Commentary
Old Testament : Genesis
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy
Joshua
Judges
Ruth
1 Samuel
2 Samuel
1 Kings
2 Kings
1 Chronicles
2 Chronicles
Ezra
Nehemiah
Esther
Job
Psalms
Proverbs
Ecclesiastes
The Song of Songs
Isaiah
Jeremiah
Lamentations
Ezekiel
Daniel
Hosea
Joel
Amos
Obadiah
Jonah
Micah
Nahum
Habakkuk
Zephaniah
Haggai
Zechariah
Malachi
![](images/minus.gif)
Text -- Numbers 4:1-36 (NET)
![](images/arrow_open.gif)
Strongs On/Off
Context
The Service of the Kohathites
4:1 Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron :
4:2 “Take a census of the Kohathites from among the Levites , by their families and by their clans ,
4:3 from thirty years old and upward to fifty years old , all who enter the company to do the work in the tent of meeting .
4:4 This is the service of the Kohathites in the tent of meeting , relating to the most holy things .
4:5 When it is time for the camp to journey , Aaron and his sons must come and take down the screening curtain and cover the ark of the testimony with it.
4:6 Then they must put over it a covering of fine leather and spread over that a cloth entirely of blue , and then they must insert its poles .
4:7 “On the table of the presence they must spread a blue cloth , and put on it the dishes , the pans , the bowls , and the pitchers for pouring , and the Bread of the Presence must be on it continually .
4:8 They must spread over them a scarlet cloth , and cover the same with a covering of fine leather ; and they must insert its poles .
4:9 “They must take a blue cloth and cover the lampstand of the light , with its lamps , its wick-trimmers , its trays , and all its oil vessels , with which they service it.
4:10 Then they must put it with all its utensils in a covering of fine leather , and put it on a carrying beam .
4:11 “They must spread a blue cloth on the gold altar , and cover it with a covering of fine leather ; and they must insert its poles .
4:12 Then they must take all the utensils of the service , with which they serve in the sanctuary , put them in a blue cloth , cover them with a covering of fine leather , and put them on a carrying beam .
4:13 Also, they must take away the ashes from the altar and spread a purple cloth over it.
4:14 Then they must place on it all its implements with which they serve there– the trays , the meat forks , the shovels , the basins , and all the utensils of the altar – and they must spread on it a covering of fine leather , and then insert its poles .
4:15 “When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the furnishings of the sanctuary , when the camp is ready to journey , then the Kohathites will come to carry them; but they must not touch any holy thing , or they will die . These are the responsibilities of the Kohathites with the tent of meeting .
4:16 “The appointed responsibility of Eleazar son of Aaron the priest is for the oil for the light , and the spiced incense , and the daily grain offering , and the anointing oil ; he also has the appointed responsibility over all the tabernacle with all that is in it, over the sanctuary and over all its furnishings .”
4:17 Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron :
4:18 “Do not allow the tribe of the families of the Kohathites to be cut off from among the Levites ;
4:19 but in order that they will live and not die when they approach the most holy things , do this for them: Aaron and his sons will go in and appoint each man to his service and his responsibility .
4:20 But the Kohathites are not to go in to watch while the holy things are being covered , or they will die .”
The Service of the Gershonites
4:21 Then the Lord spoke to Moses :
4:22 “Also take a census of the Gershonites , by their clans and by their families .
4:23 You must number them from thirty years old and upward to fifty years old , all who enter the company to do the work of the tent of meeting .
4:24 This is the service of the families of Gershonites , as they serve and carry it.
4:25 They must carry the curtains for the tabernacle and the tent of meeting with its covering , the covering of fine leather that is over it, the curtains for the entrance of the tent of meeting ,
4:26 the hangings for the courtyard , the curtain for the entrance of the gate of the court , which is around the tabernacle and the altar , and their ropes , along with all the furnishings for their service and everything that is made for them. So they are to serve .
4:27 “All the service of the Gershonites , whether carrying loads or for any of their work , will be at the direction of Aaron and his sons . You will assign them all their tasks as their responsibility .
4:28 This is the service of the families of the Gershonites concerning the tent of meeting . Their responsibilities will be under the authority of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest .
The Service of the Merarites
4:29 “As for the sons of Merari , you are to number them by their families and by their clans .
4:30 You must number them from thirty years old and upward to fifty years old , all who enter the company to do the work of the tent of meeting .
4:31 This is what they are responsible to carry as their entire service in the tent of meeting : the frames of the tabernacle , its crossbars , its posts , its sockets ,
4:32 and the posts of the surrounding courtyard with their sockets , tent pegs , and ropes , along with all their furnishings and everything for their service . You are to assign by names the items that each man is responsible to carry .
4:33 This is the service of the families of the Merarites , their entire service concerning the tent of meeting , under the authority of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest .”
