Deuteronomy 10:9

Good News Translation

That is why the tribe of Levi received no land as the other tribes did; what they received was the privilege of being the Lord 's priests, as the Lord your God promised.)

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
Therefore Levi has no portion nor inheritance with his brothers; the LORD is his inheritance, according as the LORD your God spoke to him.)

King James Version
Wherefore Levi hath no part nor inheritance with his brethren; the Lord is his inheritance, according as the Lord thy God promised him.

Lexham English Bible
Therefore there was not for Levi an allotment or an inheritance along with his brothers; rather Yahweh is his inheritance just as Yahweh your God promised to him.

English Standard Version
Therefore Levi has no portion or inheritance with his brothers. The Lord is his inheritance, as the Lord your God said to him.)

New Century Version
That is why the Levites did not receive any land of their own; instead, they received the Lord himself as their gift, as the Lord your God told them.)

New English Translation
Therefore Levi has no allotment or inheritance among his brothers; the Lord is his inheritance just as the Lord your God told him.

Amplified Bible
Therefore, Levi does not have a portion or inheritance [of tribal land] with his brothers; the LORD is his inheritance, as the LORD your God has promised him.)

New American Standard Bible
Therefore, Levi does not have a portion or inheritance with his brothers; the LORD is his inheritance, just as the LORD your God spoke to him.)

Geneva Bible (1587)
Wherefore Leui hath no part nor inheritance with his brethren: for the Lord is his inheritance, as the Lord thy God hath promised him.

Legacy Standard Bible
Therefore, Levi does not have a portion or inheritance with his brothers; Yahweh is his inheritance, just as Yahweh your God spoke to him.)

Contemporary English Version
The Lord promised that he would always provide for the tribe of Levi, and that's why he won't give them any land, when he divides it among the other tribes.

Complete Jewish Bible
This is why Levi has no share or inheritance with his brothers; Adonai is his inheritance, as Adonai your God had said to him.

Darby Translation
Therefore Levi has no portion nor inheritance with his brethren; Jehovah is his inheritance, according as Jehovah thy God told him.

Easy-to-Read Version
That is why the people from the tribe of Levi did not get any share of land like the other tribes did. They have the Lord for their share. That is what the Lord your God promised them.)

George Lamsa Translation
Therefore Levi has no portion nor inheritance with his brethren; because the LORD is his inheritance, according as the LORD your God promised him.

Christian Standard Bible®
For this reason, Levi does not have a portion or inheritance like his brothers; the Lord is his inheritance, as the Lord your God told him.

Literal Translation
Therefore, Levi has no portion nor inheritance with his brothers; Jehovah is his inheritance, according as Jehovah your God spoke to him.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Therfore shal the Leuites haue no porcion ner enheritaunce with their brethren: for the LORDE is their enheritaunce, as the LORDE thy God hath promysed them.

American Standard Version
Wherefore Levi hath no portion nor inheritance with his brethren; Jehovah is his inheritance, according as Jehovah thy God spake unto him.)

Bible in Basic English
For this reason Levi has no part or heritage for himself among his brothers: the Lord is his heritage, as the Lord your God said to him.)

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Wherefore the Leuites haue no part nor inheritaunce with their brethren: but the Lorde is their inheritaunce, as the Lorde thy God hath promised them.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Wherefore Levi hath no portion nor inheritance with his brethren; the LORD is his inheritance, according as the LORD thy God spoke unto him.--

King James Version (1611)
Wherefore Leui hath no part nor inheritance with his brethren: the Lord is his inheritance, according as the Lord thy God promised him.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Therefore the Levites have no part nor inheritance among their brethren; the Lord himself is their inheritance, as he said to them.

English Revised Version
Wherefore Levi hath no portion nor inheritance with his brethren; the LORD is his inheritance, according as the LORD thy God spake unto him.)

Berean Standard Bible
That is why Levi has no portion or inheritance among his brothers; the LORD is his inheritance, as the LORD your God promised him.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
For which thing Leuy hadde not part, nether possession with hise brithren, for the Lord hym silf is his possessioun, as thi Lord God bihiyte to hym.

Young's Literal Translation
therefore there hath not been to Levi a portion and inheritance with his brethren; Jehovah Himself [is] his inheritance, as Jehovah thy God hath spoken to him.

Update Bible Version
Therefore Levi has no portion nor inheritance with his brothers; Yahweh is his inheritance, according as Yahweh your God spoke to him.)

Webster's Bible Translation
Wherefore Levi hath no part nor inheritance with his brethren; the LORD [is] his inheritance, according as the LORD thy God promised him.

World English Bible
Therefore Levi has no portion nor inheritance with his brothers; Yahweh is his inheritance, according as Yahweh your God spoke to him.)

New King James Version
Therefore Levi has no portion nor inheritance with his brethren; the LORD is his inheritance, just as the LORD your God promised him.)

New Living Translation
That is why the Levites have no share of property or possession of land among the other Israelite tribes. The Lord himself is their special possession, as the Lord your God told them.)

New Life Bible
So Levi does not have a share of what is given to his brothers. The Lord is his share, just as the Lord your God promised him.)

New Revised Standard
Therefore Levi has no allotment or inheritance with his kindred; the Lord is his inheritance, as the Lord your God promised him.)

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
For this cause, hath Levi neither portion nor inheritance with his brethren, - Yahweh, is his inheritance, as Yahweh thy God spake unto him.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Wherefore Levi hath no part nor possession with his brethren: because the Lord himself is his possession, as the Lord thy God promised him.

Revised Standard Version
Therefore Levi has no portion or inheritance with his brothers; the LORD is his inheritance, as the LORD your God said to him.)

