The children of Israel shall put their hands upon the Levites— That is, the children of Israel, by their rulers, who were their representatives. By this sign the children of Israel signified their separating the Levites to the service of the sanctuary, instead of their first-born; and transferring upon them that charge which would otherwise have belonged to the first-born.
Related Commentaries of Numbers 8:10
Numbers 8:10
10 And thou shalt bring the Levites before the LORD: and the children of Israel shall put their hands upon the Levites: