Cornelius a Lapide
Table of Contents
Synopsis of the Chapter
For their hereditary portion, sustenance, and stipend, God assigns to the priests the sacrificial victims, firstfruits, and offerings; and to the Levites, verse 21, the tithes. Secondly, verse 26, He commands the Levites to give tithes of their tithes to the priests, and those the better and more select ones.
Vulgate Text: Numbers 18:1-32
1. And the Lord said to Aaron: You, and your sons, and the house of your father with you shall bear the iniquity of the Sanctuary, and you and your sons together shall bear the sins of your priesthood; 2. but also take with you your brothers from the tribe of Levi, and the scepter of your father, and let them stand ready and minister to you: but you and your sons shall minister in the tabernacle of the testimony. 3. And the Levites shall keep watch at your commands, and at all the works of the tabernacle: provided only that they do not approach the vessels of the Sanctuary and the altar, lest both they die and you perish together. 4. But let them be with you, and let them keep watch in the custodies of the tabernacle, and in all its ceremonies. No stranger shall mingle with you. 5. Keep watch in the custody of the Sanctuary, and in the ministry of the altar, lest indignation arise against the children of Israel. 6. I have given you your brothers the Levites from the midst of the children of Israel, and have delivered them as a gift to the Lord, that they may serve in the ministries of His tabernacle. 7. But you and your sons, guard your priesthood; and all things that pertain to the worship of the altar, and that are within the veil, shall be administered by the priests: if any outsider approaches, he shall be put to death. 8. And the Lord spoke to Aaron: Behold, I have given you the custody of My firstfruits. All things that are sanctified by the children of Israel, I have delivered to you and to your sons for the priestly office as a perpetual ordinance. 9. These therefore you shall receive from the things that are sanctified and offered to the Lord. Every offering, and sacrifice, and whatever is rendered to Me for sin and for trespass, and passes into the Holy of Holies, shall be yours and your sons'. 10. In the Sanctuary you shall eat it: males only shall eat of it, because it is consecrated to you. 11. But the firstfruits, which the children of Israel shall have vowed and offered, I have given to you, and to your sons and daughters, by perpetual right: whoever is clean in your house shall eat of them. 12. All the best of the oil, and of the wine, and of the grain, whatever of the firstfruits they offer to the Lord, I have given to you. 13. All the first produce of the fruits, which the land brings forth, and which are brought to the Lord, shall pass into your use: whoever is clean in your house shall eat of them. 14. Everything that the children of Israel shall have rendered from a vow shall be yours. 15. Whatever first breaks forth from the womb of all flesh, which they offer to the Lord, whether of men or of beasts, shall be of your right: provided only that for the firstborn of a man you accept a price, and every animal that is unclean, you shall cause to be redeemed: 16. whose redemption shall be after one month, for five shekels of silver, by the weight of the Sanctuary. A shekel has twenty obols. 17. But the firstborn of an ox, and of a sheep, and of a goat, you shall not cause to be redeemed, because they are sanctified to the Lord; only their blood you shall pour upon the altar, and the fat you shall burn as a most sweet odor to the Lord. 18. But the flesh shall pass into your use, just as the consecrated breast, and the right shoulder, shall be yours. 19. All the firstfruits of the Sanctuary, which the children of Israel offer to the Lord, I have given to you, and to your sons and daughters, by perpetual right. It is a covenant of salt, everlasting before the Lord, for you and your sons. 20. And the Lord said to Aaron: In their land you shall possess nothing, nor shall you have a portion among them; I am your portion and your inheritance in the midst of the children of Israel. 21. But to the sons of Levi I have given all the tithes of Israel as a possession, for the ministry whereby they serve Me in the tabernacle of the covenant: 22. so that the children of Israel may no longer approach the tabernacle, nor commit a deadly sin, 23. only the sons of Levi serving Me in the tabernacle and bearing the sins of the people: it shall be a perpetual ordinance in your generations. They shall possess nothing else, 24. being content with the offering of tithes, which I have set apart for their use and necessities. 25. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 26. Command the Levites, and declare to them: When you receive from the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you, offer the firstfruits of them to the Lord, that is, the tenth part of the tithe, 27. that it may be reckoned to you as an offering of firstfruits, both from the threshing-floors and from the winepresses: 28. and of all things of which you receive firstfruits, offer to the Lord and give to Aaron the priest. 29. All things that you shall offer from the tithes, and shall set apart as gifts of the Lord, shall be the best and most select. 30. And you shall say to them: If you offer the excellent and the better things from the tithes, it shall be reckoned to you as if you had given the firstfruits from the threshing floor and the winepress: 31. and you shall eat them in all your places, both you and your families, because it is the price for the ministry whereby you serve in the tabernacle of the testimony. 32. And you shall not sin in this matter, reserving the excellent and fat things for yourselves, lest you pollute the offerings of the children of Israel, and die.
