Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible
Numbers 8:5,6
The Dedication of the Levites (Numbers 8:5).
The voice has spoken to Moses, Yahweh's chosen; the light, lit by Aaron and his sons, Yahweh's chosen, shines on the bread that symbolises Yahweh's people; and now Yahweh comes to the third of the trio of His chosen ones, those whom He has set apart for Himself to serve instead of the firstborn of Israel. He has provided them that the firstborn of Israel may no longer be bound to Tabernacle service. They are holy to Him, made holy through the night of the Passover which will be dealt with subsequently. In the Passover He will then welcome all who are clean.
In Numbers 3 the Levites have been numbered, in Numbers 4 they have been assigned their responsibilities, in Numbers 7 they have been given the means of fulfilling those responsibilities, and now they are to be dedicated to their work.
We have here the regular chiastic pattern:
a The command to take and cleanse the Levites (Numbers 8:5).
b The purifying, washing and preparation for the making of atonement (Numbers 8:7).
c The whole congregation assembled to do the will of Yahweh (Numbers 8:9)
d Presentation of the Levites before Yahweh at the Tent of meeting and offered as a waveoffering, with threefold repetition to stress the completeness of the offering (Numbers 8:10).
e The Levites wholly given to Yahweh instead of the firstborn (Numbers 8:16).
f All the firstborn were Yahweh's because He delivered them at the Passover (Numbers 8:17).
e The Levites taken instead of all the firstborn (Numbers 8:18).
d The Levites given as a gift to Aaron, Yahweh's representative, to do the service of the Tent of meeting (Numbers 8:19).
c All the congregation do the will of Yahweh (Numbers 8:20).
b The purifying, washing and making of atonement (Numbers 8:21).
a Yahweh's command obeyed (Numbers 8:22).
Central to the pattern is the fact the firstborn belonged to Yahweh because of the deliverance from Egypt, and around that is built the fact that the Levites are being taken as substitutes and prepared accordingly. Added as a kind of postscript is the information concerning the ages of commencement and retirement.
a From twenty five and upwards the Levites to war the warfare in the work of the Tent of meeting (Numbers 8:24).
b At the age of fifty they cease to work and serve no more (Numbers 8:25).
a The retired to minister with their brethren in the Tent of meeting to guard and protect it but serve no more (Numbers 8:26).
The Command to Take and Cleanse the Levites (Numbers 8:5).
‘And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,'
The voice had spoken to Moses, it had called on him to tell Aaron to light the lamp, now it called on him to separate out the Levites.
“ Take the Levites from among the children of Israel, and cleanse them.”
They were to be taken out from among the children of Israel and specially cleansed. We are not told when this happened, but it was clearly before the numbering, or they would have been numbered with Israel. This cleansing was to set them apart to the holy service of Yahweh, for they had to guard the Sanctuary, dismantle it and carry it, erect it, and repair it. This was their holy service. They would keep the Sanctuary holy, but in a subsidiary position to the priests. Only the priests could lay the sacrifices on the altar, apply the blood, enter the Holy Place, light the lamps and offer incense. But the Levites must see to the heavy duties outside the Holy Place.