Numbers 3:32

3:32 Now the head of all the Levitical leaders ¹  was Eleazar son of Aaron the priest. He was appointed over those who were responsible ²  for the sanctuary.

Numbers 3:47

3:47 collect ³  five shekels for each ⁴  one individually; you are to collect ⁵  this amount ⁶  in the currency of the sanctuary shekel (this shekel is twenty gerahs). ⁷ 

Numbers 7:9

7:9 But to the Kohathites he gave none, because the service of the holy things, which they carried ⁸  on their shoulders, was their responsibility. ⁹ 

¹ tn The Hebrew construction has “the leader of the leaders of” (וּנְשִׂיא נְשִׂיאֵי, unÿsi’ nÿsi’ey).

² tn Heb “the keepers of the responsibility” (שֹׁמְרֵי מִשְׁמֶרֶת, shomÿrey mishmeret). The participle is a genitive specifying the duty to which he was appointed (thing possessed); its cognate genitive emphasizes that their responsibility was over the holy place.

³ tn The verb again is the perfect tense in sequence; the meaning of “take” may be interpreted here with the sense of “collect.”

⁴ tn The idea is expressed simply by repetition: “take five, five, shekels according to the skull.” They were to collect five shekels for each individual.

⁵ tn The verb form now is the imperfect of instruction or legislation.

⁶ tn Heb “them,” referring to the five shekels.

⁷ sn The sanctuary shekel was first mentioned in Exod 30:13. The half-shekel of Exod 38:26 would then be 10 gerahs. Consequently, the calculations would indicate that five shekels was about two ounces of silver for each person. See R. B. Y. Scott, “Weights and Measures of the Bible,” BA 22 (1951): 22-40, and “The Scale-Weights from Ophel, 1963-1964,” PEQ 97 (1965): 128-39.

⁵ tn The verb is the imperfect tense, but it describes their customary activity – they had to carry, they used to carry.

⁶ tn Heb “upon them,” meaning “their duty.”