Numbers 8:9

Myles Coverdale Bible

And thou shalt brynge the Leuites before the Tabernacle of wytnesse, and gather together the whole congregacion of ye children of Israel,

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
You shall present the Levites before the Tent of Meeting. You shall assemble the whole congregation of the children of Yisra'el.

King James Version
And thou shalt bring the Levites before the tabernacle of the congregation: and thou shalt gather the whole assembly of the children of Israel together:

Lexham English Bible
You will bring the Levites before the tent of assembly, and you will summon the entire community of the Israelites.

New Century Version
Bring the Levites to the front of the Meeting Tent, and gather all the Israelites around.

New English Translation
You are to bring the Levites before the tent of meeting and assemble the entire community of the Israelites.

Amplified Bible
"You shall present the Levites before the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle), and you shall also assemble the whole congregation of the children of Israel,

New American Standard Bible
"So you shall present the Levites in front of the tent of meeting. You shall also assemble the whole congregation of the sons of Israel,

Geneva Bible (1587)
Then thou shalt bring the Leuites before the Tabernacle of the Congregation, & asseble all the Congregation of the children of Israel.

Legacy Standard Bible
So you shall bring the Levites near before the tent of meeting. You shall also assemble the whole congregation of the sons of Israel,

Contemporary English Version
Then you, Moses, will call together all the people of Israel and have the Levites go to my sacred tent,

Complete Jewish Bible
You are to present the L'vi'im in front of the tent of meeting, and assemble the entire community of the people of Isra'el.

Darby Translation
And thou shalt bring the Levites before the tent of meeting; and thou shalt gather together the whole assembly of the children of Israel.

Easy-to-Read Version
Bring the Levites to the area in front of the Meeting Tent. Then bring all the Israelites together at that place.

English Standard Version
And you shall bring the Levites before the tent of meeting and assemble the whole congregation of the people of Israel.

George Lamsa Translation
And you shall bring the Levites before the tabernacle of the congregation; and you shall gather the whole assembly of the children of Israel together;

Good News Translation
Then assemble the whole community of Israel and have the Levites stand in front of the Tent of my presence.

Christian Standard Bible®
Bring the Levites before the tent of meeting and assemble the entire Israelite community.

Literal Translation
And you shall bring the Levites near before the tabernacle of the congregation. And you shall assemble all the company of the sons of Israel.

American Standard Version
And thou shalt present the Levites before the tent of meeting: and thou shalt assemble the whole congregation of the children of Israel:

Bible in Basic English
And make the Levites come forward in front of the Tent of meeting, and let all the children of Israel come together:

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And thou shalt bryng the Leuites before the tabernacle of the congregation, thou shalt gather the whole multitude of the children of Israel together,

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And thou shalt present the Levites before the tent of meeting; and thou shalt assemble the whole congregation of the children of Israel.

King James Version (1611)
And thou shalt bring the Leuites before the Tabernacle of the Congregation; and thou shalt gather the whole assembly of the children of Israel together.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And thou shalt bring the Levites before the tabernacle of witness; and thou shalt assemble all the congregation of the sons of Israel.

English Revised Version
And thou shalt present the Levites before the tent of meeting: and thou shalt assemble the whole congregation of the children of Israel:

Berean Standard Bible
Bring the Levites before the Tent of Meeting and assemble the entire congregation of the Israelites.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and thou schalt present the Leuytis bifor the tabernacle of boond of pees, whanne al the multitude of the sones of Israel is clepid togidere.

Young's Literal Translation
and thou hast brought near the Levites before the tent of meeting, and thou hast assembled the whole company of the sons of Israel,

Update Bible Version
And you shall present the Levites before the tent of meeting: and you shall assemble the whole congregation of the sons of Israel:

Webster's Bible Translation
And thou shalt bring the Levites before the tabernacle of the congregation: and thou shalt convene the whole assembly of the children of Israel:

World English Bible
You shall present the Levites before the Tent of Meeting. You shall assemble the whole congregation of the children of Israel.

New King James Version
And you shall bring the Levites before the tabernacle of meeting, and you shall gather together the whole congregation of the children of Israel.

New Living Translation
Then assemble the whole community of Israel, and present the Levites at the entrance of the Tabernacle.

New Life Bible
Bring the Levites in front of the meeting tent and gather together all the people of Israel also.

New Revised Standard
You shall bring the Levites before the tent of meeting, and assemble the whole congregation of the Israelites.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then shalt thou bring the Levites near, before the tent of meeting, - and shalt call together all the assembly of the sons of Israel;

Douay-Rheims Bible
And thou shalt bring the Levites before the tabernacle of the covenant, calling together all the multitude of the children of Israel:

Revised Standard Version
And you shall present the Levites before the tent of meeting, and assemble the whole congregation of the people of Israel.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"So you shall present the Levites before the tent of meeting. You shall also assemble the whole congregation of the sons of Israel,

Contextual Overview

⁵ And the LORDE spake vnto Moses, and sayde: ⁶ Take the Leuites fro amonge the children of Israel, & clense them. ⁷ But thus shalt thou do with them, that thou mayest clense them. Thou shalt sprenkle purifienge water vpon them, and lett a rasure go ouer their whole body, and washe their clothes, and then are they cleane. ⁸ Then shall they take a yonge bullocke, and his meatofferynge of fyne floure myngled with oyle. And another yonge bullocke shalt thou take for a synofferinge. ⁹ And thou shalt brynge the Leuites before the Tabernacle of wytnesse, and gather together the whole congregacion of ye children of Israel, ¹⁰ and brynge the Leuytes before the LORDE. And the children of Israel shall laye their handes vpon the Leuites. ¹¹ And Aaron shal waue ye Leuites before the LORDE for the children of Israel, that they maye mynistre in the seruyce of the LORDE. ¹² And the Leuites shall laye their handes vpon the heedes of the bullockes, and the one shalbe made a synnofferynge, the other a burntofferinge vnto the LORDE, to make an attonement for the Leuites. ¹³ And thou shalt set the Leuites before Aaron and his sonnes, and waue them before the LORDE, ¹⁴ and so shalt thou separate them from ye children of Israel, that they maye be myne.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

thou shalt bring: Exodus 29:4-37, Exodus 40:12

shalt gather the whole: The words, kol âdath, which are rendered "the whole assembly," often signify all the elders, or principal persons in the several tribes - Numbers 15:4, Numbers 25:7, Numbers 35:12. And they cannot well have any other sense here; for it would be impossible for all the children of Israel to put their hands on the Levites, as stated in the next verse. Leviticus 8:3

Reciprocal: Exodus 27:21 - the tabernacle of the congregation Ezra 6:18 - as it is written

Cross-References

Deuteronomy 28:65
And amonge those same nacions shalt thou haue no quyetnesse, nether shal the sole of yi fote haue eny rest: for the LORDE shal geue the there a fearfull hert, and dasynge of eyes, and a troubled soule

Psalms 116:7
Turne agayne then vnto thy rest (o my soule) for the LORDE hath geuen the thy desyre.

Isaiah 60:8
But what are these that fle here like the cloudes, and as the doues flienge to their wyndowes?

Ezekiel 7:16
And soch as escape and fle from amonge them, shal be vpon the hilles, like as the doues in the felde: euery one shalbe afrayed, because off his owne wickednesse.

Matthew 11:28
Come vnto me all ye that laboure and are laden, and I wil ease you.

John 16:33
These thinges haue I spoken vnto you, that in me ye might haue peace. In ye worlde haue ye trouble, but be of good comforte, I haue ouercome the worlde.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And thou shalt bring the Levites before the tabernacle of the congregation,.... Not without it, but within it, in the court of the tabernacle, at least at the door of it, where stood the altar of burnt offering, on which sacrifices for them were now to be offered:

and thou shalt gather the whole assembly of the children of Israel together; the heads of the tribes, and elders of the people, as Aben Ezra interprets this phrase in Leviticus 8:3; where the whole congregation is said to be assembled at the consecration of the priests, as here at the consecration of the Levites, having a concern therein, as well as to be spectators and witnesses of this solemn affair; and no doubt as many of them as could conveniently assemble at the door of the tabernacle did, though every individual of that large body of people could not possibly do it.

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.