And you shall give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are given entirely to him from among the children of Israel.
Parallel translations
- WEB You shall give the Levites to Aaron and to his sons. They are wholly given to him on the behalf of the children of Israel.
- KJV And thou shalt give the Levites unto Aaron and to his sons: they are wholly given unto him out of the children of Israel.
- BSB Assign the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they have been given exclusively to him from among the Israelites.
- NASB So you shall assign the Levites to Aaron and to his sons; they are exclusively assigned to him from the sons of Israel.
- NLT Assign the Levites to Aaron and his sons. They have been given from among all the people of Israel to serve as their assistants.
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
The Levites were wholly given to Aaron and his sons on Israel's behalf. They were dedicated entirely to the service of the priesthood.
Overview
The Levites were 'wholly given' as a gift to the priests, representing the entire nation's devotion to God. This complete dedication set them apart from ordinary life for sacred work. Their total consecration foreshadows the believer's call to present themselves wholly to God as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Num 8:19I 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 near to the sanctuary.”
- Num 18:6–7Behold, I myself have taken your brothers the Levites from among the children of Israel. They are a gift to you, dedicated to Yahweh, to do the service of the Tent of Meeting.
- Eph 4:11He gave some to be apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, shepherds and teachers;
- Eph 4:8Therefore he says, “When he ascended on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
In the wilderness Christ is the water from the rock, the bronze serpent lifted up that the dying might look and live (John 3:14), and the star and scepter that Balaam saw rising out of Jacob.
How Numbers 3:9 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
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