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Numbers 3

ENGWEBEnglish51 verses

1Now this is the history of the generations of Aaron and Moses in the day that Yahweh spoke with Moses in Mount Sinai.

2These are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

3These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the priests who were anointed, whom he consecrated to minister in the priest’s office.

4Nadab and Abihu died before Yahweh, when they offered strange fire before Yahweh, in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children. Eleazar and Ithamar ministered in the priest’s office in the presence of Aaron their father.

5Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

6“Bring the tribe of Levi near, and set them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister to him.

7They shall keep his requirements, and the requirements of the whole congregation before the Tent of Meeting, to do the service of the tabernacle.

8They shall keep all the furnishings of the Tent of Meeting, and the obligations of the children of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle.

9You shall give the Levites to Aaron and to his sons. They are wholly given to him on the behalf of the children of Israel.

10You shall appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall keep their priesthood. The stranger who comes near shall be put to death.”

11Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

12“Behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn who open the womb among the children of Israel; and the Levites shall be mine:

13for all the firstborn are mine. On the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I made holy to me all the firstborn in Israel, both man and animal. They shall be mine. I am Yahweh.”

14Yahweh spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying,

15“Count the children of Levi by their fathers’ houses, by their families. You shall count every male from a month old and upward.”

16Moses numbered them according to Yahweh’s word, as he was commanded.

17These were the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari.

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

19The sons of Kohath by their families: Amram, and Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.

20The sons of Merari by their families: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their fathers’ houses.

21Of Gershon was the family of the Libnites, and the family of the Shimeites: these are the families of the Gershonites.

22Those who were numbered of them, according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, even those who were numbered of them were seven thousand five hundred.

23The families of the Gershonites shall encamp behind the tabernacle westward.

24The prince of the fathers’ house of the Gershonites shall be Eliasaph the son of Lael.

25The duty of the sons of Gershon in the Tent of Meeting shall be the tabernacle, and the tent, its covering, and the screen for the door of the Tent of Meeting,

26and the hangings of the court, and the screen for the door of the court, which is by the tabernacle, and around the altar, and its cords for all of its service.

27Of Kohath was 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.

28According to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, there were eight thousand six hundred, keeping the requirements of the sanctuary.

29The families of the sons of Kohath shall encamp on the south side of the tabernacle.

30The prince of the fathers’ house of the families of the Kohathites shall be Elizaphan the son of Uzziel.

31Their duty shall be the ark, the table, the lamp stand, the altars, the vessels of the sanctuary with which they minister, and the screen, and all its service.

32Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall be prince of the princes of the Levites, with the oversight of those who keep the requirements of the sanctuary.

33Of Merari was the family of the Mahlites, and the family of the Mushites. These are the families of Merari.

34Those who were numbered of them, according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, were six thousand two hundred.

35The prince of the fathers’ house of the families of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail. They shall encamp on the north side of the tabernacle.

36The appointed duty of the sons of Merari shall be the tabernacle’s boards, its bars, its pillars, its sockets, all its instruments, all its service,

37the pillars of the court around it, their sockets, their pins, and their cords.

38Those who encamp before the tabernacle eastward, in front of the Tent of Meeting toward the sunrise, shall be Moses, and Aaron and his sons, keeping the requirements of the sanctuary for the duty of the children of Israel. The stranger who comes near shall be put to death.

39All who were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron numbered at the commandment of Yahweh, by their families, all the males from a month old and upward, were twenty-two thousand.

40Yahweh said to Moses, “Number all the firstborn males of the children of Israel from a month old and upward, and take the number of their names.

41You shall take the Levites for me (I am Yahweh) instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel; and the livestock of the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the livestock of the children of Israel.”

42Moses numbered, as Yahweh commanded him, all the firstborn among the children of Israel.

43All the firstborn males according to the number of names, from a month old and upward, of those who were numbered of them, were twenty-two thousand two hundred seventy-three.

44Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

45“Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites instead of their livestock; and the Levites shall be mine. I am Yahweh.

46For the redemption of the two hundred seventy-three of the firstborn of the children of Israel, who exceed the number of the Levites,

47you shall take five shekels apiece for each one; after the shekel of the sanctuary you shall take them (the shekel is twenty gerahs):

48and you shall give the money, with which their remainder is redeemed, to Aaron and to his sons.”

49Moses took the redemption money from those who exceeded the number of those who were redeemed by the Levites;

50from the firstborn of the children of Israel he took the money, one thousand three hundred sixty-five shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary:

51and Moses gave the redemption money to Aaron and to his sons, according to Yahweh’s word, as Yahweh commanded Moses.

Commentary

CHAPTER 3Nu 3:1-51. The Levites' Service.1. These … are the generations of Aaron and Moses, &c.—This chapter contains an account of their families; and although that of Moses is not detailed like his brother's, his children are included under the general designation of the Amramites (Nu 3:27), a term which comprehends all the descendants of their common father Amram. The reason why the family of Moses was so undistinguished in this record is that they were in the private ranks of the Levites, the dignity of the priesthood being conferred exclusively on the posterity of Aaron; and hence, as the sacerdotal order is the subject of this chapter, Aaron, contrary to the usual style of the sacred history, is mentioned before Moses.in the day that the Lord spake with Moses in mount Sinai—This is added, because at the date of the following record the family of Aaron was unbroken.

