“And I will select some of them as priests and Levites,” says the LORD.
Parallel translations
- WEB Of them I will also select priests and Levites,” says Yahweh.
- KJV And I will also take of them for priests and for Levites, saith the LORD.
- NKJV And I will also take some of them for priests and Levites,” says the Lord.
- NASB I will also take some of them as priests and Levites,” says the Lord.
- NLT “And I will appoint some of them to be my priests and Levites. I, the Lord, have spoken!
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God will appoint priests and Levites from among the gathered peoples. It matters because it signals that even Gentiles will be drawn into the service and worship of God.
Overview
Strikingly, the LORD promises to take some of these gathered ones for priestly service, a role once limited to a single tribe. This foreshadows the breaking down of old boundaries and the inclusion of the nations. In Christ, believers from every people become a royal priesthood offering spiritual sacrifices to God (1 Peter 2:9).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- 1 Pet 2:9But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.
- Exod 19:6And unto Me you shall be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you are to speak to the Israelites.”
- 1 Pet 2:5you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
- Isa 61:6But you will be called the priests of the LORD; they will speak of you as ministers of our God; you will feed on the wealth of nations, and you will boast in their riches.
- Rev 1:6who has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and power forever and ever! Amen.
- Rev 20:6Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection! The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and will reign with Him for a thousand years.
- Rev 5:10You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign upon the earth.”
- Jer 13:18–22Say to the king and to the queen mother: “Take a lowly seat, for your glorious crowns have fallen from your heads.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Isaiah sees him most clearly: the virgin's son Immanuel, the child on David's throne, the shoot from Jesse, the light to the nations, and above all the Suffering Servant pierced for our transgressions (ch. 53).
How Isaiah 66:21 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.