Verse 1: You Shall Bear the Iniquity of the Sanctuary
1. YOU AND YOUR SONS SHALL BEAR THE INIQUITY OF THE SANCTUARY — that is to say, you and your posterity, as priests, shall pay the penalties if anything is sinned by anyone among the people in the ceremonies of the Sanctuary, or if any outsider intrudes himself into them, through your negligence, or through fear and dissimulation. For I have now confirmed you in the priesthood, and through the two miracles recounted in chapters 16 and 17, I have secured authority among the people for you: it is therefore your duty to courageously defend the sacred things of God and the rights of the priesthood.
Verse 2: Take the Scepter of Your Father
2. AND TAKE THE SCEPTER OF YOUR FATHER WITH YOU. — "Scepter" means tribe. For the Hebrew word shebet signifies both scepter and tribe. For each tribe had its own rod or scepter, as I said in chapter 17:3. Hence the Septuagint translates, "the people of your father," namely the Levites descended from Levi your father.
Verse 3: The Levites Shall Keep Watch
3. AND THE LEVITES SHALL KEEP WATCH AT YOUR COMMANDS — to fulfill them, like vigilant servants who stand and as it were keep watch, awaiting the orders and commands of their masters; hence in Hebrew it reads: "Let them keep your charge," that is, they shall keep your commands most exactly and most diligently. For this repetition of "keeping" signifies this zeal and diligence.
AND AT ALL THE WORKS OF THE TABERNACLE — that is, to guard and carry them when the camp is to be moved; to take them down and set them up when the camp is to be pitched.
LEST BOTH THEY DIE AND YOU. — They, for transgression, namely for touching the sacred things forbidden to them; you, for the omission and negligence by which you did not prevent them from the sacred things.
Verse 4: In All Its Ceremonies
4. And in all its ceremonies. — "Ceremonies" here means the religious ministrations of the Levites concerning the tabernacle and its vessels, which I mentioned in verse 3. Note: These five things are the same or nearly the same: namely watches, works, ministrations, charges, and ceremonies of the tabernacle; for all of these signify nothing other than the duties and services that had to be performed by the Levites and priests concerning the tabernacle. For in these the priests must keep watch, just as soldiers do in camp, and in them wage the good warfare, as St. Paul says.
Verse 5: Keep Watch in the Custody of the Sanctuary
KEEP WATCH IN THE CUSTODY OF THE SANCTUARY AND IN THE MINISTRY OF THE ALTAR, LEST INDIGNATION ARISE AGAINST THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL. — Note: God here threatens to avenge the negligence of sacred things and of priests upon the people, because the people together with the priests form one body and one commonwealth, and it is the people's duty to support the priests, and thus to ensure that sacred rites are properly performed by them. It is therefore the priests' duty to handle sacred things properly, and thus to interpose themselves as mediators between God and the people, and to avert the wrath of God from them.
Let the Christians and priests of the New Testament hear this, and that which follows: "You and your sons, guard your priesthood, and all things that pertain to the worship of the altar;" whence Saint Paul rightly says: "No one serving as a soldier of God entangles himself in the affairs of this world," II Timothy ii, 4, much less in idleness, ambition, sloth, and pleasures. Let vain, idle, and self-indulgent clerics hear the reproach which Saint Bernard hurls at them, writing to Pope Eugenius: "You see, he says, the zeal of certain men in the Church burning entirely for the defense of their dignity; everything is given to dignity, little or nothing to holiness: meanwhile you, O Pastor, walk about clothed in variety, and what in the meantime do the sheep do? This I confess indeed, these are the pastures of demons, not of men."
Let them hear Cardinal Hugo on Genesis xlvii, thundering from Saint Bernard these words against soft clerics, who claim for themselves the pleasures of all states of life, but none of their burdens and labors: "Each human occupation, he says, has something of labor and something that delights. Consider the prudence of certain men who, running about with a new artifice among these things, choose and embrace all that delights; what is troublesome, they flee and avoid. With soldiers they frequent the pomp of pride, a large household, ornamental trappings, hawks, dice, and such things. From women they borrow skins of mice hanging from the neck, ornate bedchambers, baths, and every softness. They carefully avoid altogether the weight of the breastplate, and sleepless nights in camp, and the uncertain perils of wars; and they avoid feminine modesty and discipline, and whatever labor that sex has. When men shall begin to rise each in his own order, where do you think this generation will be placed? If they turn to the soldiers, they will be repelled because they did not share their labors and dangers: so the farmers, so the vine-dressers, and all the rest. What then remains, except that every order expels and accuses them, so that they may be assigned to that place where there is no order, but everlasting horror dwells."
Saint Paul said, quoting Moses: "You shall not muzzle the ox;" which ox? Perhaps one that plays? Perhaps one that frolics? Perhaps one that is idle? By no means, but "one that treads the grain," one that labors on the threshing floor; for, as the same Apostle says, II Thessalonians iii: "If anyone will not work, neither let him eat." Let clerics who pluck the fruits of the Church, but do not expend labor for the Church, read Saint Bernard on those words: "Behold, we have left all things;" and Saint Gregory, homily 17 on the Gospels.
Verse 6: I Have Delivered Them as a Gift to the Lord
6. And I have delivered them as a gift to the Lord. — "To the Lord," that is, to Me; for these are the words of the Lord, who here, according to Hebrew custom, speaks of Himself in the third person.
Verse 7: All Things within the Veil
7. ALL THINGS THAT ARE WITHIN THE VEIL SHALL BE ADMINISTERED BY THE PRIESTS. — "Within the veil," that is, within the Holy Place, and within the Holy of Holies. For there was a double veil: one separating the Holy Place from the court; the other separating the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies. The Levites, therefore, are here barred from entrance to both the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies.
Verse 8: The Custody of My Firstfruits
8. Behold I have given you (O Aaron) the custody OF MY FIRSTFRUITS. — "Firstfruits," that is, offerings; for the word firstfruits is often taken in this sense both by the Septuagint and by our Translator. Hence there follows by way of explanation: "All things that are sanctified by the children of Israel," that is, all things that are set apart and offered to Me. For in Hebrew it is: I have given you the custody of My offerings, namely of all the holy things, that is, of the sanctified things of the children of Israel, so that you both guard, that is, command to be guarded, and take care of all things that the children of Israel offer and consecrate to God; but with the limitation and specification that follows, namely that you divide and distribute them among your sons, that is, among the lesser priests.
A PERPETUAL ORDINANCE — namely, so that they pass to you and your priests, as lawful rights and dues owed to you and the priests by perpetual law: hence in Hebrew it is by a law, or an eternal statute.
Verse 9: Every Offering and Sacrifice
9. EVERY OFFERING AND SACRIFICE, AND WHATEVER FOR SIN AND TRESPASS IS RENDERED TO ME, AND PASSES INTO THE HOLY OF HOLIES, SHALL BE YOURS AND YOUR SONS' — that is to say, whatever is offered and sacrificed to Me, and is therefore holy of holies, that is, most holy, this shall pass to the priests alone, not to the Levites.
This is the first law, and the first gift, as it were the stipend assigned by God to the priests, namely any victims and sacrifices offered according to the prescription of the law.
Verse 10: In the Sanctuary You Shall Eat It
10. In the Sanctuary (in the court of the Sanctuary or tabernacle, near the altar of holocausts) you shall eat IT. — For all sacrifices or victims had to be eaten in the court of the tabernacle; but other gifts or offerings, such as firstfruits and tithes, could be eaten at home.
MALES ONLY SHALL EAT OF IT — namely, of the sacrifice for sin and trespass, which was just mentioned, and which, as was said, is holy of holies, that is, most holy. For from the peace-offering, even women ate, as is clear from Leviticus x, 14, Deuteronomy xii, 18, and xvi, 11.
BECAUSE IT IS CONSECRATED TO YOU. — In Hebrew: holiness it shall be to you, that is, it shall be set apart for you, and this offering shall pertain to you, as something holy for a holy person, that is, consecrated to God.
Verse 11: The Firstfruits Which the Children of Israel Shall Offer
11. BUT THE FIRSTFRUITS WHICH THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL SHALL HAVE VOWED AND OFFERED, I HAVE GIVEN TO YOU, AND TO YOUR SONS. — "Firstfruits," that is, offerings; for thus the Hebrew has: The offering of their gift, all the offerings which the children of Israel shall have offered, I have given to you, that is to say, I have also given to you, O Aaron, and to your sons the priests, whatever the children of Israel shall have given and offered as a gift for sacrifice. For that sacrifices are treated of here is clear from the fact that there follows: "Everyone who is clean shall eat of it;" for of firstfruits, tithes, and other things voluntarily offered, but not sacrificed, even the unclean could eat. This is the second law, and the second gift assigned by God to the priests, namely all the victims voluntarily offered.
Verse 12: All the Best of the Oil, Wine, and Grain
12. ALL THE BEST OF THE OIL AND OF THE WINE AND OF THE GRAIN, WHATEVER OF THE FIRSTFRUITS THEY OFFER TO THE LORD, I HAVE GIVEN TO YOU. — "The best," in Hebrew the fatness, that is to say, what is most rich and best among grains, wines, and oil, I have given to you. For the Hebrews were obliged to offer as firstfruits, not the worst, but the best, as is prescribed in verses 29 and 32. This is the third law and the third gift of the priests, namely the firstfruits of produce.
Note that firstfruits are distinguished from tithes in a twofold manner; for firstfruits are the first produce, tithes are the tenth part of the produce: the former are offered immediately to God in thanksgiving, for the fruits of the earth; the latter are given proximately to the priests as a stipend for sustenance, for the ministry by which they serve the Church and the temple.
Note secondly: By natural law neither Jews nor Christians are obliged to give firstfruits, just as they are not obliged to give tithes, except insofar as these are necessary for the sustenance of the ministers of the Church. The Jews, therefore, were bound to firstfruits and tithes by divine law, the Mosaic law, which is enacted both here and in the last chapter of Leviticus; Christians, however, are bound to tithes by canon law.
