Deuteronomy 10:8

8 In that time I separated the lineage of Levi, that it should bear the ark of the bond of peace of the Lord, and it should stand before him in service, and should bless in his name, into this present day. (At that time the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, and to stand before him in service, that is, to minister to him, and to bless in his name, which they continue to do unto this present day.)

Deuteronomy 10:8 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 10:8

At that time the Lord separated the tribe of Levi
Not at the time that Moses came down from the mount with the tables of the law, but some considerable time after, even after the tabernacle was erected; nor at the time that Aaron died, and Eleazar succeeded him, but many years before that; unless there was a fresh separation of them, or a renewal of it when Eleazar became high priest in his father's stead; and so that being mentioned is the reason of its being repeated here;

to bear the ark of the covenant of the Lord;
even that into which the law, sometimes called the covenant, was put, and therefore here called the ark of the covenant: when this was carried from place to place, as it was especially in the wilderness, it was the business of the Levites to bear it, particularly the Kohathites; ( Numbers 3:31 ) ( 10:21 ) ( 1 Chronicles 6:1 ) ,

to stand before the Lord to minister unto him;
that is, to his priests, in the tabernacle, and to keep and guard that:

and to bless in his name unto this day;
not to bless the people, which was the work of the priest, but to sing praise in the name of the Lord, to give thanks unto him, and bless and praise him.

Deuteronomy 10:8 In-Context

6 And the sons of Israel moved their tents from Beeroth of the sons of Jaakan into Mosera, where Aaron was dead, and buried, (and) for whom his son Eleazar was set in priesthood. (And the Israelites moved their tents from Beeroth of the sons of Jaakan to Mosera, where Aaron died, and was buried, and his son Eleazar took his place in the priesthood.)
7 From thence they came into Gudgodah; from which place they went forth, and setted tents in Jotbathah, in the land of waters and of strands. (And from Mosera, they came to Gudgodah; and from Gudgodah they went forth, and pitched their tents at Jotbathah, a land of many rivers.)
8 In that time I separated the lineage of Levi, that it should bear the ark of the bond of peace of the Lord, and it should stand before him in service, and should bless in his name, into this present day. (At that time the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, and to stand before him in service, that is, to minister to him, and to bless in his name, which they continue to do unto this present day.)
9 For which thing Levi had no part, neither possession with his brethren, for the Lord himself is his possession, as thy Lord God promised to him. (That is why the Levites have no part, nor possession, with their brothers, for the Lord himself is their possession, as the Lord thy God promised them.)
10 And I stood in the hill as I did before, forty days and forty nights, and the Lord heard me also in this time, and he would not lose thee. (And I stayed on the mountain like I did before, for forty days and forty nights, and once again the Lord listened to me, and he consented not to destroy thee.)
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.