8:6–7
Take the Levites from among the
people of Israel: A translation should not imply that any force was
applied in the action here, or that there was even any physical contact. This
clause refers simply to a positive process of ritual selection and separation. gnt
renders it well with “Separate the Levites from the rest of the people of
Israel.”
And cleanse them: In this
context the Hebrew verb for cleanse refers to ritual
purification. It does not refer to the ordinary washing of bodies. niv makes
this clear by rendering cleanse them as “make them
ceremonially clean.”
And thus you shall do to them, to
cleanse them: This clause introduces how Moses is to purify the
Levites.
First, Moses must sprinkle
the water of expiation upon them. The idea of sprinkle (that is,
scatter droplets of water) as opposed to “wash” should be kept here. The
Levites had to be “sprinkled” with water at their consecration, but the priests
were “washed” (see Exo 29:4; 40:12; Lev 8:6). The water of expiation
(literally “water of sin offering”) refers to water that removes ceremonial
impurity. nbs says “the water for the sin,” and cev has “the water that washes
away their sins.” But sin in the sense of moral wrongdoing is not in view here,
so better models are “the water of purification” (gnt, njpsv), “the water of
cleansing” (niv), and “the water that purifies.”
And let them go with a razor over
all their body: Next Moses must have the Levites “shave their whole
bodies” (gnt). A literal rendering of this instruction will probably be quite
unnatural in the target language. gnt’s model with the verb “shave” may be
helpful for many languages. For razor see the comments on 6:5.
Finally, Moses must have the
Levites wash their clothes.
And cleanse themselves:
This clause expresses the result of sprinkling the water of purfication on the
Levites, shaving their bodies, and washing their clothes. By doing these
things, they will become ritually pure. gnt says “Then they will be ritually
clean.” (Lénart J. de Regt and Ernst R. Wendland, A Handbook on Numbers [United Bible
Societies’ Handbooks; Miami, Fla.: United Bible Societies, 2016], 176-77)
