Numbers 3

1 And these are the generations [a] of Aaron and Moses in the day that Jehovah spoke with Moses on mount Sinai.
2 And these are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.
3 These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the anointed priests, who were consecrated [b] to exercise the priesthood.
4 And Nadab and Abihu died before Jehovah when they offered strange fire before Jehovah in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no sons; and Eleazar and Ithamar exercised the priesthood in the presence of Aaron their father.
5 And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,
6 Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister unto him;
7 and they shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole assembly, before the tent of meeting, to do the service of the tabernacle.
8 And they shall keep all the utensils of the tent of meeting, and the charge of the children of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle.
9 And thou shalt give the Levites to Aaron and to his sons: they are wholly given to him out of [c] the children of Israel.
10 And Aaron and his sons shalt thou appoint that they may attend to their priest's office; and the stranger that cometh near shall be put to death.
11 And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,
12 And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of every firstborn that breaketh open the womb among the children of Israel, and the Levites shall be mine;
13 for every firstborn is mine. On the day that I smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I hallowed unto me all the firstborn in Israel, both of man and beast; mine shall they be: I am Jehovah.
14 And Jehovah spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying,
15 Number the sons of Levi according to their fathers' houses, after their families; every male from a month old and upward shalt thou number them.
16 And Moses numbered them, according to the commandment [d] of Jehovah, -- as he had been commanded.
17 And these are the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari.
18 And these are the names of the sons of Gershon according to their families: Libni and Shimei.
19 And the sons of Kohath according to their families: Amram and Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel.
20 And the sons of Merari according to their families: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their fathers' houses.
21 Of Gershon, the family of the Libnites, and the family of the Shimites: these are the families of the Gershonites.
22 Those that were numbered of them, according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, those that were numbered of them were seven thousand five hundred.
23 The families of the Gershonites encamped behind the tabernacle westward.
24 And the prince of the father's house of the Gershonites was Eliasaph the son of Lael.
25 And the charge of the sons of Gershon in the tent of meeting was: the tabernacle and the tent, its covering, and the curtain of the entrance to the tent of meeting.
26 And the hangings of the court, and the curtain of the entrance to the court, which surrounds the tabernacle and the altar, and the cords thereof for all its service.
27 And of Kohath, the family of the Amramites, and the family of the Izharites, and the family of the Hebronites, and the family of the Uzzielites: these are the families of the Kohathites.
28 According to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, there were eight thousand six hundred, who kept the charge of the sanctuary.
29 The families of the sons of Kohath encamped on the side of the tabernacle southward.
30 And the prince of the father's house of the families of the Kohathites was Elizaphan the son of Uzziel.
31 And their charge was the ark, and the table, and the candlestick, and the altars, and the utensils of the sanctuary with which they ministered, and the curtain, and all that belongs to its service.
32 And the prince of princes of the Levites was Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest: he had the oversight of them that kept the charge of the sanctuary.
33 Of Merari was the family of the Mahlites, and the family of the Mushites: these are the families of Merari.
34 And those that were numbered of them, according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, were six thousand two hundred.
35 And the prince of the father's house of the families of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail. They encamped on the side of the tabernacle northward.
36 And the charge of the sons of Merari consisted in the oversight of the boards of the tabernacle, and its bars, and its pillars, and its bases, and all its furniture, and all that belongs to its service,
37 and the pillars of the court round about, and their bases, and their pegs, and their cords.
38 And those who encamped before the tabernacle eastward, before the tent of meeting toward the sunrising, were Moses, and Aaron and his sons, who kept the charge of the sanctuary for the charge of the children of Israel; and the stranger that cometh near shall be put to death.
39 All that were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron numbered at the commandment of Jehovah, according to their families, all the males from a month old and upward, were twenty-two thousand.
40 And Jehovah said to Moses, Number all the first-born males of the children of Israel from a month old and upward, and take the number of their names.
41 And thou shalt take the Levites for me (I am Jehovah) instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel; and the cattle of the Levites, instead of all the firstlings among the cattle of the children of Israel.
42 And Moses numbered, as Jehovah had commanded him, all the firstborn among the children of Israel.
43 And all the firstborn males, by the number of the names, from a month old and upward, according to their numbering, were twenty-two thousand two hundred and seventy-three.
44 And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,
45 Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle; and the Levites shall be mine: I am Jehovah.
46 And for those that are to be ransomed, the two hundred and seventy-three of the firstborn of the children of Israel, which are in excess over the Levites,
47 thou shalt take five shekels apiece by the poll, according to the shekel of the sanctuary shalt thou take them, -- twenty gerahs the shekel;
48 and thou shalt give the money unto Aaron and unto his sons for those in excess among them who are to be ransomed.
49 And Moses took the ransom-money from them that were over and above those who were ransomed by the Levites;
50 of the firstborn of the children of Israel he took the money, a thousand three hundred and sixty-five [shekels], according to the shekel of the sanctuary.
51 And Moses gave the money of them that were ransomed to Aaron and to his sons, according to the commandment of Jehovah, -- as Jehovah had commanded Moses.

Numbers 3 Commentary

Chapter 3

The sons of Aaron, The Levites taken instead of the first-born. (1-13) The Levites numbered by their families, Their duties. (14-39) The first-born are numbered. (40-51)

Verses 1-13 There was much work belonging to the priests' office, and there were now only Aaron and his two sons to do it; God appoints the Levites to attend them. Those whom God finds work for, he will find help for. The Levites were taken instead of the first-born. When He that made us, saves us, as the first-born of Israel were saved, we are laid under further obligations to serve him faithfully. God's right to us by redemption, confirms the right he has to us by creation.

Verses 14-39 The Levites were in three classes, according to the sons of Levi; Gershon, Kohath, and Merari; and these were subdivided into families. The posterity of Moses were not at all honoured or privileged, but stood upon the level with other Levites; thus it was plain, that Moses did not seek the advancement of his own family, or to secure any honours to it. The tribe of Levi was by much the least of all the tribes. God's chosen are but a little flock in comparison with the world.

Verses 40-51 The number of the first-born, and that of the Levites, came near to each other. Known unto God are all his works beforehand; there is an exact proportion between them, and so it will appear, when they are compared together. The small number of first-born, over and above the number of the Levites, were to be redeemed, and the redemption-money given to Aaron. The church is called the church of the first-born, which is redeemed, not as they were, with silver and gold; but, being devoted by sin to the justice of God, is ransomed with the precious blood of the Son of God. All men are the Lord's by creation, and all true christians are his by redemption. Each should know his own post and duty; nor can any service required by such a Master be rightly accounted mean or hard.

Footnotes 6

  • [a]. As Gen. 2.4.
  • [b]. See Ex. 28.41.
  • [c]. Or 'on behalf of.'
  • [d]. Lit. 'mouth:' as very frequently in Numbers.
  • [e]. Or 'covering,' so ver. 26, and ch. 4.25,26; see also Ex. 26.36.
  • [f]. Masach, as in ver. 25, but here the 'veil' as in Ex. 26.31.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO NUMBERS 3

In this chapter an account is given of the genealogy of the priests and Levites, and of the gift of the Levites to the priests, of the numbering of them, and the service they were to perform; and first of the priests, the sons of Aaron, Nu 3:1-4; and then of the Levites, as given unto them, to wait upon them, and assist them, Nu 3:5-10; and these were taken instead of the firstborn, Nu 3:11-13; and ordered to be numbered, which was done accordingly by their families, Nu 3:14-20; and the sum of each is given, and the particular work assigned to them; of the Gershonites, Nu 3:21-26; of the Kohathites, Nu 3:27-32; of the Merarites, Nu 3:33-38; the sum total of them is given, Nu 3:39; then the firstborn of the children of Israel, from a month old are ordered to be numbered, and were, Nu 3:40-43; and these appearing to be more in number than the Levites, by two hundred seventy three a direction is given that the two hundred seventy three should be redeemed at the rate of five, shekels apiece, and the money paid to Aaron and his sons, Nu 3:44-48; which was accordingly done, Nu 3:49-51.

Numbers 3 Commentaries

The Darby Translation is in the public domain.