3:31 Their responsibilities included the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, and the utensils of the sanctuary with which they ministered, 1 the curtain, and all their service. 2
31:6 So Moses sent them to the war, one thousand from every tribe, with Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest, who was in charge 3 of the holy articles 4 and the signal trumpets.
1 tn The verb is יְשָׁרְתוּ (yÿsharÿtu, “they will serve/minister”). The imperfect tense in this place, however, probably describes what the priests would do, what they used to do. The verb is in a relative clause: “which they would serve with them,” which should be changed to read “with which they would serve.”
2 tn The word is literally “its [their] service.” It describes all the implements that were there for the maintenance of these things.
3 tn The Hebrew text uses the idiom that these “were in his hand,” meaning that he had the responsibility over them.
4 sn It is not clear what articles from the sanctuary were included. Tg. Ps.-J. adds (interpretively) “the Urim and Thummim.”