3:1 These - Which follow in this chapter . The generations - The kindred or family. Moses his family and children are here included under the general name of the Amramites, Nu 3:27, which includes all the children and grand - children of Amram, the persons only of Aaron and Moses being excepted. And the generations of Moses are thus obscurely mentioned, because they were but common Levites, the priesthood being given solely to Aaron's posterity, whence Aaron is here put before Moses, who elsewhere is commonly named after him. In Sinai - Nadab and Abihu, were then alive, though dead at the time of taking this account.

Chapter 3 This chapter and the next are concerning the tribe of Levi, which was to be mustered and marshalled by itself, and not in common with the other tribes, intimating the particular honour put upon them and the particular duty and service required from them. The Levites are in this chapter considered, I. As attendants on, and assistants to, the priests in the temple-service. And so we have an account, 1. Of the priests themselves (v. 1-4) and their work (v. 10). 2. Of the gift of the Levites to them (v. 5-9), in order to which they are mustered (v. 14–16), and the sum of them taken (v. 39). Each particular family of them is mustered, has its place assigned and its charge, the Gershonites (v. 17–26), the Kohathites (v. 27–32), the Merarites (v. 33–39). II. As equivalents for the first-born (v. 11–13). 1. The first-born are numbered, and the Levites taken instead of them, as far as the number of the Levites went (v. 40–45). 2. What first-born there were more than the Levites were redeemed (v. 46, etc.).Verses 1-13 Here, I. The family of Aaron is confirmed in the priests’ office, v. 10. They had been called to it before, and consecrated; here they are appointed to wait on their priests’ office: the apostle uses this phrase (Rom. 12:7), Let us wait on our ministry. The office of the ministry requires a constant attendance and great diligence; so frequent are the returns of its work, and yet so transient its favourable opportunities, that it must be waited on. Here is repeated what was said before (ch. 1:51): The stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death, which forbids the invading of the priest’s office by any other person whatsoever; none must come nigh to minister but Aaron and his sons only, all others are strangers. It also lays a charge on the priests, as door-keepers in God’s house, to take care that none should come near who were forbidden by the law; they must keep off all intruders, whose approach would be to the profanation of the holy things, telling them that if they came near it was at their peril, they would die by the hand of God, as Uzza did. The Jews say that afterwards there was hung over the door of the temple a golden sword (perhaps alluding to that flaming sword at the entrance of the garden of Eden), on which was engraven, The stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.II. A particular account is given of this family of Aaron; what we have met with before concerning them is here repeated. 1. The consecration of the sons of Aaron, v. 3. They were all anointed to minister before the Lord, though it appeared afterwards, and God knew it, that two of them were wise and two were foolish. 2. The fall of the two elder (v. 4): they offered strange fire, and died for so doing, before the Lord. This is mentioned here in the preamble to the law concerning the priesthood, for a warning to all succeeding priests; let them know, by this example, that God is a jealous God, and will not be mocked; the holy anointing oil was an honour to the obedient, but not a shelter to the disobedient. It is here said, They had no children, Providence so ordering it, for their greater punishment, that none of their descendants should remain to be priests, and so bear up their name who had profaned God’s name. 3. The continuance of the two younger: Eleazar and Ithamar ministered in the sight of Aaron. It intimates, (1.) The care they took about their ministration not to make any blunders; they kept under their father’s eye, and took instruction from him in all they did, because, probably, Nadab and Abihu got out of their father’s sight when they offered strange fire. Note, It is good for young people to act under the direction and inspection of those that are aged and experienced. (2.) The comfort Aaron took in it; it pleased him to see his younger sons behave themselves prudently and gravely, when his two elder had miscarried. Note, It is a great satisfaction to parents to see their children walk in the truth, 3 Jn. 4.III. A grant is made of the Levites to be assistants to the priests in their work: Give the Levites to Aaron, v. 9. Aaron was to have a greater propriety in, and power over, the tribe of Levi than any other of the prices had in and over their respective tribes.

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Translations8 · 5

AMHEVG እግዚአብሔርም በሲና ተራራ ላይ ሙሴን በተናገረበት ቀን የአሮንና የሙሴ ትውልድ ይህ ነበረ። አማርኛ ENGNIV This is the account of the family of Aaron and Moses at the time the Lord talked with Moses on Mount Sinai. English BCV በታ እግዚኣብሄር ኣብ ደብረ ሲና ንሙሴ ዝተዛረበላ እዋን፥ ትውልዲ ኣሮንን ሙሴን እዙይ እዩ፦ ትግርኛ GAZBIB Waaqayyo tulluu Siinaa irratti Museetti yommuu dubbate, sanyiin Aaronii fi Musee akka kanatti fufee jiru turan. Afaan Oromoo BCV GIZ ወከመዝ ይእቲ ፍጥረቶሙ ለሙሴ ወለአሮን በዕለተ ተናገሮ እግዚአብሔር ለሙሴ በደብረ ሲና። giz GAZGAZ Waaqayyo tulluu Siinaa irratti Museetti yommuu dubbate, sanyiin Aaronii fi Musee akka kanatti fufee jiru turan. Afaan Oromoo BCV aksum በታ እግዚኣብሄር ኣብ ደብረ ሲና ንሙሴ ዝተዛረበላ እዋን፥ ትውልዲ ኣሮንን ሙሴን እዙይ እዩ፦ ትግርኛ AMHNIV እግዚአብሔር (ያህዌ) ሙሴን በሲና ተራራ ላይ ባነጋገረው ጊዜ የአሮንና የሙሴ ትውልድ ይህ ነበር፤ አማርኛ