But if the priest buy any soul with his money, he shall eat of it, and he that is born in his house: they shall eat of his meat.
Parallel translations
- WEB But if a priest buys a slave, purchased by his money, he shall eat of it; and such as are born in his house, they shall eat of his bread.
- BSB But if a priest buys a slave with his own money, or if a slave is born in his household, that slave may eat his food.
- NKJV But if the priest buys a person with his money, he may eat it; and one who is born in his house may eat his food.
- NASB But if a priest buys a slave as his property with his money, that person may eat of it, and those who are born in his house may eat of his food.
- NLT However, if the priest buys a slave for himself, the slave may eat from the sacred offerings. And if his slaves have children, they also may share his food.
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
A slave bought by a priest, or one born in his house, may eat the holy food because they belong to his household.
Overview
Belonging to the priest's household, not bloodline alone, determined who shared the holy bread. Those purchased or born into the house were counted as part of it and so partook. This foreshadows the gospel reality that those purchased by Christ and born again into God's family are given full share in His holy provision (1 Corinthians 6:20).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- Gen 17:13He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.
- Exod 12:44But every man’s servant that is bought for money, when thou hast circumcised him, then shall he eat thereof.
- Num 18:11–13And 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.
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Christ at the center
Every sacrifice, every priest, and every day of atonement points beyond itself to the one perfect offering and the great High Priest who, by his own blood, makes the unclean holy once for all.
How Leviticus 22:11 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
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