Era 4 · Covenant and WildernessNumbers
Aaron's Staff and the Tithes
"I am thy part and thine inheritance"
To end the complaints once and for all, each tribal leader brings a staff with his name written on it, and Aaron's name is written on the staff of Levi. Moses lays them in the tent of the testimony. "The man's rod, whom I shall choose, shall blossom." In the morning Aaron's rod "was budded… and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds." It is kept before the testimony "for a token against the rebels."
The people are terrified: "Behold, we die, we perish… whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the LORD shall die." God answers with order rather than fear. Aaron and his sons will bear responsibility for the sanctuary and the altar; the Levites will guard the tent around them; no outsider is to come near, "that there be no wrath any more upon the children of Israel."
The priests receive the holy portions of the offerings, the firstfruits of oil, wine and grain, and the firstborn, "by a covenant of salt for ever." Firstborn sons are redeemed for five shekels. But they receive no land: "I am thy part and thine inheritance among the children of Israel." The Levites receive "all the tenth in Israel" for their service, and from it they give "a tenth part of the tithe" to the priests.
The almond
The almond is the first tree to blossom in Israel's winter, sometimes in January. Its Hebrew name, shaqed, sounds like "watchful" (shoqed): God shows Jeremiah an almond branch and says, "I will hasten [shoqed] my word to perform it" (Jeremiah 1:11–12). The lampstand's cups were shaped like almond blossoms (Exodus 25:33). Hebrews 9:4 places "Aaron's rod that budded" in the ark, though 1 Kings 8:9 says that by Solomon's day the ark held only the stone tablets.
Three laws of the tithe
The Torah speaks of tithes in three places, and they do not say the same thing.
| Leviticus 27:30–33 | Numbers 18:21–32 | Deuteronomy 14:22–29; 26:12–15 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What is tithed | Seed, fruit, herd and flock | "All the tenth in Israel" | Grain, wine, oil, firstlings |
| Who receives it | "Holy unto the LORD" | The Levites, who give a tenth of it to the priests | The owner eats it at the sanctuary; every third year it goes to the Levite, stranger, orphan and widow |
| Can it be redeemed? | Yes, with a fifth added (not animals) | Not discussed | May be sold and the money spent at the sanctuary |
Jewish tradition harmonized the three by counting several tithes: the first tithe for the Levites (Numbers), a second tithe eaten in Jerusalem (Deuteronomy), and the tithe for the poor in the third and sixth years. The book of Tobit (1:6–8), from the 3rd or 2nd century BC, already describes a man giving three tithes. Many scholars instead read the laws as coming from different periods or settings. Either way, the tithe in Numbers is the Levites' wage "for their service," not a gift that may be withheld.
Hebrew and English chapters
Numbers 17:1–13 in English Bibles is 17:16–28 in Hebrew Bibles, because Hebrew begins chapter 17 with the censers (English 16:36–50). Verses quoted here follow the English numbering.
The Case for the Biblical Account
Scripture's account
Aaron's staff blossoms; priests and Levites guard the sanctuary and are supported by gifts and tithes (Numbers 17–18).
What evidence would we expect?
Temple personnel supported by offerings and tithes; a tithe system in Israel and its neighbors; staffs or rods as signs of office.
The discoveries
Tithes (eširtu) paid to temples in Mesopotamia and at Ugarit; the tithe in Genesis 14 and 28; Amos 4:4 and Malachi 3:8–10; Nehemiah 10 and 13, where the Levites are again given the tithe and tithe it to the priests.
Testing the discoveries
Tithing to sanctuaries is well documented in the ancient Near East and in Israel's later history. The blossoming staff is known only from Scripture.
The strongest reconstruction
Numbers 18 is the charter for a priestly and Levitical order supported by the people, an arrangement Nehemiah later restores.
What remains possible
Whether the three tithe laws describe one system or different stages.
Then and Later
The tithe, then and later
- PatriarchsAbram and Jacob. A tenth to Melchizedek; Jacob's vow of a tenth.Genesis 14:20; 28:22
- WildernessNumbers 18. The tithe to the Levites, and the tithe of the tithe.
- c. 430 BCNehemiah. The Levites receive the tithe again, "and the Levites shall bring up the tithe of the tithes."
- 5th c. BCMalachi. "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse."
- 1st centuryHebrews. Levi "paid tithes in Abraham."
What the evidence shows
- Ancient Near Eastern temples received tithes.
- The three Torah tithe laws differ in recipient and use.
- They describe separate tithes rather than one system revised.
- Aaron's staff blossomed and bore almonds.
Continue the journey
Connected elsewhere in ScriptureProphecy, Divination, and Moses' SuccessorDeuteronomy 18:1–2: "The LORD is their inheritance."More from this lesson
Why this matters to the rest of Scripture
- "Aaron's rod that budded" in the ark.
- The almond branch.
- "The LORD is their inheritance."
- The Levites had fled to their fields because the tithes were not given.
- "They which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar."
- Jesus presented as a firstborn.