You shall not forsake the Levite who is within your gates, for he has no portion nor inheritance with you.
Parallel translations
- KJV And the Levite that is within thy gates; thou shalt not forsake him; for he hath no part nor inheritance with thee.
- 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 14:29The Levite, because he has no portion nor inheritance with you, and the foreigner living among you, and the fatherless, and the widow, who are within your gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that Yahweh your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do.
- Num 18:20Yahweh said to Aaron, “You shall have no inheritance in their land, neither shall you have any portion among them. I am your portion and your inheritance among the children of Israel.
- Deut 12:12You shall rejoice before Yahweh your God, you, and your sons, your daughters, your male servants, your female servants, and the Levite who is within your gates, because he has no portion nor inheritance with you.
- Deut 12:18–19but you shall eat them before Yahweh your God in the place which Yahweh your God shall choose, you, your son, your daughter, your male servant, your female servant, and the Levite who is within your gates. You shall rejoice before Yahweh your God in all that you put your hand to.
- Deut 18:1–2The priests the Levites, all the tribe of Levi, shall have no portion nor inheritance with Israel. They shall eat the offerings of Yahweh made by fire and his portion.
- 1 Tim 5:17Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and in teaching.
- Gal 6:6But let him who is taught in the word share all good things with him who teaches.
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.