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Text -- Numbers 8:1-26 (NET)
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Strongs On/Off
Context
Lighting the Lamps
8:1 The Lord spoke to Moses :
8:2 “Speak to Aaron and tell him, ‘When you set up the lamps , the seven lamps are to give light in front of the lampstand .’”
8:3 And Aaron did so ; he set up the lamps to face toward the front of the lampstand , as the Lord commanded Moses .
8:4 This is how the lampstand was made: It was beaten work in gold ; from its shaft to its flowers it was beaten work . According to the pattern which the Lord had shown Moses , so he made the lampstand .
The Separation of the Levites
8:5 Then the Lord spoke to Moses :
8:6 “Take the Levites from among the Israelites and purify them.
8:7 And do this to them to purify them: Sprinkle water of purification on them; then have them shave all their body and wash their clothes , and so purify themselves.
8:8 Then they are to take a young bull with its grain offering of fine flour mixed with olive oil ; and you are to take a second young bull for a purification offering.
8:9 You are to bring the Levites before the tent of meeting and assemble the entire community of the Israelites .
8:10 Then you are to bring the Levites before the Lord , and the Israelites are to lay their hands on the Levites ;
8:11 and Aaron is to offer the Levites before the Lord as a wave offering from the Israelites , that they may do the work of the Lord .
8:12 When the Levites lay their hands on the heads of the bulls , offer the one for a purification offering and the other for a whole burnt offering to the Lord , to make atonement for the Levites .
8:13 You are to have the Levites stand before Aaron and his sons , and then offer them as a wave offering to the Lord .
8:14 And so you are to separate the Levites from among the Israelites , and the Levites will be mine.
8:15 “After this, the Levites will go in to do the work of the tent of meeting . So you must cleanse them and offer them like a wave offering .
8:16 For they are entirely given to me from among the Israelites . I have taken them for myself instead of all who open the womb , the firstborn sons of all the Israelites .
8:17 For all the firstborn males among the Israelites are mine, both humans and animals ; when I destroyed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I set them apart for myself.
8:18 So I have taken the Levites instead of all the firstborn sons among the Israelites .
8:19 I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons from among the Israelites , to do the work for the Israelites in the tent of meeting , and to make atonement for the Israelites , so there will be no plague among the Israelites when the Israelites come near the sanctuary .”
8:20 So Moses and Aaron and the entire community of the Israelites did this with the Levites . According to all that the Lord commanded Moses concerning the Levites , this is what the Israelites did with them.
8:21 The Levites purified themselves and washed their clothing ; then Aaron presented them like a wave offering before the Lord , and Aaron made atonement for them to purify them.
8:22 After this , the Levites went in to do their work in the tent of meeting before Aaron and before his sons . As the Lord had commanded Moses concerning the Levites , so they did .
The Work of the Levites
8:23 Then the Lord spoke to Moses :
8:24 “This is what pertains to the Levites : At the age of twenty-five years and upward one may begin to join the company in the work of the tent of meeting ,
8:25 and at the age of fifty years they must retire from performing the work and may no longer work .
8:26 They may assist their colleagues in the tent of meeting , to attend to needs , but they must do no work . This is the way you must establish the Levites regarding their duties .”
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Names, People and Places, Dictionary Themes and Topics
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Names, People and Places:
Dictionary Themes and Topics:
Levites |
Priest |
EXODUS, THE BOOK OF, 1 |
SERVICE |
Firstborn |
BAPTISM (NON-IMMERSIONIST VIEW) |
Purification |
Jacob |
SACRIFICE, IN THE OLD TESTAMENT, 2 |
Hands |
Offerings |
NUMBERS, BOOK OF |
RAZOR |
Atonement |
Church |
TABERNACLE |
Water of purification |
TALMUD |
WAIT |
NETHINIM |
more
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expand allCommentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes
NET Notes -> Num 8:1; Num 8:2; Num 8:2; Num 8:4; Num 8:4; Num 8:6; Num 8:7; Num 8:7; Num 8:7; Num 8:7; Num 8:7; Num 8:7; Num 8:8; Num 8:10; Num 8:11; Num 8:11; Num 8:12; Num 8:12; Num 8:12; Num 8:13; Num 8:14; Num 8:15; Num 8:15; Num 8:15; Num 8:15; Num 8:16; Num 8:16; Num 8:17; Num 8:19; Num 8:21; Num 8:24; Num 8:24; Num 8:24; Num 8:26; Num 8:26; Num 8:26
NET Notes: Num 8:1 This chapter has three main sections to it: the lighting of the lamps (vv. 1-4), the separation of the Levites (vv. 5-22), and the work of the Levites...
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NET Notes: Num 8:2 The imperfect tense forms part of the instruction, and so the translation has to indicate that. The instruction would seem obvious, but the light was ...
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NET Notes: Num 8:6 The verb טָהַר (tahar) means that Moses was “to purify” or “to make ceremonially clean” the Levi...
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NET Notes: Num 8:7 The verb is a reflexive (or possibly passive) in this verse, indicating the summary of the process. The ritual steps that have been prescribed will le...
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NET Notes: Num 8:8 The first sacrifice was for the purification of the Levites. The second animal, which Moses was to take, would be used for the purification of the tab...
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NET Notes: Num 8:10 The consecration ceremony was to be done in full view of the assembled people. In all probability the laying on of the hands was done through represen...
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NET Notes: Num 8:11 The construction emphasizes the spiritual service of the Levites, using the infinitive construct of עָבַד (’avad) ...
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NET Notes: Num 8:12 The “purification offering” cleansed the tabernacle from impurity, and the burnt offering atoned by nullifying and removing the effects of...
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NET Notes: Num 8:14 The vav (ו) consecutive on the perfect tense not only carries the nuance of instruction forward to this clause, but also marks this clause out a...
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NET Notes: Num 8:17 The idiomatic “on the day of” precedes the infinitive construct of נָכָה (nakhah) to form the temporal claus...
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NET Notes: Num 8:19 The firstborn were those that were essentially redeemed from death in Egypt when the blood was put on the doors. So in the very real sense they belong...
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NET Notes: Num 8:21 The verb is the Hitpael of חָטָּא (khatta’). In this stem the meaning of the root “to sin” is li...
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NET Notes: Num 8:24 The infinitive is לִצְבֹא (litsvo’), related to the word for “host, army, company,” and so...
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