But the Levites shall do the service of the tent of meeting: But renders well the Hebrew waw conjunction (literally “And”), which is used here to introduce a contrast between the Levites and the other tribes of Israel. The Levites renders an emphatic Hebrew expression (literally “the Levite he”), which is more accurately translated “only the Levites” (Good News Translation). For do the service of the tent of meeting, see verse 6.

And they shall bear their iniquity: Compare verse 1. New Revised Standard Version is much clearer with “and they shall bear responsibility for their own offenses.” The pronouns they and their refer to the Levites. They are held accountable for any sins they commit in their service at the Tent of Meeting. The independent Hebrew pronoun for they emphasizes this. However, Ashley (pages 356-357) feels that the pronoun their could refer to the people of Israel in general, an interpretation that may be reflected in New Living Translation, which renders this clause as “and they [the Levites] will be held responsible for any offense against it [the Tent].” We prefer the first interpretation.

It shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations: See 10.8 and 15.15. The pronoun it refers to the rules given in the first two clauses of verse 23. A perpetual statute may be rendered “a permanent rule” (Good News Translation) or “a lasting ordinance” (New International Version). As in 15.15, SPCL renders throughout your generations as “which will pass from parents to children.” The Hebrew pronoun for your is plural, referring to all the Israelites.

And among the people of Israel they shall have no inheritance: See verse 20. They shall have no inheritance is literally “they will not inherit an inheritance.” The Hebrew verb for “inherit” (nachal) and the noun for “inheritance” (nachalah) come from the same root. This verb plus cognate noun construction emphasizes that the Levites will receive no inheritance of land in Israel. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh renders this clause as “But they shall have no territorial share among the Israelites,” and New Living Translation has “The Levites will receive no allotment of land among the Israelites.”

For the tithe of the people of Israel, which they present as an offering to the LORD, I have given to the Levites for an inheritance: The Hebrew particle ki rendered For introduces the reason why the Levites will receive no inheritance of land. Their inheritance is the tithes of the Israelites. For tithe see verse 21. For which they present as an offering to the LORD, see verse 19. As there, the Hebrew verb for present and the noun for offering come from the same root. Good News Translation renders the LORD as “me,” which other languages will find helpful since he is speaking.

Therefore I have said of them that they shall have no inheritance among the people of Israel: The conjunction therefore introduces God’s conclusion concerning the Levites. His direct speech to Aaron also ends here. Good News Translation provides a helpful model here, saying “That is why I told them that they would have no permanent property in Israel.”

Quoted with permission from de Regt, Lénart J. and Wendland, Ernst R. A Handbook on Numbers. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .