Numbers 8:10-12

New English Translation

Footnotes

1. Numbers 8:10 sn The consecration ceremony was to be done in full view of the assembled people. In all probability the laying on of the hands was done through representatives of the tribes, and not all the people. This ritual of the imposition of hands showed that the people were taking part in the consecration, and that the Levites represented them in the service of the Lord.
2. Numbers 8:11 tn The Hebrew text actually has “wave the Levites as a wave offering.” The wave offering was part of the ritual of the peace offering and indicated the priest’s portion being presented to God in a lifted, waving motion for all to see. The Levites were going to be in the sanctuary to serve the Lord and assist the priests. It is unclear how Moses would have presented them as wave offerings, but the intent is that they would be living sacrifices, as Paul would later say in Rom 12:1 for all Christians.
3. Numbers 8:11 tn The construction emphasizes the spiritual service of the Levites, using the infinitive construct of עָבַד (ʿavad) followed by its cognate accusative.
4. Numbers 8:12 tn The clause begins with a vav (ו) on the noun “the Levites,” indicating a disjunctive clause. Here it is clearly a subordinate clause prior to the instruction for Moses, and so translated as a circumstantial clause of time.
5. Numbers 8:12 tn The imperative is from the verb “to do; to make,” but in the sentence it clearly means to sacrifice the animals.
6. Numbers 8:12 sn The “purification offering” cleansed the tabernacle from impurity, and the burnt offering atoned by nullifying and removing the effects of sin in the Levites.