0 SAB Numbers 8

And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD smote the people with a very great plague. 11:33

Trivia: After God killed Korah, his companions, their families, and 250 incense burners, the people complained saying, "ye have killed the people of the Lord." So God sent a plague on the people. How many people died in the plague?

Numbers

CHAPTER 8

How to light the lamps
8:1-4

1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

2 Speak unto Aaron and say unto him, When thou lightest the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light over against the candlestick.

God said to Moses,

Say this to Aaron,
When you light the lamps, light seven lamps in front of the candlestick.

3 And Aaron did so; he lighted the lamps thereof over against the candlestick, as the LORD commanded Moses.

So Aaron lighted seven lamps in front of the candlestick, as God commanded Moses.

4 And this work of the candlestick was of beaten gold, unto the shaft thereof, unto the flowers thereof, was beaten work: according unto the pattern which the LORD had shewed Moses, so he made the candlestick.

The candlestick was gold with flowers and beaten work, as God showed Moses how to make it.

God replaces firstborn Israelites with Levites
8:5-22

5 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

6Take the Levites from among the children of Israel, and cleanse them.

7 And thus shalt thou do unto them, to cleanse them: Sprinkle water of purifying upon them, and let them shave all their flesh, and let them wash their clothes, and so make themselves clean.

God said to Moses,

Here is how you must clean the Levites: Sprinkle water on them, shave their skin, and have them wash their clothes.

8 Then let them take a young bullock with his meat offering, even fine flour mingled with oil, and another young bullock shalt thou take for a sin offering.

Have them take two young bullocks, one for a meat offering and one for a sin offering.

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:

Bring all the Levites before the tabernacle and gather all the Israelites together.

10 And thou shalt bring the Levites before the LORD: and the children of Israel shall put their hands upon the Levites:

Bring the Levites in front of me and have all the Israelites put their hands on the heads of 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.

Aaron will then offer the Levites as an offering of the Israelites to me, so the Levites may serve me.

12And 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.

The Levites will put their hands on the heads of the bullocks and offer one as a sin offering and one as a burnt offering to me, to make 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.

You will set the Levites in front of Aaron and his sons, and offer them as an offering to me.

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.

Thus you will separate the Levites from the rest of the Israelites.

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.

I have taken them instead of the firstborn of all the Israelites.

17For 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.

They became mine the day that I killed every firstborn in the land of Egypt.

18 And I have taken the Levites for all the firstborn of the children of Israel.

But I have replaced the firstborn Israelites with the Levites.

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.

I have given the Levites to Aaron and his sons to serve the Israelites in the tabernacle, and to make an atonement for them, so there will be no plague among the Israelites when they come into the sanctuary. (Or something like that.)

20 And Moses, and Aaron, and all the congregation of the children of Israel, did to the Levites according unto all that the LORD commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so did the children of Israel unto them.

Moses and Aaron and the Israelites did to the Levites what God commanded Moses.

21 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.

The Levites washed their clothes, Aaron offered them to God and made an atonement for them to clean them.

22 And after that went the Levites in to do their service in the tabernacle of the congregation before Aaron, and before his sons: as the LORD had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so did they unto them.

And the Levites went to work in the tabernacle.
Early (and forced) retirement for Levites
8:23-26

23 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

24 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:

25 And from the age of fifty years they shall cease waiting upon the service thereof, and shall serve no more:

26 But shall minister with their brethren in the tabernacle of the congregation, to keep the charge, and shall do no service. Thus shalt thou do unto the Levites touching their charge.

God said to Moses,

All the Levites that are twenty five years old and older [1] will serve in the tabernacle,

until they are fifty when they will serve no more.

«
»

Copyright © 1999-2024
The Skeptic's Annotated Bible

Send comments to Steve Wells
at swwells(at)gmail.com