Deuteronomy 10:8

Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

At that time, the LORD set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to minister to Him, and to pronounce blessings in His name, as they do to this day.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

בָּעֵ֣ת הַהִ֗וא הִבְדִּ֤יל יְהוָה֙ אֶת־שֵׁ֣בֶט הַלֵּוִ֔י לָשֵׂ֖את אֶת־אֲר֣וֹן בְּרִית־יְהוָ֑ה לַעֲמֹד֩ לִפְנֵ֨י יְהוָ֤ה לְשָֽׁרְתוֹ֙ וּלְבָרֵ֣ךְ בִּשְׁמ֔וֹ עַ֖ד הַיּ֥וֹם הַזֶּה׃

Transliteration

In ʿēt the hûʾ hibdîl YHWH ʾet šēbeṭ the Lēwî to lāśēʾt ʾet ʾărôn bərît-YHWH to laʿămōd before YHWH to ləšārətô and to ûləbārēk in šəmô until the yôm the zeh

Grammar Details

• *ʿēt*: construct with definite article and prefixed preposition bet - in time/period
• *hûʾ*: pronoun with definite article - that
• *hibdîl*: hiphil perfect 3rd masculine singular - separated/distinguished
• *YHWH*: divine name - Yahweh/LORD
• *ʾet*: direct object marker
• *šēbeṭ*: masculine singular construct - tribe of
• *Lēwî*: proper name with definite article - Levi
• *lāśēʾt*: qal infinitive construct with prefixed preposition lamed - to bear/carry
• *ʾărôn*: masculine singular construct - ark of
• *bərît*: feminine singular construct - covenant of
• *laʿămōd*: qal infinitive construct with prefixed preposition lamed - to stand
• *ləšārətô*: piel infinitive construct with 3rd masculine singular suffix and prefixed preposition lamed - to serve him
• *ûləbārēk*: piel infinitive construct with prefixed preposition lamed and waw - and to bless
• *šəmô*: masculine singular with 3rd masculine singular suffix and prefixed preposition bet - in his name
• *yôm*: masculine singular with definite article - day
• *zeh*: demonstrative with definite article - this

Word Meanings

• *bādal*: separate/divide/distinguish
• *šēbeṭ*: tribe/rod/staff
• *nāśāʾ*: lift/carry/bear
• *bərît*: covenant/agreement/treaty
• *ʿāmad*: stand/endure/serve
• *šārēt*: serve/minister
• *bārak*: bless/praise
• *šēm*: name/reputation

Other Translations

• King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

  At that time the LORD separated the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to minister unto him, and to bless in his name, unto this day.

• KJV1611 – Modern English

  At that time the LORD set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to minister to him, and to bless in his name, to this day.

• King James Version 1611 (Original)

  At that time the LORD separated the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to minister unto him, and to bless in his name, unto this day.

• American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

  At that time{H6256} Jehovah{H3068} set apart{H914} the tribe{H7626} of Levi,{H3878} to bear{H5375} the ark{H727} of the covenant{H1285} of Jehovah,{H3068} to stand{H5975} before{H6440} Jehovah{H3068} to minister{H8334} unto him, and to bless{H1288} in his name,{H8034} unto this day.{H3117}

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

  At that time{H6256} the LORD{H3068} separated{H914}{(H8689)} the tribe{H7626} of Levi{H3878}, to bear{H5375}{(H8800)} the ark{H727} of the covenant{H1285} of the LORD{H3068}, to stand{H5975}{(H8800)} before{H6440} the LORD{H3068} to minister{H8334}{(H8763)} unto him, and to bless{H1288}{(H8763)} in his name{H8034}, unto this day{H3117}.

• Tyndale Bible (1526/1534)

  And the same ceason the Lorde separated the trybe of Leui to beare the arcke of the appoyntment of the Lorde and to stonde before the Lorde, ad to ministre vnto him and to blesse in his name vnto this daye.

• Coverdale Bible (1535)

  At the same season the LORDE separated out the trybe of Leui, to beare the Arke of the LORDES couenaunt, and to stonde before the LORDE, to mynister vnto him, and to prayse his name vnto this daye.

• Geneva Bible (1560)

  The same time ye Lord separated the tribe of Leui to beare the Arke of the couenant of the Lord, and to stand before ye Lord, to minister vnto him, and to blesse in his Name vnto this day.

• Bishops' Bible (1568)

  The same season the Lorde seperated the tribe of Leui, to beare the arke of the couenaunt of the Lorde, and to stande before the Lorde, and to minister vnto hym, and to blesse in his name vnto this day.

