thy God in all that thou puttest thine hands unto.
- Deut 18:1–2The priests the Levites, and all the tribe of Levi, shall have no part nor inheritance with Israel: they shall eat the offerings of the LORD made by fire, and his inheritance.
- 1 Tim 5:17Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.
- Gal 6:6Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Moses promised a Prophet like himself to whom Israel must listen (18:15); Jesus is that Prophet, the one who keeps the covenant we broke and becomes the curse for us by hanging on a tree (Gal 3:13).
How Deuteronomy 14:27 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.