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Therefore, Levi does not have a portion or inheritance with his brothers; the LORD is his inheritance, just as the LORD your God spoke to him.)

Contextual Overview

¹ "Then the Lord said to me, ‘Cut two stone tablets like the first ones and make a wooden Box to put them in. Come up to me on the mountain, ² and I will write on those tablets what I wrote on the tablets that you broke, and then you are to put them in the Box.' ³ "So I made a Box of acacia wood and cut two stone tablets like the first ones and took them up the mountain. ⁴ Then the Lord wrote on those tablets the same words that he had written the first time, the Ten Commandments that he gave you when he spoke from the fire on the day you were gathered at the mountain. The Lord gave me the tablets, ⁵ and I turned and went down the mountain. Then, just as the Lord had commanded, I put them in the Box that I had made—and they have been there ever since." ⁶ (The Israelites set out from the wells that belonged to the people of Jaakan, and went to Moserah. There Aaron died and was buried, and his son Eleazar succeeded him as priest. ⁷ From there they went to Gudgodah and then on to Jotbathah, a well-watered place. ⁸ At that time the Lord appointed the men of the tribe of Levi to be in charge of the Covenant Box, to serve him as priests, and to pronounce blessings in his name. And these are still their duties. ⁹ That is why the tribe of Levi received no land as the other tribes did; what they received was the privilege of being the Lord 's priests, as the Lord your God promised.) ¹⁰ "I stayed on the mountain forty days and nights, as I did the first time. The Lord listened to me once more and agreed not to destroy you.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Deuteronomy 18:1, Deuteronomy 18:2, Numbers 18:20-24, Numbers 26:62, Joshua 14:3, Ezekiel 44:28

Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 12:12 - forasmuch Joshua 13:14 - General Joshua 13:33 - General Joshua 18:7 - the Levites 1 Corinthians 9:13 - they

Cross-References

Genesis 6:4
In those days, and even later, there were giants on the earth who were descendants of human women and the heavenly beings. They were the great heroes and famous men of long ago.

Genesis 6:11
but everyone else was evil in God's sight, and violence had spread everywhere.

Genesis 13:13
whose people were wicked and sinned against the Lord .

Genesis 25:27
The boys grew up, and Esau became a skilled hunter, a man who loved the outdoors, but Jacob was a quiet man who stayed at home.

Genesis 27:30
Isaac finished giving his blessing, and as soon as Jacob left, his brother Esau came in from hunting.

2 Chronicles 28:22
When his troubles were at their worst, that man Ahaz sinned against the Lord more than ever.

Psalms 52:7
"Look, here is someone who did not depend on God for safety, but trusted instead in great wealth and looked for security in being wicked."

Jeremiah 16:16
The Lord says, "I am sending for many fishermen to come and catch these people. Then I will send for many hunters to hunt them down on every mountain and hill and in the caves among the rocks.

Ezekiel 13:18
and tell them what the Sovereign Lord is saying to them: "You women are doomed! You sew magic wristbands for everyone and make magic scarves for everyone to wear on their heads, so that they can have power over other people's lives. You want to possess the power of life and death over my people and to use it for your own benefit.

Micah 7:2
There is not an honest person left in the land, no one loyal to God. Everyone is waiting for a chance to commit murder. Everyone hunts down their own people.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Wherefore Levi hath no part nor inheritance with his brethren,.... In the division of the land of Canaan, because being separated to the service of the sanctuary, he had no leisure to plough and sow, as Jarchi observes:

the Lord is his inheritance, as the Lord thy God promised him; not in a spiritual sense, for so the Lord was an inheritance and portion of other Israelites; though these being taken off of worldly employments, and devoted to sanctuary service, might have more communion with God than others; but in a temporal sense, provision being made particularly by tithes, which were the Lord's, for their maintenance; and so the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan paraphrase the words;

"gifts which the Lord gave him are his inheritance;''

see Numbers 18:20.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

These verses are closely connected with the preceding chapter, and state very briefly the results of the intercession of Moses recorded in Deuteronomy 9:25-29. The people are reminded that all their blessings and privileges, forfeited by apostasy as soon as bestowed, were only now their own by a new and most unmerited act of grace on the part of God, won from Him by the self-sacrificing mediation of Moses himself Deuteronomy 10:10.

Deuteronomy 10:1-5. The order for making the ark and tabernacle was evidently given before the apostasy of the people (Exo. 25ff); but the tables were not put in the ark until the completion and dedication of the tabernacle Exodus 40:0. But here as elsewhere (compare the Deuteronomy 9:1 note) Moses connects transactions closely related to each other and to his purpose without regard to the order of occurrence.

Deuteronomy 10:6

There Aaron died - i. e., while the people were encamped in Mosera or Moseroth. In Deuteronomy 32:50; as well as in Numbers 20:25 ff Mount Hor is assigned as the place of Aaron’s death. It is plain then that Moserah was in the neighborhood of Mount Hor. The appointment of Eleazar to minister in place of Aaron, is referred to as a proof of the completeness and fulness of the reconciliation effected between God and the people by Moses. Though Aaron was sentenced to die in the wilderness for his sin at Meribah, yet God provided for the perpetuation of the high priesthood, so that the people would not suffer. Compare Deuteronomy 9:20 and note.

Deuteronomy 10:8

At that time - i. e., that of the encampment at Sinai, as the words also import in Deuteronomy 10:1. Throughout the passage the time of the important events at Sinai is kept in view; it is reverted to as each incident is brought forward by Moses, alluded to sufficiently for his purpose, and dismissed.

Moses is evidently here speaking of the election by God of the tribe of Levi at large, priests and others also, for His own service.