Note thirdly: Nevertheless, the payment of firstfruits, as also of tithes, is very much in accord with natural right and reason. For natural reason dictates that it is fitting that we offer to God the first of all things. Hence also among the ancient Romans, they would not taste new produce or wines before the priests had offered firstfruit libations, as Pliny says, book xviii, chapter ii. In like manner the pagans paid tithes. See Pliny, book xix, chapter xiv, and Plutarch in his Life of Lucullus, and in his Problems, chapter xvi. I shall demonstrate the same point more fully at the end of the chapter. Hence also before the law, Abraham, by the instinct of God and nature, gave tithes to Melchizedek, Genesis xiv; and Jacob vowed tithes of all that he would receive from God, Genesis xxviii. For right reason dictates that a just and fitting portion of goods be offered to God; and such is the tithe. To this add the symbolic reason: for the number ten signifies perfection, being the limit of simple numbers, containing them all; for the rest are composed from ten itself, repeated once or more, and from another simple number. And so he who pays the tithe to God in His ministers, retaining nine for himself, signifies that he is imperfect, and awaits perfection from God through His ministers.
Note fourthly: The Jews paid four kinds of firstfruits: first, the firstfruits of ears of grain on the second day of unleavened bread, Leviticus xxiii, 10; second, the firstfruits of bread at Pentecost, Leviticus xxiii, 17; third, the firstfruits of bread which they baked weekly, as I said at Numbers xv, 21; fourth, in the seventh month, namely at the feast of Tabernacles, when all the produce had been gathered, they gave the firstfruits of them all, both from the harvest and from the threshing-floors: and these fourth firstfruits are generally understood when mention of firstfruits is made in Scripture.
Where note: Although the quantity of these fourth firstfruits was not defined by God, it was nevertheless defined by custom or by decree of the elders, namely that they should give between a fortieth and a sixtieth part; so that the maximum was a fortieth part of the produce, and the minimum was a sixtieth part, as Saint Jerome handed down in his commentary on Ezekiel xlv, and Abulensis in chapter xviii of Numbers, Question xiv, and Ribera, book iii On the Temple, chapter ii, and this is sufficiently gathered from the chapter Decimam, title On Tithes. Each person, therefore, between a fortieth and a sixtieth, gave that portion which he wished.
So tropologically, it is fitting that Christians offer to God the beginnings not only of life and studies, but also of individual works and actions. Hence also from ancient times, emperors, immediately after their elevation, would present their duty and homage to the Roman Pontiff, as the firstfruits of their empire. Among others, the Emperor Justin did this, to whom Pope Hormisdas wrote in reply: "You have rendered the due firstfruits of your empire to the Blessed Apostle Peter."
Verse 13: All the First Produce of the Fruits
13. All the first produce of the fruits ("first produce," that is, firstfruits), WHOEVER IS CLEAN IN YOUR HOUSE SHALL EAT OF THEM — if, that is, anything of these firstfruits had been sacrificed and offered to God; for otherwise, if they were offered only to the priest, they could be eaten by anyone, even the unclean.
Verse 14: Everything Rendered from a Vow
14. EVERYTHING THAT THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL SHALL HAVE RENDERED FROM A VOW SHALL BE YOURS — if, that is, they have vowed it to God, not for sacrifice, but only for an offering. This is the fourth gift of the priests, namely vows, that is, things offered from a vow.
Verse 15: Whatever First Breaks Forth from the Womb
15. Whatever first breaks forth from the womb, etc., SHALL BE OF YOUR RIGHT. — This is the fifth gift and stipend of the priests, namely the firstborn of animals.
EVERY ANIMAL THAT IS UNCLEAN YOU SHALL CAUSE TO BE REDEEMED. — By "unclean" understand not according to species, such as a horse, mule, or camel, but accidentally, such as a lame, maimed, or blind sheep, etc., which therefore cannot be sacrificed to God; for the Hebrews offered to God the firstborn only of clean animals, namely sheep, oxen, goats, and humans, but not of unclean animals, except the donkey alone, as I showed at Exodus xiii, 12 and 13.
Therefore the firstborn of man alone had to be offered to God after one month, and redeemed at the set price, namely five shekels of silver, that is, five Brabantine florins. Hence it is clear that a firstborn infant could be offered to God and redeemed before the purification of the mother (for this took place on the fortieth day after the birth), indeed had to be offered and redeemed, if the mother died in childbirth or shortly after. Commonly, however, mothers waited for their own purification, so that together with it they might offer and redeem their firstborn infants, as the Blessed Virgin did with the child Jesus, Luke II, 22.
Verse 17: The Firstborn of Ox, Sheep, and Goat
17. BUT THE FIRSTBORN OF AN OX AND OF A SHEEP AND OF A GOAT YOU SHALL NOT CAUSE TO BE REDEEMED, BECAUSE THEY ARE SANCTIFIED — because, that is, they are consecrated to God, to be sacrificed to Him according to the law; therefore they cannot be redeemed, as other things are redeemed that are not to be sacrificed to God. The firstborn therefore of an ox, sheep, and goat had to be sacrificed to God, in such a way that their blood was poured upon the altar, and their fat was burned to God on the altar, while their flesh went for the use and consumption of the priests.
