SEV Biblia, Chapter 8:7
Y así les harás para expiarlos: rocía sobre ellos el agua de la expiación, y haz pasar la navaja sobre toda su carne, y lavarán sus vestidos, y serán expiados.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Numbers 8:7
Verse 7. Sprinkle water of purifying] tafj ym mey chattath, water of sin, or water of the sin-offering. As this purifying water was made by the ashes of the red heifer, cedar-wood, hyssop, and scarlet; and the heifer herself was sacrificed, and her blood sprinkled seven times before the tabernacle, chap. xix. 3-6; she may be considered as a proper sacrifice for sin, and consequently the water thus prepared be termed the water of the sin-offering. As the ashes were kept ready at hand for purifying from all legal pollutions, the preparation might be considered as a concentration of the essential properties of the sin-offering, and might be resorted to at all times with comparatively little expense or trouble, and no loss of time. As there were so many things by which legal pollution might be contracted, it was necessary to have always at hand, in all their dwellings, a mode of purifying at once convenient and unexpensive. As the water by which the Levites were here purified must have been the water prepared from the ashes of the red heifer, this ordinance was undoubtedly instituted before this time, though not described till chap. xix. 1-10 of this book; but that chapter might be in connection with any of the preceding ordinances, as well as where it is now found. We see from Heb. ix. 13, 14, that these ashes mingled with water, and sprinkled on the unclean, and which sanctified to the purification of the flesh, were intended to typify the blood of Christ, which purges the conscience from dead works to serve the living God, ver. 15; for as without this sprinkling with the water of the sin-offering the Levites were not fit to serve God in the wilderness, so without this sprinkling of the blood of Christ no conscience can be purged from dead works to serve the living God. See the notes on chap. xix. 1-10.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 7. And thus shall thou do unto them, to cleanse them , etc.] Or order Aaron to do unto them; the cleansing of the Levites was the work of Aaron, either by himself or by his order; in which he was a type of Christ, who is the refiner and purifier of the sons of Levi, ( Malachi 3:3); sprinkle water of purifying upon them ; or “water of sin” f81 ; water which purifies from sin, in a ceremonial sense; and this was water mixed with the ashes of the red heifer, which was the purification of persons deified by the dead, as Jarchi observes; and though the law concerning the red heifer, and of making the water of purification, is not made mention of till afterwards, ( Numbers 19:1-22): yet it was very probably given before; and the Jews say f82 , it was on the second of Nisan, or the first month, which was the day after the tabernacle was erected, that Eleazar the priest burnt the red heifer and sprinkled all Israel; this only “sanctified to the purifying of the flesh”, ( Hebrews 9:13), in a ceremonial sense, but was typical of the blood of Christ, which “purges the conscience from dead works”; that so men may be fitted and qualified, as the Levites were, “to serve the living God”, ( Hebrews 9:14); and let them shave all their flesh ; the hair of their bodies, in all parts thereof; even the beard, as Aben Ezra notes, some say; yet not the corners of it; but the whole hair of the body, everywhere, was to be shaved off; to denote the most perfect purity, and a removal of all superfluity of haughtiness and excrescences of the flesh from them: so the Egyptian priests used to shave their whole body every third day, lest there should be anything filthy in those that served the gods f83 : this cleansing of the Levites was after the same manner as lepers were cleansed: and Jarchi observes, from one of their writers, that because the Levites gave an atonement for the firstborn, who committed idolatry, which is called the sacrifices of the dead, and the leper is called a dead man, they were obliged to shaving as the lepers; but Ben Gersom gives a better reason for the shaving of them; that it was to put them in mind that they should forsake material (or corporeal) things, and employ themselves in the service of God; (see Acts 6:2,4) ( 2 Timothy 2:4); and let them wash their clothes ; and much more their bodies, as Chaskuni, after the manner of those who were polluted by touching a dead body; typical of the saints having their bodies washed with pure water, and their garments washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb, ( Hebrews 10:22 Revelation 7:14); and [so] make themselves clean ; the Targum of Jonathan adds, in forty seahs of water; and according to the sense of that paraphrase, both the bodies and clothes of the Levites were dipped in water.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 5-26 - Here we have directions for the solemn ordination of the Levites. All Israel must know that they took not this honour to themselves, but wer called of God to it; nor was it enough that they were distinguishe from others. All who are employed for God, must be dedicated to him according to the employment. Christians must be baptized, minister must be ordained; we must first give ourselves unto the Lord, and the our services. The Levites must be cleansed. They must be clean tha bear the vessels of the Lord. Moses must sprinkle the water of purifying upon them. This signifies the application of the blood of Christ to our souls by faith, that we may be fit to serve the livin God. God declares his acceptance of them. All who expect to share in the privileges of the tabernacle, must resolve to do the service of the tabernacle. As, on the one hand, none of God's creatures are his necessary servants, he needs not the service of any of them; so non are merely honorary servants, to do nothing. All whom God owns, he employs; angels themselves have their services __________________________________________________________________
Original Hebrew
וכה 3541 תעשׂה 6213 להם לטהרם 2891 הזה 5137 עליהם 5921 מי 4325 חטאת 2403 והעבירו 5674 תער 8593 על 5921 כל 3605 בשׂרם 1320 וכבסו 3526 בגדיהם 899 והטהרו׃ 2891
