Deuteronomy 21:5

And the priests, the sons of Levi, shall come forward, for the LORD your God has chosen them to serve Him and pronounce blessings in His name and to give a ruling in every dispute and case of assault.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Moses addresses Israel during the ritual for resolving unexplained bloodshed, designating the Levitical priests to officiate. He establishes their authority immediately after describing the valley ritual and before the elders perform their purification.

The words — The text highlights בָּחַר (ba.Char), meaning "he has chosen," to ground the priests' authority in divine selection. It also uses וְ/נִגְּשׁוּ (ve./ni.ge.Shu), literally "and they will draw near," to describe their approach to perform the designated duties.

The thread — This designation echoes Deuteronomy 10:8, where Yahweh sets apart Levi to carry the ark and stand before Him, and anticipates 1 Chronicles 23:13's record of Aaron's line being consecrated for holy service. The function of pronouncing blessings and judging disputes aligns with Malachi 2:7's description of the priest's role to preserve and deliver instruction.

Why it lands — The verse requires readers to recognize that religious and judicial authority derives from divine appointment, not human merit. It demands submission to the established Levitical office for both worship and legal resolution.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

וְנִגְּשׁ֣וּve./ni.ge.Shuand/ they will draw near הַכֹּהֲנִים֮ha./ko.ha.Nimthe/ priests בְּנֵ֣יbe.Nei[the] sons of לֵוִי֒le.ViLevi כִּ֣יkiforבָ֗םVa/m<in> <the>/ themבָּחַ֞רba.Charhe has chosen יְהוָ֤הYah.wehYahweh אֱלֹהֶ֙יךָ֙'e.lo.Hei./khaGod/ your לְשָׁ֣רְת֔וֹle./Sha.re.T/oto/ serve/ him וּלְבָרֵ֖ךְu./le./va.Rekhand/ to/ bless בְּשֵׁ֣םbe./Shemin/ [the] name of יְהוָ֑הYah.wehYahweh וְעַל־ve./'al-and/ on פִּיהֶ֥םpi./Hemmouth/ their יִהְיֶ֖הyih.Yehit will be כָּל־kol-every רִ֥יבrivdispute וְכָל־ve./kholand/ every נָֽגַע׃Na.ga'wound

King James Version

And the priests the sons of Levi shall come near; for them the Lord thy God hath chosen to minister unto him, and to bless in the name of the Lord; and by their word shall every controversy and every stroke be tried:

Cross-references

1 Chronicles 23:13 The sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses. Aaron and his descendants were set apart forever to consecrate the most holy things, to burn incense before the LORD, to minister before Him, and to pronounce blessings in His name forever.
Deuteronomy 10:8 At that time the LORD set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to serve Him, and to pronounce blessings in His name, as they do to this day.
Malachi 2:7 For the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, because he is the messenger of the LORD of Hosts.
Deuteronomy 19:17 both parties to the dispute must stand in the presence of the LORD, before the priests and judges who are in office at that time.
Numbers 6:22 Then the LORD said to Moses,
Deuteronomy 18:5 For 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.
Deuteronomy 17:8 If a case is too difficult for you to judge, whether the controversy within your gates is regarding bloodshed, lawsuits, or assaults, you must go up to the place the LORD your God will choose.