And said unto them, Ye are the chief of the fathers of the Levites: sanctify yourselves, both ye and your brethren, that ye may bring up the ark of the LORD God of Israel unto the place that I have prepared for it.
Sanctify yourselves. This special sanctification, which was required on all grave and important occasions, consisted in observing the strictest abstinence, as well as cleanliness, both in person and dress (see the notes at Genesis 35:2; Exodus 19:10; Exodus 19:15), and in the neglect of these rules no step could have been taken (2 Chronicles 30:3).