Deuteronomy 10:8

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.

📖 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

Referenced Verses

• Deut 18:5 : 5 For the LORD your God has chosen them and their sons from all your tribes to stand and serve in his name permanently.
• Deut 21:5 : 5 Then the Levitical priests will approach(for the LORD your God has chosen them to serve him and to pronounce blessings in his name, and to decide every judicial verdict)
• Lev 9:22 : 22 Then Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them and descended from making the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offering.
• Num 4:15 : 15 “When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, when the camp is ready to journey, then the Kohathites will come to carry them; but they must not touch any holy thing, or they will die. These are the responsibilities of the Kohathites with the tent of meeting.
• Num 6:23-26 : 23 “Tell Aaron and his sons,‘This is the way you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: 24 “The LORD bless you and protect you; 25 The LORD make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; 26 The LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.”’
• 2 Chr 30:27 : 27 The priests and Levites got up and pronounced blessings on the people. The LORD responded favorably to them as their prayers reached his holy dwelling place in heaven.
• John 15:16 : 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that remains, 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 serve him.
• Num 3:31 : 31 Their responsibilities included the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, and the utensils of the sanctuary with which they ministered, the curtain, and all their service.
• Acts 13:2 : 2 While they were serving 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 ¶ Salutation From Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God.
• Rom 12:7 : 7 If it is service, he must serve; if it is teaching, he must teach;
• 2 Cor 6:17 : 17 Therefore“come out from their midst, and be separate,” says the Lord,“and touch no unclean thing, and I will welcome you,
• Gal 1:15 : 15 But when the one who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace was pleased
• Ps 134:2 : 2 Lift your hands toward the sanctuary and praise the LORD!
• Ps 135:2 : 2 who serve in the LORD’s temple, in the courts of the temple of our God.
• Jer 15:19 : 19 Because of this, the LORD said,“You must repent of such words and thoughts! If you do, I will restore you to the privilege of serving me. If you say what is worthwhile instead of what is worthless, I will again allow you to be my spokesman. They must become as you have been. You must not become like them.
• Ezek 44:11 : 11 Yet they will be ministers in my sanctuary, having oversight at the gates of the temple, and serving the temple. They will slaughter the burnt offerings and the sacrifices for the people, and they will stand before them to minister to them.
• Ezek 44:15 : 15 The Levitical Priests“‘But the Levitical priests, the descendants of Zadok who kept the charge of my sanctuary when the people of Israel went astray from me, will approach me to minister to me; they will stand before me to offer me the fat and the blood, declares the Sovereign LORD.
• Num 8:1-9 : 1 Lighting the Lamps The LORD spoke to Moses: 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 And Aaron did so; he set up the lamps to face toward the front of the lampstand, as the LORD commanded Moses. 4 This is how the lampstand was made: It was beaten work in gold; from its shaft to its flowers it was beaten work. According to the pattern which the LORD had shown Moses, so he made the lampstand. 5 The Separation of the Levites Then the LORD spoke to Moses: 6 “Take the Levites from among the Israelites and purify them. 7 And do this to them to purify them: Sprinkle water of purification on them; then have them shave all their body and wash their clothes, and so purify themselves. 8 Then they are to take a young bull with its grain offering of fine flour mixed with olive oil; and you are to take a second young bull for a purification offering. 9 You are to bring the Levites before the tent of meeting and assemble the entire community of the Israelites. 10 Then you are to bring the Levites before the LORD, and the Israelites are to lay their hands on the Levites; 11 and Aaron is to offer the Levites before the LORD as a wave offering from the Israelites, that they may do the work of the LORD. 12 When the Levites lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, offer the one for a purification offering and the other for a whole burnt offering to the LORD, to make atonement for the Levites. 13 You are to have the Levites stand before Aaron and his sons, and then offer them as a wave offering to the LORD. 14 And so you are to separate the Levites from among the Israelites, and the Levites will be mine. 15 “After this, the Levites will go in to do the work of the tent of meeting. So you must cleanse them and offer them like a wave offering. 16 For they are entirely given to me from among the Israelites. I have taken them for myself instead of all who open the womb, the firstborn sons of all the Israelites. 17 For all the firstborn males among the Israelites are mine, both humans and animals; when I destroyed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I set them apart for myself. 18 So I have taken the Levites instead of all the firstborn sons among the Israelites. 19 I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons from among the Israelites, to do the work for the Israelites in the tent of meeting, and to make atonement for the Israelites, so there will be no plague among the Israelites when the Israelites come near the sanctuary.” 20 So Moses and Aaron and the entire community of the Israelites did this with the Levites. According to all that the LORD commanded Moses concerning the Levites, this is what the Israelites did with them. 21 The Levites purified themselves and washed their clothing; then Aaron presented them like a wave offering before the LORD, and Aaron made atonement for them to purify them. 22 After this, the Levites went in to do their work in the tent of meeting before Aaron and before his sons. As the LORD had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so they did. 23 The Work of the Levites Then the LORD spoke to Moses: 24 “This is what pertains to the Levites: At the age of twenty-five years and upward one may begin to join the company in the work of the tent of meeting, 25 and at the age of fifty years they must retire from performing the work and may no longer work. 26 They may assist their colleagues in the tent of meeting, to attend to needs, but they must do no work. This is the way you must establish the Levites regarding their duties.”
