Numbers 8:10

8:10 Then you are to bring the Levites before the Lord, and the Israelites are to lay their hands on the Levites; ¹ 

Numbers 27:23

27:23 He laid his hands on him and commissioned him, just as the Lord commanded, ²  by the authority ³  of Moses.

Numbers 8:12

8:12 When ⁴  the Levites lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, offer ⁵  the one for a purification offering and the other for a whole burnt offering to the Lord, ⁶  to make atonement for the Levites.

Numbers 27:18

27:18 The Lord replied ⁷  to Moses, “Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is such a spirit, ⁸  and lay your hand on him; ⁹ 

[8:10]  ¹ sn 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 representatives of the tribes, and not all the people. This ritual of the imposition of hands showed that the people were taking part in the consecration, and that the Levites represented them in the service of the Lord.

[27:23]  ² tn Heb “spoke.”

[27:23]  ³ tn Heb “hand.”

[8:12]  ³ tn The clause begins with a vav (ו) on the noun “the Levites,” indicating a disjunctive clause. Here it is clearly a subordinate clause prior to the instruction for Moses, and so translated as a circumstantial clause of time.

[8:12]  ⁴ tn The imperative is from the verb “to do; to make,” but in the sentence it clearly means to sacrifice the animals.

[8:12]  ⁵ sn The “purification offering” cleansed the tabernacle from impurity, and the burnt offering atoned by nullifying and removing the effects of sin in the Levites.

[27:18]  ⁴ tn Or “said.”

[27:18]  ⁵ sn The word “spirit” probably refers to the Holy Spirit, in which case it would be rendered “in whom is the Spirit.” This would likely be a permanent endowment for Joshua. But it is also possible to take it to refer to a proper spirit to do all the things required of such a leader (which ultimately is a gift from the Spirit of God). The Hebrew text simply says “in whom is a spirit.”

[27:18]  ⁶ sn This symbolic act would indicate the transfer of leadership to Joshua.