Discovery BoxNumbers 8:11-14 
Context8:11 and Aaron is to offer 1 the Levites before the Lord as a wave offering from the Israelites, that they may do the work 2 of the Lord. 8:12 When 3 the Levites lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, offer 4 the one for a purification offering and the other for a whole burnt offering to the Lord, 5 to make atonement for the Levites. 8:13 You are to have the Levites stand before Aaron 6 and his sons, and then offer them as a wave offering to the Lord. 8:14 And so 7 you are to separate the Levites from among the Israelites, and the Levites will be mine.
1 tn The Hebrew text actually has “wave the Levites as a wave offering.” The wave offering was part of the ritual of the peace offering and indicated the priest’s portion being presented to God in a lifted, waving motion for all to see. The Levites were going to be in the sanctuary to serve the
2 tn The construction emphasizes the spiritual service of the Levites, using the infinitive construct of עָבַד (’avad) followed by its cognate accusative.
3 tn The clause begins with a vav (ו) on the noun “the Levites,” indicating a disjunctive clause. Here it is clearly a subordinate clause prior to the instruction for Moses, and so translated as a circumstantial clause of time.
4 tn The imperative is from the verb “to do; to make,” but in the sentence it clearly means to sacrifice the animals.
5 sn The “purification offering” cleansed the tabernacle from impurity, and the burnt offering atoned by nullifying and removing the effects of sin in the Levites.
6 tc The Greek text adds the
7 tn The vav (ו) consecutive on the perfect tense not only carries the nuance of instruction forward to this clause, but also marks this clause out as a summary of what has taken place, i.e., by doing all this ritual Moses will have separated the Levites from the people for God’s own possession.
