Numbers 8:6

JPS Old Testament

'Take the Levites from among the children of Israel, and cleanse 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.

Good News Translation
"Separate the Levites from the rest of the people of Israel and purify 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.

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 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: ⁶ 'Take the Levites from among the children of Israel, and cleanse them. ⁷ And thus shalt thou do unto them, to cleanse them: sprinkle the water of purification upon them, and let them cause a razor to pass over all their flesh, and let them wash their clothes, and cleanse themselves. ⁸ Then let them take a young bullock, and its meal-offering, fine flour mingled with oil, and another young bullock shalt thou take for a sin-offering. ⁹ And thou shalt present the Levites before the tent of meeting; and thou shalt assemble the whole congregation of the children of Israel. ¹⁰ And thou shalt present the Levites before the LORD; and the children of Israel shall lay their hands upon the Levites. ¹¹ And Aaron shall offer the Levites before the LORD for a wave-offering from the children of Israel, that they may be to do the service of the LORD. ¹² And the Levites shall lay their hands upon the heads of the bullocks; and offer thou the one for a sin-offering, and the other for a burnt-offering, unto the LORD, to make atonement for the Levites. ¹³ And thou shalt set the Levites before Aaron, and before his sons, and offer them for a wave-offering unto the LORD. ¹⁴ Thus shalt thou separate the Levites from among the children of Israel; and the Levites shall be Mine.

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
A light shalt thou make to the ark, and to a cubit shalt thou finish it upward; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it.

Daniel 6:10
Wherefore king Darius signed the writing and the interdict.

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.