• Num 16:9-9 : 9 Does it seem too small a thing to you that the God of Israel has separated you from the community of Israel to bring you near to himself, to perform the service of the tabernacle of the LORD, and to stand before the community to minister to them? 10 He has brought you near and all your brothers, the sons of Levi, with you. Do you now seek the priesthood also?
• Num 18:1-9 : 1 Responsibilities of the Priests The LORD said to Aaron,“You and your sons and your tribe with you must bear the iniquity of the sanctuary, and you and your sons with you must bear the iniquity of your priesthood. 2 “Bring with you your brothers, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, so that they may join with you and minister to you while you and your sons with you are before the tent of the testimony. 3 They must be responsible to care for you and to care for the entire tabernacle. However, they must not come near the furnishings of the sanctuary and the altar, or both they and you will die. 4 They must join with you, and they will be responsible for the care of the tent of meeting, for all the service of the tent, but no unauthorized person may approach you. 5 You will be responsible for the care of the sanctuary and the care of the altar, so that there will be no more wrath on the Israelites. 6 I myself have chosen your brothers the Levites from among the Israelites. They are given to you as a gift from the LORD, to perform the duties of the tent of meeting. 7 But you and your sons with you are responsible for your priestly duties, for everything at the altar and within the curtain. And you must serve. I give you the priesthood as a gift for service, but the unauthorized person who approaches must be put to death.” 8 The Portion of the Priests The LORD spoke to Aaron,“See, I have given you the responsibility for my raised offerings; I have given all the holy things of the Israelites to you as your priestly portion and to your sons as a perpetual ordinance. 9 Of all the most holy offerings reserved from the fire this will be yours: Every offering of theirs, whether from every grain offering or from every purification offering or from every reparation offering which they bring to me, will be most holy for you and for your sons. 10 You are to eat it as a most holy offering; every male may eat it. It will be holy to you. 11 “And this is yours: the raised offering of their gift, along with all the wave offerings of the Israelites. I have given them to you and to your sons and daughters with you as a perpetual ordinance. Everyone who is ceremonially clean in your household may eat of it. 12 “All the best of the olive oil and all the best of the wine and of the wheat, the first fruits of these things that they give to the LORD, I have given to you. 13 And whatever first ripe fruit in their land they bring to the LORD will be yours; everyone who is ceremonially clean in your household may eat of it. 14 “Everything devoted in Israel will be yours. 15 The firstborn of every womb which they present to the LORD, whether human or animal, will be yours. Nevertheless, the firstborn sons you must redeem, and the firstborn males of unclean animals you must redeem. 16 And those that must be redeemed you are to redeem when they are a month old, according to your estimation, for five shekels of silver according to the sanctuary shekel(which is twenty gerahs). 17 But you must not redeem the firstborn of a cow or a sheep or a goat; they are holy. You must splash their blood on the altar and burn their fat for an offering made by fire for a pleasing aroma to the LORD. 18 And their meat will be yours, just as the breast and the right hip of the raised offering is yours. 19 All the raised offerings of the holy things that the Israelites offer to the LORD, I have given to you, and to your sons and daughters with you, as a perpetual ordinance. It is a covenant of salt forever before the LORD for you and for your descendants with you.” 20 Duties of the Levites The LORD spoke to Aaron,“You will have no inheritance in their land, nor will you have any portion of property among them– I am your portion and your inheritance among the Israelites. 21 See, I have given the Levites all the tithes in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they perform– the service of the tent of meeting. 22 No longer may the Israelites approach the tent of meeting, or else they will bear their sin and die. 23 But the Levites must perform the service of the tent of meeting, and they must bear their iniquity. It will be a perpetual ordinance throughout your generations that among the Israelites the Levites have no inheritance. 24 But I have given to the Levites for an inheritance the tithes of the Israelites that are offered to the LORD as a raised offering. That is why I said to them that among the Israelites they are to have no inheritance.” 25 Instructions for the Levites The LORD spoke to Moses: 26 “You are to speak to the Levites, and you must tell them,‘When you receive from the Israelites the tithe that I have given you from them as your inheritance, then you are to offer up from it as a raised offering to the LORD a tenth of the tithe. 27 And your raised offering will be credited to you as though it were grain from the threshing floor or as new wine from the winepress. 28 Thus you are to offer up a raised offering to the LORD of all your tithes which you receive from the Israelites; and you must give the LORD’s raised offering from it to Aaron the priest. 29 From all your gifts you must offer up every raised offering due the LORD, from all the best of it, and the holiest part of it.’ 30 “Therefore you will say to them,‘When you offer up the best of it, then it will be credited to the Levites as the product of the threshing floor and as the product of the winepress. 31 And you may eat it in any place, you and your household, because it is your wages for your service in the tent of meeting. 32 And you will bear no sin concerning it when you offer up the best of it. And you must not profane the holy things of the Israelites, or else you will die.’”
