Numbers 8:11

THE MESSAGE

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
and Aharon shall offer the Levites before the LORD for a wave offering, on the behalf of the children of Yisra'el, that it may be theirs to do the service of the LORD.

King James Version
And Aaron shall offer the Levites before the Lord for an offering of the children of Israel, that they may execute the service of the Lord .

Lexham English Bible
and Aaron will offer the Levites as a wave offering before Yahweh from the Israelites, and they will do the work of Yahweh.

New Century Version
Aaron will present the Levites before the Lord as an offering presented from the Israelites. Then the Levites will be ready to do the work of the Lord .

New English Translation
and Aaron is to offer the Levites before the Lord as a wave offering from the Israelites, that they may do the work of the Lord .

Amplified Bible
"Aaron shall present the Levites before the LORD as a wave offering from the Israelites, so that they may perform the service of the LORD.

New American Standard Bible
"Aaron then shall present the Levites before the LORD as a wave offering from the sons of Israel, so that they may qualify to perform the service of the LORD.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And Aaron shall offer the Leuites before the Lord, as a shake offring of ye childre of Israel, that they may execute the seruice of the Lorde.

Legacy Standard Bible
Aaron then shall present the Levites before Yahweh as a wave offering from the sons of Israel, that they may be qualified to perform the service of Yahweh.

Contemporary English Version
Aaron will present the Levites to me as a gift from the people, so that the Levites will do my work.

Complete Jewish Bible
and Aharon will offer the L'vi'im before Adonai as a wave offering from the people of Isra'el, so that they may do Adonai 's service.

Darby Translation
And Aaron shall offer the Levites as a wave-offering before Jehovah from the children of Israel, and they shall perform the service of Jehovah.

Easy-to-Read Version
Aaron will give the Levites to the Lord as an offering from the Israelites. Then the Levites will be ready to do their special work for the Lord .

English Standard Version
and Aaron shall offer the Levites before the Lord as a wave offering from the people of Israel, that they may do the service of the Lord .

George Lamsa Translation
And Aaron shall offer the Levites before the LORD for an offering from the children of Israel, that they may perform the service of the LORD.

Good News Translation
and then Aaron shall dedicate the Levites to me as a special gift from the Israelites, so that they may do my work.

Christian Standard Bible®
Aaron is to present the Levites before the Lord as a presentation offering from the Israelites, so that they may perform the Lord’s work.

Literal Translation
And Aaron shall wave the Levites as a wave offering before Jehovah, from the sons of Israel, that they may serve at the service of Jehovah.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And Aaron shal waue ye Leuites before the LORDE for the children of Israel, that they maye mynistre in the seruyce of the LORDE.

American Standard Version
and Aaron shall offer the Levites before Jehovah for a wave-offering, on the behalf of the children of Israel, that it may be theirs to do the service of Jehovah.

Bible in Basic English
And Aaron is to give the Levites to the Lord as a wave offering from the children of Israel, so that they may do the Lord's work.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And Aaron shall waue the Leuites before the Lorde for a waue offeryng of the children of Israel, that they may execute the ministration of the seruice of the Lorde.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
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.

King James Version (1611)
And Aaron shall offer the Leuites before the Lord for an offring of the children of Israel, that they may execute the seruice of the Lord.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Aaron shall separate the Levites for a gift before the Lord from the children of Israel: and they shall be prepared to perform the works of the Lord.

English Revised Version
and Aaron shall offer the Levites before the LORD for a wave offering, on the behalf of the children of Israel, that they may be to do the service of the LORD.

Berean Standard Bible
Aaron is to present the Levites before the LORD as a wave offering from the sons of Israel, so that they may perform the service of the LORD.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and Aaron schal offre the Leuytis in the siyt of the Lord, a yifte of the sones of Israel, that thei serue in the seruice `of hym.

Young's Literal Translation
and Aaron hath waved the Levites -- a wave-offering before Jehovah, from the sons of Israel, and they have been -- for doing the service of Jehovah.

Update Bible Version
and Aaron shall offer the Levites before Yahweh for a wave-offering, on the behalf of the sons of Israel, that it may be theirs to do the service of Yahweh.

Webster's Bible Translation
And Aaron shall offer the Levites before the LORD [for] an offering of the children of Israel, that they may execute the service of the LORD.

World English Bible
and Aaron shall offer the Levites before Yahweh for a wave offering, on the behalf of the children of Israel, that it may be theirs to do the service of Yahweh.

New King James Version
and Aaron shall offer the Levites before the LORD like a wave offering from the children of Israel, that they may perform the work of the LORD.

New Living Translation
Raising his hands, Aaron must then present the Levites to the Lord as a special offering from the people of Israel, thus dedicating them to the Lord 's service.

New Life Bible
Aaron will give the Levites to the Lord as a wave gift from the people of Israel so they will be able to do the work of the Lord.

