Numbers 4:3

4:3 from thirty years old and upward to fifty years old, all who enter the company ¹  to do the work in the tent of meeting.

Numbers 4:23

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.

Numbers 4:30

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.

Numbers 4:35

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;

Numbers 4:39

4:39 from thirty years old and upward to fifty years old, everyone who entered the company for the work in the tent of meeting –

Numbers 4:43

4:43 from thirty years old and upward to fifty years old, everyone who entered the company for the work in the tent of meeting –

Numbers 8:24

8:24 “This is what pertains to the Levites: ²  At the age of twenty-five years ³  and upward one may begin to join the company ⁴  in the work of the tent of meeting,

Numbers 31:3

31:3 So Moses spoke to the people: “Arm ⁵  men from among you for the war, to attack the Midianites and to execute ⁶  the Lord’s vengeance on Midian.

¹ tn The word “company” is literally “host, army” (צָבָא, tsava’). The repetition of similar expressions makes the translation difficult: Heb “all [who] come to the host to do work in the tent.”

² tn The Hebrew text has “this [is that] which [pertains] to the Levites.” “This is what concerns the Levites, meaning, the following rulings are for them.

³ tc The age of twenty-five indicated in v. 24 should be compared with the age of thirty indicated in Num 4:3,23,30. In order to harmonize the numbers given in chapter 4 with the number given in Num 8:24 the LXX (and perhaps its Hebrew Vorlage) has thirty in all of these references. See further G. J. Wenham, Numbers (TOTC 4), 97-98.

⁴ tn The infinitive is לִצְבֹא (litsvo’), related to the word for “host, army, company,” and so “to serve as a company.” The meaning is strengthened by the cognate accusative following it.

³ tn The Niphal imperative, literally “arm yourselves,” is the call to mobilize the nation for war. It is followed by the jussive, “and they will be,” which would then be subordinated to say “that they may be.” The versions changed the verb to a Hiphil, but that is unnecessary: “arm some of yourselves.”

⁴ tn Heb “give.”