• Deut 17:12 : 12 The person who pays no attention to the priest currently serving the LORD your God there, or to the judge– that person must die, so that you may purge evil from Israel.
• Num 1:47-53 : 47 The Exemption of the Levites But the Levites, according to the tribe of their fathers, were not numbered among them. 48 The LORD had said to Moses, 49 “Only the tribe of Levi you must not number or count with the other Israelites. 50 But appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of the testimony, over all its furnishings and over everything in it. They must carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings; and they must attend to it and camp around it. 51 Whenever the tabernacle is to move, the Levites must take it down, and whenever the tabernacle is to be reassembled, the Levites must set it up. Any unauthorized person who approaches it must be killed. 52 “The Israelites will camp according to their divisions, each man in his camp, and each man by his standard. 53 But the Levites must camp around the tabernacle of the testimony, so that the LORD’s anger will not fall on the Israelite community. The Levites are responsible for the care of the tabernacle of the testimony.”
• Num 3:1-4 : 1 The Sons of Aaron Now these are the records of Aaron and Moses when the LORD spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai. 2 These are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab, the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 3 These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the anointed priests, whom he consecrated to minister as priests. 4 Nadab and Abihu died before the LORD when they offered strange fire before the LORD in the desert of Sinai, and they had no children. So Eleazar and Ithamar ministered as priests in the presence of Aaron their father.
• Exod 29:1-9 : 1 The Consecration of Aaron and His Sons“Now this is what you are to do for them to consecrate them so that they may minister as my priests. Take a young bull and two rams without blemish; 2 and bread made without yeast, and perforated cakes without yeast mixed with oil, and wafers without yeast spread with oil– you are to make them using fine wheat flour. 3 You are to put them in one basket and present them in the basket, along with the bull and the two rams. 4 “You are to present Aaron and his sons at the entrance of the tent of meeting. You are to wash them with water 5 and take the garments and clothe Aaron with the tunic, the robe of the ephod, the ephod, and the breastpiece; you are to fasten the ephod on him by using the skillfully woven waistband. 6 You are to put the turban on his head and put the holy diadem on the turban. 7 You are to take the anointing oil and pour it on his head and anoint him. 8 You are to present his sons and clothe them with tunics 9 and wrap the sashes around Aaron and his sons and put headbands on them, and so the ministry of priesthood will belong to them by a perpetual ordinance. Thus you are to consecrate Aaron and his sons. 10 “You are to present the bull at the front of the tent of meeting, and Aaron and his sons are to put their hands on the head of the bull. 11 You are to kill the bull before the LORD at the entrance to the tent of meeting 12 and take some of the blood of the bull and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger; all the rest of the blood you are to pour out at the base of the altar. 13 You are to take all the fat that covers the entrails, and the lobe that is above the liver, and the two kidneys and the fat that is on them, and burn them on the altar. 14 But the meat of the bull, its skin, and its dung you are to burn up outside the camp. It is the purification offering. 15 “You are to take one ram, and Aaron and his sons are to lay their hands on the ram’s head, 16 and you are to kill the ram and take its blood and splash it all around on the altar. 17 Then you are to cut the ram into pieces and wash the entrails and its legs and put them on its pieces and on its head 18 and burn the whole ram on the altar. It is a burnt offering to the LORD, a soothing aroma; it is an offering made by fire to the LORD. 19 “You are to take the second ram, and Aaron and his sons are to lay their hands on the ram’s head, 20 and you are to kill the ram and take some of its blood and put it on the tip of the right ear of Aaron, on the tip of the right ear of his sons, on the thumb of their right hand, and on the big toe of their right foot, and then splash the blood all around on the altar. 21 You are to take some of the blood that is on the altar and some of the anointing oil and sprinkle it on Aaron, on his garments, on his sons, and on his sons’ garments with him, so that he may be holy, he and his garments along with his sons and his sons’ garments. 22 “You are to take from the ram the fat, the fat tail, the fat that covers the entrails, the lobe of the liver, the two kidneys and the fat that is on them, and the right thigh– for it is the ram for consecration– 23 and one round flat cake of bread, one perforated cake of oiled bread, and one wafer from the basket of bread made without yeast that is before the LORD. 24 You are to put all these in Aaron’s hands and in his sons’ hands, and you are to wave them as a wave offering before the LORD. 25 Then you are to take them from their hands and burn them on the altar for a burnt offering, for a soothing aroma before the LORD. It is an offering made by fire to the LORD. 26 You are to take the breast of the ram of Aaron’s consecration; you are to wave it as a wave offering before the LORD, and it is to be your share. 27 You are to sanctify the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the contribution, which were waved and lifted up as a contribution from the ram of consecration, from what belongs to Aaron and to his sons. 28 It is to belong to Aaron and to his sons from the Israelites, by a perpetual ordinance, for it is a contribution. It is to be a contribution from the Israelites from their peace offerings, their contribution to the LORD. 29 “The holy garments that belong to Aaron are to belong to his sons after him, so that they may be anointed in them and consecrated in them. 30 The priest who succeeds him from his sons, when he first comes to the tent of meeting to minister in the Holy Place, is to wear them for seven days. 31 “You are to take the ram of the consecration and cook its meat in a holy place. 32 Aaron and his sons are to eat the meat of the ram and the bread that was in the basket at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 33 They are to eat those things by which atonement was made to consecrate and to set them apart, but no one else may eat them, for they are holy. 34 If any of the meat from the consecration offerings or any of the bread is left over until morning, then you are to burn up what is left over. It must not be eaten, because it is holy. 35 “Thus you are to do for Aaron and for his sons, according to all that I have commanded you; you are to consecrate them for seven days. 36 Every day you are to prepare a bull for a purification offering for atonement. You are to purify the altar by making atonement for it, and you are to anoint it to set it apart as holy. 37 For seven days you are to make atonement for the altar and set it apart as holy. Then the altar will be most holy. Anything that touches the altar will be holy.
• Lev 8:9 : 9 Finally, he set the turban on his head and attached the gold plate, the holy diadem, to the front of the turban just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
• 1 Kgs 8:3-4 : 3 When all Israel’s elders had arrived, the priests lifted the ark. 4 The priests and Levites carried the ark of the LORD, the tent of meeting, and all the holy items in the tent.
• 1 Kgs 8:6 : 6 The priests brought the ark of the LORD’s covenant to its assigned place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, in the most holy place, under the wings of the cherubim.
• 1 Chr 15:12-15 : 12 He told them:“You are the leaders of the Levites’ families. You and your relatives must consecrate yourselves and bring the ark of the LORD God of Israel up to the place I have prepared for it. 13 The first time you did not carry it; that is why the LORD God attacked us, because we did not ask him about the proper way to carry it.” 14 The priests and Levites consecrated themselves so they could bring up the ark of the LORD God of Israel. 15 The descendants of Levi carried the ark of God on their shoulders with poles, just as Moses had commanded in keeping with the LORD’s instruction.
• 1 Chr 15:26 : 26 When God helped the Levites who were carrying the ark of the LORD’s covenant, they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams.
• 1 Chr 23:26 : 26 So the Levites no longer need to carry the tabernacle or any of the items used in its service.”
• 2 Chr 5:4-5 : 4 When all Israel’s elders had arrived, the Levites lifted the ark. 5 The priests and Levites carried the ark, the tent where God appeared to his people, and all the holy items in the tent.
• 2 Chr 29:11 : 11 My sons, do not be negligent now, for the LORD has chosen you to stand in his presence, to minister to him, to be his ministers, and offer sacrifices.”