Lectionary Calendar
Thursday, July 31st, 2025
the Week of Proper 12 / Ordinary 17
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Read the Bible

New Living Translation

Numbers 8:21

The Levites purified themselves from sin and washed their clothes, and Aaron lifted them up and presented them to the Lord as a special offering. He then offered a sacrifice to purify them and make them right with the Lord .

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Atonement;   Levites;   Priest;   Purification;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Levites;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Building;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Hilkiah;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Bull;   Purity-Purification;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Numbers, Book of;   Priests and Levites;   Red Heifer;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Levites ;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Government of the Hebrews;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Events of the Encampment;   Moses, the Man of God;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Hafṭarah;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
The Levites purified themselves from sin, and they washed their clothes; and Aharon offered them for a wave offering before the LORD; and Aharon made atonement for them to cleanse them.
King James Version
And the Levites were purified, and they washed their clothes; and Aaron offered them as an offering before the Lord ; and Aaron made an atonement for them to cleanse them.
Lexham English Bible
And the Levites purified themselves, and they washed their garments, and Aaron offered them as a wave offering before Yahweh; and Aaron made atonement for them to purify them.
New Century Version
The Levites made themselves clean and washed their clothes. Then Aaron presented them as an offering to the Lord . He also removed their sins so they would be pure.
New English Translation
The Levites purified themselves and washed their clothing; then Aaron presented them like a wave offering before the Lord , and Aaron made atonement for them to purify them.
Amplified Bible
The Levites, too, purified themselves from sin and they washed their clothes; and Aaron presented them as a wave offering before the LORD, and Aaron made atonement for them to cleanse them.
New American Standard Bible
The Levites, too, purified themselves from sin and washed their clothes; and Aaron presented them as a wave offering before the LORD. Aaron also made atonement for them to cleanse them.
Geneva Bible (1587)
So the Leuites were purified, and washed their clothes, and Aaron offred them as a shake offring before the Lord, and Aaron made an atonement for them, to purifie them.
Legacy Standard Bible
The Levites, too, purified themselves from sin and washed their clothes; and Aaron presented them as a wave offering before Yahweh. Aaron also made atonement for them to cleanse them.
Contemporary English Version
The Levites sprinkled themselves with the water of forgiveness and washed their clothes. Then Aaron brought them to the altar and offered sacrifices to forgive their sins and make them acceptable to the Lord .
Complete Jewish Bible
The L'vi'im purified themselves and washed their clothes. Then Aharon offered them as a holy gift before Adonai and made atonement for them in order to cleanse them.
Darby Translation
And the Levites purified themselves from sin, and they washed their garments; and Aaron offered them as a wave-offering before Jehovah; and Aaron made atonement for them to cleanse them.
Easy-to-Read Version
The Levites washed themselves and their clothes. Then Aaron gave them to the Lord as special offerings. Aaron gave the offerings that covered their sins and made them pure.
English Standard Version
And the Levites purified themselves from sin and washed their clothes, and Aaron offered them as a wave offering before the Lord , and Aaron made atonement for them to cleanse them.
George Lamsa Translation
And the Levites were purified, and they washed their clothes; and Aaron offered them as an offering before the LORD; and Aaron made an atonement for them and cleansed them.
Good News Translation
The Levites purified themselves and washed their clothes, and Aaron dedicated them as a special gift to the Lord . He also performed the ritual of purification for them.
Christian Standard Bible®
The Levites purified themselves and washed their clothes; then Aaron presented them before the Lord as a presentation offering. Aaron also made atonement for them to cleanse them ceremonially.
Literal Translation
And the Levites cleansed themselves, and washed their garments. And Aaron waved them as a wave offering before Jehovah; and Aaron atoned for them, to cleanse them.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And they purified the Leuites, and wa?shed their clothes. And Aaron waued them before the LORDE, and made attoment for them, that they might be cleane.
American Standard Version
And the Levites purified themselves from sin, and they washed their clothes: and Aaron offered them for a wave-offering before Jehovah; and Aaron made atonement for them to cleanse them.
Bible in Basic English
And the Levites were made clean from sin, and their clothing was washed, and Aaron gave them for a wave offering before the Lord; and Aaron took away their sin and made them clean.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the Leuites were purified, and wasshed their clothes: And Aaron waued them as a waue offeryng before the Lorde, and made an attonement for them, to cleanse them.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the Levites purified themselves, and they washed their clothes; and Aaron offered them for a sacred gift before the LORD; and Aaron made atonement for them to cleanse them.
King James Version (1611)
And the Leuites were purified, and they washed their clothes: and Aaron offered them as an offering before the Lord, and Aaron made an atonement for them to cleanse them.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
So the Levites purified themselves and washed their garments; and Aaron presented them as a gift before the Lord, and Aaron made atonement for them to purify them.
English Revised Version
And the Levites purified themselves from sin, and they washed their clothes; and Aaron offered them for a wave offering before the LORD; and Aaron made atonement for them to cleanse them.
Berean Standard Bible
The Levites purified themselves and washed their clothes, and Aaron presented them as a wave offering before the LORD. Aaron also made atonement for them to cleanse them.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And thei weren clensid, and thei waischiden her clothis; and Aaron reiside hem in the siyt of the Lord, and preiede for hem,
Young's Literal Translation
And the Levites cleanse themselves, and wash their garments, and Aaron waveth them a wave-offering before Jehovah, and Aaron maketh atonement for them to cleanse them,
Update Bible Version
And the Levites purified themselves from sin, and they washed their clothes: and Aaron offered them for a wave-offering before Yahweh; and Aaron made atonement for them to cleanse them.
Webster's Bible Translation
And the Levites were purified, and they washed their clothes; and Aaron offered them [as] an offering before the LORD; and Aaron made an atonement for them to cleanse them.
World English Bible
The Levites purified themselves from sin, and they washed their clothes; and Aaron offered them for a wave offering before Yahweh; and Aaron made atonement for them to cleanse them.
New King James Version
And the Levites purified themselves and washed their clothes; then Aaron presented them like a wave offering before the LORD, and Aaron made atonement for them to cleanse them.
New Life Bible
The Levites made themselves pure, putting away their sin. And they washed their clothes. Aaron gave them as a wave gift before the Lord. He did what had to be done to pay for their sin so they would be clean.
New Revised Standard
The Levites purified themselves from sin and washed their clothes; then Aaron presented them as an elevation offering before the Lord , and Aaron made atonement for them to cleanse them.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And the Levites accepted the cleansing from sin and washed their clothes, and Aaron offered them as a wave-offering before Yahweh, - and Aaron put a propitiatory-covering over them to make them pure.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And they were purified, and washed their garments. And Aaron lifted them up in the sight of the Lord, and prayed for them,
Revised Standard Version
And the Levites purified themselves from sin, and washed their clothes; and Aaron offered them as a wave offering before the LORD, and Aaron made atonement for them to cleanse them.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
The Levites, too, purified themselves from sin and washed their clothes; and Aaron presented them as a wave offering before the LORD. Aaron also made atonement for them to cleanse them.

