Numbers 8:9-19

9 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.
10 And thou shalt bring the Levites before the LORD, and the children of Israel shall put their hands upon the Levites.
11 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.
12 And the Levites shall lay their hands upon the heads of the bullocks, and thou shalt offer the one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering unto the LORD to make an atonement for the Levites.
13 And thou shalt set the Levites before Aaron and before his sons, and offer them for an offering unto the LORD.
14 Thus shalt thou separate the Levites from among the children of Israel, and the Levites shall be Mine.
15 And after that shall the Levites go in to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation, and thou shalt cleanse them and offer them for an offering.
16 For they are wholly given unto Me from among the children of Israel, instead of such as open every womb, even instead of the firstborn of all the children of Israel have I taken them unto Me.
17 For all the firstborn of the children of Israel are Mine, both man and beast. On the day that I smote every firstborn in the land of Egypt I sanctified them for Myself.
18 And I have taken the Levites for all the firstborn of the children of Israel.
19 And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and to his sons from among the children of Israel, to do the service of the children of Israel in the tabernacle of the congregation and to make an atonement for the children of Israel, that there be no plague among the children of Israel when the children of Israel come nigh unto the sanctuary."

Numbers 8:9-19 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO NUMBERS 8

In this chapter orders are given for the lighting the seven lamps of the candlestick, Nu 8:1-4; and for the consecration of the Levites to their office, by a purification of them, Nu 8:5-8; by a separation of them from the children of Israel, and the imposition of their hands on them, and of the hands of the Levites on the offerings offered for them, Nu 8:9-15; and being thus given to the Lord, and claimed as his, instead of the firstborn of Israel, they are given to Aaron and his sons to do service in the tabernacle, Nu 8:16-22; and their age at which they were to enter into service and cease from it is fixed, Nu 8:23-26.

Third Millennium Bible (TMB), New Authorized Version, Copyright 1998 by Deuel Enterprises, Inc., Gary, SD 57237. All rights reserved.