NOTES for Num 8:1-25
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. |
3 And Aaron did so; he lighted the lamps thereof over against the candlestick, as the LORD 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. |
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: |
Hide
The dedication of the Levites to service consists of two elements: a purifying rite connected with washings, and the dedication itself, accompanied by sacrifices. One of them is purifying, completing the process of purification, while the second is already the dedication to service itself. This sequence is entirely understandable if we remember the main meaning of the priestly community's existence as such. That meaning is that among God's people at every moment there must be a certain number of people who are permanently sanctified and therefore permanently remain at the altar, in God's presence, where alone sanctification is possible.
That is precisely why priests were forbidden to leave the court of the Tabernacle, and later the Temple, during the entire time of their service, and why they were prescribed stricter rules of ritual purity. The court of the Tabernacle, like the Temple court, was sacred space. There God's presence was revealed to a person, and the person naturally had to be purified before entering that space, especially for a long time. It would seem: why are additional purifications needed when the Torah already describes in sufficient detail all the cases when purification is necessary?
For us, living in the era of the approaching Kingdom, when death is already far from all-powerful, it is hard to imagine the situation of the pre-Christian world. In those days evil and death reigned over the world absolutely. Death was the last reality, and defilement in all its forms was a manifestation of their power. Death and evil were overcome only by God and only where He was present. Before the coming of Christ, He Himself chose the places of His presence and Himself marked them with the radiance that many saw over the Tabernacle and in the Holy of Holies of the Temple.
When a person found himself in the court of the Tabernacle or the Temple, he passed for a time from the kingdom of death into the kingdom of life, and then returned back again. There, at the altar, was then the only place on earth where death retreated before life. It is no surprise that living there, in this kingdom of life, was a task at least far from simple for a person accustomed to the kingdom of death. That is why, understanding the whole difficulty of the task, the ministers of the altar strove for special purity, so as not to defile the life with which they came into contact.
Readings for 27 November 2025
After registering, you can subscribe to any Bible reading plan. Personalized settings and other services for registered users are planned, so we recommend registering now. Registration is free. | ||
