Numbers 8:15

Summary

The verse states that after a preceding period, the Levites will come to serve at the 'Ohel Mo'ed ("Tent of Meeting", H0168G/H4150I), and describes two actions performed on them beforehand or in connection with that entry: purification and a waving ceremony. The verbal sequence links entry into service with prior ritual treatment of the Levites.

Key words

• ya.Vo.'u ("they will go/come", H0935G) — qal imperfect, marking a future/ongoing action: the Levites' entry into service.
• 'a.Vod ("serve", H5647H) — qal infinitive construct with the preposition la- ("to"), expressing purpose: "to serve."
• ti.har.Ta ("you will purify", H2891) — piel sequential perfect, intensive stem, continuing the narrative chain begun by the previous clause.
• he.naf.Ta ("you will wave", H5130B) — hiphil sequential perfect, causative stem, denoting the act of causing the Levites to be "waved."
• te.nu.Fah ("a wave-offering", H8573) — feminine singular noun, naming the ritual category of the action just performed.

What the text says

The Hebrew clause opens with the temporal phrase 'a.cha.rei- khen ("after thus", H0310A/H3651C), placing the coming action after some prior event. The main verb ya.Vo.'u ("they will go", H0935G) is qal imperfect, third person plural, referring to "the Levites" (ha-l.vi.Yim, H3881). Their purpose is given by the infinitive la-'a.Vod ("to serve", H5647H), governing the direct object 'et-'Ohel Mo'ed ("the Tent of Meeting", H0168G/H4150I), marked by the untranslated object marker 'et (H0853).

The next two clauses are joined by the narrative vav (H9001), each introducing a sequential perfect verb addressed to "you" (singular): ti.har.Ta ("you will purify", H2891, piel) and he.naf.Ta ("you will wave", H5130B, hiphil), each taking the object marker 'otam ("them", H0853+H9038) referring back to the Levites. The final word te.nu.Fah ("a wave-offering", H8573) specifies the nature of the waving act, without a preposition, functioning as an adverbial accusative describing how the Levites are waved.

The clause order in the Hebrew places the Levites' entry into service (yavo'u la'avod) before the description of purification and waving (tiharta...henafta), rather than presenting cleansing as a temporal prerequisite stated first.

Differences between versions

The LXX renders 'et-'Ohel Mo'ed ("the Tent of Meeting") as "τὰ ἔργα τῆς σκηνῆς τοῦ μαρτυρίου" ("the works of the tent of testimony"), adding "works of" not present in the Hebrew. Where the Hebrew has he.naf.Ta...te.nu.Fah ("you will wave them, a wave-offering"), the LXX has "ἀποδώσεις αὐτοὺς ἔναντι κυρίου" ("you will present them before the Lord"), omitting the specific "wave-offering" terminology. The Vulgate adds "ut serviant mihi" ("that they may serve me") and a further clause, "quoniam dono donati sunt mihi a filiis Israël" ("because they have been given to me as a gift by the children of Israel"), neither of which appears in the Hebrew text of this verse. The BSB translation reorders the clauses, placing the cleansing and wave-offering before the notice of entry into service, whereas the Hebrew word order presents the entry clause first.