Deuteronomy 18:3

Deu 18:3. The maw — The Hebrew word here rendered maw, or stomach, may have another signification; and some render it the breast; others take it for the part which lies under the breast.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

18:3 In the dietary fare of ancient Israel, the shoulder, the cheeks, and the stomach of oxen and sheep were the choice cuts. God’s priestly servants were to be honored by receiving the very best (see Lev 7:28-34).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

The right shoulder, Num. 28:18.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

this shall be the priest's due from the people--All who offered sacrifices of thanksgiving or peace offerings (Lev 7:31-33) were ordered to give the breast and shoulder as perquisites to the priests. Here "the two cheeks" or head and "the maw" or stomach, deemed anciently a great dainty, are specified. But whether this is a new injunction, or a repetition of the old with the supplement of more details, it is not easy to determine.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 3. Offer a sacrifice] זבחי הזבח zobechey hazzebach. The word זבח zebach is used to signify, not only an animal sacrificed to the Lord, but also one killed for common use. See Ge 46:1; Pr 17:1; Eze 39:17. And in this latter sense it probably should be understood here; and, consequently, the command in this verse relates to what the people were to allow the priests and Levites from the animals slain for common use. The parts to be given to the priests were,

1. The shoulder, probably cut off from the beast with the skin on; so Maimonides.

2. The two cheeks, which may include the whole head.

3. The maw - the whole of those intestines which are commonly used for food.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

3. And this shall be the priests’ due, etc.] Heb. mishpaṭ, as in 1Sa_2:13, where render: and the priests’ due from the people.

from them that offer a sacrifice] Heb. slay, or sacrifice, a sacrifice, a comprehensive phrase including every victim offered at the Altar where alone sacrifice was valid. This precludes the various theories suggested with the view of reconciling D’s law with that of P (see next note), viz. (1) that the law refers not to animals offered at the Temple but to those slain for food at home (Deu_12:15 f.); (2) that it refers only to the eating of firstlings (Deu_12:17 f., Deu_15:20); (3) that it refers to more dues to the priests, additional to those prescribed in P.

the shoulder, and the two cheeks, and the maw] According to 1Sa_2:12-17 the earlier practice had been that the priest’s servant with a three-pronged fork took what he could for his master out of the caldron in which the victim was being boiled for the worshippers; and it was regarded as a sinful innovation when the sons of Eli demanded to receive their portions while the flesh was still raw, no doubt in order that they might secure certain definite parts of the animal. This claim the law in D now legalises, naming the pieces of the victim to be given to the priest. P represents a later development, and prescribes still better pieces, the breast and the right thigh (Lev_7:31 ff; Lev_10:14 f., Num_18:18). For the gradual increase of the priests’ dues and of their other sources of revenue from D onwards, see Jerusalem, i. 354–366.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And this shall be the priest's due from the people, from them that offer sacrifice,.... Not from the priests, as Jarchi observes, but from those that bring the sacrifices to the priests, particularly the peace offerings:

whether it be ox or sheep; the one of the herd, the other of the flock, creatures used in sacrifice, and takes in goats and the kids of them, rams and lambs:

and they shall give unto the priest the shoulder, and the two cheeks, and the maw; the first of these designs the upper part of the arm that joins to the neck and back, and the next the two cheeks with the tongue, as both Jarchi and Aben Ezra observe, and indeed the whole head is meant; the maw, which the Septuagint interpreters call and other writers is, according to the philosopher (p), the fourth and last ventricle or stomach, and which he thus describes;"after the echinus or rough tripe is that which is called the maw, which is in size larger than the echinus, and in form longer, and has many large and smooth folds;''and , the maw of an ox, and the belly of a swine, are reckoned by the poet (q) as delicious food.

(p) Aristot. Hist. Animal. l. 2. c. 17. (q) Aristophan. Equites, Act. 1. Sc. 3. p. 307. & Act. 4. Sc. 1. p. 355.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

For “maw” read stomach, which was regarded as one of the richest and choicest parts. As the animal slain may be considered to consist of three principal parts, head, feet, and body, a portion of each is by the regulation in question to be given to the priest, thus representing the consecration of the whole; or, as some ancient commentators think, the dedication of the words, acts, and appetites of the worshipper to God.

The text probably refers to peace-offerings, and animals killed for the sacrificial meals held in connection with the peace-offerings.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Due, (judicium.) Moses only mentions a part, having explained the rest, Exodus xxix. 27., Leviticus vii. 32. --- Breast, (ventriculum.) In the other places pectusculum occurs. Hebrew, "the shoulder, the two cheeks, and the maw, or caul," called in Latin omasum, being the last and fattest of the four ventricles, and highly esteemed by the ancients. The cheeks or chaps are specified no where else; so that some think Moses here supplies what he had left imperfect, assigning to the priests the cheeks and tongue. Jansenius supposes that this is only a part of the breast, which appears to have two cheeks when the shoulders are cut off. But Moses here probably speaks not of the peace-offerings, but of the beasts which were killed by the Israelites at home for their own uses, &c., (Clerc) as Philo explains it, (de præm.) and Josephus ([Antiquities?] iv. 4) only specifies the right shoulder and the breast, which were given to the priests on these occasions. (Calmet) --- Septuagint, "the shoulder, the cheeks, and the last ventricle." The victims were not, therefore, of a sacred nature; as they were only sacrificed, inasmuch as the blood was to be offered to the Lord. (Haydock) See Genesis xliii. 16.

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

A sacrifice, to wit, a sacrifice of thanksgiving, or a peace-offering, as appears from Lev 7:31,33, which is ofttimes called simply a sacrifice, as Exo 18:12; Lev 17:5,8; Num 15:3; Deu 12:27.

The shoulder, and the two cheeks, and the maw.

Quest. How doth this agree with other texts, in which the shoulder and the breast, and those parts only, are the priest’s due, not the cheeks and maw?

Answ.

1. Who shall tie God’s hands? what if he now makes an addition, and enlargeth the priest’s commons? Nothing more usual than for one scripture to supply what is lacking in another, and for a latter law of God to add to a former.

2. The breast may be here omitted, because it is comprehended under the shoulder, to which it is commonly joined, and with which it was waved before the Lord.

3. The Hebrew word here rendered maw or stomach, which was reckoned among dainties by the ancients, is not to my remembrance used elsewhere, and therefore it may have another signification, and some render it the breast, others take it for the uppermost part of the stomach, which lies under the breast.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

3. The gifts which are here mentioned are to be given to the priests, for the distinction between priest and Levite is here observed.*

The shoulder, and the two cheeks, and the maw — By the word translated maw that stomach of ruminating animals which was considered a special delicacy is meant. “Of each of the three parts of the animal some valuable piece was to be presented.” — Schultz.

[* “The third verse, instead of containing, as some think, a modification of the old law, is simply a new regulation for the benefit of the priests just as they are about to enter the Promised Land.” — The Levitical Priests, by Samuel Ives Curtiss, p. 4.]

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The maw - The Hebrew word here rendered maw or stomach, may have another signification, and some render it the breast, others take it for the part, which lies under the breast.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

the inner parts

This is the stomach and intestines.

you must give him

"you must give to the priest"

has chosen him

Here "him" represents all the Levites. (See: Metonymy)

to stand to serve in the name of Yahweh

Here "the name of Yahweh" stands for Yahweh himself and his authority. AT: "to be his special servants" or "to serve as a representative of Yahweh" (See: Metonymy)

him and his sons forever

Here "him" represents all the Levites. AT: "the Levites and their descendants forever" (See: Synecdoche)

translationWords

priest

sacrifice

cow

ewe

firstfruits

grain

wine

oil

Yahweh

God

tribe

servant

name

eternity

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

מאת העם [AND THIS SHALL BE THE PRIESTS’ DUE] FROM THE PEOPLE — but not from the priest (i.e. if a priest slaughters animals for his own use he is exempt from giving these dues to another priest) (Sifrei Devarim 165:3; cf. Chullin 132b).

אם שור אם שה WHETHER IT BE ONE OF THE HERD OR ONE OF THE FLOCK — this excludes an undomesticated beast (חיה).

הזרע THE SHOULDER is the portion from the knee-joint to the shoulder-blade that is called espalte in old French (cf. Rashi on Chullin 134b).

והלחיים THE TWO CHEEKS — together with the tongue. — Those who interpret the Bible text symbolically (cf. Chullin 134b) said: The זרוע of the animals, (termed יד in later Hebrew), became the due of the priests as a reward for the “hand’’ (יד) which Phineas, the priest, raised against the wrong-doers, as it is said. (Numbers 25:7) “and he took a javelin in his hand”; the “cheek-bones” together with the tongue are a reward for the prayer he offered, as it is said, (Psalms 106:30) “Then stood up Phineas and prayed”; והקבה AND THE MAW — as a reward for his act described thus (Numbers 25:8): “[And he thrust both of them through, the man of Israel] and the woman in her stomach (קבתה) (Chullin 134b).

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.

AND THIS SHALL BE THE PRIESTS’ DUE FROM THE PEOPLE. This is a new commandment not mentioned in [the preceding books of] the Torah, for, in the wilderness where they did not slaughter oxen or sheep except as peace-offerings, He did not mention it because it does not apply to consecrated animals. Now, as they were about to enter the Land, he declared it to them for the first time. This is the sense of the expression [And this shall be the priests’ due from the people] from them that slaughter the animal. That is to say, when they will slaughter an animal as I have permitted you, [as it is said], then thou mayest slaughter of thy herd and of thy flock as I have commanded thee, and thou mayest eat in thy gates [you shall give the priest his due the shoulder, and the two cheeks, and the maw]. He did not allocate this [gift of the shoulder, cheeks, and maw] to Aaron in the section, And the Eternal said unto Aaron [wherein the other priestly gifts are enumerated], although there He assigned the heave-offerings and the first-fruits [despite the fact that they, like the gifts in the verse before us] apply only in the Land. The reason [for mentioning them there] is that there He stated all things that He gave the priests in sacred matters, for even things “devoted” are holy., Verse 14. See Leviticus 27:28. But the shoulder, and the two cheeks, and the maw, and the first of the fleece [mentioned here] are completely unconsecrated, since there are no special laws regarding them aside from the commandment of giving them to the priest. Similarly He did not mention there [in the chapter of the priestly gifts] the law of property wrongfully taken from a proselyte [which reverts to the priests if the proselyte died without leaving an heir, and the reason this law is not mentioned in the chapter of the priestly gifts is, as explained concerning the gift in the verse before us, that the reverted property of the proselyte is not sacred].But according to the interpretation of our Rabbis, all [of the twenty-four priestly gifts] are alluded to there [in the section, And the Eternal said unto Aaron]. Thus they have said: 117. “The first part of them — this refers to the first of the fleece. Which they give — this refers to the shoulder, and the two cheeks, and the maw. Unto the Eternal — this refers to the dough-offering.” (ibid., 15:19). If so, this also is an explanatory commandment [and not a new one].Based on a Midrash [a homiletic explanation] the Sages have said [that the shoulder, cheeks, and maw were awarded to the priests in the merit of the deed of Phinehas]: “The shoulder because he took a spear in his hand; the two cheeks because of his prayer, as it is said, Then stood up Phinehas and prayed etc.; the maw because of what it states, and he thrust both of them through etc. and the woman through her body.” Now, [if we are to say that this priestly gift had already been suggested in the section containing G-d’s words to Aaron, which occurred long before the story of Phinehas, we must say] on the basis of this Midrash that the merit that was destined [to be Phinehas’] was alluded to [in that section], and [G-d] rewarded the entire tribe for the merit of Phinehas’ when he [Phinehas] earned the privilege of being a priest with them.And the Rabbi [Moshe ben Maimon] said in the Moreh Nebuchim that the cheeks [are given to the priests] because they are the first part of the body [of the animal], the shoulder is the first of the extremities of the body, and the maw is the first of the inwards, for the first of them all is given to the ministers of the Most High in His honor.

Ramban (Nachmanides) on the Tanakh — English translation: “Commentary on the Torah by Ramban (Nachmanides). Translated and annotated by Charles B. Chavel. New York, Shilo Pub. House, 1971-1976” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.