Verse 18: As the Consecrated Breast
18. AS THE CONSECRATED BREAST — that is to say: Just as the breast and the right shoulder from the peace offering are yours, so that anyone clean in your household may eat of them; so also these meats of the firstborn sacrificed to Me shall be yours and shall belong to you, so that they may be eaten by anyone clean in your household: this is clear from what follows.
Verse 19: A Covenant of Salt Forever
19. IT IS A COVENANT OF SALT FOREVER BEFORE THE LORD, FOR YOU AND YOUR SONS — that is to say: These gifts and offerings I give and assign to you, as from a perpetual promise and covenant.
Note first: This donation of God is called a covenant, because it was conditional and with a burden on the donee; for in return, the priests receiving these gifts were obliged to serve God and the tabernacle.
Note secondly: A covenant of salt is called a perpetual covenant, because salt is a symbol of eternity, as I said at Leviticus II, 13.
Verse 20: I Am Your Portion and Your Inheritance
20. AND THE LORD SAID TO AARON: IN THEIR LAND (of the Hebrews, your brethren) YOU SHALL POSSESS NOTHING, NOR SHALL YOU HAVE A PORTION (of inheritance) AMONG THEM — namely fields, vineyards, meadows, etc.; the Levites did, however, possess 48 cities, but only for dwelling; and their suburbs, for feeding and pasturing their cattle, as will be clear in chapter XXXV and Joshua XIV. Wycliffe therefore ineptly tried to prove from this that it is not lawful for clergy to have any possessions; for this is a ceremonial law, and is now abolished. Moreover the Levites, besides the cities and suburbs, had a tenth part of the produce of the land, though they themselves were scarcely a sixtieth part of the entire people.
I AM YOUR PORTION AND YOUR INHERITANCE IN THE MIDST OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL — that is, I am your portion, O Aaron, O high priest, O priest, and the lot of your inheritance, which you shall have among the children of Israel; that is, as is explained in Joshua XIII, 14, the sacrifices, victims, and offerings which are offered to Me are your inheritance, nor do I wish you to have another, both because this amply suffices for you, and lest you become entangled in the cultivation of fields and vineyards, but spend yourself entirely on Me and My ministries. For, as Saint Ambrose says, in his book On Flight from the World, chapter II: "He whose portion is God ought to care for nothing except God, lest he be hindered by the duty of some other necessity: for whatever is devoted to other duties is taken away from the worship of religion and from this our office," as if to say: I, God, will be for you, O priests, your fields, vineyards, olive groves, harvests, grapes, and olives. I, without plough or plowshare, without digging or cultivation, without any labor or care of yours, will bring forth and render to you what the richest soil, the most fertile vine, the most fruitful olive tree could yield with enormous labor and cultivation. I will be for you at once the field and its fruit; I will always, certainly, and abundantly procure and lavish upon you all necessities; be of good cheer, fix all your hopes on Me, from Me all good things flow; that nothing may be wanting to you shall be My care: indeed I will bring it about that much more remains and abounds for you than for your brethren, namely the other tribes who will divide the land; devote yourselves therefore to Me alone.
The second reason for this ordinance was so that the other tribes might treat the priests with great veneration and charity; and in return the priests might more zealously devote themselves to their salvation: hence He brought it about that in spiritual and sacred matters, all should depend on the priests; while the priests in the material supports of life should depend on the other tribes, as if to say: Do you wish, O Israelites, to honor Me your God? Give to My priests what is required for food and clothing; give what is owed to Me by you. Do you wish in return, O priests, to receive rich sacrificial victims, firstfruits, and offerings from the Israelites? Apply yourselves diligently to the sacred rites, teach My people My laws carefully, bind them to yourselves by your religion, doctrine, diligence, and example; do not blunt their generosity and munificence by impiety, laziness, idleness, or licentiousness: their minds are commended to you by Me, your bodies to them.
The third reason was that God wished His ministers to give the people a model of heavenly life, so that they might not gape too much after earthly and material goods in their usual way, but have them only for use, while having heavenly things in their vows and desires. For, as Saint Augustine says, homily 23 On the Words of the Apostle: "Temporal goods do not cease to inflame us when coming, corrupt us when arriving, and torment us when passing; desired things burn, acquired things become cheap, lost things vanish;" and Saint Bernard: "Do not love those things which when loved defile, when possessed burden, and when lost torment."
