TRV
Translation
King James Version
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.
KJV (with Strong's)
And after H310 that shall the Levites H3881 go in H935 to do the service H5647 of the tabernacle H168 of the congregation H4150: and thou shalt cleanse H2891 them, and offer H5130 them for an offering H8573.
Complete Jewish Bible
"After that, the L'vi'im will enter and do the service of the tent of meeting. You will cleanse them and offer them as a wave offering,
Berean Standard Bible
After you have cleansed them and presented them as a wave offering, they may come to serve at the Tent of Meeting.
American Standard Version
And after that shall the Levites go in to do the service of the tent of meeting: and thou shalt cleanse them, and offer them for a wave-offering.
World English Bible Messianic
“After that, the Levites shall go in to do the service of the Tent of Meeting: and you shall cleanse them, and offer them as a wave offering.
Geneva Bible (1599)
And afterwarde shall the Leuites goe in, to serue in the Tabernacle of the Congregation, and thou shalt purifie them and offer them, as a shake offering.
Young's Literal Translation
and afterwards do the Levites come in to serve the tent of meeting, and thou hast cleansed them, and hast waved them--a wave-offering.
In the KJVVerse 3,955 of 31,102
Study This Verse
Commentary on Numbers 8 verses 5–26
5 ¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
6 Take 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
We read before of the separating of the Levites from among the children of Israel when they were numbered, and the numbering of them by themselves (Num 3:6, Num 3:15), that they might be employed in the service of the tabernacle. Now here we have directions given for their solemn ordination (Num 8:6), and the performance of it, Num 8:20. All Israel must know that they took not this honour to themselves, but were called of God to it; nor was it enough that they were distinguished from their neighbours, but they must be solemnly devoted to God. Note, All that are employed for God must be dedicated to him, according as the degree of employment is. Christian musts be baptized, ministers must be ordained; we must first give ourselves unto the Lord, and then our services. Observe in what method this was done:
I. The Levites must be cleansed, and were so. The rites and ceremonies of their cleansing were to be performed, 1. By themselves. They must wash their clothes, and not only bathe, but shave all their flesh, as the leper was to do when he was cleansed, Lev 14:8. They must cause a razor to pass over all their flesh, to clear themselves from that defilement which would not wash off. Jacob, whom God loved, was a smooth man; it was Esau that was hairy. The great pains they were to take with themselves to make themselves clean teaches all Christians, and ministers particularly, by repentance and mortification, to cleanse themselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit, that they may perfect holiness. Those must be clean that bear the vessels of the Lord. 2. By Moses. He must sprinkle the water of purifying upon them, which was prepared by divine direction. This signified the application of the blood of Christ to our souls by faith, to purify us from an evil conscience, that we may be fit to serve the living God. It is our duty to cleanse ourselves, and God's promise that he will cleanse us.
II. The Levites, being thus prepared, must be brought before the Lord in a solemn assembly of all Israel, and the children of Israel must put their hands upon them (Num 8:10), so transferring their interest in them and in their service (to which, as a part, the whole body of the people was entitled) to God and to his sanctuary. They presented them to God as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable, to perform a reasonable service; and therefore, as the offerers in all other cases did, they laid their hands upon them, desiring that their service might be accepted in lieu of the attendance of the whole congregation, particularly the first-born, which they acknowledge God might have insisted on. This will not serve to prove a power in the people to ordain ministers; for this imposition of hands by the children of Israel upon the Levites did not make them ministers of the sanctuary, but only signified the people's parting with that tribe out of their militia, and civil incorporations, in order to their being made ministers by Aaron, who was to offer them before the Lord. All the congregation of the children of Israel could not lay hands on them, but it is probable that the rulers and elders did it as the representative body of the people. Some think that the first-born did it because in their stead the Levites were consecrated to God. Whatever God calls for from us to serve his own glory by, we must cheerfully resign it, lay our hands upon it, not to detain it but to surrender it, and let it go to him that is entitled to it.
