Deuteronomy 18:4

Verse

You are to give them the firstfruits of your grain, new wine, and oil, and the first wool sheared from your flock.

American Standard Version (1901)

The first-fruits of thy grain, of thy new wine, and of thine oil, and the first of the fleece of thy sheep, shalt thou give him.

Bible in Basic English

And in addition you are to give him the first of your grain and wine and oil, and the first wool cut from your sheep.

Douay-Rheims 1899

The firstfruits also of corn, of wine, and of oil, and a part of the wool from the shearing of their sheep.

Free Bible Version

You are to provide them with the firstfruits of your grain, new wine, and olive oil, as well as the first wool sheared from your flock.

Geneva Bible 1599

The first fruites also of thy corne, of thy wine, and of thine oyle, and the first of the fleece of thy sheepe shalt thou giue him.

King James (Authorized) Version

The firstfruit also of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the first of the fleece of thy sheep, shalt thou give him.

One Unity Resource Bible

The first fruits of your grain, of your new wine, and of your oil, and the first of the first fleece of your sheep, you shall give him.

Translation for Translators

You must also give to them the first part of the grain that you harvest, and the first part of the wine that you make, and the first part of the olive oil that you make, and the first part of the wool that you shear from your sheep.

Unlocked Literal Bible

The firstfruits of your grain, of your new wine, and of your oil, and the first of the fleece of your sheep, you must give him.

Noah Webster Bible

The first-fruit also of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thy oil, and the first of the fleece of thy sheep, shalt thou give him.

World English Bible

You shall give him the first fruits of your grain, of your new wine, and of your oil, and the first of the fleece of your sheep.

Young's Literal Translation

the first of thy corn, of thy new wine, and of thine oil, and the first of the fleece of thy flock, thou dost give to him;

Context

Provision for Priests and Levites

³This shall be the priests’ share from the people who offer a sacrifice, whether a bull or a sheep: the priests are to be given the shoulder, the jowls, and the stomach.⁴You are to give them the firstfruits of your grain, new wine, and oil, and the first wool sheared from your flock.⁵For the LORD your God has chosen Levi and his sons out of all your tribes to stand and minister in His name for all time.

Summary

In Deuteronomy 18:4, the Levites are reminded of their special role and privilege in serving the Lord. They were not to have an inheritance of land like the other tribes of Israel, but instead, they were to rely on the offerings and sacrifices brought by the people for their sustenance. This verse highlights the importance of supporting those who are dedicated to full-time ministry and emphasizes the principle of providing for the spiritual leaders within the community. It serves as a reminder of God's provision and care for those who serve Him wholeheartedly, showing the need for the people to honor and support the Levites in their service to the Lord.

Commentary

John Gill

John Gill Bible Commentary

The firstfruit also of thy corn, and of thy wine, and of thy oil,.... This is the "terumah", or heave offering, the offering of the firstfruits; what the measure or quantity was is not declared, but is fixed by the Jews; See Gill on Exo 22:29, and the first of the fleece of thy sheep shall thou give him: concerning which in the Misnah (r) it is said, the first of the fleece is used in the land and without the land, of which they give the weight of five shekels in Judea, which are ten shekels in Galilee; and they give white wool, and not defiled, enough to make of it a little garment. He that buys a fleece of the sheep of a Gentile, he is free from the first of the fleece; but if he buys it of his neighbour, if he leaves any of it, the seller is bound, if none the buyer is bound; if there are two sorts, russet and white, and he sells the russet but not the white, the males but not the females, everyone gives for himself. It may be observed in this account, that as much wool was to be given as would make a small garment; enough, says one of the commentators (s), to make a little garment to minister in; and the least garment fit for a priest to minister in is a girdle. Jarchi's paraphrase of it is,"when thou shearest thy flock every year, give the first of it to the priest; it does not determine the quantity, but our Rabbins fix it to the sixtieth part;''with which agrees the observation of another writer (t), that there is no quantity fixed for the first of the fleece from the law, but from the words of the Scribes it must not be less than the sixtieth part. There is no obligation to the first of the fleece until five sheep are shorn, and the fleece of everyone of the five must not be less than twelve shekels' weight; but if there is one fleece of them less than twelve shekels, though the five fleeces are more than sixty shekels, lo, this is free; so that, as Maimonides (u) says, the first of the fleece is not less than the weight of a shekel. (r) Cholin, c. 11. sect. 1, 2. (s) Bartenora in ib. (t) Ibid. (u) In Misn. ib.