Numbers 4

ENGWEBEnglish49 verses

1Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,

2“Take a census of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, by their families, by their fathers’ houses,

3from thirty years old and upward even until fifty years old, all who enter into the service, to do the work in the Tent of Meeting.

4“This is the service of the sons of Kohath in the Tent of Meeting, the most holy things.

5When the camp moves forward, Aaron shall go in, and his sons, and they shall take down the veil of the screen, and cover the ark of the Testimony with it,

6and shall put a covering of sealskin on it, and shall spread over it a cloth all of blue, and shall put in its poles.

7“On the table of show bread they shall spread a blue cloth, and put on it the dishes, the spoons, the bowls, and the cups with which to pour out; and the continual bread shall be on it.

8They shall spread on them a scarlet cloth, and cover the same with a covering of sealskin, and shall put in its poles.

9“They shall take a blue cloth, and cover the lamp stand of the light, and its lamps, and its snuffers, and its snuff dishes, and all its oil vessels, with which they minister to it.

10They shall put it and all its vessels within a covering of sealskin, and shall put it on the frame.

11“On the golden altar they shall spread a blue cloth, and cover it with a covering of sealskin, and shall put in its poles.

12“They shall take all the vessels of ministry, with which they minister in the sanctuary, and put them in a blue cloth, and cover them with a covering of sealskin, and shall put them on the frame.

13“They shall take away the ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth on it.

14They shall put on it all its vessels, with which they minister about it, the fire pans, the flesh hooks, the shovels, and the basins; all the vessels of the altar; and they shall spread on it a covering of sealskin, and put in its poles.

15“When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary, and all the furniture of the sanctuary, as the camp moves forward; after that, the sons of Kohath shall come to carry it: but they shall not touch the sanctuary, lest they die. These things are the burden of the sons of Kohath in the Tent of Meeting.

16“The duty of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall be the oil for the light, the sweet incense, the continual meal offering, and the anointing oil, the requirements of all the tabernacle, and of all that is in it, the sanctuary, and its furnishings.”

17Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,

18“Don’t cut off the tribe of the families of the Kohathites from among the Levites;

19but thus do to them, that they may live, and not die, when they approach to the most holy things: Aaron and his sons shall go in, and appoint them everyone to his service and to his burden;

20but they shall not go in to see the sanctuary even for a moment, lest they die.”

21Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

22“Take a census of the sons of Gershon also, by their fathers’ houses, by their families;

23you shall count them from thirty years old and upward until fifty years old; all who enter in to wait on 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 bearing burdens:

25they shall carry the curtains of the tabernacle, and the Tent of Meeting, its covering, and the covering of sealskin that is above on it, 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 gate of the court, which is by the tabernacle and around the altar, and their cords, and all the instruments of their service, and whatever shall be done with them. They shall serve in there.

27At the commandment of Aaron and his sons shall be all the service of the sons of the Gershonites, in all their burden, and in all their service; and you shall appoint their duty to them in all their responsibilities.

28This is the service of the families of the sons of the Gershonites in the Tent of Meeting: and their duty shall be under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.

29“As for the sons of Merari, you shall number them by their families, by their fathers’ houses;

30you shall count them from thirty years old and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who enters on the service, to do the work of the Tent of Meeting.

31This is the duty of their burden, according to all their service in the Tent of Meeting: the tabernacle’s boards, its bars, its pillars, its sockets,

32and the pillars of the court around it, and their sockets, and their pins, and their cords, with all their instruments, and with all their service: and by name you shall appoint the instruments of the duty of their burden.

33This is the service of the families of the sons of Merari, according to all their service, in the Tent of Meeting, under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.”

34Moses and Aaron and the princes of the congregation numbered the sons of the Kohathites by their families, and by their fathers’ houses,

35from thirty years old and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who entered into the service, for work in the Tent of Meeting.

36Those who were numbered of them by their families were two thousand seven hundred fifty.

37These are those who were numbered of the families of the Kohathites, all who served in the Tent of Meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the commandment of Yahweh by Moses.

38Those who were numbered of the sons of Gershon, their families, and by their fathers’ houses,

39from thirty years old and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who entered into the service, for work in the Tent of Meeting,

40even those who were numbered of them, by their families, by their fathers’ houses, were two thousand six hundred thirty.

41These are those who were numbered of the families of the sons of Gershon, all who served in the Tent of Meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the commandment of Yahweh.

42Those who were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, by their families, by their fathers’ houses,

43from thirty years old and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who entered into the service, for work in the Tent of Meeting,

44even those who were numbered of them by their families, were three thousand two hundred.

45These are those who were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the commandment of Yahweh by Moses.

46All those who were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron and the princes of Israel numbered, by their families, and by their fathers’ houses,

47from thirty years old and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who entered in to do the work of service, and the work of bearing burdens in the Tent of Meeting,

48even those who were numbered of them, were eight thousand five hundred eighty.

49According to the commandment of Yahweh they were numbered by Moses, everyone according to his service, and according to his burden. Thus were they numbered by him, as Yahweh commanded Moses.

Commentary

4:1-3 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.

