Numbers 8:24

THE MESSAGE

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
"This is that which belongs to the Levites: from twenty-five years old and upward they shall go in to wait on the service in the work of the Tent of Meeting;

King James Version
This is it that belongeth unto the Levites: from twenty and five years old and upward they shall go in to wait upon the service of the tabernacle of the congregation:

Lexham English Bible
"This is what is for the Levites: those twenty-five years old and above will come to help with the service in the work of the tent of assembly;

New Century Version
"This command is for the Levites. Everyone twenty-five years old or older must come to the Meeting Tent, because they all have jobs to do there.

New English Translation
"This is what pertains to the Levites: At the age of twenty-five years and upward one may begin to join the company in the work of the tent of meeting,

Amplified Bible
"This is what applies to the Levites: from twenty-five years old and upward they shall enter to perform service in the work of the Tent of Meeting,

New American Standard Bible
"This is what applies to the Levites: from twenty-five years old and upward they shall enter to perform service in the work of the tent of meeting.

Geneva Bible (1587)
This also belongeth to the Leuites: from fiue and twentie yeere olde and vpwarde, they shall goe in, to execute their office in the seruice of the Tabernacle of the Congregation.

Legacy Standard Bible
"This is what applies to the Levites: from twenty-five years old and upward they shall enter to perform their duty in the service of the tent of meeting.

Contemporary English Version
"Levites who are between the ages of twenty-five and fifty can work at my sacred tent. But once they turn fifty, they must retire.

Complete Jewish Bible
"Here are instructions concerning the L'vi'im: when they reach the age of twenty-five, they are to begin performing their duties serving in the tent of meeting;

Darby Translation
This is that which concerneth the Levites: from twenty-five years old and upward shall he come to labour in the work of the service of the tent of meeting.

Easy-to-Read Version
"This is a special command for the Levites: Every Levite man who is 25 years old or older must come and share in the work at the Meeting Tent.

English Standard Version
"This applies to the Levites: from twenty-five years old and upward they shall come to do duty in the service of the tent of meeting.

George Lamsa Translation
This shall be the law for the Levites: from twenty-five years old and upward they shall go in to do the work of the tabernacle of the congregation;

Good News Translation
"From the age of twenty-five each Levite shall perform his duties in the Tent of my presence,

Christian Standard Bible®
“In regard to the Levites: From twenty-five years old or more, a man enters the service in the work at the tent of meeting.

Literal Translation
This is that which pertains to the Levites: from twenty five years old and upward he shall go in to do the service and the works of the tabernacle of the congregation.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
This is it that belongeth vnto the Leuites: From fyue and twentye yeare and aboue, shal they go in to the office of the Tabernacle of witnesse.

American Standard Version
This is that which belongeth unto the Levites: from twenty and five years old and upward they shall go in to wait upon the service in the work of the tent of meeting:

Bible in Basic English
This is the rule for the Levites: those of twenty-five years old and over are to go in and do the work of the Tent of meeting;

Bishop's Bible (1568)
This is it that belongeth vnto the Leuites: From twentie and fiue yeres olde and vpwarde, they shall go in to wayte vpon the seruice of the tabernacle of the congregation.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
'This is that which pertaineth unto the Levites: from twenty and five years old and upward they shall go in to perform the service in the work of the tent of meeting;

King James Version (1611)
This is it that belongeth vnto the Leuites: from twentie and fiue yeeres old, and vpward, they shall goe in to waite vpon the seruice of the Tabernacle of the Congregation.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
This is the ordinance for the Levites; From five and twenty years old and upward, they shall go in to minister in the tabernacle of witness.

English Revised Version
This is that which belongeth unto the Levites: from twenty and five years old and upward they shall go in to wait upon the service in the work of the tent of meeting:

Berean Standard Bible
"This applies to the Levites: Men twenty-five years of age or older shall enter to perform the service in the work at the Tent of Meeting.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
fro fyue and twentithe yeer and aboue thei schulen entre, for to mynystre in the tabernacle of boond of pees;

Young's Literal Translation
`This [is] that which [is] the Levites': from a son of five and twenty years and upward he doth go in to serve the host in the service of the tent of meeting,

Update Bible Version
This is that which belongs to the Levites: from twenty and five years old and upward they shall go in to wait on the service in the work of the tent of meeting:

Webster's Bible Translation
This [is it] that [belongeth] to the Levites: from twenty and five years old and upward they shall go in to wait upon the service of the tabernacle of the congregation:

World English Bible
"This is that which belongs to the Levites: from twenty-five years old and upward they shall go in to wait on the service in the work of the Tent of Meeting;

New King James Version
"This is what pertains to the Levites: From twenty-five years old and above one may enter to perform service in the work of the tabernacle of meeting;

New Living Translation
"This is the rule the Levites must follow: They must begin serving in the Tabernacle at the age of twenty-five,

New Life Bible
"This is the rule for the Levites. Those who are twenty-five years old and older will go in to do the work of the meeting tent.

New Revised Standard
This applies to the Levites: from twenty-five years old and upward they shall begin to do duty in the service of the tent of meeting;

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
This is what concerneth the Levites, - from twenty-five years old and upwards, shall they enter to take rank in the host, for doing the laborious work of the tent of meeting;

Douay-Rheims Bible
This is the law of the Levites: From twenty-five years old and upwards, they shall go in to minister in the tabernacle of the covenant.

Revised Standard Version
"This is what pertains to the Levites: from twenty-five years old and upward they shall go in to perform the work in the service of the tent of meeting;

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"This is what applies to the Levites: from twenty-five years old and upward they shall enter to perform service in the work of the tent of meeting.

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

from twenty: In Numbers 4:3, the Levites are appointed to the service of the tabernacle at the age of 30 years; and in 1 Chronicles 23:24, they are ordered to commence their work at 20 years of age. In order to reconcile this apparent discrepancy, it is to be observed:

1. At the time of which Moses speaks in Numbers 4:3, the Levitical service was exceedingly severe, and consequently required full grown, robust men, to perform it; the age of 30 was therefore appointed as the period for commencing this service, the weightier part of which was probably there intended.

2. In this place God seems to speak of the service in a general way: hence the age of 25 is fixed.

3. In David's time, and afterwards, in the fixed tabernacle and temple, the laboriousness of the service no longer existed, and hence 20 years was the age appointed. Numbers 4:3, Numbers 4:23, 1 Chronicles 23:3, 1 Chronicles 23:24-27, 1 Chronicles 28:12, 1 Chronicles 28:13

wait upon: Heb. war the warfare of, etc. 1 Corinthians 9:7, 2 Corinthians 10:4, 1 Timothy 1:18, 1 Timothy 6:12, 2 Timothy 2:3-5

Reciprocal: Numbers 1:53 - and the Numbers 3:7 - to do the Numbers 4:35 - General 1 Chronicles 15:2 - to minister 2 Chronicles 31:17 - twenty Nehemiah 12:44 - Judah rejoiced

Gill's Notes on the Bible

This [is it] that [belongeth] unto the Levites,.... The fixed and settled time for their service, as is after related:

from twenty and five years old and upward, they shall go in to wait upon the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; in Numbers 4:3; the time for the Levites entering on the work of the tabernacle is fixed to thirty years and upward, which Jarchi reconciles thus; at twenty five years old the Levite goes in to learn the rites of service, and he learns five years, and when thirty years of age he services; the same is observed by others w; but what Aben Ezra proposes seems much better; at thirty years of age a Levite entered into the service of bearing and carrying burdens; and at twenty five years of age he entered into the service of the tent or tabernacle, where he was employed in lighter service, such as opening and shutting the doors of the sanctuary, keeping out strangers and unclean persons, and singing the songs of the sanctuary; but was not concerned till thirty years of age in carrying the vessels of the sanctuary on the shoulders, as the Kohathites; or in taking down and setting up the tabernacle, loading and unloading the wagons, as the Gershonites and Merarites; which is the business assigned unto them, and spoken of in Numbers 4:22, where the age of thirty years, and upward, is mentioned, as the time of their entrance on it, Numbers 4:23.

w Ben Gersom in loc. Bartenora in Pirke Abot, c. 5. sect. 21.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Twenty and five years old and upward - The permanent limit as distinguished from the temporary Numbers 4:3, Numbers 4:23, Numbers 4:30, though David found it necessary to extend the period of the Levites’ service by causing it to commence at 20 years of age 1 Chronicles 23:24-28. This rule continued in force from the time of David downward (compare on 2 Chronicles 31:17; Ezra 3:8).

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Numbers 8:24. From twenty and five years old — Numbers 4:3, where the two terms of twenty-five and thirty years are reconciled.