New Revised Standard
and Aaron shall present the Levites before the Lord as an elevation offering from the Israelites, that they may do the service of the Lord .

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
and Aaron shall offer the Levites as a wave-offering before Yahweh, from among the sons of Israel, - so shall they be for performing the laborious work of Yahweh.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And Aaron shall offer the Levites, as a gift in the sight of the Lord from the children of Israel, that they may serve in his ministry.

Revised Standard Version
and Aaron shall offer the Levites before the LORD as a wave offering from the people of Israel, that it may be theirs to do the service of the LORD.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Aaron then shall present the Levites before the LORD as a wave offering from the sons of Israel, that they may qualify to perform the service of the LORD.

Contextual Overview

⁵ God spoke to Moses: "Take the Levites from the midst of the People of Israel and purify them for doing God 's work. This is the way you will do it: Sprinkle water of absolution on them; have them shave their entire bodies; have them scrub their clothes. Then they will have purified themselves. ⁸"Have them take a young bull with its accompanying Grain-Offering of fine flour mixed with oil, plus a second young bull for an Absolution-Offering. Bring the Levites to the front of the Tent of Meeting and gather the entire community of Israel. Present the Levites before God as the People of Israel lay their hands on them. Aaron will present the Levites before God as a Wave-Offering from the People of Israel so that they will be ready to do God 's work. ¹²"Have the Levites place their hands on the heads of the bulls, selecting one for the Absolution-Offering and another for the Whole-Burnt-Offering to God to make atonement for the Levites. Then have the Levites stand in front of Aaron and his sons and present them as a Wave-Offering to God . This is the procedure for setting apart the Levites from the rest of the People of Israel; the Levites are exclusively for my use. ¹⁵"After you have purified the Levites and presented them as a Wave-Offering to God , they can go to work in the Tent of Meeting. The Levites have been selected out of the People of Israel for my exclusive use; they function in place of every firstborn male born to an Israelite woman. Every firstborn male in Israel, animal or human, is set apart for my use. When I struck down all the firstborn of Egypt, I consecrated them for my holy uses. But now I take the Levites as stand-ins in place of every firstborn son in Israel, selected out of the People of Israel, and I have given the Levites to Aaron and his sons to do all the work involved in the Tent of Meeting on behalf of all the People of Israel and to make atonement for them so that nothing bad will happen to them when they approach the Sanctuary." ²⁰Moses, Aaron, and the entire community of the People of Israel carried out these procedures with the Levites, just as God had commanded Moses. The Levites purified themselves and scrubbed their clothes. Then Aaron presented them as a Wave-Offering before God and made atonement for them to purify them. Only then did the Levites go to work at the Tent of Meeting. Aaron and his sons supervised them following the directions God had given. ²³ God spoke to Moses: "These are your instructions regarding the Levites: At the age of twenty-five they will join the workforce in the Tent of Meeting; at the age of fifty they must retire from the work. They can assist their brothers in the tasks in the Tent of Meeting, but they are not permitted to do the actual work themselves. These are the ground rules for the work of the Levites."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

offer: Heb. wave

offering: Heb. wave-offering, Not that they were actually waved, but they were presented to God, as the God of heaven, and the Lord of the whole earth, as the wave offerings were; and in calling them wave-offerings, it was intimated to them that they must move to and fro with readiness in the business of their profession. Numbers 6:20, Exodus 29:24, Leviticus 7:30, Leviticus 8:27, Leviticus 8:29

they may execute: Heb. they may be to execute, etc. Numbers 1:49-53, Numbers 3:5-43

Reciprocal: Numbers 3:7 - to do the Numbers 8:13 - offer them Numbers 8:15 - go in Numbers 8:16 - wholly given Numbers 8:21 - offered Acts 13:2 - Separate

Cross-References

Genesis 8:12
He waited another seven days and sent the dove out a third time. This time it didn't come back.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And Aaron shall offer the Levites before the Lord,.... Or "wave" r them, as a wave offering, which was moved to and fro, backwards and forwards; not that they were actually so waved and moved to and fro by Aaron, which could not be done by him; though it is possible he might make such a motion himself, and they might do the like after him, thereby signifying that they belonged unto the Lord of the whole earth; and some think this testified their readiness to serve the Lord; to which may be added their constant employment in his service, being always in motion, doing one piece of service or another continually; as the people of God, and especially the ministers of the word, should be always abounding: in the work of the Lord. Ainsworth supposes that the troubles and afflictions of the ministers of God are figured hereby:

[for] an offering of the children of Israel; to the Lord, hereby devoting them to his service:

that they may execute the service of the Lord; for them, in their room and stead, do what otherwise they must have done; see Numbers 3:7; with this compare Isaiah 66:20.

r והניף "et motabit", Tigurine version; "et faciet elevare", Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus; "et agitabit", Drusius; "et agitato", Piscator.

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.