God’s Word Translation
Numbers 8:7
7This is what you must do to make them clean: Sprinkle them with water to take away their sins. Make them shave their whole bodies and wash their clothes. Then they will be clean.
Numbers 8:7 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)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.
- New International Version (NIV)To purify them, do this: Sprinkle the water of cleansing on them; then have them shave their whole bodies and wash their clothes. And so they will purify themselves.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Thus you shall do to them to cleanse them: sprinkle the water of purification upon them, and let them go with a razor over all their body, and wash their clothes and cleanse themselves.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Thus you shall do to them to cleanse them: Sprinkle water of purification on them, and let them shave all their body, and let them wash their clothes, and so make themselves clean.
Context of Numbers 8:7
5The Lord said to Moses, 6“Separate the Levites from the rest of the Israelites, and make them clean. This is what you must do to make them clean: Sprinkle them with water to take away their sins. Make them shave their whole bodies and wash their clothes. Then they will be clean. 8Next, they must take a young bull and the grain offering of flour mixed with olive oil that is offered with it. You must take a second young bull as an offering for sin. 9Bring the Levites to the front of the tent of meeting, and assemble the whole community of Israel.
Read all of Numbers 8Numbers 8:7 word by word
וְכֹֽה־תַעֲשֶׂ֤ה לָהֶם֙ לְטַֽהֲרָ֔ם הַזֵּ֥ה עֲלֵיהֶ֖ם מֵ֣י חַטָּ֑את וְהֶעֱבִ֤ירוּ תַ֙עַר֙ עַל־כָּל־בְּשָׂרָ֔ם וְכִבְּס֥וּ בִגְדֵיהֶ֖ם וְהִטֶּהָֽרוּ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And thus shalt thou doעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
- unto them, to cleanseטָהֵרţâhêr · be pureH2891
- them: Sprinkleנָזָהnâzâh · to sprinkleH5137
- waterמַיmayim · waterH4325
- of purifyingחַטָּאתchaţţâ'âh chaţţâ'th · sin: punishmentH2403
- upon them, and let them shaveעָבַר‛âbar · to passH5674
- upon them, and let them shaveתַּ֫עַרta‛ar · razorH8593
- all their fleshבָּשָׂרbâώâr · fleshH1320
- and let them washכָּבַסkâbas · to washH3526
- their clothesבֶּ֫גֶדbeged · garmentH899
Cross-references for Numbers 8:7
- Leviticus 8:6Moses had Aaron and his sons come forward, and he washed them.
- Leviticus 14:7He will sprinkle the blood seven times on the one to be cleansed and will declare that person clean. Then he will let the living bird fly away into the open country.
- Isaiah 52:15He will cleanse many nations ⌞with his blood⌟. Kings will shut their mouths because of him. They will see things that they had never been told. They will understand things that they had never heard.
- Ezekiel 36:25I will sprinkle clean water on you and make you clean instead of unclean. Then I will cleanse you from all your idols.
- Hebrews 9:10These gifts and sacrifices were meant to be food, drink, and items used in various purification ceremonies. These ceremonies were required for the body until God would establish a new way of doing things.
- Numbers 19:9“A man who is clean will collect the ashes from the cow and put them in a clean place outside the camp. They will be kept by the community of Israel and used in the water that takes away uncleanness. The cow is an offering for sin.
- Psalms 51:7Purify me from sin with hyssop, and I will be clean. Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
- Hebrews 9:13The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of cows sprinkled on unclean people made their bodies holy and clean.
- Leviticus 14:8“The one to be cleansed must wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, and wash. Then he will be clean. After that he may go into the camp. However, for seven days he will live outside his tent.
- Numbers 19:7The priest must then wash his clothes and his body. After that, he may go into the camp. But he will be unclean until evening.
- Numbers 31:20Do the same for all the clothes and everything made of leather, goats’ hair, or wood.”
- Genesis 35:2So Jacob said to his family and those who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods which you have, wash yourselves until you are ritually clean, and change your clothes.
- Exodus 19:10So the Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people, and tell them they have two days to get ready. They must set themselves apart as holy. Have them wash their clothes
- Leviticus 15:6Those who sit on anything he sat on must wash their clothes and their bodies. They will be unclean until evening.
- Leviticus 16:28Whoever burns them must wash his clothes and his body. Then he may return to the camp.
- Psalms 51:2Wash me thoroughly from my guilt, and cleanse me from my sin.
Commentaries on Numbers 8:7
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 7Sprinkle water of purifying - חטאת מי mey chattath, water of sin, or water of the sin-offering. As this purifying water was made by the ashes of the red heifer, cedar-wood, hyssop, and scarlet; and the heifer herself was sacrificed, and her blood sprinkled seven times before the tabernacle, Numbers 19:3-6; she may be considered as a proper sacrifice for sin, and consequently the water thus prepared be termed the water of the sin-offering. As the ashes…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 5-22Verses 5-22 The Levites could only undertake their duties Numbers 3:44-51. The distinction between the “consecration” of the priests Numbers 8:21 of the Levites is marked. These rites of purification are similar to those incumbent on the priests of Egypt. Numbers 8:7 Water of purifying - literally, “sin water:” i. e. water to cleanse from sin; no doubt taken from the laver of the sanctuary, which was used by the priests for purification before they went…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 5-26Verses 5-26 Here we have directions for the solemn ordination of the Levites. All Israel must know that they took not this honour to themselves, but were called of God to it; nor was it enough that they were distinguished from others. All who are employed for God, must be dedicated to him, according to the employment. Christians must be baptized, ministers must be ordained; we must first give ourselves unto the Lord, and then our services. The Levites…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 7The ceremony to make the Levites ceremonially clean involved sprinkling with water, shaving all hair, and wearing clean clothes. This was similar to ceremonies for cleansing from ceremonial impurity. water of purification: This phrase appears only here. The sprinkling symbolized washing away sin and had symbolic importance similar to later Jewish washings and Christian baptism. This water might have been the same as the mixture with ashes from the red…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 5-226-7. Take the Levites ... and cleanse them--This passage describes the consecration of the Levites. Although the tribe was to be devoted to the divine service, their hereditary descent alone was not a sufficient qualification for entering on the duties of the sacred office. They were to be set apart by a special ceremony, which, however, was much simpler than that appointed for the priests; neither washing nor anointing, nor investiture with official…Read the comment
Topics related to Numbers 8:7
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Numbers 8
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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