Numbers 3:27

The Numbering of the Kohathites

3:27 From Kohath came the family of the Amramites, the family of the Izharites, the family of the Hebronites, and the family of the Uzzielites; these were the families of the Kohathites. ¹ 

Numbers 13:3

13:3 So Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran at the command ²  of the Lord. All of them were leaders ³  of the Israelites.

Numbers 14:38

14:38 But Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among ⁴  the men who went to investigate the land, lived.

Numbers 16:16

16:16 Then Moses said to Korah, “You and all your company present yourselves before the Lord – you and they, and Aaron – tomorrow.

Numbers 16:33

16:33 They and all that they had went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed over them. So they perished from among the community.

Numbers 17:5

17:5 And the staff of the man whom I choose will blossom; so I will rid myself of the complaints of the Israelites, which they murmur against you.”

Numbers 18:21

18:21 See, I have given the Levites all the tithes in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they perform – the service of the tent of meeting.

Numbers 27:14

27:14 For ⁵  in the wilderness of Zin when the community rebelled against me, you ⁶  rebelled against my command ⁷  to show me as holy ⁸  before their eyes over the water – the water of Meribah in Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.”

¹ sn Both Moses and Aaron came from this line (6:16-20). During the Hebrew monarchy this branch of the line of Levi was exemplary in music (1 Chr 6:33-48). They were also helpful to Hezekiah in his reforms (1 Chr 29:12-14).

² tn Heb “mouth.”

³ tn Heb “heads.”

³ tn The Hebrew text uses the preposition “from,” “some of” – “from those men.” The relative pronoun is added to make a smoother reading.

⁴ tn The preposition on the relative pronoun has the force of “because of the fact that.”

⁵ tn The verb is the second masculine plural form.

⁶ tn Heb “mouth.”

⁷ sn Using the basic meaning of the word קָדַשׁ (qadash, “to be separate, distinct, set apart”), we can understand better what Moses failed to do. He was supposed to have acted in a way that would have shown God to be distinct, different, holy. Instead, he gave the impression that God was capricious and hostile – very human. The leader has to be aware of what image he is conveying to the people.