Numbers 3:9

9 Give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are the Israelites who are to be given wholly to him.[a]

Numbers 3:9 in Other Translations

KJV
9 And thou shalt give the Levites unto Aaron and to his sons: they are wholly given unto him out of the children of Israel.
ESV
9 And you shall give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are wholly given to him from among the people of Israel.
NLT
9 Assign the Levites to Aaron and his sons. They have been given from among all the people of Israel to serve as their assistants.
MSG
9 Turn the Levites over to Aaron and his sons; they are the ones assigned to work full time for him.
CSB
9 Assign the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they have been assigned exclusively to him from the Israelites.

Numbers 3:9 Meaning and Commentary

Numbers 3:9

And thou shalt give the Levites unto Aaron and to his sons,
&c.] To be their ministers and servants:

they [are] wholly given unto him out of the children of Israel:
even all of them entirely, none excepted; the whole tribe which were not in the priestly office; those were separated from the rest of the tribes of Israel, and appointed for the service of the priests: or they were "given, given" F17; which is repeated not only to show that they were wholly given, as we render it, but to denote the certainty of it, that they were really given; and especially to declare the freeness of the gift; the priests had them as free gifts, nor did they pay them any thing for, their service; they were maintained another way, namely, by the tithes of the people; and indeed the priests received a tithe out of the tithe of the Levites; so far were they from contributing any thing to their support, or in consideration of the service they did them.


FOOTNOTES:

F17 (Mynwtn Mynwtn) "dati, dati", Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus, Drusius.

Numbers 3:9 In-Context

7 They are to perform duties for him and for the whole community at the tent of meeting by doing the work of the tabernacle.
8 They are to take care of all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, fulfilling the obligations of the Israelites by doing the work of the tabernacle.
9 Give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are the Israelites who are to be given wholly to him.
10 Appoint Aaron and his sons to serve as priests; anyone else who approaches the sanctuary is to be put to death.”
11 The LORD also said to Moses,

Cross References 1

  • 1. ver 12,45; Numbers 8:19; Numbers 18:6

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. Most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text; some manuscripts of the Masoretic Text, Samaritan Pentateuch and Septuagint (see also 8:16) "to me"
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