III. Sacrifices were to be offered for them, a sin-offering first (Num 8:12), and then a burnt-offering, to make an atonement for the Levites, who, as the parties concerned, were to lay their hands upon the head of the sacrifices. See here, 1. That we are all utterly unworthy and unfit to be admitted into and employed in the service of God, till atonement be made for sin, and thereby our peace made with God. That interposing cloud must be scattered before there can be any comfortable communion settled between God and our souls. 2. That it is by sacrifice, by Christ the great sacrifice, that we are reconciled to God, and made fit to be offered to him. It is by him that Christians are sanctified to the work of their Christianity, and ministers to the work of their ministry. The learned bishop Patrick's notion of the sacrifice offered by the Levites is that the Levites were themselves considered as an expiatory sacrifice, for they were given to make atonement for the children of Israel, (Num 8:19), and yet not being devoted to death, any more than the first-born were, these two sacrifices were substituted in their stead, upon which therefore they were to lay their hands, that the sin which the children of Israel laid upon them (Num 8:10) might be transferred to these beasts.
IV. The Levites themselves were offered before the Lord for an offering of the children of Israel, Num 8:11. Aaron gave them up to God, as being first given up by themselves, and by the children of Israel. The original word signifies a wave-offering, not that they were actually waved, but they were presented to God as the God of heaven, and the Lord of the whole earth, as the wave-offerings were. And in calling them wave-offerings it was intimated to them that they must continually lift up themselves towards God in his service, lift up their eyes, lift up their hearts, and must move to and fro with readiness in the business of their profession. They were not ordained to be idle, but to be active and stirring.
V. God here declares his acceptance of them: The Levites shall be mine, Num 8:14. God took them instead of the first-born (Num 8:16-18), of which before, Num 3:41. Note, What is in sincerity offered to God shall be graciously owned and accepted by him. And his ministers who have obtained mercy of him to be faithful have particular marks of favour and honour put upon them: they shall be mine, and then (Num 8:15) they shall go in to do the service of the tabernacle. God takes them for his own, that they may serve him. All that expect to share in the privileges of the tabernacle must resolve to do the service of the tabernacle. As, on the one hand, none of God's creatures are his necessary servants (he needs not the service of any of them), so, on the other hand, none are taken merely as honorary servants, to do nothing. All whom God owns he employs; angels themselves have their services.
VI. They are then given as a gift to Aaron and his sons (Num 8:19), yet so as that the benefit accrued to the children of Israel. 1. The Levites must act under the priests as attendants on them, and assistants to them, in the service of the sanctuary. Aaron offers them to God (Num 8:11), and then God gives them back to Aaron, Num 8:19. Note, Whatever we give up to God, he will give back to us unspeakably to our advantage. Our hearts, our children, our estates, are never more ours, more truly, more comfortably ours, than when we have offered them up to God. 2. They must act for the people. They were taken to do the service of the children of Israel, that is, not only to do the service which they should do, but to serve their interests, and do that which would really redound to the honour, safety, and prosperity of the whole nation. Note, Those that faithfully perform the service of God do one of the best services that can be done to the public; God's ministers, while they keep within the sphere of their office and conscientiously discharge the duty of it, must be looked upon as some of the most useful servants of their country. The children of Israel can as ill spare the tribe of Levi as any of their tribes. But what is the service they do the children of Israel? It follows, it is to make an atonement for them, that there be no plague among them. It was the priests' work to make atonement by sacrifice, but the Levites made atonement by attendance, and preserved the peace with heaven which was made by sacrifice. If the service of the priests in the tabernacle had been left to all the first-born of Israel promiscuously, it would have been either neglected or done unskillfully and irreverently, being done by those that were not so closely tied to it, nor so diligently trained to it, nor so constantly used to it, as the Levites were; and this would bring a plague among the children of Israel - meaning, perhaps, the death of the first-born themselves, which was the last and greatest of the plagues of Egypt. To prevent this, and to preserve the atonement, the Levites were appointed to do this service, who should be bred up to it under their parents from their infancy, and therefore would be well versed in it; and so the children of Israel, that is, the first-born, should not need to come nigh to the sanctuary; or, when any Israelites had occasion, the Levites would be ready to instruct them, and introduce them, and so prevent any fatal miscarriage or mistake. Note, It is a very great kindness to the church that ministers are appointed to go before the people in the things of God, as guides, overseers, and rulers, in religious worship, and to make that their business. When Christ ascended on high, he gave these gifts, Eph 4:8, Eph 4:11, Eph 4:12.