David alludes to this, Psalm XV, 5, saying: "The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and of my cup; You are He who will restore my inheritance to me," as if to say: God is for me every good, and everything; besides God I require nothing, says Saint Augustine: this inheritance, which You Yourself are, O Lord, no one shall take from me. For You confirm it for me here through grace, and in heaven You will confirm it in reality through glory. Our Clergy imitate this, who are therefore called kleros, that is, the lot and portion of the Lord, and in turn whose lot and inheritance is the Lord. So Saint Paulinus, Bishop of Nola, when Nola was taken by the Barbarians, prayed as a captive: "Lord, let me not be tormented on account of gold and silver; for where all my goods are, You know," namely You are my lot and my portion in the land of the living. So Saint Augustine, book I of The City of God, chapter X.
Verse 21: To the Sons of Levi I Have Given All the Tithes
21. BUT TO THE SONS OF LEVI I HAVE GIVEN ALL THE TITHES OF ISRAEL. — Up to this point God has given the priests, for their ministry, the victims, firstfruits, and other votive and voluntary offerings: but here He gives the Levites the tithes. Hence it is clear that the tithes were not given to the Levites and priests, as Ribera would have it, book III On the Temple, chapter II, but to the Levites alone: for the Levites in turn gave tithes from them to the priests, as is said here, and as Josephus and Nehemiah teach, chapter X, verses 37 and 38; for what he says there: "And the priest, the son of Aaron, shall be with the Levites in the tithes of the Levites;" he immediately explains by adding: "And the Levites shall offer the tenth part of their tithe, in the house of our God to the treasury, in the storehouse," so that it may be kept therein and distributed from there to the priests.
Rabbi Eliezer relates that Levi was the tenth of Jacob's sons, counting from Benjamin, and therefore was offered to God by Saint Michael, so that the Levites should serve God on earth, as the angels do in heaven: and that Saint Michael then said to God that it was right for the king to feed his servants, and so God gave the tithes to the Levites. Whether this happened historically, God knows: otherwise it is a pious and clever contemplation.
Verses 22-23: Bearing the Sins of the People
22. AND LET THEM NOT COMMIT A DEADLY SIN — which would be the cause of death for them, both present and eternal.
23. TO THE SONS OF LEVI ALONE, SERVING ME IN THE TABERNACLE, AND BEARING THE SINS OF THE PEOPLE. — "Sins," that is, the punishments of the people's sins, if the people intrude upon the ministry of the tabernacle, that is, if this happens through the negligence of the Levites. For the custody of the tabernacle was committed to the Levites: hence if they allow the people to approach it, namely the Holy Place, I will punish them for this sin of the people, because I transferred the care of the tabernacle from the people to them, and committed it to them, and for this care I assigned them the people's tithes: hence whatever sin there shall be in this matter, I will exact it not from the people, but from the Levites. And this is what God said to Aaron, verse 1: "You and your sons shall bear the iniquity of the Sanctuary, and you shall bear the sins of your priesthood," that is, you shall suffer and be punished if you allow anyone from the people, who is not of your race, namely of the priestly race, to minister besides yourselves, as if to say: Let none of the rest of the children of Israel approach the tabernacle, because the sons of Levi alone must minister in it, and bear the sins of the people; and therefore if the people sin in this regard, the Levites shall bear and sustain this sin of the people, because they did not prevent it, but overlooked it.
A PERPETUAL LAW — this law and ordinance shall be everlasting.
Verse 26: The Tithe of the Tithe
26. COMMAND THE LEVITES: WHEN YOU SHALL HAVE RECEIVED FROM THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL THE TITHES WHICH I HAVE GIVEN YOU, OFFER THE FIRSTFRUITS (that is, the tithes) OF THEM TO THE LORD, THAT IS, THE TENTH PART OF THE TITHE. — God here commands that the Levites should offer tithes of their tithes to God, that is, to God's priests, and this so that in these tithes the Levites might be equal to the other tribes, who from their own labor offered tithes to the Lord, as I shall explain more clearly shortly.
Verse 27: An Offering of Firstfruits from Threshing-Floors and Winepresses
27. THAT IT MAY BE RECKONED TO YOU AS AN OFFERING OF FIRSTFRUITS, BOTH FROM THE THRESHING-FLOORS AND FROM THE WINEPRESSES — that is to say: You, O Levites, from the tithes of Israel which I assigned in verse 21, shall give the tenth part of them to the high priest and the priests, and you shall first set this apart for them, before you take anything from it for yourselves. And therefore these shall be your true tithes and firstfruits, both of grain and of grapes and wine, which you shall offer to Me by giving them to the priests; and I will accept them from you just as if you were lay Israelites paying Me the firstfruits and tithes of your fields and vineyards.
Some think, such as Lyranus and Abulensis, that this tithe of the tithe, that is, one hundredth of all the produce of all Israel, was given by the Levites to the high priest. For this seems to be what is said in verse 28: "Give them to Aaron the high priest." And if this is so, the high priest was certainly very wealthy, receiving annually one hundredth part of the produce of all Judea. And hence Saint Thomas, II-II, Question LXXXVII, article 4, reply to 3, and others teach that it is fitting for all Clergy, even Bishops, to give tithes of their goods to the Roman Pontiff. The Pontiff, however, does not exact them, but in their place, for the greater benefices, he requires annates, that is, the revenues of the first year, when he confers a benefice on someone.
