Numbers 8:19
in Numbers 8And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons from among the Israelites, to perform the service for the Israelites at the Tent of Meeting and to make atonement on their behalf, so that no plague will come against the Israelites when they approach the sanctuary.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
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 tent of meeting, and to make 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.
KJV
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.
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This verse in Numbers 8
Commentary
5 notes on this verseBut 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.
This site's exposition
I have given the Levites as a gift
The phrase children of Israel falls five times inside this one verse, which keeps the people in view through every clause of it. Matthew Henry puts the division of labour plainly, that the priests made atonement by sacrifice and the Levites made it by attendance, keeping the peace with heaven that the sacrifice had made. The clause about the plague speaks of a real danger, since Numbers 16:46-49 records fourteen thousand and seven hundred dead when the camp came at the sanctuary the wrong way, with Aaron standing between the dead and the living. Numbers 1:53 had already given the same reason for ringing the tent with Levites.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
), 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 (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation
To make an atonement - Not by offering sacrifices, which the priests alone might do, but by assisting the priests in that expiatory work, and by a diligent performance of all the parts of their office, whereby God was pleased both with them and with the people.
And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons, from among the children of Israel,....
The words behind it
30 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וָאֶתְּנָ֨ה | vaetenah | and I have given ! | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הַלְוִיִּ֜ם | halviyim | the Levites | H3881 → | 291 times |
| נְתֻנִ֣ים׀ | netunim | given [things] | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| לְאַהֲרֹ֣ן | leaharon | to Aaron | H175 → | 347 times |
| וּלְבָנָ֗יו | ulevanav | and to sons his | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| מִתּוֹךְ֮ | mitokh | from among | H8432 → | 418 times |
| בְּנֵ֣י | benei | [the] people of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵל֒ | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| לַעֲבֹ֞ד | laavod | to serve | H5647 → | 288 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| עֲבֹדַ֤ת | ʾavodat | [the] service of | H5656 → | 145 times |
| בְּנֵֽי־ | benei- | [the] people of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| בְּאֹ֣הֶל | beohel | in [the] tent of | H168 → | 345 times |
| מוֹעֵ֔ד | moed | meeting | H4150 → | 223 times |
| וּלְכַפֵּ֖ר | ulekhaper | and to make atonement | H3722 → | 102 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| בְּנֵ֣י | benei | [the] people of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| וְלֹ֨א | velo' | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יִהְיֶ֜ה | yihyeh | it will be | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| בִּבְנֵ֤י | bivnei | among [the] people of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| נֶ֔גֶף | negef | a plague | H5063 → | 7 times |
| בְּגֶ֥שֶׁת | begeshet | when draw near | H5066 → | 125 times |
| בְּנֵֽי־ | benei- | [the] people of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| הַקֹּֽדֶשׁ׃ | hakodesh | the holy place | H6944 → | 469 times |
וָאֶתְּנָ֨הand I have given !
vaetenahH5414 →2011 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
הַלְוִיִּ֜םthe Levites
halviyimH3881 →291 times
נְתֻנִ֣ים׀given [things]
netunimH5414 →2011 times
לְאַהֲרֹ֣ןto Aaron
leaharonH175 →347 times
וּלְבָנָ֗יוand to sons his
ulevanavH1121 →4930 times
מִתּוֹךְ֮from among
mitokhH8432 →418 times
בְּנֵ֣י[the] people of
beneiH1121 →4930 times
יִשְׂרָאֵל֒Israel
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
לַעֲבֹ֞דto serve
laavodH5647 →288 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
עֲבֹדַ֤ת[the] service of
ʾavodatH5656 →145 times
בְּנֵֽי־[the] people of
benei-H1121 →4930 times
יִשְׂרָאֵל֙Israel
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
בְּאֹ֣הֶלin [the] tent of
beohelH168 →345 times
מוֹעֵ֔דmeeting
moedH4150 →223 times
וּלְכַפֵּ֖רand to make atonement
ulekhaperH3722 →102 times
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
בְּנֵ֣י[the] people of
beneiH1121 →4930 times
יִשְׂרָאֵ֑לIsrael
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
וְלֹ֨אand not
velo'H3808 →5168 times
יִהְיֶ֜הit will be
yihyehH1961 →3559 times
בִּבְנֵ֤יamong [the] people of
bivneiH1121 →4930 times
יִשְׂרָאֵל֙Israel
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
נֶ֔גֶףa plague
negefH5063 →7 times
בְּגֶ֥שֶׁתwhen draw near
begeshetH5066 →125 times
בְּנֵֽי־[the] people of
benei-H1121 →4930 times
יִשְׂרָאֵ֖לIsrael
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
הַקֹּֽדֶשׁ׃the holy place
hakodeshH6944 →469 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Numbers 16:46Moses said to Aaron, “Take your censer, place fire from the altar in it, and add incense. Go quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them, because wrath has come out from the…
it leads to
- Leviticus 10:6
Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, “Do not let your hair become disheveled and do not tear your garments, or else you will die, and the LORD will be…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 1 Chronicles 27:24
Joab son of Zeruiah began to count the men but did not finish. For because of this census wrath came upon Israel, and the number was not entered in the Book of the Chronicles…
- Numbers 11:33
But while the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the anger of the LORD burned against the people, and the LORD struck them with a severe plague.
- Leviticus 10:6
Through
1 Samuel 6:19But God struck down some of the people of Beth-shemesh because they looked inside the ark of the LORD. He struck down seventy men, and the people mourned because the LORD had struck them…
it leads to
- Numbers 4:20
But the Kohathites are not to go in and look at the holy objects, even for a moment, or they will die.”
- Exodus 19:21
and the LORD said to him, “Go down and warn the people not to break through to see the LORD, lest many of them perish.
- Numbers 4:15
When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holy objects and all their equipment, as soon as the camp is ready to move, the Kohathites shall come and do the carrying. But they…
- 2 Samuel 6:7
And the anger of the LORD burned against Uzzah, and God struck him down on the spot for his irreverence, and he died there beside the ark of God.
- Numbers 4:20
Through
Numbers 1:53But the Levites are to camp around the tabernacle of the Testimony and watch over it, so that no wrath will fall on the congregation of Israel. So the Levites are responsible for the…
it leads to
- Numbers 16:46
Moses said to Aaron, “Take your censer, place fire from the altar in it, and add incense. Go quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them, because wrath has come out from the…
- Numbers 16:46
About Numbers
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.