VII. The time of their ministration is fixed. 1. They were to enter upon the service at twenty-five years old, Num 8:24. They were not charged with the carrying of the tabernacle and the utensils of it till they were thirty years old, Num 4:3. But they were entered to be otherwise serviceable at twenty-five years old, a very good age for ministers to begin their public work at. The work then required that strength of body and the work now requires that maturity of judgment and steadiness of behaviour which men rarely arrive at till about that age; and novices are in danger of being lifted up with pride. 2. They were to have a writ of ease at fifty years old; then they were to return from the warfare, as the phrase is (Num 8:25), not cashiered with disgrace, but preferred rather to the rest which their age required, to be loaded with the honours of their office, as hitherto they had been with the burdens of it. They shall minister with their brethren in the tabernacle, to direct the junior Levites, and set them in; and they shall keep the charge, as guards upon the avenues of the tabernacle, to see that no stranger intruded, nor any person in his uncleanness, but they shall not be put upon any service which may be a fatigue to them. If God's grace provide that men shall have ability according to their work, man's prudence should take care that men have work only according to their ability. The aged are most fit for trusts, and to keep the charge; the younger are most fit for work, and to do the service. Those that have used the office of a servant well purchase to themselves a good degree, Ti1 3:13. Yet indeed gifts are not tied to ages (Job 32:9), but all these worketh that one and the self-same Spirit. Thus was the affair of the Levites settled.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 5–26. Public domain.
Copy as
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
Copy as
Continue studying Numbers 8:15 across the web’s major study libraries — every link below opens this exact verse, chapter, or book on the destination site.
Read & Compare
BibleGatewayThis verse in more than 200 translations and 70 languages.
Bible.comThe YouVersion reader — hundreds of translations, reading plans, and highlights.
ESV.orgCrossway's official English Standard Version reader.
NET BibleThe NET translation with 60,000+ translators' notes on every rendering decision.
STEP BibleTyndale House's free study tool — original text, vocabulary, and scholarly resources.
BibliaLogos Bible Software's free web reader.
USCCBThe New American Bible (Revised Edition) with the U.S. bishops' study notes.
Commentaries
BibleHub CommentariesDozens of classic commentaries on this verse, gathered on one page.
StudyLightMore than 100 commentary sets — the largest collection on the web.
BibleRefPlain-English commentary on what this verse means, verse by verse.
Enduring WordDavid Guzik's free commentary on this chapter, widely used by Bible teachers.
Bible Study ToolsVerse commentary alongside Greek and Hebrew study aids.
Original Language & Research
- BibleHub InterlinearThe verse word by word — original language, transliteration, and English.
- BibleHub LexiconEvery word's original-language definition and Strong's entry.
Blue Letter BibleDeep-study tools — Strong's numbers, concordance, and word studies.
SefariaThe Hebrew text with Rashi and centuries of Jewish commentary.
Sermons, Hymns & Audio
TrulyRandomVerse is not affiliated with these sites and doesn’t control their content. They’re linked because they’re genuinely useful.
SUMMARY
Numbers 8:15 marks the pivotal moment when the Levites, having undergone an elaborate ritual of purification and dedication, are finally commissioned to commence their sacred duties within the Tabernacle. This verse encapsulates the culmination of their consecration, emphasizing their divine appointment and their presentation as a living offering to the Lord, signifying their complete surrender and readiness for specialized service on behalf of the entire Israelite community.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Numbers 8:15 employs several significant literary devices. Symbolism is profoundly present, as the cleansing rituals are not merely hygienic but symbolize spiritual purification and the setting apart of individuals for holy purposes. The act of "offering" the Levites as a wave offering is also highly symbolic, representing their complete dedication and the transfer of their lives to God's exclusive service, embodying the concept of a living sacrifice. The phrase "Tabernacle of the congregation" functions as a powerful metonymy, where the physical structure stands for the entire system of Israelite worship, God's dwelling place among His people, and the very covenant relationship He established with them. Furthermore, the emphasis on the Levites' readiness for "service" highlights the thematic importance of ordered worship and the principle of dedicated, holy labor in God's kingdom. The verse also exhibits repetition of the idea of cleansing and offering, serving to underscore the critical importance and divine mandate of these acts.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Numbers 8:15 profoundly illustrates several enduring theological principles: the necessity of holiness for divine service, the concept of divine appointment, and the principle of vicarious dedication. Just as the Levites were meticulously cleansed and formally presented to God, so too are all who serve God called to a life of purity and consecration. Their unique role as substitutes for the firstborn underscores God's meticulous care for His people and His provision for their access to Him, albeit through mediated service. This verse teaches that service to God is not a casual endeavor but a sacred trust demanding preparation, purity, and complete dedication, reflecting God's own perfect holiness. It establishes a pattern for all who would draw near to God, emphasizing that approach must be on His terms, through His appointed means, and with a heart set apart for Him.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Numbers 8:15 offers profound insights into our own walk with God and our calling to service. Just as the Levites were set apart and purified for their specific duties in the Tabernacle, so too are believers in Christ called to a life of holiness and dedicated service. Our initial "cleansing" comes through the atoning work of Christ, but our ongoing purity is maintained through confession, repentance, and walking in the Spirit, striving to live in a manner worthy of our calling. The idea of being "offered" to God as an offering resonates deeply with the New Testament call to present our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God. This verse challenges us to consider the seriousness and privilege of serving God, whether in formal ministry or in our daily lives. It reminds us that effective service flows from a heart that is set apart, purified, and fully surrendered to the Lord, always striving to honor His holiness in all we do. Our service is not merely a task but an act of worship, requiring intentional preparation and a deep reverence for the God we serve.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why was such an elaborate cleansing process necessary for the Levites?
Answer: The elaborate cleansing process was crucial because the Levites were to serve in the immediate vicinity of the Tabernacle, which was the dwelling place of a holy God. Any impurity, whether ritual or moral, could defile the sacred space and potentially bring divine judgment upon the people. The rituals, including washing, shaving, and sprinkling with water, were symbolic acts to remove ceremonial defilement and signify their complete setting apart for God's exclusive service. This meticulous preparation underscored the profound holiness of God and the absolute necessity of purity for those who ministered before Him, ensuring that His presence among Israel was honored and protected (Leviticus 10:3).
What was the "service of the tabernacle of the congregation" that the Levites were to perform?
Answer: The "service of the tabernacle of the congregation" encompassed a wide range of vital duties that supported the Aaronic priests and maintained the functionality of the Tabernacle. These duties included the disassembling, transporting, and reassembling of the Tabernacle during Israel's wilderness journeys (Numbers 3:25-37), guarding the sacred precincts to prevent unauthorized access by common Israelites (Numbers 1:53), assisting the priests with various aspects of the sacrificial system (e.g., preparing offerings, maintaining the lamps), and generally maintaining the cleanliness and order of the holy site. Their work was essential for the proper functioning of Israel's worship life and for upholding the sanctity of God's dwelling place.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Numbers 8:15, with its emphasis on cleansing, dedication, and service, finds its ultimate and perfect fulfillment in Jesus Christ. The Levites, through their ritual purification and their presentation as an offering, foreshadowed the one who would truly cleanse and offer Himself. Christ is the ultimate Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, providing a cleansing not merely ritual but spiritual and eternal through His shed blood (Hebrews 9:13-14). Unlike the Levites, who were offered for an offering, Jesus is the perfect, once-for-all offering, completely dedicated to God's will (Hebrews 10:10). His "service" is not limited to an earthly tabernacle but extends to His heavenly ministry as our great High Priest, interceding for us before the Father (Hebrews 7:25). Through His perfect sacrifice and ongoing mediation, Christ enables all believers, once cleansed by His blood, to become a "holy priesthood" (1 Peter 2:5), empowered to offer spiritual sacrifices and serve God in true holiness, fulfilling the spirit of the Levites' dedication in a new and living way.