But others more rightly judge that this tithe of the tithe was given by the Levites, not to the high priest alone, but to all the priests. For otherwise the high priest would be very wealthy, while the priests, being very numerous, would be very poor. So teaches Josephus, an eyewitness, book IV of the Antiquities, chapter IV, and Saint Jerome on chapter XLV of Ezekiel, and Philo, in his book On the Honors of Priests, at the end, and from them Ribera, book III On the Temple, chapter II. It is likely, however, that from this tithe of the tithe, a good portion, in keeping with the dignity of so great a person, went to the high priest.
Verse 28: Give Them to Aaron the Priest
28. OF WHICH YOU RECEIVE THE FIRSTFRUITS — that is, the tithes: so the Chaldean; for these went to the Levites: but the firstfruits properly so called went to the priests, as is clear from verse 11 and following.
GIVE THEM TO AARON THE PRIEST — so that he may distribute them among the priests: for he is the head and chief of the priests.
Verse 29: The Best and Choicest
29. ALL THAT YOU SHALL OFFER FROM THE TITHES, AND SHALL SET APART AS GIFTS OF THE LORD, SHALL BE THE BEST AND CHOICEST. — God commands that the best be given in tithes. Let those Christians take note who in tithes, firstfruits, and other offerings give the most worthless things to God, and consequently receive the most worthless things from Him, and are deservedly punished with barrenness of crops and poverty, just as the Jews were punished, as Malachi testifies, chapter 1, verse 14, and chapter II, verse 2; and Haggai teaches that they were punished in a similar case, chapter 1, verse 6 and following. On the contrary, God customarily repays with fertility those who pay such tithes as they ought. Hear Saint Augustine, homily 48 among the 50: "Our ancestors abounded in all resources because they gave tithes to God and rendered tribute to Caesar: but now, because devotion to God has departed, the tax of the treasury has arrived; we were unwilling to share tithes with God, but now everything is taken away: the treasury takes what Christ does not receive." And sermon 219 On the Seasons: "This is the Lord's most just custom, that if you have not given Him tithes, you shall be reduced to a tenth." See him throughout that sermon.
Verse 31: The Price for the Ministry
31. BECAUSE IT IS THE PRICE FOR THE MINISTRY BY WHICH YOU SERVE IN THE TABERNACLE. — "It is the price," in Hebrew, it is the wage, namely of the labor by which, as servants and porters, you, O Levites, labor in carrying, arranging, and directing the tabernacle, etc. For this ministry was in itself corporal, and deserved a corporal price and wage; even though it was directed to a spiritual end, namely the worship of God: which spiritual relation could not be sold without simony. Secondly, "the price," that is, the stipend for sustenance; for this also in the new law is owed in justice to pastors and other ministers of the Church.
Verse 32: Do Not Pollute the Offerings
32. DO NOT POLLUTE THE OFFERINGS OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL (which you would do if, when they give you the best tithes, you select from them the worst tenth part to give to the priests), AND DIE — that is to say: If you do this, you will be killed by Me. Whence it is clear how severely God demanded, not only tithes, but also that the better part of them be offered to Himself.
The Gentiles Also Gave Tithes to Their Gods
Concerning this chapter on tithes, note first that the Gentiles also gave perpetual tithes to their gods. Cicero teaches this, in book III of On the Nature of the Gods: "Did anyone ever vow a tithe to Hercules, if he had become wise?" and Plautus: "That he might pay tithes to Hercules;" and Herodotus in the Clio: "Station at each gate some of your bodyguards as sentries, who may prevent the treasures from being carried off, so that their tithes may necessarily be rendered to Jupiter." These were the words of Croesus to Cyrus king of the Persians; and Xenophon: "Agis set out for Delphi, and offered a tithe to God."
Philo on Tribute to Priests as to Kings
Philo notes secondly, in his book On the Honor of Priests, that tribute should be paid to priests just as to kings, by God's judgment: whence by the judgment of the law, priests are equated in honor and majesty with kings, indeed preferred to them; for subjects pay tribute to kings by compulsion and unwillingly: "But this nation (the Jewish), he says, brings forth the money owed willingly and joyfully, as though it were not giving but receiving, adding favorable omens and thanksgivings."
St. Jerome on Tithes for the New Law
Saint Jerome notes thirdly, on Malachi III, that the firstfruits and tithes given to the Levites and priests of the old law foreshadowed and prefigured that the same should be given to the priests of the new law; for, as Origen says here, homily 11: "It is impious that one who worships God, and knows that His ministers attend the altar and serve the word of God or the ministry of the Church, should not offer firstfruits to the priests from the fruits of the earth which God gives, by producing His sun and dispensing His rains; for such a soul does not seem to have remembrance of God, nor to think, nor to believe, that God gave the fruits which it has received."
