Numbers 8:6

Good News Translation

"Separate the Levites from the rest of the people of Israel and purify them

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
"Take the Levites from among the children of Yisra'el, and cleanse them.

King James Version
Take the Levites from among the children of Israel, and cleanse them.

Lexham English Bible
"Take the Levites from the midst of the Israelites and purify them.

New Century Version
"Take the Levites away from the other Israelites and make them clean.

New English Translation
"Take the Levites from among the Israelites and purify them.

Amplified Bible
"Take the Levites from among the sons of Israel and cleanse them.

New American Standard Bible
"Take the Levites from among the sons of Israel and cleanse them.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Take the Leuites from among the children of Israel, and purifie them.

Legacy Standard Bible
"Take the Levites from among the sons of Israel and cleanse them.

Contemporary English Version
The Levites must be acceptable to me before they begin working at the sacred tent. So separate them from the rest of the Israelites

Complete Jewish Bible
"Take the L'vi'im from among the people of Isra'el and cleanse them.

Darby Translation
Take the Levites from among the children of Israel, and cleanse them.

Easy-to-Read Version
"Separate the Levites from the other Israelites. Make these Levites clean.

English Standard Version
"Take the Levites from among the people of Israel and cleanse them.

George Lamsa Translation
Take the Levites from among the children of Israel, and cleanse them.

Christian Standard Bible®
“Take the Levites from among the Israelites and ceremonially cleanse them.

Literal Translation
Take the Levites from among the sons of Israel and cleanse them.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Take the Leuites fro amonge the children of Israel, & clense them.

American Standard Version
Take the Levites from among the children of Israel, and cleanse them.

Bible in Basic English
Take the Levites out from among the children of Israel and make them clean.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Take the Leuites from among the children of Israel, and cleanse them.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
'Take the Levites from among the children of Israel, and cleanse them.

King James Version (1611)
Take the Leuites from among the children of Israel, and cleanse them.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Take the Levites out of the midst of the children of Israel, and thou shalt purify them.

English Revised Version
Take the Levites from among the children of Israel, and cleanse them.

Berean Standard Bible
"Take the Levites from among the Israelites and make them ceremonially clean.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and seide, Take thou Leuytis fro the myddis of the sones of Israel;

Young's Literal Translation
`Take the Levites from the midst of the sons of Israel, and thou hast cleansed them.

Update Bible Version
Take the Levites from among the sons of Israel, and cleanse them.

Webster's Bible Translation
Take the Levites from among the children of Israel, and cleanse them.

World English Bible
"Take the Levites from among the children of Israel, and cleanse them.

New King James Version
"Take the Levites from among the children of Israel and cleanse them ceremonially.

New Living Translation
"Now set the Levites apart from the rest of the people of Israel and make them ceremonially clean.

New Life Bible
"Take the Levites from among the people of Israel, and make them clean.

New Revised Standard
Take the Levites from among the Israelites and cleanse them.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Take the Levites, out of the midst of the sons of Israel, - and thou shalt purify them.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Take the Levites out of the midst of the children of Israel, and thou shalt purify them,

Revised Standard Version
"Take the Levites from among the people of Israel, and cleanse them.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Take the Levites from among the sons of Israel and cleanse them.

Contextual Overview

⁵ The Lord said to Moses, ⁶ "Separate the Levites from the rest of the people of Israel and purify them ⁷ in the following way: sprinkle them with the water of purification and have them shave their whole bodies and have them wash their clothes. Then they will be ritually clean. ⁸ Then they are to take a young bull and the required grain offering of flour mixed with olive oil; and you are to take another bull for the sin offering. ⁹ Then assemble the whole community of Israel and have the Levites stand in front of the Tent of my presence. ¹⁰ The people of Israel are to place their hands on the heads of the Levites, ¹¹ and then Aaron shall dedicate the Levites to me as a special gift from the Israelites, so that they may do my work. ¹² The Levites shall then put their hands on the heads of the two bulls; one is to be offered as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, in order to perform the ritual of purification for the Levites. ¹³ "Dedicate the Levites as a special gift to me, and put Aaron and his sons in charge of them. ¹⁴ Separate the Levites in this way from the rest of the Israelites, so that they will belong to me.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

cleanse them: Exodus 19:15, 2 Corinthians 7:1, James 4:8

Reciprocal: Leviticus 14:11 - General Numbers 3:6 - General 2 Chronicles 29:11 - the Lord

Cross-References

Genesis 6:16
Make a roof for the boat and leave a space of 18 inches between the roof and the sides. Build it with three decks and put a door in the side.