• Authorized King James Version (1611)

  At that time the LORD separated the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to minister unto him, and to bless in his name, unto this day.

• Webster's Bible (1833)

  At that time Yahweh set apart the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, to stand before Yahweh to minister to him, and to bless in his name, to this day.

• Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

  `At that time hath Jehovah separated the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, to stand before Jehovah, to serve Him, and to bless in His name, unto this day,

• American Standard Version (1901)

  At that time Jehovah set apart the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, to stand before Jehovah to minister unto him, and to bless in his name, unto this day.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  At that time Jehovah set apart the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, to stand before Jehovah to minister unto him, and to bless in his name, unto this day.

• Bible in Basic English (1941)

  At that time the Lord had the tribe of Levi marked out to take up the ark of the Lord's agreement, to be before the Lord and to do his work and to give blessings in his name, to this day.

• World English Bible (2000)

  At that time Yahweh set apart the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, to stand before Yahweh to minister to him, and to bless in his name, to this day.

• NET Bible® (New English Translation)

  At that time the LORD set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the LORD’s covenant, to stand before the LORD to serve him, and to formulate blessings in his name, as they do to this very day.

Referenced Verses

• Deut 18:5 : 5 For the LORD your God has chosen him and his sons out of all your tribes to stand and minister in the name of the LORD forever.
• Deut 21:5 : 5 The priests, the sons of Levi, shall come forward, for the LORD your God has chosen them to minister to Him and to pronounce blessings in His name; and every dispute and every case of assault is to be settled by their decision.
• Lev 9:22 : 22 Then Aaron raised his hands toward the people and blessed them. After offering the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offerings, he stepped down.
• Num 4:15 : 15 When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all its furnishings as the camp sets out, the sons of Kohath shall come to carry them, but they must not touch the holy things, lest they die. These are the tasks of the sons of Kohath regarding the tent of meeting.
• Num 6:23-26 : 23 Speak to Aaron and his sons and tell them: This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: 24 "The LORD bless you and keep you; 25 the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; 26 the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace."
• 2 Chr 30:27 : 27 The priests and the Levites stood to bless the people, and God heard them, and their prayer reached His holy dwelling place in heaven.
• John 15:16 : 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give you.
• Num 3:6 : 6 Bring the tribe of Levi near and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may assist him.
• Num 3:31 : 31 Their duty included the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the vessels of the sanctuary used in ministering, the screen, and all the work related to these.
• Acts 13:2 : 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, 'Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.'
• Rom 1:1 : 1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,
• Rom 12:7 : 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach;
• 2 Cor 6:17 : 17 Therefore, 'Come out from among them and be separate,' says the Lord. 'Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.'
• Gal 1:15 : 15 But when God, who set me apart from my mother's womb and called me by His grace, was pleased
• Ps 134:2 : 2 Lift up your hands in holiness and bless the LORD.
• Ps 135:2 : 2 You who stand in the house of the LORD, in the courts of the house of our God!
• Jer 15:19 : 19 Therefore this is what the LORD says: 'If you return, then I will restore you; you will stand before Me. If you extract the precious from the worthless, you will be My spokesman. They must turn to you, but you must not turn to them.'
• Ezek 44:11 : 11 They shall serve as ministers in My sanctuary, responsible for the gates of the temple and ministering in the temple. They shall slaughter the burnt offerings and the sacrifices for the people, and they shall stand before them to serve them.
• Ezek 44:15 : 15 But the Levitical priests, the descendants of Zadok who faithfully preserved the charge of My sanctuary when the Israelites went astray from Me, shall come near Me to serve Me. They shall stand in My presence to offer fat and blood, declares the Lord GOD.