Summary
4:34 So Moses and Aaron and the leaders of the community numbered the Kohathites by their families and by clans ,
4:35 from thirty years old and upward to fifty years old , everyone who entered the company for the work in the tent of meeting ;
4:36 and those of them numbered by their families were 2,750 .
![](images/advanced.gif)
![](images/advanced.gif)
![](images/advanced.gif)
Names, People and Places, Dictionary Themes and Topics
![](images/arrow_open.gif)
Names, People and Places:
Dictionary Themes and Topics:
Levites |
Kohathites |
PRIESTS AND LEVITES |
David |
EXODUS, THE BOOK OF, 3-4 |
Tabernacle |
Priest |
Ithamar |
Altar |
Skin |
Colors |
Badger |
Ark |
PORPOISE |
Gershon |
Skin, Coats made of |
Merarites |
Blue |
MERARI |
Lampstand |
more
![](images/cmt_minus_head.gif)
expand allCommentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes
NET Notes -> Num 4:1; Num 4:2; Num 4:2; Num 4:3; Num 4:4; Num 4:5; Num 4:6; Num 4:7; Num 4:7; Num 4:10; Num 4:13; Num 4:14; Num 4:15; Num 4:15; Num 4:15; Num 4:15; Num 4:15; Num 4:15; Num 4:15; Num 4:15; Num 4:16; Num 4:16; Num 4:16; Num 4:18; Num 4:19; Num 4:19; Num 4:19; Num 4:20; Num 4:24; Num 4:26; Num 4:26; Num 4:27; Num 4:27; Num 4:27; Num 4:27; Num 4:28; Num 4:28; Num 4:31; Num 4:32
NET Notes: Num 4:1 The chapter has four main parts to it: Kohathites (1-20), Gershonites (21-28), Merarites (29-33) and the census of the Levites (34-49).
![](images/cmt_minus.gif)
NET Notes: Num 4:2 The census of chapter 3 was to register all male Levites from a month old and up. It arranged the general duties of each of the tribes. The second cen...
![](images/cmt_minus.gif)
NET Notes: Num 4:3 The word “company” is literally “host, army” (צָבָא, tsava’). The repetition of similar ex...
![](images/cmt_minus.gif)
NET Notes: Num 4:4 The Hebrew text simply has “the holy of holies,” or “the holy of the holy things” (קֹדֶשׁ ...
![](images/cmt_minus.gif)
NET Notes: Num 4:5 The Hebrew text uses the infinitive construct in an adverbial clause of time; literally it says “in the journeying of the camp.” The genit...
![](images/cmt_minus.gif)
NET Notes: Num 4:6 The exact meaning of the Hebrew word here is difficult to determine. The term תַּחַשׁ (takhash) has been tra...
![](images/cmt_minus.gif)
NET Notes: Num 4:7 The Greek has “violet” instead of blue. This is also the case in vv. 8, 10, and 14.
![](images/cmt_minus.gif)
NET Notes: Num 4:10 The “pole” or “bar” (מוֹט, mot) is of a different style than the poles used for transporting the ark. ...
![](images/cmt_minus.gif)
NET Notes: Num 4:13 The Greek text has “and he must place the cover upon the altar” instead of “and they must take away the ashes from the altar.”...
![](images/cmt_minus.gif)
NET Notes: Num 4:14 For this passage the Greek and Smr have a substantial addition concerning the purple cloth for the laver and its base, and a further covering of skin ...
![](images/cmt_minus.gif)
NET Notes: Num 4:15 The word מַשָּׂא (massa’) is normally rendered “burden,” especially in prophetic literatur...
![](images/cmt_minus.gif)
NET Notes: Num 4:16 One would assume that he would prepare and wrap these items, but that the Kohathites would carry them to the next place.
![](images/cmt_minus.gif)
NET Notes: Num 4:18 The verb is simply the Qal, “do not cut off.” The context calls for a permissive nuance – “do not let them be cut off.” ...
![](images/cmt_minus.gif)
![](images/cmt_minus.gif)
NET Notes: Num 4:20 In the Hebrew text the verse has as the subject “they,” but to avoid confusion the antecedent has been clarified in the translation.
![](images/cmt_minus.gif)
NET Notes: Num 4:24 The two forms are the infinitive construct and then the noun: “to serve and for the burden.” They are to serve and they are to take the re...
![](images/cmt_minus.gif)
NET Notes: Num 4:26 The work of these people would have been very demanding, since the size and weight of the various curtains and courtyard hangings would have been grea...
![](images/cmt_minus.gif)
![](images/cmt_minus.gif)
NET Notes: Num 4:28 The material here suggests that Eleazar had heavier responsibilities than Ithamar, Aaron’s fourth and youngest son. It is the first indication t...
![](images/cmt_minus.gif)
NET Notes: Num 4:31 More recent studies have concluded that these “boards” were made of two long uprights joined by cross-bars (like a ladder). They were fram...
![](images/cmt_minus.gif)