Daniel 6:10
When Daniel learned that the order had been signed, he went home. In an upstairs room of his house there were windows that faced toward Jerusalem. There, just as he had always done, he knelt down at the open windows and prayed to God three times a day.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Take the Levites from among the children of Israel,.... Among whom they were mixed, as were all the tribes mixed together as Aben Ezra says, before they took their journey from Mount Sinai; however, from hence forward, they were distinguished from Israelites, as they are both in Scripture and in Jewish writings; see 1 Chronicles 9:2; though this seems to design no other but their appointment and separation to their work and service, as ministers to the priests of the Lord; and so as Aaron did not assume the honour of priesthood to himself but was called of God, the Levites did not take the honour of their office to themselves but had it by the appointment and call of God:

and cleanse them; with water, by sprinkling the water of purification on them, and by washing their bodies and clothes with water; which outward washing was a sign of moral purity, which was necessary to their employment in the service of the sanctuary; for though there was no particular uncleanness on them, either ceremonial or moral, but what was common to men; yet it was proper, by such outward rites, to put them and others in mind, that they which are employed about holy things should be eminently pure and holy; and as their business was to carry holy things, to bear the sacred vessels of the sanctuary from place to place when needful, they ought of all men to be clean, Isaiah 52:11: and in this they were emblems of the ministers of the word, who ought to be pure, as in heart, so in life and conversation, and be examples of purity to others, 2 Corinthians 6:6.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The Levites could only undertake their duties Numbers 3:0; Numbers 4:0 after the formal exchange of the Levites for the first-born Numbers 3:44-51.

The distinction between the “consecration” of the priests Leviticus 8:0 and the less solemn “purification” Numbers 8:21 of the Levites is marked. These rites of purification are similar to those incumbent on the priests of Egypt.

Numbers 8:7

Water of purifying - literally, “sin water:” i. e. water to cleanse from sin; no doubt taken from the laver of the sanctuary, which was used by the priests for purification before they went into the tabernacle to minister (compare Numbers 5:17; Exodus 30:18 ff).

The “sprinkling” of so large a body of men could have been only general, but tokens of individual purification are specified (compare also Leviticus 14:8).

Numbers 8:8

The two bullocks were “to make an atonement for the Levites,” and therefore are presented in their name. These offerings are similar to those prescribed in Leviticus 8:14 ff at the consecration of the priests, except that the burnt-offering was on that occasion a ram. The larger victim corresponds to the larger number of the Levites.

Numbers 8:10

The children of Israel - i. e. through the heads of their tribes, who Numbers 7:2 no doubt acted for their tribesmen. This act, the distinguishing feature of the ceremony, represented the transfer to the Levites of the sacred duties originally incumbent on the whole people.

Numbers 8:11

Offer ... offering - Compare the margin Aaron pointed to the Levites, and then waved his hands, indicating (compare Leviticus 7:30 note) that the offering was dedicated to God, and, again, by grant from Him, withdrawn for the use of the priests.

Numbers 8:19

Make an atonement for the children of Israel - i. e. by performing those services which were due from the children of Israel; the omission of which by the children of Israel would, but for the interposition of the Levites, have called down “wrath” from God, or Numbers 1:53 “plague.” The institution of the Levites was an extension of that mediatorial system which the people themselves, terrified at the direct manifestations to them of the divine presence, desired; see Deuteronomy 5:25. Further, it is suggested to us here as an act of mercy on the part of God; yet even the priests and Levites themselves were not always sufficiently heedful and reverent. Compare Numbers 17:10; Leviticus 10:1 ff; 2 Samuel 6:6 following.

Numbers 8:21

Were purified - Rather, purified themselves; as directed in Numbers 8:7.