Hence already long ago the Roman Council under Damasus decreed that tithes and firstfruits should be given by the faithful, and that those who refused should be struck with anathema. Indeed, Saint Chrysostom, homily 43 on 1 Corinthians, commands that cobblers and other craftsmen, when they sell shoes and other products of their trade, or buy them, should pay at least the tenth part of the price to God. Do you want examples?
Historical Examples of Tithes
At Mylapore in India the Portuguese discovered a temple and the tomb of Saint Thomas the Apostle, on which was inscribed in ancient letters that this temple had once been built by the holy Apostle of God, Thomas; that for the maintenance and care of the temple a tithe of the merchandise imported into the city had been assigned by King Sagamo; and there had been added an adjuration to posterity, that they should not wish to diminish anything from that tribute by donation. So our Maffei reports, book VIII of the History of the Indies.
When Charles Martel wished to divert the tithes of the Church into soldiers' pay against the Saracens, Saint Eucherius, Bishop of Orleans, resisted him, and was therefore sent into exile by him, as Joannes Molanus, Doctor of Louvain, records in the Annals of the Saints of Belgium, February 20.
When Saint Stephen, King of Hungary, had subdued the Hungarians and converted them to the faith, immediately the spoils were dedicated by him to Saint Martin, who was a Hungarian, through whose invocation he had obtained the victory, and tithes were assigned to the Church, as is clear from his Life, which is found in Surius, August 20, chapters iv and v.
Hear what Joannes, Archbishop of Uppsala, reports about tithes in the History of the Goths, book XVIII, chapter XIII, Saxo Grammaticus, book XI of the History of the Danes, the Martyrology of Usuard on the 6th of the Ides of July, Joannes Molanus, orations 2 and 3 On Tithes, Jacobus Meyerus, book III of the History of the Flemish, in the year of Christ 1088. King Canute, when he was striving with the greatest pious zeal that Christ's ministers should be more generously and suitably provided for from tithes and firstfruits, was betrayed by the remarkable treachery of a certain Blacco, and was murdered by the insane populace. After this, so great a scarcity of grain invaded all of Denmark that the greatest part of the people, lacking food, was consumed by famine. Indeed, the harvest was abundant for neighboring peoples, so that it seemed a private punishment of the nation, not a public calamity of the lands. Nor was fertility restored to the Danish fields until the people, converted in heart, repented of having killed so holy a king, who had demanded such just and honorable things for Christ's ministers. And they had learned by experience that they had justly lost nine parts of their grain, they who had been unwilling to render the tenth to God and God's ministers.
Concerning the Poles, Longinus, Canon of Cracow, reports, and from him Baronius, volume XI, in the year of Christ 1022, that when certain of their nobles, on account of the burdensome payment of tithes, were thinking of recoiling from Christianity and returning to paganism, and therefore of not paying tithes, not attending churches, but of expelling priests from the churches, Boleslaus, the pious king, seized the authors of the crime and punished them, some with death, others with beatings.
Concerning the Italians, Joannes Molanus, on November 26, reports from Crantzius, Usuardus, and others that Saint Bellinus, Bishop of Padua, when he was compelling a certain rich man named Thomas Capivaccius to pay tithes, was killed by him on the road; and when after death he became famous for many miracles, he was enrolled by Eugene IV in the catalogue of Martyrs; but the murderer was punished by God, reduced to the utmost destitution, and abandoned by all, and ended his life miserably in prison: and his descendants could never enter the church dedicated to God in honor of Saint Bellinus; indeed, shortly after they completely died out.
Concerning the Scots, Hector Boethius writes, book XIII, and Joannes Magnus, book IV On the Deeds of the Scots, chapter X, that the people of Caithness burned their Bishop Adam in his own kitchen -- Adam who was demanding tithes according to custom and compelling them by anathema; hearing this, Alexander, King of Scotland, gathered his forces, seized the authors of the crime, and put more than four hundred to death by extreme punishment; and deprived the Earl of Caithness of his earldom, because he had not come to the aid of Adam when he invoked his help. But God punished him more severely; for his servants, because he had treated them more harshly than was just, murdered him by night after a few years, placed him on a bed (so that the crime might remain hidden), and set the house on fire and cremated him. He perished, therefore, by the same kind of punishment by which his people had treated Bishop Adam.
Concerning the Saxons, hear Lambert of Schafnaburg in the year of Christ 1059. Bishop Burchard of Halberstadt was claiming for himself the tithes of Saxony that belonged to the monastery of Hersfeld, by reason of his episcopal jurisdiction. Meginher, the Abbot of that monastery, ordered the Bishop to be informed through Frederick the Palatine that, since he could be induced by no right to restore what he had stolen, the time was close at hand when this case would have to be adjudicated before God. The Abbot died shortly after. And when the Bishop had convoked a Synod on this matter, he fell from his horse on the journey and was carried home: where he asked both his household and the Bishops visiting him to restore those tithes without delay to the monastery, for he was already paying the penalties of his injustice.
Concerning the people of Noricum punished by famine for unpaid tithes, I shall speak at Deuteronomy xiv, at the end.