Numbers 4

Duties of the Kohathites

1 Then the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,

2 "Take ^[a]a census of the ^[b]descendants of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, by their families, by their fathers' households,

3 from ¹thirty years and upward, even to fifty years old, all who enter the service to do the work in the tent of meeting.

4 "This is the work of the ^[c]descendants of Kohath in the tent of meeting, concerning the most holy things.

5 "When the camp sets out, Aaron and his sons shall go in and they shall take down ²the veil of the screen and cover the ³ark of the testimony with it;

6 and they shall lay a ⁴covering of porpoise skin on it, and shall spread over it a cloth of pure blue, and shall insert its poles.

7 "Over the table of the bread of the Presence they shall also spread a cloth of blue and put on it the dishes and the pans and the sacrificial bowls and the jars for the drink offering, and ⁵the continual bread shall be on it.

8 "They shall spread over them a cloth of scarlet material, and cover the same with a covering of porpoise skin, and they shall insert its poles.

9 "Then they shall take a blue cloth and cover the ⁶lampstand for the light, ⁷along with its lamps and its snuffers, and its trays and all its oil vessels, by which they serve it;

10 and they shall put it and all its utensils in a covering of porpoise skin, and shall put it on the carrying bars.

11 "Over the golden altar they shall spread a blue cloth and cover it with a covering of porpoise skin, and shall insert its poles;

12 and they shall take all the utensils of service, with which they serve in the sanctuary, and put them in a blue cloth and cover them with a covering of porpoise skin, and put them on the carrying bars.

13 "Then they shall take away the ashes from the ⁸altar, and spread a purple cloth over it.

14 "They shall also put on it all its utensils by which they serve in connection with it: the firepans, the forks and shovels and the basins, all the utensils of the altar; and they shall spread a cover of porpoise skin over it and insert its poles.

15 "When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holy objects and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, when the camp is to set out, after that the sons of Kohath shall come to carry them, so that they will not touch the holy objects ⁹and die. These are the things in the tent of meeting which the sons of Kohath are to carry.

16 "The responsibility of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest is ¹⁰the oil for the light and the ¹¹fragrant incense and ¹²the continual grain offering and ¹³the anointing oil -the responsibility of all the tabernacle and of all that is in it, with the sanctuary and its furnishings."

17 Then the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,

18 "Do not let the tribe of the families of the Kohathites be cut off from among the Levites.

19 "But do this to them that they may live and ¹⁴not die when they approach the most holy objects: Aaron and his sons shall go in and assign each of them to his work and to his load;

20 but ¹⁵they shall not go in to see the holy objects even for a moment, or they will die."

Duties of the Gershonites

21 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

22 "Take a census of the sons of Gershon also, by their fathers' households, by their families;

23 from ¹⁶thirty years and upward to fifty years old, you shall number them; all who enter to perform the service to do the work in the tent of meeting.

24 "This is the service of the families of the Gershonites, in serving and in carrying:

25 they shall carry ¹⁷the curtains of the tabernacle and the tent of meeting with its covering and ¹⁸the covering of porpoise skin that is on top of it, and the screen for the doorway of the tent of meeting,

26 and ¹⁹the hangings of the court, and the screen for the doorway of the gate of the court which is around the tabernacle and the altar, and their cords and all the equipment for their service; and all that is to be done, they shall perform.

27 "All the service of the sons of the Gershonites, in all their loads and in all their work, shall be performed at the command of Aaron and his sons; and you shall assign to them as a duty all their loads.

28 "This is the service of the families of the sons of the Gershonites in the tent of meeting, and their duties shall be under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.

Duties of the Merarites

29 "As for the sons of Merari, you shall number them by their families, by their fathers' households;

30 from ²⁰thirty years and upward even to fifty years old, you shall number them, everyone who enters the service to do the work of the tent of meeting.

31 "Now this is the duty of their loads, for all their service in the tent of meeting: the boards of the tabernacle and its bars and its pillars and its sockets,

32 and the pillars around the court and their sockets and their pegs and their cords, with all their equipment and with all their service; and you shall assign each man by name the items he is to carry.

33 "This is the service of the families of the sons of Merari, according to all their service in the tent of meeting, under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest."

34 So Moses and Aaron and the leaders of the congregation numbered the sons of the Kohathites by their families and by their fathers' households,

35 from ²¹thirty years and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who entered the service for work in the tent of meeting.

36 Their numbered men by their families were 2,750 * * *.

37 These are the numbered men of the Kohathite families, everyone who was serving in the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the commandment of the LORD through Moses.

38 The numbered men of the sons of Gershon by their families and by their fathers' households,

39 from thirty years and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who entered the service for work in the tent of meeting.

40 Their numbered men by their families, by their fathers' households, were 2,630 * *.

41 These are the numbered men of the families of the sons of Gershon, everyone who was serving in the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the commandment of the LORD.

42 The numbered men of the families of the sons of Merari by their families, by their fathers' households,

43 from ²²thirty years and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who entered the service for work in the tent of meeting.

44 Their numbered men by their families were 3,200 * *.

45 These are the numbered men of the families of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the commandment of the LORD through Moses.

