What Does Numbers 5:10 Mean in the King James?
And every man’s hallowed things shall be his: whatsoever any man giveth the priest, it shall be his.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
The verse separates sacred status from transfer: what is set apart can remain yours, while what you give the priest becomes his.
THE MEANING
This verse speaks precisely about belonging: what is set apart remains the person’s, while what is given to the priest belongs to the priest. Sacred status and transferred possession are distinct; the repeated “his” marks that boundary.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
It undoes the assumption that calling something sacred automatically transfers its possession; the verse distinguishes what is set apart from what is actually given.
THE ROOT
קֳדָשָׁיו
qodashav
GROWS FROM
קדש
to set apart, make distinct for a sacred purpose
“Hallowed things” are things marked as set apart. The verse still calls them his: their sacred status does not itself transfer their belonging to the priest.
ALSO GROWS
qadosh: set apart
קָדוֹשׁ
The same root describes the status of what is hallowed here.
miqdash: sanctuary, a set-apart place
מִקְדָּשׁ
The sanctuary carries the same root into a place, showing that set-apartness marks a distinct status or use.
יִתֵּן
yitten
GROWS FROM
נתן
to give, put, or set
“giveth” in this verse is yitten. Yitten comes from a root that means both to give and to put or set. Giving here places the gift within the priest’s share, making its belonging explicit.
ALSO GROWS
mattanah: gift
מַתָּנָה
A gift is something placed into another’s keeping.
nethinim: temple servants, literally “given ones”
נְתִינִים
Their name uses the same root to express being assigned or given to a service.
THE PATTERN
Scripture makes belonging visible through what is set apart, given, or rendered to its rightful recipient.
And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD’s: it is holy unto the LORD.They say unto him, Cæsar’s. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Cæsar the things which are Cæsar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.THE THREAD
And the LORD spake unto Aaron, Behold, I also have given thee the charge of mine heave offerings of all the hallowed things of the children of Israel; unto thee have I given them by reason of the anointing, and to thy sons, by an ordinance for ever.This verse uses the same root, נתן (nathan, give/place), for the priestly share. It makes explicit the movement compressed here: sacred things are distinguished from the things placed into the priest’s portion.
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