Take the Levites from among the people of Israel: A translation should not imply that any force was applied in the action here, or that there was even any physical contact. This clause refers simply to a positive process of ritual selection and separation. Good News Translation renders it well with “Separate the Levites from the rest of the people of Israel.”

And cleanse them: In this context the Hebrew verb for cleanse refers to ritual purification. It does not refer to the ordinary washing of bodies. New International Version makes this clear by rendering cleanse them as “make them ceremonially clean.”

And thus you shall do to them, to cleanse them: This clause introduces how Moses is to purify the Levites.

First, Moses must sprinkle the water of expiation upon them. The idea of sprinkle (that is, scatter droplets of water) as opposed to “wash” should be kept here. The Levites had to be “sprinkled” with water at their consecration, but the priests were “washed” (see Exo 29.4; 40.12; Lev 8.6). The water of expiation (literally “water of sin offering”) refers to water that removes ceremonial impurity. La Nouvelle Bible Segond says “the water for the sin,” and Contemporary English Version has “the water that washes away their sins.” But sin in the sense of moral wrongdoing is not in view here, so better models are “the water of purification” (Good News Translation, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), “the water of cleansing” (New International Version), and “the water that purifies.”

And let them go with a razor over all their body: Next Moses must have the Levites “shave their whole bodies” (Good News Translation). A literal rendering of this instruction will probably be quite unnatural in the target language. Good News Translation‘s model with the verb “shave” may be helpful for many languages. For razor see the comments on 6.5.

Finally, Moses must have the Levites wash their clothes.

And cleanse themselves: This clause expresses the result of sprinkling the water of purification on the Levites, shaving their bodies, and washing their clothes. By doing these things, they will become ritually pure. Good News Translation says “Then they will be ritually clean.”

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 .