Numbers 3

This is the family record of Aaron and Moses at the time when the LORD spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai.

1These also are the generations of Aaron and Moses in the day that the LORD spake with Moses in mount Sinai.

NoteThe King James word "generations" means a family record or list of descendants. The heading announces both Aaron and Moses, but only Aaron's sons are listed; Moses' own sons (Exodus 18:3-4) never held priestly office, and the line that mattered for the priesthood was Aaron's.

2These are the names of Aaron's sons: Nadab, the oldest, then Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

2And these are the names of the sons of Aaron; Nadab the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

3These were the names of Aaron's sons, the priests who were anointed with oil and set apart to serve as priests.

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

NoteAnointing meant pouring scented olive oil over the head. It was the standard ceremony for installing someone in an office, and it is what formally made a man a priest rather than an ordinary Israelite.

4But Nadab and Abihu died in the presence of the LORD when they offered fire he had not commanded, in the desert of Sinai. They had no sons, so only Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests while their father Aaron was alive.

4And 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: and Eleazar and Ithamar ministered in the priest’s office in the sight of Aaron their father.

NoteThe incident is told in Leviticus 10: Aaron's two eldest sons burned incense with fire the LORD had not asked for, and were killed at the sanctuary. That they had no sons matters because the priesthood passed from father to son, so their branch of the family died out and the whole later priesthood descends from Eleazar and Ithamar.

5The LORD said to Moses,

5And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

6"Bring the tribe of Levi forward and present them to Aaron the priest, so they can help him in his work.

6Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister unto him.

NoteLevi was one of the twelve tribes, descended from Jacob's son Levi. Unlike the other tribes it received no block of territory of its own; its inheritance was the work of the sanctuary. Moses and Aaron were themselves Levites.

7They are to take care of duties for him and for the whole community in front of the tent of meeting, doing the work of the tabernacle.

7And they shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole congregation before the tabernacle of the congregation, to do the service of the tabernacle.

Note"Tent of meeting" and "tabernacle" are two names for the same portable structure: a dismantlable tent-shrine carried through the desert. "Tent of meeting" names it as the place where God met Moses; "tabernacle" translates a Hebrew word meaning dwelling-place.

8They are to take care of all the equipment of the tent of meeting, and to carry out duties for the people of Israel by doing the work of the tabernacle.

8And they shall keep all the instruments of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the charge of the children of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle.

9Give the Levites to Aaron and his sons. Out of all the people of Israel, they are given completely to him.

9And thou shalt give the Levites unto Aaron and to his sons: they are wholly given unto him out of the children of Israel.

10Appoint Aaron and his sons to carry out the work of the priests. Anyone else who comes near must be put to death."

10And thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall wait on their priest’s office: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.

Note"Stranger" in the King James does not mean a foreigner. It means anyone outside the appointed group, here, any Israelite who was not a priest, including the Levites themselves, who assisted but did not officiate.

11The LORD said to Moses,

11And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

12"Look, I have taken the Levites from among the people of Israel to stand in place of every firstborn son, every male who is the first to open his mother's womb. So the Levites are mine,

12And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn that openeth the matrix among the children of Israel: therefore the Levites shall be mine;

Note"Firstborn" here means the first male a mother bears, not the father's eldest child. In a household with more than one wife each mother's first son counted, which is what the King James phrase "openeth the matrix" (opens the womb) specifies.

13because every firstborn belongs to me. On the day I struck down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, I set apart for myself every firstborn in Israel, both people and animals. They are mine. I am the LORD."

13Because all the firstborn are mine; for on the day that I smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I hallowed unto me all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast: mine shall they be: I am the LORD.

NoteThe reference is to the last of the ten plagues in Egypt (Exodus 12), when the firstborn of Egypt died and Israel's firstborn were spared. From then on Israel's firstborn sons and firstborn animals were treated as owed to God. The King James "hallowed" simply means set apart or dedicated.

14The LORD spoke to Moses in the desert of Sinai. He said,

14And the LORD spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying,

15"Count the Levites by their family lines and their clans. Count every male who is a month old or older."

15Number the children of Levi after the house of their fathers, by their families: every male from a month old and upward shalt thou number them.

NoteThe other tribes were counted from age twenty and only fighting men (Numbers 1). The Levites are counted from one month old (the age at which an infant was reckoned likely to survive) because this is not a muster of soldiers but a tally of everyone in the tribe standing in for Israel's firstborn.

16So Moses counted them as the LORD had told him to, just as he was commanded.

16And Moses numbered them according to the word of the LORD, as he was commanded.

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

17And these were the sons of Levi by their names; Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari.

NoteThese three sons give the tribe its three divisions. Each is assigned its own place in the camp and its own share of the tabernacle to guard and carry when Israel moves, described in the verses that follow.

18These were the names of the sons of Gershon and their clans: Libni and Shimei.

18And these are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families; Libni, and Shimei.

19The sons of Kohath and their clans were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.

19And the sons of Kohath by their families; Amram, and Izehar, Hebron, and Uzziel.

NoteAccording to Exodus 6:20, Amram was the father of Moses and Aaron. The priestly family is therefore a branch of the Kohathite clan.

20The sons of Merari and their clans were Mahli and Mushi. These were the clans of the Levites, listed by their family lines.

20And the sons of Merari by their families; Mahli, and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to the house of their fathers.

21From Gershon came the Libnite clan and the Shimeite clan. These were the Gershonite clans.

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

22The number of all their males a month old or older was 7,500.

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

23The Gershonite clans were to camp on the west side, behind the tabernacle.

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

NoteThe Levite clans camped in a ring immediately around the tabernacle, between it and the twelve tribes, whose camping positions are set out in chapter 2. Gershon takes the west, Kohath the south, Merari the north, and Moses and Aaron the east.

24The leader of the families of the Gershonites was Eliasaph son of Lael.

24And the chief of the house of the father of the Gershonites shall be Eliasaph the son of Lael.

25At the tent of meeting the sons of Gershon were responsible for the tabernacle and the tent, its covering, and the curtain at the entrance to the tent of meeting,

25And the charge of the sons of Gershon in the tabernacle of the congregation shall be the tabernacle, and the tent, the covering thereof, and the hanging for the door of the tabernacle of the congregation,

Note"The tabernacle and the tent" are distinct layers of the same structure: the tabernacle proper was the set of embroidered linen curtains forming the inner walls and ceiling, and over it was draped a tent of goat-hair cloth, with hide coverings on top of that. The Gershonites' assignment is the fabric.

26along with the curtains that form the courtyard, the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard that surrounds the tabernacle and the altar, and the ropes. They did all the work connected with these things.

26And the hangings of the court, and the curtain for the door of the court, which is by the tabernacle, and by the altar round about, and the cords of it for all the service thereof.

NoteThe courtyard was an open rectangular enclosure walled with fabric hung on posts, with the altar for burnt offerings standing inside it in front of the tabernacle. The cords were the guy-ropes that held the hangings and coverings taut.

27From Kohath came the Amramite clan, the Izharite clan, the Hebronite clan, and the Uzzielite clan. These were the Kohathite clans.

27And of Kohath was the family of the Amramites, and the family of the Izeharites, and the family of the Hebronites, and the family of the Uzzielites: these are the families of the Kohathites.

28The number of all their males a month old or older was 8,600. They were responsible for the care of the holy place.

28In the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, were eight thousand and six hundred, keeping the charge of the sanctuary.

Note"The holy place" (King James "sanctuary") means the set-apart place, the tabernacle and its contents as a whole, not one particular room.

29The clans of the sons of Kohath were to camp on the south side of the tabernacle.

29The families of the sons of Kohath shall pitch on the side of the tabernacle southward.

30The leader of the families of the Kohathite clans was Elizaphan son of Uzziel.

30And the chief of the house of the father of the families of the Kohathites shall be Elizaphan the son of Uzziel.

31They were responsible for the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the containers and tools of the holy place used in serving there, and the inner curtain. They did all the work connected with these things.

31And their charge shall be the ark, and the table, and the candlestick, and the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary wherewith they minister, and the hanging, and all the service thereof.

NoteThe Kohathites' load is the sacred furniture: the ark, a gold-covered wooden chest holding the stone tablets and kept in the innermost room; the table, on which loaves were set out before God; the lampstand, a seven-branched gold lamp; the altars, meaning both the large bronze altar for burnt offerings and the small gold altar for incense; and the inner curtain screening off the innermost room. These pieces were carried by hand on poles rather than on carts.

32Eleazar son of Aaron the priest was the chief leader over the leaders of the Levites. He supervised those who cared for the holy place.

32And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall be chief over the chief of the Levites, and have the oversight of them that keep the charge of the sanctuary.

NoteEleazar was Aaron's surviving elder son and later succeeded him as high priest. His post here is supervisory, over the three clan leaders just named.

33From Merari came the Mahlite clan and the Mushite clan. These were the clans of Merari.

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

34The number of all their males a month old or older was 6,200.

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

35The leader of the families of the Merarite clans was Zuriel son of Abihail. They were to camp on the north side of the tabernacle.

35And the chief of the house of the father of the families of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail: these shall pitch on the side of the tabernacle northward.

36The sons of Merari were put in charge of the frames of the tabernacle, its crossbars, its posts, its bases, all its equipment, and all the service of it,

36And under the custody and charge of the sons of Merari shall be the boards of the tabernacle, and the bars thereof, and the pillars thereof, and the sockets thereof, and all the vessels thereof, and all that serveth thereto,

NoteThe Merarites carry the skeleton of the structure: upright wooden frames overlaid with gold, the crossbars that locked them into a rigid wall, and the heavy metal bases the frames stood in.

37along with the posts around the courtyard, with their bases, their tent pegs, and their ropes.

37And the pillars of the court round about, and their sockets, and their pins, and their cords.

38Moses, Aaron, and Aaron's sons were to camp on the east side of the tabernacle, toward the sunrise, in front of the tent of meeting. They cared for the holy place on behalf of the people of Israel. Anyone else who came near was to be put to death.

38But those that encamp before the tabernacle toward the east, even before the tabernacle of the congregation eastward, shall be Moses, and Aaron and his sons, keeping the charge of the sanctuary for the charge of the children of Israel; and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.

NoteEast was the front. The tabernacle's entrance faced the sunrise, so Moses, Aaron and the priests camped directly at the door, closing the ring of Levites around the sanctuary.

39The total number of Levites that Moses and Aaron counted by their clans, at the LORD's command, counting all the males a month old or older, was 22,000.

39All that were numbered of the Levites, which Moses and Aaron numbered at the commandment of the LORD, throughout their families, all the males from a month old and upward, were twenty and two thousand.

NoteThe three clan totals just given (7,500 + 8,600 + 6,200) add up to 22,300, not the 22,000 stated here. The discrepancy stands in the Hebrew text itself; it has been explained as a copying error in one of the figures, or on the ground that Levite firstborn sons could not be counted as substitutes for anyone else.

40The LORD said to Moses, "Count every firstborn male of the people of Israel who is a month old or older, and make a list of their names.

40And the LORD said unto Moses, Number all the firstborn of the males of the children of Israel from a month old and upward, and take the number of their names.

41Take the Levites for me in place of all the firstborn of Israel. I am the LORD. And take the livestock of the Levites in place of all the firstborn of the livestock of the people of Israel."

41And thou shalt take the Levites for me (I am the LORD) instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel; and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstlings among the cattle of the children of Israel.

42So Moses counted all the firstborn of the people of Israel, as the LORD had commanded him.

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

43The total number of firstborn males a month old or older, listed by name, was 22,273.

43And all the firstborn males by the number of names, from a month old and upward, of those that were numbered of them, were twenty and two thousand two hundred and threescore and thirteen.

NoteThe Levites numbered 22,000, so they fall 273 short of the 22,273 firstborn Israelites they are to replace. That shortfall is what the payment in the following verses settles.

44The LORD said to Moses,

44And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

45"Take the Levites in place of all the firstborn of the people of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites in place of their livestock. The Levites are mine. I am the LORD.

45Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle; and the Levites shall be mine: I am the LORD.

46There are 273 firstborn of Israel who are more than the number of the Levites. To buy them back,

46And for those that are to be redeemed of the two hundred and threescore and thirteen of the firstborn of the children of Israel, which are more than the Levites;

NoteTo "redeem" (buy back) is to release a person, animal or piece of property from a claim on it by paying a fixed price instead. It was an ordinary legal transaction, not a figure of speech.

47collect five shekels for each one, using the standard weight of the holy place, where a shekel equals twenty gerahs.

47Thou shalt even take five shekels apiece by the poll, after the shekel of the sanctuary shalt thou take them: (the shekel is twenty gerahs:)

NoteA shekel was a weight of silver, not a coin, coined money did not yet exist. The "shekel of the sanctuary" was the official standard weight, roughly 11.5 grams, about two-fifths of an ounce; five shekels is therefore about 57 grams of silver. A gerah was the smallest unit, one twentieth of a shekel.

48Give the money to Aaron and his sons as the payment for the extra ones who must be bought back."

48And thou shalt give the money, wherewith the odd number of them is to be redeemed, unto Aaron and to his sons.

49So Moses collected the money paid to buy back those who were more than the number covered by the Levites.

49And Moses took the redemption money of them that were over and above them that were redeemed by the Levites:

50He collected the money from the firstborn of the people of Israel: 1,365 shekels, by the standard weight of the holy place.

50Of the firstborn of the children of Israel took he the money; a thousand three hundred and threescore and five shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary:

NoteThe figure is the arithmetic of the previous verses: 273 men at five shekels each comes to 1,365 shekels, about 15 kilograms of silver.

51Moses gave the money for those who were bought back to Aaron and his sons, following the word of the LORD, just as the LORD had commanded him.

51And Moses gave the money of them that were redeemed unto Aaron and to his sons, according to the word of the LORD, as the LORD commanded Moses.