But the Levites were not numbered among the people of Israel: See the comments on 1.47.

As the LORD commanded Moses: Most of this verse repeats 1.47 and serves primarily as an emphatic reminder. For this reason “had commanded” (Good News Translation) may sound more natural than commanded.

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 .