Numbers8
English Standard Version
1Now the Lord to , ,
2 to and to him, When you the , the shall in the .
3And : he its in the , the Lord .
4And was the of the , of . its its , it was ; according to the that the Lord had , he the .
5And the Lord to , ,
6 the from the of and them.
7 you shall to them to : the of them, and let them go with a their , and their and themselves.
8Then let them a the and its of with , and you shall the for a .
9And you shall the the of and the of the of .
10When you the the Lord, the of shall their the ,
11and shall the the Lord as a from the of , that they may the of the Lord.
12Then the shall their the of the , and you shall the for a and the for a to the Lord to make for the .
13And you shall the his , and shall them as a to the Lord.
14Thus you shall the the of , and the shall be mine.
15And the shall go to at the of , when you have them and them as a .
16 they are to me the of . of who the , the of the of , I have them for myself.
17 the among the of are mine, both of and of . On the that I the in the of I them for myself,
18and I have the of the among the of .
19And I have the as a to and his the of , to the for the of at the of and to make the of , that there may be among the of when the of the .
20 and and the of the of to the . According to the Lord concerning the , the of to them.
21And the themselves from and their , and them as a the Lord, and made them to them.
22And the went to their in the of his ; the Lord had the , they to them.
23And the Lord to , ,
24 applies the : from and they shall to in the of the of .
25And from the of they shall from the duty of the and no .
26They to their in the of by , but they shall . shall you to the in assigning their .
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Numbers 8.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: The lamps of the sanctuary. (1–4). Consecration of the Levites, and their service. (5–26).
vv1-4
Aaron himself lighted the lamps, thus representing his Divine Master. The Scripture is a light shining in a dark place, 2Pe 1:19. A dark place even the church would be without it; as the tabernacle, which had no window, would have been without the lamps. The work of ministers is to light these lamps, by expounding and applying the word of God. Jesus Christ is the only Light of our dark, sinful world; and by his atonement, by his word and the Holy Spirit, he diffuses light around.
vv5-26
Here we have directions for the solemn ordination of the Levites. 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 others. All who are employed for God, must be dedicated to him, according to the employment. Christians must be baptized, ministers must be ordained; we must first give ourselves unto the Lord, and then our services. The Levites must be cleansed. They must be clean that bear the vessels of the Lord. Moses must sprinkle the water of purifying upon them. This signifies the application of the blood of Christ to our souls by faith, that we may be fit to serve the living God. God declares his acceptance of them. All who 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 none are merely honorary servants, to do nothing. All whom God owns, he employs; angels themselves have their services.
Key Words
דָבַר: perhaps properly, to arrange; but used figuratively (of words), to speak; rarely (in a destructive sense) to subdue
מֹשֶׁה: Mosheh, the Israelite lawgiver
אָמַר: to say (used with great latitude)
אַהֲרוֹן: Aharon, the brother of Moses
עָלָה: to ascend, intransitively (be high) or actively (mount); used in a great variety of senses, primary and secondary, literal and figurative
נִיר: a lamp (i.e. the burner) or light (literally or figuratively)
שֶׁבַע: seven (as the sacred full one); also (adverbially) seven times; by implication, a week; by extension, an indefinite number
אוֹר: to be (causative, make) luminous (literally and metaphorically)
מְנוֹרָה: a chandelier
עָשָׂה: to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application
Cross References
Numbers 8The original command and design specifications for constructing the golden candlestick.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
The water of purifying refers to water mixed with the ashes of the red heifer.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
The original dedication of the firstborn whom the Levites replace in God's service.
Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole
The scriptures and holy ministry function as a light shining in a dark place.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
The seven lamps represent the complete, divine light of the Holy Spirit.
Supported by JFB
God's charge to make the candlestick exactly according to the pattern shown on the mount.
Supported by John Calvin, JFB
Ritual washing of garments required before approaching God's holy presence.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Laying on of hands signifies dedication and the transfer of representation or guilt.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
The presentation of the Levites physically mirrored the wave-offering ritual.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Levites assisting priests in slaughtering sacrifices due to their dedication and purity.
Supported by JFB
The official role of the Levites as a gift to Aaron to perform sanctuary service.
Supported by JFB
Compares the age limits of service, contrasting thirty years old with twenty-five.
Supported by JFB
The spiritual demand of separation and holiness for those carrying sacred vessels.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The plague that strikes the congregation when holy boundaries are violated.
Supported by JFB
David's later registration of Levites from twenty years old and upward.
Supported by JFB