Contradiction with Exodus 30:19-21
Numbers 8:7 describes purification with water for the Levites, whereas Exodus 30:19-21 prescribes hand and foot washing specifically for Aaron and his sons before priestly duties, indicating a different requirement for purification.
Exodus 30:19-21: For Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat:
Contradiction with Leviticus 14:8-9
While Numbers 8:7 involves the Levites shaving and washing, Leviticus 14:8-9 specifies washing and shaving as part of the cleansing process for lepers, highlighting different conditions for different groups seeking purification.
Leviticus 14:8-9: And he that is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, and shave off all his hair, and wash himself in water, that he may be clean: and after that he shall come into the camp, and shall tarry abroad out of his tent seven days.
Contradiction with Numbers 19:2-10
Numbers 8:7 uses sprinkling water for purification of Levites, whereas Numbers 19:2-10 describes the use of the ashes of a red heifer mixed with water for purification from sin, presenting varied purification rituals.
Numbers 19:2-10: This [is] the ordinance of the law which the LORD hath commanded, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring thee a red heifer without spot, wherein [is] no blemish, [and] upon which never came yoke:
Contradiction with 2 Chronicles 29:15-16
In Numbers 8:7, the Levites purify themselves directly, but in 2 Chronicles 29:15-16, Hezekiah's priests go into the sanctuary to make it ceremonially clean, suggesting different purification roles between Levites and priests.
2 Chronicles 29:15-16: And they gathered their brethren, and sanctified themselves, and came, according to the commandment of the king, by the words of the LORD, to cleanse the house of the LORD. [by the words...: or, in the business of the LORD]
Contradiction with Hebrews 9:13-14
Numbers 8:7 involves purification rituals with water, while Hebrews 9:13-14 emphasizes purification through the blood of Christ, contrasting Old Testament ritualistic practices with New Testament belief in spiritual sanctification through Christ.
Hebrews 9:13-14: For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:
Paradox #1
This Bible verse describes a purification ritual involving the use of water and the shaving of the entire body. Scientifically, the idea that these specific actions alone can fully purify or cleanse a person in a spiritual or ritualistic sense may not align with modern understandings of hygiene or sanitation, where cleanliness is more about removing actual dirt and germs rather than a spiritual state of purity. Additionally, personal grooming such as shaving is not seen to have an intrinsic cleansing effect from a scientific perspective. Nonetheless, this is more about differing cultural or religious beliefs rather than a direct contradiction.