Contextual Overview

5 Then the Lord said to Moses, 6 "Now set the Levites apart from the rest of the people of Israel and make them ceremonially clean. 7 Do this by sprinkling them with the water of purification, and have them shave their entire body and wash their clothing. Then they will be ceremonially clean. 8 Have them bring a young bull and a grain offering of choice flour moistened with olive oil, along with a second young bull for a sin offering. 9 Then assemble the whole community of Israel, and present the Levites at the entrance of the Tabernacle. 10 When you present the Levites before the Lord , the people of Israel must lay their hands on them. 11 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. 12 "Next the Levites will lay their hands on the heads of the young bulls. Present one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering to the Lord , to purify the Levites and make them right with the Lord . 13 Then have the Levites stand in front of Aaron and his sons, and raise your hands and present them as a special offering to the Lord . 14 In this way, you will set the Levites apart from the rest of the people of Israel, and the Levites will belong to me.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

were purified: Numbers 8:7, Numbers 19:12, Numbers 19:19

offered: Numbers 8:11-13, Numbers 8:15, Numbers 3:12

Aaron made: Numbers 8:12

Reciprocal: Exodus 19:10 - wash Leviticus 14:11 - General Numbers 8:13 - offer them

Cross-References

Genesis 3:17
And to the man he said, "Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it.
Genesis 4:12
No longer will the ground yield good crops for you, no matter how hard you work! From now on you will be a homeless wanderer on the earth."
Genesis 5:29
Lamech named his son Noah, for he said, "May he bring us relief from our work and the painful labor of farming this ground that the Lord has cursed."
Genesis 6:5
The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil.
Genesis 6:17
"Look! I am about to cover the earth with a flood that will destroy every living thing that breathes. Everything on earth will die.
Genesis 8:1
But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and livestock with him in the boat. He sent a wind to blow across the earth, and the floodwaters began to recede.
Genesis 8:2
The underground waters stopped flowing, and the torrential rains from the sky were stopped.
Genesis 8:3
So the floodwaters gradually receded from the earth. After 150 days,
Genesis 8:6
After another forty days, Noah opened the window he had made in the boat
Genesis 8:7
and released a raven. The bird flew back and forth until the floodwaters on the earth had dried up.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the Levites were purified,.... From sin, by the sprinkling of the sin water, or water of purification on them, Numbers 8:7;

and they washed their clothes; that they might have no defilement about them, neither in their bodies, nor in their garments:

and Aaron offered them [as] an offering before the Lord; a wave offering, as in Numbers 8:11;

and Aaron made an atonement for them to cleanse them; by offering the sacrifices for them, Numbers 8:12.

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.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Numbers 8:21. And Aaron made an atonement for them — Though the Levites had been most solemnly consecrated to the Lord's service, and though all legal washings and purifications were duly performed on the occasion, yet they could not approach God till an atonement had been made for them. How strange is it, after all these significations, of the will and purpose of God relative to man, that any priest or any people will attempt to draw nigh to God without an atonement! As sure as God hath spoken it, there is no entrance into the holiest but through the blood of Jesus, Hebrews 10:19-20.


 
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