Numbers 3:31

3:31 Their responsibilities included the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, and the utensils of the sanctuary with which they ministered, ¹  the curtain, and all their service. ² 

Numbers 8:26

8:26 They may assist ³  their colleagues ⁴  in the tent of meeting, to attend to needs, but they must do no work. This is the way you must establish ⁵  the Levites regarding their duties.”

Numbers 18:2

18:2 “Bring with you your brothers, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, so that they may join ⁶  with you and minister to you while ⁷  you and your sons with you are before the tent of the testimony.

[3:31]  ¹ tn The verb is יְשָׁרְתוּ (yÿsharÿtu, “they will serve/minister”). The imperfect tense in this place, however, probably describes what the priests would do, what they used to do. The verb is in a relative clause: “which they would serve with them,” which should be changed to read “with which they would serve.”

[3:31]  ² tn The word is literally “its [their] service.” It describes all the implements that were there for the maintenance of these things.

[8:26]  ³ tn The verb is the Piel perfect of שָׁרַת (sharat, “to serve, minister”). Here the form has the vav (ו) consecutive, and so is equal to the imperfect tense stressing permission. After the Levites reached the age of retirement, they were permitted to assist the others, but were not permitted to do the work themselves.

[8:26]  ⁴ tn Heb “brothers,” but the meaning in this context is “fellow Levites.”

[8:26]  ⁵ tn Heb “you shall do, make.”

[18:2]  ⁵ sn The verb forms a wordplay on the name Levi, and makes an allusion to the naming of the tribe Levi by Leah in the book of Genesis. There Leah hoped that with the birth of Levi her husband would be attached to her. Here, with the selection of the tribe to serve in the sanctuary, there is the wordplay again showing that the Levites will be attached to Aaron and the priests. The verb is יִלָּווּ (yillavu), which forms a nice wordplay with Levi (לֵוִי). The tribe will now be attached to the sanctuary. The verb is the imperfect with a vav (ו) that shows volitive sequence after the imperative, here indicating a purpose clause.

[18:2]  ⁶ tn The clause is a circumstantial clause because the disjunctive vav (ו) is on a nonverb to start the clause.