And Moses said introduces what Moses said to the Levites. Today you have ordained yourselves is a translation of the Septuagint rather than the Hebrew. The Greek says “You [plural] filled your hands today,” which means “Today you have consecrated yourselves” (so also New Jerusalem Bible). The Hebrew text is ambiguous. (See the Good News Translation footnote.) It can mean either “you [plural] fill your hand today” or “they filled your [plural] hand today.” (For the meaning of “fill the hand,” see the comment at 28.41.) Some translations interpret the Hebrew as a command: “Ordain yourselves” (Durham), “Dedicate yourselves” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), or “Install yourselves” (Translator’s Old Testament). Others take the second meaning: “you have been dedicated” (New American Bible), “You have been installed” (Revised English Bible), or “You have been set apart” (New International Version). If translators, in languages that do not use the passive voice, choose to follow the second meaning, one may say “Yahweh has set you apart to serve him.”

For the service of the LORD is just one word, “to [or, for] Yahweh.” Good News Translation interprets this to mean “as priests in the service of the LORD,” which is possible (similarly Revised English Bible and Translator’s Old Testament). But since the text does not specify “as priests,” it is better to omit this and allow for other interpretations.

Each one at the cost of his son and of his brother is literally “because [or, for] a man in [or, by] his son and in [or, by] his brother.” This refers, of course, to the fact that the Levites did not spare even those closest to them. The preposition “in [or, by],” however, may have an even broader meaning, such as “in exchange for.”

That he may bestow a blessing upon you this day is literally “and to give upon you [plural] today a blessing.” This may be interpreted in at least four different ways: a) “in order that Yahweh will bless you today” (as in Revised Standard Version); b) “and therefore Yahweh will bless you today” (as in Translator’s Old Testament); c) “and therefore Yahweh has already blessed you today” (as in Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version); or d) “you have brought a blessing upon yourselves today” (as in New Revised Standard Version). In any case it should be clear that Yahweh is the source of the blessing. Even the fourth option (d) must be understood in the sense that “today you have given Yahweh a reason for blessing you.”

The nature of the blessing is not indicated, but the context suggests that the Levites, as a result of what they had done, would now enjoy a special status “in the service of the LORD.” At the very least the blessing would mean that Yahweh would show them his good favor. Blessing refers to Yahweh showing his mercy, kindness, and graciousness to people. So one may translate “So Yahweh showed his kindness to you this day.”

An alternative translation model for this verse is:

• Moses said to the men of the Levi tribe, “Today Yahweh has set you apart to serve him, for each of you killed his own sons and brothers. In this way Yahweh has shown his kindness to you.”

Quoted with permission from Osborn, Noel D. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Exodus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1999. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .