Numbers 1:48
New International Version
The LORD had said to Moses:

New Living Translation
For the LORD had said to Moses,

English Standard Version
For the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

Berean Standard Bible
For the LORD had said to Moses:

King James Bible
For the LORD had spoken unto Moses, saying,

New King James Version
for the LORD had spoken to Moses, saying:

New American Standard Bible
For the LORD had spoken to Moses, saying,

NASB 1995
For the LORD had spoken to Moses, saying,

NASB 1977
For the LORD had spoken to Moses, saying,

Legacy Standard Bible
Yahweh had spoken to Moses, saying,

Amplified Bible
For the LORD had said to Moses,

Christian Standard Bible
For the LORD had told Moses,

Holman Christian Standard Bible
For the LORD had told Moses: “

American Standard Version
For Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,

Contemporary English Version
because the LORD had said to Moses:

English Revised Version
For the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The LORD had said to Moses,

Good News Translation
because the LORD had said to Moses,

International Standard Version
because the LORD had ordered Moses:

Majority Standard Bible
For the LORD had said to Moses:

NET Bible
The LORD had said to Moses,

New Heart English Bible
For the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

Webster's Bible Translation
For the LORD had spoken to Moses, saying,

World English Bible
For Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
seeing YHWH speaks to Moses, saying,

Young's Literal Translation
seeing Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying,

Smith's Literal Translation
And Jehovah will speak to Moses, saying,
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

Catholic Public Domain Version
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

New American Bible
For the LORD had told Moses,

New Revised Standard Version
The LORD had said to Moses:
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Because the LORD had spoken to Moses, saying,

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And LORD JEHOVAH spoke with Moshe and said to him:
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying:

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Exemption of the Levites
47The Levites, however, were not numbered along with them by the tribe of their fathers. 48For the LORD had said to Moses: 49“Do not number the tribe of Levi in the census with the other Israelites.…

Cross References
Numbers 3:5-13
Then the LORD said to Moses, / “Bring the tribe of Levi and present them to Aaron the priest to assist him. / They are to perform duties for him and for the whole congregation before the Tent of Meeting, attending to the service of the tabernacle. ...

Numbers 8:14-19
In this way you shall separate the Levites from the rest of the Israelites, and the Levites will belong to Me. / After you have cleansed them and presented them as a wave offering, they may come to serve at the Tent of Meeting. / For the Levites have been wholly given to Me from among the sons of Israel. I have taken them for Myself in place of all who come first from the womb, the firstborn of all the sons of Israel. ...

Numbers 18:1-7
So the LORD said to Aaron, “You and your sons and your father’s house must bear the iniquity involving the sanctuary. And you and your sons alone must bear the iniquity involving your priesthood. / But bring with you also your brothers from the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, that they may join you and assist you and your sons before the Tent of the Testimony. / And they shall attend to your duties and to all the duties of the Tent; but they must not come near to the furnishings of the sanctuary or the altar, or both they and you will die. ...

Exodus 32:26-29
So Moses stood at the entrance to the camp and said, “Whoever is for the LORD, come to me.” And all the Levites gathered around him. / He told them, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Each of you men is to fasten his sword to his side, go back and forth through the camp from gate to gate, and slay his brother, his friend, and his neighbor.’” / The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people fell dead. ...

Deuteronomy 10:8-9
At that time the LORD set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to serve Him, and to pronounce blessings in His name, as they do to this day. / That is why Levi has no portion or inheritance among his brothers; the LORD is his inheritance, as the LORD your God promised him.

1 Chronicles 23:13
The sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses. Aaron and his descendants were set apart forever to consecrate the most holy things, to burn incense before the LORD, to minister before Him, and to pronounce blessings in His name forever.

1 Chronicles 23:24-32
These were the descendants of Levi by their families—the heads of families, registered individually by name—those twenty years of age or older who worked in the service of the house of the LORD. / For David had said, “The LORD, the God of Israel, has given rest to His people and has come to dwell in Jerusalem forever. / So now the Levites no longer need to carry the tabernacle or any of the articles for its service.” ...

2 Chronicles 29:11
Now, my sons, do not be negligent, for the LORD has chosen you to stand before Him, to serve Him, to minister before Him, and to burn incense.”

Nehemiah 12:44-47
And on that same day men were appointed over the rooms that housed the supplies, contributions, firstfruits, and tithes. The portions specified by the Law for the priests and Levites were gathered into these storerooms from the fields of the villages, because Judah rejoiced over the priests and Levites who were serving. / They performed the service of their God and the service of purification, along with the singers and gatekeepers, as David and his son Solomon had prescribed. / For long ago, in the days of David and Asaph, there were directors for the singers and for the songs of praise and thanksgiving to God. ...