46 All the numbered men of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron and the leaders of Israel numbered, by their families and by their fathers' households,

47 from thirty years and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who could enter to do the work of service and the work of carrying in the tent of meeting.

48 Their numbered men were ²³ 8,580 * * * *.

49 According to the commandment of the LORD through Moses, they ²⁴were numbered, everyone by his serving or carrying; thus these were his numbered men, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

Numbers 4 Commentary

Chapter 4

The Levites' service. (1-3) The duties of the Kohathites. (4-20) The duties of the Gershonites and Merarites. (21-33) The numbers of the serviceable Levites. (34-49)

Verses 1-3 The middle-aged men of the tribe of Levi, all from thirty years old to fifty, were to be employed in the service of the tabernacle. The service of God requires the best of our strength, and the prime portion of our time, which cannot be better spent than to the honour of Him who is the First and Best. And the service of God should be done when we are most lively and active. Those do not consider this who put off repentance to old age, and so leave the best work to be done in the worst time.

Verses 4-20 The Kohathites were to carry the holy things of the tabernacle. All the holy things were to be covered; not only for security and respect, but to keep them from being seen. This not only marked the reverence due to holy things, but the mystery of the things signified by those types, and the darkness of the dispensation. But now, through Christ, the case is altered, and we are encouraged to come boldly to the throne of grace.

Verses 21-33 We have here the charge of the other two families of the Levites, which, though not so honourable as the first, yet was necessary, and to be done regularly. All the things were delivered them by name. It intimates the care God takes of his church and every member of it. The death of the saints is ( 2 Corinthians. 5:1 ) ( 2 Peter. 1:14 ) great day, when these vile bodies shall be made like the glorious body of Jesus Christ, and so shall be for ever with the Lord.

Verses 34-49 God so ordered it, that though the Merarites were the fewest in number, yet they should have most able men among them; for whatever service God calls men to, he will furnish them for it, give strength in proportion to the work, and grace sufficient. The least of the tribes had many more able men than the Levites: those who engage in the service of this world, are many more than those devoted to the service of God. May our souls be wholly devoted to his service.

Cross References

• 1. Num 4:23, 30, 35; Numbers 8:24; 1 Chr 23:3, 24, 27; Ezra 3:8
• 2. Exodus 40:5; Leviticus 16:2; 2 Chronicles 3:14; Matthew 27:51; Hebrews 9:3
• 3. Exodus 25:10-16
• 4. Numbers 4:25
• 5. Exodus 25:30; Leviticus 24:5-9
• 6. Exodus 25:31
• 7. Exodus 25:37, 38
• 8. Exodus 27:1-8
• 9. Numbers 1:51; Numbers 4:19, 20; 2 Samuel 6:6, 7
• 10. Leviticus 24:1-3
• 11. Exodus 30:34-38
• 12. Leviticus 6:20
• 13. Exodus 30:22-33
• 14. Numbers 4:15
• 15. Exodus 19:21; 1 Samuel 6:19
• 16. Numbers 4:3; 1 Chr 23:3, 24, 27
• 17. Exodus 40:19
• 18. Exodus 26:14; Numbers 4:6
• 19. Exodus 38:9
• 20. Numbers 4:3; Numbers 8:24-26
• 21. 1 Chronicles 23:24
• 22. Numbers 8:24-26
• 23. Numbers 3:39
• 24. Numbers 1:47

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit "the sum"
• [b]. Lit "sons"
• [c]. Lit "sons"
• [d]. Or "violet"
• [e]. Or "violet"
• [f]. Or "violet"
• [g]. Lit "snuff dishes"
• [h]. Or "violet"
• [i]. Or "violet"
• [j]. Or "fat ashes;" i.e. soaked with fat
• [k]. Lit "burden...of the sons"
• [l]. Lit "dwelling place," and so throughout the ch
• [m]. Lit "the sum"
• [n]. Lit "also them"
• [o]. Lit "muster," and so throughout the ch
• [p]. Lit "so they shall serve"
• [q]. Lit "mouth"
• [r]. Lit "in the hand"
• [s]. Or "bases"
• [t]. Or "bases"
• [u]. Lit "of the duty of their loads"
• [v]. Lit "in the hand"
• [w]. Lit "mouth"
• [x]. Lit "by the hand of"
• [y]. Lit "mouth"
• [z]. Lit "mouth"
• [aa]. Lit "by the hand of"
• [ab]. Lit "mouth"
• [ac]. Lit "by the hand of"

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO NUMBERS 4

This chapter relates an order to number the Levites fit for business, and gives an account of the time and age when they should enter into service, and how long they should continue therein, Nu 4:1-3; what their particular service should be; and first of the Kohathites, Nu 4:4-20; next of the Gershonites, Nu 4:21-28; and then of the Merarites, Nu 4:29-33; after which Moses and Aaron, with the chief of the congregation, numbered each of them, even as many as were at the age fit for service, as the Kohathites, Nu 4:34-37; the Gershonites, Nu 4:38-41; the Merarites, Nu 4:42-45; the sum total of which is given, Nu 4:46-49.