Bilangan 8:6

8:6 “Take the Levites from among the Israelites and purify ¹  them.

Bilangan 20:22

Aaron’s Death

20:22 So the entire company of Israelites ²  traveled from Kadesh and came to Mount Hor. ³ 

[8:6]  ¹ tn The verb טָהַר (tahar) means that Moses was “to purify” or “to make ceremonially clean” the Levites so that they could enter the sanctuary and do the work prescribed for them. Whatever is “unclean” is not permitted in the sanctuary at all.

[20:22]  ² tn Again the passage uses apposition: “the Israelites, the whole community.”

[20:22]  ³ sn The traditional location for this is near Petra (Josephus, Ant. 4.4.7). There is serious doubt about this location since it is well inside Edomite territory, and since it is very inaccessible for the transfer of the office. Another view places it not too far from Kadesh Barnea, about 15 miles (25 km) northeast at Jebel Madurah, on the northwest edge of Edom and so a suitable point of departure for approaching Canaan from the south (see J. L. Mihelec, IDB 2:644; and J. de Vaulx, Les Nombres [SB], 231). Others suggest it was at the foot of Mount Hor and not actually up in the mountains (see Deut 10:6).