Numbers 18:31

וַאֲכַלְתֶּם אֹתוֹ בְּכָל־מָקוֹם אַתֶּם וּבֵֽיתְכֶם כִּֽי־שָׂכָר הוּא לָכֶם חֵלֶף עֲבֹֽדַתְכֶם בְּאֹהֶל מוֹעֵֽד׃

✦ Hebrew interlinear

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✦ The same verse in five languages

Hebrew

וַאֲכַלְתֶּ֤ם אֹתוֹ֙ בְּכָל־מָק֔וֹם אַתֶּ֖ם וּבֵֽיתְכֶ֑ם כִּֽי־שָׂכָ֥ר הוּא֙ לָכֶ֔ם חֵ֥לֶף עֲבֹֽדַתְכֶ֖ם בְּאֹ֥הֶל מוֹעֵֽד׃

Greek (Septuagint)

καὶ ἴδεσθε αὐτὸ ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ ὑμεῖς καὶ οἱ οἶκοι ὑμῶν, ὅτι μισθὸς οὗτος ὑμῖν ἐστιν ἀντὶ τῶν λειτουργιῶν ὑμῶν τῶν ἐν τῇ σκηνῇ τοῦ μαρτυρίου·

Greek text from Swete's edition, CC BY-SA 4.0

Latin (Vulgate)

et comedetis eas in omnibus locis vestris, tam vos quam familiæ vestræ: quia pretium est pro ministerio, quo servitis in tabernaculo testimonii.

Spanish

Podrán comerlo en cualquier lugar, ustedes y sus familias, porque es el pago por el servicio que prestan en la Tienda del Encuentro.

Classic Spanish (Reina-Valera 1909)

Y lo comeréis en cualquier lugar, vosotros y vuestra familia: pues es vuestra remuneración por vuestro ministerio en el tabernáculo del testimonio.

English

And you and your households may eat the rest of it anywhere; it is the compensation for your work at the Tent of Meeting.

✦ What the text says

Summary

The verse states that the priests and their households may eat the tithe portion "in any place," explaining that it constitutes wages owed to them in exchange for their service at the Tent of Meeting.

Key words

'a.khal.Tem ("you will eat", H0398) — qal sequential perfect, 2nd person masculine plural, continuing the narrative sequence of permitted actions.
ma.Kom ("place", H4725) — masculine singular noun, governed by khol ("any", H3605) in construct, forming "any place" without geographic restriction.
sa.Khar ("wages", H7939) — masculine singular noun functioning as predicate, identifying the substance eaten as compensation rather than gift.
Che.lef ("in return for", H2500) — construct noun introducing the cause/exchange clause, linking the wages to the labor performed.
'a.vo.dat.Khem ("your service", H5656H + H9026) — feminine singular construct noun with 2nd person plural suffix, specifying whose labor is being compensated.

What the text says

The verse opens with the narrative vav (H9001) attached to 'a.khal.Tem, continuing a sequence of permissions already established in the surrounding text. The direct object marker 'o.T with suffix o (H0853/H9033) points back to the previously mentioned tithe portion. The phrase be.khol-ma.Kom ("in any place", H9003/H3605/H4725) removes locational restriction — unlike other priestly offerings that must be eaten in specific sacred locations, this one may be consumed anywhere. The subjects are specified twice: 'a.Tem ("you", H0859D) and veit.Khem ("your household", H1004M + H9026), joined by the conjunction u. (H9002), indicating that both the priest and his family members may partake.

The second half of the verse, introduced by the particle ki- (H3588A, "for/because"), supplies the rationale. sa.Khar hu' la.Khem ("it is wages for you") uses the pronoun hu' (H1931) to emphasize identity — the tithe portion itself IS the wage, not merely resembling one. The construct chain Che.lef 'a.vo.dat.Khem ("in exchange for your service") ties the payment directly to labor performed be.'O.hel mo.'Ed ("in the Tent of Meeting", H0168G/H4150I), the sanctuary structure where the service occurs.

Differences between versions

The LXX renders 'a.khal.Tem ("you will eat") as ἴδεσθε ("you shall see/inspect"), a divergence from the Hebrew verb of eating. The LXX also renders 'a.vo.dat.Khem ("your service") with the plural λειτουργιῶν ("services/ministrations"), where the Hebrew uses a singular construct noun. The Vulgate's comedetis ("you will eat") aligns with the Hebrew 'a.khal.Tem rather than with the LXX's "see."

This explanation describes the text using linguistic data; it adds no doctrine or confessional interpretation.