Numbers 8:19
And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and to his sons from among the children of Israel, to do the service of the children of Israel in the tabernacle of the congregation, and to make an atonement for the children of Israel: that there be no plague among the children of Israel, when the children of Israel come nigh unto the sanctuary.
Cross-references
In Numbers 1:53, Levites camp around the tabernacle to prevent wrath on the congregation, directly paralleling the plague-prevention purpose here.
Numbers 3:6-9 gives the initial command to appoint Levites to assist Aaron, which is reiterated here.
In Numbers 18:2-6, the same duty is described: Levites assist Aaron to guard the sanctuary and prevent wrath, directly echoing the atonement and plague-prevention role.
In Numbers 18:5, guarding the sanctuary and altar prevents wrath—a direct restatement of the Levites' protective role against plague.
In Numbers 3:9, the Levites are explicitly given to Aaron and his sons—the same gift described in this verse, emphasizing their assigned service.
In Numbers 16:46, Aaron makes atonement to stop a plague—showing the same atonement-&-plague dynamic, though here Levites assist rather than perform it.
In 1 Samuel 6:19, people who look at the ark are struck down—an example of the plague that happens when proper Levite mediation is absent.
In 1 Chronicles 23:28-32, Levites assist Aaron's sons in temple service—cleansing, guarding, and praising—continuing the same assisting role from the tabernacle to the temple.
In 2 Chronicles 26:16-20, King Uzziah's unauthorized incense offering brings leprosy—illustrating the danger of approaching the sanctuary without proper Levitical order.
In 2 Chronicles 29:34, Levites help priests with sacrifices because priests were too few—a practical example of their assisting role in temple worship.
In Ezekiel 44:11-14, Levites are still assigned to temple service but demoted from priestly duties due to idolatry, yet their assisting role persists.