Numbers 8:11
וְהֵנִיף אַהֲרֹן אֶת־הַלְוִיִּם תְּנוּפָה לִפְנֵי יְהוָה מֵאֵת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְהָיוּ לַעֲבֹד אֶת־עֲבֹדַת יְהוָֽה׃
✦ Hebrew interlinear
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✦ The same verse in five languages
וְהֵנִיף֩ אַהֲרֹ֨ן אֶת־הַלְוִיִּ֤ם תְּנוּפָה֙ לִפְנֵ֣י יְהוָ֔ה מֵאֵ֖ת בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וְהָי֕וּ לַעֲבֹ֖ד אֶת־עֲבֹדַ֥ת יְהוָֽה׃
καὶ ἀφοριεῖ Ἀαρὼν τοὺς Λευείτας ἀπόδομα ἔναντι Τυρίου παρὰ τῶν υἱῶν Ἐσραήλ, καὶ ἔσονται ὥστε ἐργάζεσθαι τὰ ἔργα Τυρίου.
Greek text from Swete's edition, CC BY-SA 4.0
Latin (Vulgate)
Et offeret Aaron Levitas, munus in conspectu Domini a filiis Israël, ut serviant in ministerio ejus.
Aarón presentará a los levitas delante de Yehová como una ofrenda especial de parte de los hijos de Israel, para que se dediquen al servicio de Yehová.
Classic Spanish (Reina-Valera 1909)
Y ofrecerá Aarón los Levitas delante de Jehová en ofrenda de los hijos de Israel, y servirán en el ministerio de Jehová.
Aaron is to present the Levites before the LORD as a wave offering from the sons of Israel, so that they may perform the service of the LORD.
✦ What the text says
Summary
Numbers 8:11 describes Aaron performing a ritual gesture with the Levites, presenting them "before Yehovah" as a wave-offering from the community of Israel. The verse states that as a result of this act, the Levites are to be dedicated to the service of Yehovah.
Key words
- heNif ("he will wave", H5130B) — hiphil (causative) verb in sequential perfect, meaning Aaron himself causes the Levites to be waved/presented, continuing the narrative sequence begun in prior verses.
- tenuphah ("a wave-offering", H8573) — feminine singular noun, the technical term for a ritual gesture of presentation/offering, functioning here as an adverbial accusative describing the manner of the waving action.
- lifney ("before", H6440G) — construct plural noun with prefixed preposition, literally "to the face of," marking the location of the action as directly in the presence of Yehovah.
- me'et ("from", H0854 + H9006) — compound preposition indicating source, showing the Levites come "from" the sons of Israel as their contribution.
- la'avod ("to serve", H5647H) — qal infinitive with prefixed preposition, expressing purpose: the intended result of the waving is service.
- avodat ("service of", H5656H) — feminine singular construct noun, linked to Yehovah, naming the specific task the Levites are set apart to perform.
What the text says
The verse opens with a sequential perfect verb, heNif ("he will wave", H5130B), in the hiphil stem, which is causative: Aaron does not merely present the Levites but actively causes them to undergo the waving action. The direct object marker 'et (H0853) attaches to ha-leviyyim ("the Levites", H3881), making them the object of Aaron's action, while tenuphah (H8573) functions adverbially, specifying the ritual category of the act rather than being a separate item offered.
The phrase lifney YHWH (H6440G + H3068G) locates this action spatially "before the face of" Yehovah, and me'et beney Yisra'el (H0854 + H1121G + H3478) specifies that the Levites originate "from" the broader community of Israel's sons. The second clause, introduced by another sequential perfect hayu ("they will be", H1961), shifts to result/purpose: the qal infinitive la'avod (H5647H) with the preposition la- indicates the intended outcome — the Levites are to be "to serve," taking as their object avodat YHWH ("the service of Yehovah", H5656H), a construct phrase naming the specific labor assigned to them.
Differences between versions
The LXX renders heNif ("he will wave") with ἀφοριεῖ ("he will set apart/separate"), and tenuphah ("wave-offering") with ἀπόδομα ("gift"), shifting the image from a waving gesture to an act of separation and donation. The Vulgate similarly uses offeret ("will offer") and munus ("gift"), also omitting the specific waving nuance present in the Hebrew tenuphah (H8573).
This explanation describes the text using linguistic data; it adds no doctrine or confessional interpretation.