Malachi 2:4-7
Then you will know that I have sent you this commandment so that My covenant with Levi may continue,” says the LORD of Hosts. / “My covenant with him was one of life and peace, which I gave to him; it called for reverence, and he revered Me and stood in awe of My name. / True instruction was in his mouth, and nothing false was found on his lips. He walked with Me in peace and uprightness, and he turned many from iniquity. ...

Hebrews 7:11-28
Now if perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood (for on this basis the people received the law), why was there still need for another priest to appear—one in the order of Melchizedek and not in the order of Aaron? / For when the priesthood is changed, the law must be changed as well. / He of whom these things are said belonged to a different tribe, from which no one has ever served at the altar. ...

Hebrews 8:1-6
The point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, / and who ministers in the sanctuary and true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by man. / And since every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices, it was necessary for this One also to have something to offer. ...

Hebrews 9:1-10
Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary. / A tabernacle was prepared. In its first room were the lampstand, the table, and the consecrated bread. This was called the Holy Place. / Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place, ...

Hebrews 10:11-14
Day after day every priest stands to minister and to offer again and again the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. / But when this Priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God. / Since that time, He waits for His enemies to be made a footstool for His feet, ...

1 Peter 2:5-9
you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. / For it stands in Scripture: “See, I lay in Zion a stone, a chosen and precious cornerstone; and the one who believes in Him will never be put to shame.” / To you who believe, then, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” ...


Treasury of Scripture

For the LORD had spoken to Moses, saying,

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Moses Speaketh
Numbers 1
1. God commands Moses to number the people
5. The princes of the tribes
17. The number of every tribe
47. The Levites are exempted for the service of the Lord














For the LORD had said to Moses
For the LORD
The phrase "For the LORD" emphasizes the divine authority and origin of the instructions that follow. In Hebrew, "LORD" is represented by the tetragrammaton YHWH, which is the sacred and personal name of God, often vocalized as Yahweh. This name signifies God's eternal presence and covenantal faithfulness to His people. The use of "LORD" here underscores that the commands are not merely human decisions but are rooted in the divine will and purpose. It reminds us of God's sovereignty and His active role in guiding the Israelites.

had said
The phrase "had said" indicates a past communication from God to Moses. In the Hebrew text, the verb used here is "אָמַר" (amar), which means to say, speak, or command. This verb is often used in the context of divine revelation, highlighting the authoritative and binding nature of God's words. The past tense suggests that this instruction was part of an ongoing dialogue between God and Moses, reflecting the continuous guidance and direction provided by God to His chosen leader.

to Moses
Moses is the central human figure in the narrative of the Exodus and the wilderness journey. His name in Hebrew, "מֹשֶׁה" (Moshe), is traditionally understood to mean "drawn out," reflecting his rescue from the Nile River as an infant. Moses serves as the mediator between God and the Israelites, receiving divine instructions and conveying them to the people. His role as a prophet and leader is foundational to the identity and mission of Israel. The mention of Moses here reinforces his unique position as the recipient of God's revelation and the one entrusted with implementing God's commands among the people.

(48) For the Lord had spoken . . . --Better, And the Lord spake . . . (Numbers 3:1; Numbers 3:5-6; Numbers 3:14-15). It is true that the Levites were not included in the earlier numbering, and consequently that they must have been exempted by divine direction. It does not appear, however, that there is a reference to any previous command respecting the Levites, or that the specific destination of the Levites had been previously declared.

Verse 48. - Had spoken. Rather, "spake," and so Septuagint. This was the formal command to separate, although it had been anticipated to a considerable extent. The Levites had been marked out from the others

(1) as the tribesmen of Moses and Aaron,

(2) as the champions of Jehovah in the matter of the golden calf (Exodus 32:26, sq.); they had been already employed, or at least designated, for religious services; and the peculiarity of their future position in Israel had been recognized in the Divine legislation (Leviticus 25:32, sq.), and in their not being called upon to contribute to the capitation for the sanctuary. In a word, this ordinance, like so many others, did little more than give a formal and direct sanction to a state of things which had already come into play, partly through natural causes, partly through providential directions.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
For the LORD
יְהוָ֖ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

had said to
וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר (way·ḏab·bêr)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1696: To arrange, to speak, to subdue

Moses:
מֹשֶׁ֥ה (mō·šeh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 4872: Moses -- a great Israelite leader, prophet and lawgiver


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OT Law: Numbers 1:48 For Yahweh spoke to Moses saying (Nu Num.)
Numbers 1:47
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