Chapter 4 In the former chapter an account was taken of the whole tribe of Levi, in this we have an account of those of that tribe who were in the prime of their time for service, betwixt thirty and fifty years old. I. The serviceable men of the Kohathites are ordered to be numbered, and their charges are given them (v. 2–20). II. Of the Gershonites (v. 24–28). III. Of the Merarites (v. 29–33). IV. The numbers of each, and the sum total at last, are recorded (v. 34, etc.).Verses 1-20 We have here a second muster of the tribe of Levi. As that tribe was taken out of all Israel to be God’s peculiar, so the middle-aged men of that tribe were taken from among the rest to be actually employed in the service of the tabernacle. Now observe,I. Who were to be taken into this number. All the males from thirty years old to fifty. Of the other tribes, those that were numbered to go forth to war were from twenty years old and upward, but of the Levites only from thirty to fifty; for the service of God requires the best of our strength, and the prime of our time, which cannot be better spent than to the honour of him who is the first and best. And a man may make a good soldier much sooner than a good minister. Now,1. They were not to be employed till they were thirty years old, because till then they were in danger of retaining something childish and youthful and had not gravity enough to do the service, and wear the honour, of a Levite. They were entered as probationers at twenty-five years old, (ch. 8:24), and in David’s time, when there was more work to be done, at twenty (1 Chr. 23:24, and so Ezra 3:8); but they must be five years learning and waiting, and so fitting themselves for service; nay, in David’s time they were ten years in preparation, from twenty to thirty. John Baptist began his public ministry, and Christ his, at thirty years old. This is not in the letter of it obligatory on gospel ministers now, as if they must either not begin their work till thirty years old or must leave off at fifty; but it gives us two good rules:—(1.) That ministers must not be novices, 1 Tim. 3:6. It is a work that requires ripeness of judgment and great steadiness, and therefore those are very unfit for it who are but babes in knowledge and have not put away childish things. (2.) That they must learn before they teach, serve before they rule, and must first be proved, 1 Tim. 3:10.2. They were discharged at fifty years old from the toilsome part of the service, particularly that of carrying the tabernacle; for that is the special service to which they are here ordained, and which there was most occasion for while they were in the wilderness. When they began to enter upon old age, they were dismissed, (1.) In favour to them, that they might no be over-toiled when their strength began to decay. Twenty years’ good service was thought pretty well for one man. (2.) In honour to the work, that it might not be done by those who, through the infirmities of age, were slow and heavy. The service of God should be done when we are in the most lively active frame. Those do not consider this who put off their repentance to old age, and so leave the best work to be done in the worst time.II. How their work is described. They are said to enter into the host, or warfare, to do the work in the tabernacle. The ministry is a good work (1 Tim. 3:1): ministers are not ordained to the honour only, but to the labour, not only to have the wages, but to do the work. It is also a good warfare, 1 Tim. 1:18. Those that enter into the ministry must look upon themselves as entered into the host, and approve themselves good soldiers, 2 Tim. 2:3. Now, as to the sons of Kohath in particular, here is,1. Their service appointed them, in the removes of the tabernacle. Afterwards, when the tabernacle was fixed, they had other work assigned them; but this was the work of the day, which was to be done in its day. Observe, Wherever the camp of Israel went, the tabernacle of the Lord went with them, and care must be taken for the carriage of it. Note, Wherever we go, we must see to it that we take our religion along with us, and not forget that or any part of it. Now the Koliathites were to carry all the holy things of the tabernacle. They were charged with those things before (ch. 3:31), but here they have more particular instructions given them. (1.) Aaron, and his sons the priests, must pack up the things which the Kohathites were to carry, as here directed, v. 5, etc. God had before appointed that none should come into the most holy place, but only Aaron once a year with a cloud of incense (Lev. 16:2); and yet, the necessity of their unsettled state requiring it, that law is here dispensed with; for every time they removed Aaron and his sons went in to take down the ark, and make it up for carriage; for (as the learned bishop Patrick suggests) the shechinah, or display of the divine majesty, which was over the mercy-seat, removed for the present in the pillar of cloud, which was taken up, and then the ark was not dangerous to be approached. (2.) All the holy things must be covered, the ark and table with three coverings, all the rest with two. Even the ashes of the altar, in which the holy fire was carefully preserved and raked up, must have a purple cloth spread over them, v. 13. Even the brazen altar, though in the court of the sanctuary it stood open to the view of all, yet was covered in the carriage of it. All these coverings were designed, [1.

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Translations8 · 5

AMHEVG እግዚአብሔርም ሙሴንና አሮንን እንዲህ ብሎ ተናገራቸው፦ አማርኛ ENGNIV The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: English BCV እግዚኣብሄር ድማ ንሙሴን ንኣሮንን ትግርኛ GAZBIB Waaqayyo yommus Museedhaa fi Aaroniin, Afaan Oromoo BCV GIZ ወነበቦሙ እግዚአብሔር ለሙሴ ወለአሮን ወይቤሎሙ፦ giz GAZGAZ Waaqayyo yommus Museedhaa fi Aaroniin, Afaan Oromoo BCV aksum እግዚኣብሄር ድማ ንሙሴን ንኣሮንን ትግርኛ AMHNIV እግዚአብሔር (ያህዌ) ሙሴንና አሮንን እንዲህ አላቸው፤ አማርኛ