• Num 8:1-9 : 1 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 Speak to Aaron and tell him: When you set up the lamps, the seven lamps are to give light in front of the lampstand. 3 Aaron did so; he set up the lamps in front of the lampstand, just as the LORD commanded Moses. 4 This is how the lampstand was made: it was a hammered work of gold, from its base to its flowers. It was made of hammered work according to the pattern that the LORD showed Moses. 5 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 6 Take the Levites from among the Israelites and purify them. 7 This is how you will purify them: Sprinkle them with the water of purification, have them shave their entire bodies with a razor, and have them wash their clothes and purify themselves. 8 Then they are to take a young bull with its grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil. You shall also take a second young bull as a sin offering. 9 Bring the Levites to the front of the tent of meeting and assemble the entire Israelite community. 10 You shall bring the Levites before the LORD, and the Israelites shall lay their hands on them. 11 Aaron is to present the Levites before the LORD as a wave offering from the Israelites so that they may perform the service of the LORD. 12 The Levites shall lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, and you shall offer one of them as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering to the LORD, to make atonement for the Levites. 13 You shall present the Levites before Aaron and his sons and wave them as a wave offering before the LORD. 14 In this way, you are to set the Levites apart from the Israelites, and the Levites will be mine. 15 After this, the Levites may go in to serve at the tent of meeting. You shall purify them and present them as a wave offering. 16 For they are entirely given to me from among the Israelites. I have taken them in place of every firstborn that opens the womb among the Israelites. 17 For every firstborn among the Israelites is mine, whether human or animal. On the day I struck down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, I set them apart for myself. 18 I have taken the Levites in place of all the firstborn among the Israelites. 19 I have given the Levites as gifts to Aaron and his sons from among the Israelites to do the work of the Israelites in the tent of meeting and to make atonement for them, so that no plague will come upon the Israelites when they approach the sanctuary. 20 Moses, Aaron, and the entire Israelite community did with the Levites everything the LORD commanded Moses concerning them. 21 The Levites purified themselves and washed their clothes, and Aaron presented them as a wave offering before the LORD. Aaron also made atonement for them to cleanse them. 22 Afterwards, the Levites came to perform their duties in the tent of meeting under the supervision of Aaron and his sons. They did as the LORD commanded Moses concerning the Levites. 23 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 24 This applies to the Levites: From twenty-five years old and upward, they shall enter to perform the work of the tent of meeting. 25 But at fifty years old, they must retire from regular service and shall no longer work. 26 Instead, they may assist their brothers in performing their duties at the tent of meeting, but they themselves must no longer do the work. This is how you are to assign the Levites to their responsibilities.
• Num 16:9-9 : 9 Is it not enough for you that the God of Israel has set you apart from the rest of the Israelite community to bring you near to Himself to do the work of the Lord's tabernacle and to stand before the assembly to minister to them? 10 He has brought you and all your fellow Levites near to Him, but now you are demanding the priesthood as well!
• Num 18:1-9 : 1 Then the LORD said to Aaron, 'You, your sons, and your father's family with you will bear the responsibility for offenses related to the sanctuary. Also, you and your sons with you will bear the responsibility for offenses connected to your priesthood.' 2 Bring your brothers from the tribe of Levi, your ancestral tribe, to join you and assist you while you and your sons serve before the tent of the testimony. 3 They are to guard your duties and the duties of the entire tent, but they must not come near the sacred furnishings or the altar, so they will not die—and neither will you. 4 They are to join you and take responsibility for the care of the tent of meeting, performing all its service. No unauthorized person may come near you. 5 You are to perform the duties of the sanctuary and the altar, so that no further wrath will fall on the Israelites. 6 I myself have chosen your brothers, the Levites, from among the Israelites as a gift to you, dedicated to the LORD for their service at the tent of meeting. 7 But you and your sons with you are to diligently guard your priestly duties for every aspect of the altar and the area behind the curtain. I have given your priesthood to you as a service of gift. Any unauthorized person who approaches shall be put to death. 8 The LORD said to Aaron, 'See, I have placed you in charge of the contributions given to me and all the sacred offerings of the Israelites. I give them to you and your sons as a portion, a permanent statute.' 9 'You are to receive the most holy offerings, including every grain offering, sin offering, and guilt offering that they return to me. These most holy offerings belong to you and your sons.' 10 'You must eat it in a most holy place. Every male may eat it; it is holy to you.' 11 'This also is yours: the contributions and wave offerings presented by the Israelites. I give these to you, your sons, and your daughters with you as a perpetual ordinance. Everyone in your household who is ceremonially clean may eat of it.' 12 'I give you the finest olive oil, new wine, and grain—the firstfruits they offer to the LORD.' 13 'The first ripe produce of all that is in their land, which they bring to the LORD, shall be yours. Everyone in your household who is ceremonially clean may eat of it.' 14 'Everything in Israel that is devoted to the LORD shall be yours.' 15 Every firstborn that opens the womb, of all flesh offered to the LORD, whether human or animal, shall belong to you. However, you must surely redeem the firstborn of humans and redeem the firstborn of unclean animals. 