Numbers 4:30-40

30 of all those between thirty and fifty years old, all who will be in the corps doing the work of serving in the tent of meeting.
31 "Their service for the tent of meeting will be to carry the frames, crossbars, posts and sockets of the tabernacle;
32 also the posts for the surrounding courtyard, with their sockets, tent pegs, ropes and other accessories, and everything having to do with their service. You are to assign particular loads to specific persons by name.
33 This is how the M'rari families are to serve in the tent of meeting, directed by Itamar the son of Aharon the cohen."
34 Moshe, Aharon and the community leaders took a census of the descendants of K'hat by their clans and families,
35 all those between thirty and fifty years old who were part of the corps serving in the tent of meeting.
36 Registered by their families, they numbered 2,750.
37 These are the ones counted from the K'hat families of all those serving in the tent of meeting, whom Moshe and Aharon enumerated, in keeping with the order given by ADONAI through Moshe.
38 The census of the descendants of Gershon, by their clans and families,
39 all those between thirty and fifty years old who were part of the corps serving in the tent of meeting,
40 yielded 2,630, registered by their clans and families.

Numbers 4:30-40 Meaning and Commentary

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.

Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.