Numbers 18:14

Summary

Numbers 18:14 states that every cherem ("devoted thing", H2764A) in Israel belongs to the addressee (Aaron, per the surrounding context of chapter 18). The verse is a short nominal-verbal declaration establishing a category of items and their recipient.

Key words

• kol ("every", H3605) — construct form meaning "all of" or "every"; it governs the following noun cherem, creating the phrase "every devoted-thing of...".
• cherem ("devoted thing", H2764A) — masculine singular noun designating something set apart or consecrated; here it is the subject category of the sentence.
• Yisra'El ("Israel", H3478) — proper noun marking the geographic/national scope: the devoted things are located "in Israel" (with prefixed preposition be-, "in").
• lekha ("to you", H9005+H9031) — preposition le- ("to/for") plus 2nd person masculine singular pronominal suffix "you"; this identifies the recipient of the cherem.
• yihyeh ("it will belong/will be", H1961) — Qal imperfect 3rd masculine singular of the verb "to be"; the imperfect aspect expresses an ongoing or generally applicable state rather than a single past event.

What the text says

The Hebrew sentence is built with the subject phrase kol-cherem be-Yisra'El ("every devoted-thing in Israel") placed first, followed by the prepositional phrase lekha ("to you") and finally the verb yihyeh ("it will be/belong"). This word order — subject before verb — places emphasis on the category "every devoted thing" as the topic of the sentence, with the verb yihyeh closing the clause to state the ongoing result: such things "will be" for the addressee.

The verb yihyeh (H1961) is in the Qal imperfect, which in Biblical Hebrew often conveys durative or general/future action rather than a one-time occurrence. This grammatical choice frames the statement as a standing rule applicable across time, rather than a single historical transaction.

Differences between versions

The LXX renders cherem (H2764A) with the participle ἀνατεθεματισμένον ("that which has been devoted/dedicated"), a passive perfect participle emphasizing a completed act of dedication, where the Hebrew noun cherem itself does not carry explicit verbal aspect. The LXX also reads ἐν υἱοῖς Ἰσραὴλ ("among the sons of Israel") where the Hebrew has simply be-Yisra'El ("in Israel"), adding the term "sons" not present in the Hebrew noun phrase. The Vulgate renders the clause as "quod ex voto reddiderint" ("what they have rendered from a vow"), introducing the concept of a vow (votum) and a plural subject ("they have rendered") not explicitly present in the Hebrew, which uses the impersonal noun cherem and the singular verb yihyeh.