16 When they are a month old, you shall redeem them at your valuation, which is five shekels of silver, measured by the sanctuary shekel—twenty gerahs make a shekel. 17 But you must not redeem the firstborn of an ox, a sheep, or a goat. They are holy. You shall sprinkle their blood on the altar and burn their fat as a fire offering, a pleasing aroma to the LORD. 18 Their meat shall be yours, just like the breast of the wave offering and the right thigh are yours. 19 All the holy contributions the Israelites present to the LORD, I give to you, your sons, and your daughters with you as a perpetual ordinance. It is an everlasting covenant of salt before the LORD for you and your descendants with you. 20 The LORD said to Aaron: You will have no inheritance in their land, nor will you have any share among them; I am your share and inheritance among the Israelites. 21 To the Levites, I have given every tithe in Israel as their inheritance in return for the work they do while serving at the tent of meeting. 22 From now on, the Israelites must not go near the tent of meeting, or they will bear the consequences of their sin and die. 23 The Levites shall perform the duties of the tent of meeting and bear the responsibility for their sins. This is a perpetual ordinance for your generations, but they shall not have any inheritance among the Israelites. 24 For I have given the Levites the tithes that the Israelites present as a contribution to the LORD as their inheritance. That is why I told them they shall have no inheritance among the Israelites. 25 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 26 Speak to the Levites and say to them: When you receive from the Israelites the tithe I have given you as your inheritance, you must present a contribution from it to the LORD—a tithe of the tithe. 27 Your contribution will be credited to you as though it were the grain from the threshing floor or the fullness from the wine press. 28 In the same way, you shall also present an offering to the LORD from all the tithes you receive from the Israelites. From these, you are to give the LORD’s portion to Aaron the priest. 29 Out of all your gifts, you must present the very best part, the sacred portion, as an offering to the LORD. 30 Say to the Levites: When you present the best of it, it will be credited to you, as if it were the produce of the threshing floor and the produce of the wine press. 31 You and your households may eat it anywhere, as it is your wages in return for your service in the tent of meeting. 32 You will not bear any sin by bringing the best of it, but you must not desecrate the sacred gifts of the Israelites, or you will die.
• Deut 17:12 : 12 Anyone who acts arrogantly and refuses to listen to the priest who stands to serve the LORD your God or the judge must be put to death. You must purge the evil from Israel.
• Num 1:47-53 : 47 However, the Levites, by their ancestral tribe, were not included in the census among them. 48 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 49 Do not include the tribe of Levi or take a census of them among the Israelites. 50 Instead, appoint the Levites to be in charge of the tabernacle of the covenant, all its furnishings, and everything that belongs to it. They are to carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings, serve it, and camp around it. 51 Whenever the tabernacle is to move, the Levites must take it down, and whenever it is to be set up, the Levites must set it up. Any outsider who comes near it must be put to death. 52 The Israelites are to camp by their divisions, each man by his own banner, near his own family’s camp. 53 But the Levites are to camp around the tabernacle of the covenant to protect the Israelites from wrath. The Levites are to carry out the responsibilities of the tabernacle of the covenant.
• Num 3:1-4 : 1 These are the generations of Aaron and Moses at the time when the LORD spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai. 2 And these are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab the firstborn, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 3 These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the anointed priests, who were set apart to serve as priests. 4 Nadab and Abihu died before the LORD when they offered unauthorized fire before Him in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children. So Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests during the lifetime of their father Aaron.
• Exod 29:1-9 : 1 This is the procedure you shall follow to consecrate them to serve Me as priests: Take one young bull and two unblemished rams. 2 Also, take unleavened bread, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil. They shall be made of fine wheat flour. 3 Place them in one basket, and bring them in the basket, along with the bull and the two rams. 4 Then bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, and wash them with water. 5 Take the garments and clothe Aaron with the tunic, the robe of the ephod, the ephod itself, and the breastpiece. Fasten the ephod for him with its skillfully woven waistband. 6 Then place the turban on his head and put the sacred crown on the turban. 7 Take the anointing oil and pour it on his head, anointing him. 8 Then bring his sons forward and clothe them with tunics. 9 Gird them with sashes, both Aaron and his sons, and fasten caps on their heads. The priesthood shall be theirs by a lasting statute. In this way, you shall ordain Aaron and his sons. 10 Bring the bull to the front of the Tent of Meeting, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on its head. 11 Slaughter the bull before the Lord at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 12 Take some of the bull’s blood, and with your finger, put it on the horns of the altar. Pour out all the remaining blood at the base of the altar. 13 Then take all the fat that covers the entrails, the lobe of the liver, the two kidneys with the fat on them, and burn them on the altar. 14 But burn the flesh of the bull, its hide, and its refuse outside the camp. It is a sin offering. 15 Take one of the rams, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on its head. 16 Slaughter the ram, take its blood, and sprinkle it around the altar. 17 Cut the ram into pieces, wash its entrails and legs, and place them with its head and other pieces. 18 Then burn the entire ram on the altar. It is a burnt offering to the Lord, a pleasing aroma, an offering made by fire to the Lord. 19 Then take the second ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on its head. 20 Slaughter the ram, take some of its blood, and put it on the lobe of Aaron’s right ear, on the lobes of his sons’ right ears, and on the thumbs of their right hands and the big toes of their right feet. Sprinkle the remaining blood around the altar. 21 Take some of the blood on the altar and some of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it on Aaron and his garments, and also on his sons and their garments. In this way, Aaron, his sons, and their garments will be consecrated. 22 Take the fat of the ram, the fat tail, the fat that covers the entrails, the lobe of the liver, the two kidneys with the fat on them, and the right thigh—for it is a ram of ordination. 23 Along with one loaf of bread, one cake made with oil, and one wafer from the basket of unleavened bread set before the Lord. 24 You shall place all of these in the hands of Aaron and his sons, and wave them as a wave offering before the Lord. 25 Then take them from their hands and burn them on the altar along with the burnt offering as a pleasing aroma before the Lord, an offering made by fire to the Lord. 26 Take the breast of the ram used for Aaron’s ordination and wave it as a wave offering before the Lord. This portion will be your share. 27 Consecrate the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the contribution that were waved and lifted up from the ram of ordination, given for Aaron and his sons. 28 This will be a perpetual statute for Aaron and his sons from the Israelites, for it is a contribution. It will be a contribution from their peace offerings, their contribution to the Lord. 29 The sacred garments of Aaron shall belong to his descendants after him, so that they can be anointed and ordained in them. 30 The son who succeeds him as priest shall wear them for seven days when he enters the Tent of Meeting to minister in the Holy Place. 31 You shall take the ram of ordination and boil its meat in a holy place. 32 Aaron and his sons shall eat the meat of the ram and the bread that is in the basket at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 33 They shall eat those things by which atonement was made to consecrate and sanctify them. But no outsider shall eat them, because they are holy. 34 If any of the meat of ordination or bread is left until morning, you must burn it, for it may not be eaten because it is holy. 35 Do for Aaron and his sons everything I have commanded you, taking seven days to ordain them. 36 Each day you shall offer a bull as a sin offering for atonement. Purify the altar when you make atonement for it, and anoint it to consecrate it. 37 For seven days you shall make atonement for the altar and consecrate it. Then the altar will become most holy, and whatever touches the altar will be holy.
• Lev 8:9 : 9 He set the turban on his head and placed the golden plate, the holy crown, on the front of the turban, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
• 1 Kgs 8:3-4 : 3 When all the elders of Israel arrived, the priests carried the Ark. 4 The priests and Levites brought up the Ark of the LORD, the Tent of Meeting, and all the holy vessels that were in the tent.
• 1 Kgs 8:6 : 6 The priests placed the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD in its place inside the inner sanctuary of the temple, the Most Holy Place, under the wings of the cherubim.
• 1 Chr 15:12-15 : 12 He said to them, "You are the heads of the Levitical families. Consecrate yourselves, you and your relatives, so that you may bring up the ark of the LORD, the God of Israel, to the place I prepared for it. 13 For because you did not carry it the first time, the LORD our God broke out against us, since we did not seek Him according to the proper procedure." 14 So the priests and the Levites consecrated themselves in order to bring up the ark of the LORD, the God of Israel. 15 The Levites carried the ark of God on their shoulders with the poles, as Moses had commanded according to the word of the LORD.
• 1 Chr 15:26 : 26 And because God helped the Levites who were carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD, they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams.
• 1 Chr 23:26 : 26 So now the Levites no longer need to carry the tabernacle and all its utensils for its service.
• 2 Chr 5:4-5 : 4 When all the elders of Israel arrived, the Levites lifted the ark. 5 They brought up the Ark, the tent of meeting, and all the holy items that were in the tent. The priests and Levites carried them.
• 2 Chr 29:11 : 11 My sons, do not be negligent now, for the LORD has chosen you to stand in His presence, to serve Him, and to minister to Him, and to burn incense.