Numbers 3:1-24

Levites to Be Priesthood

1 ¹Now these are the records of the generations of Aaron and Moses at the time when the LORD spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai.

2 ²These then 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 ³anointed priests, whom he ordained * to serve as priests.

4 ⁴But Nadab and Abihu died before the LORD when they offered strange fire before the LORD in the wilderness of Sinai; and they had no children. So Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests in the lifetime of their father Aaron.

5 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

6 "⁵Bring the tribe of Levi near and set them before Aaron the priest, that they may serve him.

7 "They shall perform the duties for him and for the whole congregation before the tent of meeting, to do the ⁶service of the tabernacle.

8 "They shall also keep all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, along with the duties of the sons of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle.

9 "You shall thus ⁷give the Levites to Aaron and to his sons; they are wholly given to him from among the sons of Israel.

10 "So you shall appoint Aaron and his sons that ⁸they may keep their priesthood, but ⁹the layman who comes near shall be put to death."

11 Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

12 "Now, behold, I ¹⁰have taken the Levites from among the sons of Israel instead of every ¹¹firstborn, the first issue of the womb among the sons of Israel. So the Levites shall be Mine.

13 "For ¹²all the firstborn are Mine; on the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified to Myself all the firstborn in Israel, from man to beast. They shall be Mine; I am the LORD."

14 Then the LORD spoke to Moses ¹³in the wilderness of Sinai, saying,

15 "¹⁴Number the sons of Levi by their fathers' households, by their families; every male from a month old and upward you shall number."

16 So Moses numbered them according to the word of the LORD, just as he had been commanded.

17 ¹⁵These then are the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon and Kohath and Merari.

18 These are the names of the ¹⁶sons of Gershon by their families: Libni and Shimei;

19 and the sons of Kohath by their families: Amram and Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel;

20 and the sons of Merari by their families: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their fathers' households.

21 Of Gershon was the family of the Libnites and the family of the Shimeites; these were the families of the Gershonites.

22 Their numbered men, in the numbering of every male from a month old and upward, even their numbered men were 7,500 * * *.

23 The families of the Gershonites were to camp behind the tabernacle westward,

24 and the leader of the fathers' households of the Gershonites was Eliasaph the son of Lael.

Numbers 3:1-24 Meaning and Commentary

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.

Cross References

• 1. Exodus 6:20-27
• 2. Exodus 6:23; Numbers 26:60
• 3. Exodus 28:41
• 4. Leviticus 10:1, 2; Numbers 26:61
• 5. Numbers 8:6-22; Numbers 18:1-7; Deuteronomy 10:8
• 6. Numbers 1:50
• 7. Numbers 18:6
• 8. Exodus 29:9
• 9. Numbers 1:51
• 10. Numbers 3:45; Numbers 8:14
• 11. Exodus 13:2
• 12. Exodus 13:2; Leviticus 27:26; Nehemiah 10:36
• 13. Exodus 19:1
• 14. Numbers 1:47
• 15. Exodus 6:16-22
• 16. Exodus 6:17

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit "filled their hand"
• [b]. Lit "before the face"
• [c]. Lit "him and the duties of the whole congregation"
• [d]. Lit "stranger"
• [e]. Lit "muster," and so throughout the ch
• [f]. Lit "mouth"
• [g]. Lit "dwelling place," and so throughout the ch