New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
Numbers 4
1
The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron. He said,
2
"Count the Kohath families of the Levites. Make a list of them family by family.
3
Count all of the men who are from 30 to 50 years old. Those are the men who must come and serve at the Tent of Meeting.
Reference
Temple
Numbers 4:23
4
"Here is the work the men of Kohath must do at the Tent of Meeting. They must take care of the things that are very holy.
Reference
5
"When the camp is ready to move, Aaron and his sons must go into the tent. They must take down the curtain that screens the ark where the tablets of the covenant are kept. They must cover the ark with the curtain.
Reference
6
Then they must cover that with the hides of sea cows. They must spread a solid blue cloth over the hides. And they must put the poles in place.
7
"They must spread a blue cloth over the table for the holy bread. They must put the plates, dishes and bowls on the cloth. They must also put the jars for drink offerings on it. The bread that is always kept there must remain on it.
8
They must spread a bright red cloth over everything. Then they must cover that with the hides of sea cows. And they must put the poles of the table in place.
9
"They must get a blue cloth. With it they must cover the lampstand that gives light. They must also cover its lamps, trays and wick cutters. And they must cover all of its jars. The jars are for the olive oil that is used in the lampstand.
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Then Aaron and his sons must wrap the lampstand and all of the things that are used with it. They must cover it with the hides of sea cows. And they must put it on a frame to carry it.
11
"They must spread a blue cloth over the gold altar for burning incense. They must cover that with the hides of sea cows. And they must put the poles of the altar in place.
12
"They must get all of the articles that are used for serving in the sacred tent. They must wrap them in a blue cloth. They must cover that with the hides of sea cows. Then they must put the articles on a frame to carry them.
Reference
Temple
1 Chronicles 9:29
13
"They must remove the ashes from the bronze altar for burnt offerings. They must spread a purple cloth over it.
14
Then they must place all of the tools on it. The tools are used for serving at the altar. They include the pans for carrying ashes. They also include the meat forks, shovels and sprinkling bowls. Aaron and his sons must cover the altar with the hides of sea cows. And they must put its poles in place.
15
"Aaron and his sons must cover all of the holy articles that belong to the holy tent. Then the men of Kohath must get ready to carry everything. They must do it when the camp is ready to move. But they must not touch the holy things. If they do, they will die. The men of Kohath must carry everything that is in the Tent of Meeting.
Reference
16
"The priest Eleazar will be in charge of the olive oil for the light. He is the son of Aaron. Eleazar will be in charge of the sweet-smelling incense. He will be in charge of the regular grain offering and the anointing oil. He will be in charge of the entire holy tent. He will also be in charge of everything that is in it. That includes all of the articles that belong to the tent."
Reference
17
The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron. He said,
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"Make sure that the Kohath families are not cut off from the Levites.
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I want them to live and not die when they come near the very holy things. So here is what you must do for them. Aaron and his sons must go into the sacred tent and tell each man what to do. They must tell each man what to carry.
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But the men of Kohath must not go in and look at the holy things. They must not look at them even for a moment. If they do, they will die."
Reference
21
The Lord said to Moses,
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"Count the Gershon families. Make a list of them family by family.
23
Count all of the men who are from 30 to 50 years old. Those are the men who must come and serve at the Tent of Meeting.
Reference
Temple
Numbers 4:3
24
"Here is how the Gershon families must serve. They must carry things.
25
They must carry the curtains of the holy Tent of Meeting. They must carry its covering and the outside covering of the hides of sea cows. They must carry the curtains that cover the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
Reference
Parallel theme
Exodus 26:14
26
They must carry the curtains of the courtyard. The courtyard is all around the holy tent and altar. They must carry the curtain for the entrance. They must carry the ropes. They must also carry all of the supplies that are used for any purpose in the tent. The men of Gershon must do everything that needs to be done with those things.
27
"All of their work must be done under the direction of Aaron and his sons. That includes carrying and everything else they do. Aaron and his sons must tell them what to carry. And that will be their work.
28
It is what the Gershon families must do at the Tent of Meeting. They must work under the direction of the priest Ithamar. He is the son of Aaron.
Reference
Temple
Numbers 4:33
29
"Count the Merari families. Count them family by family.
30
Count all of the men who are from 30 to 50 years old. Those are the men who must come and serve at the Tent of Meeting.
Reference
31
"Here is the work they must do at the Tent of Meeting. They must carry the frames of the holy tent. They must carry its crossbars, posts and bases.
32
They must also carry the posts of the courtyard. The courtyard is all around the holy tent. And they must carry the bases for the posts as well as their tent stakes and ropes. They must also carry all of the supplies and everything that is connected with their use. Tell each man exactly what to carry.
Reference
Parallel theme
Exodus 38:21
33
That is the work the Merari families must do at the Tent of Meeting. They must work under the direction of the priest Ithamar. He is the son of Aaron."
Reference
Temple
Numbers 4:28
34
Moses, Aaron and the leaders of the community counted the men of Kohath. They counted them family by family.
35
They counted all of the men who were from 30 to 50 years old. Those were the men who came and served at the Tent of Meeting.
Reference
36
There were 2,750 men. They were counted family by family.
37
That was the total of all of the men in the Kohath families who served at the Tent of Meeting. Moses and Aaron counted them. They did just as the Lord had commanded through Moses.
38
The men of Gershon were counted family by family.
39
All of the men who were from 30 to 50 years old were counted. They were the men who came and served at the Tent of Meeting.
40
There were 2,630 men. They were counted family by family.
41
That was the total of the men in the Gershon families who served at the Tent of Meeting. Moses and Aaron counted them. They did just as the Lord had commanded.
42
The men of Merari were counted family by family.
43
All of the men who were from 30 to 50 years old were counted. They were the men who came and served at the Tent of Meeting.
44
There were 3,200 men. They were counted family by family.
45
That was the total of the men in the Merari families. Moses and Aaron counted them. They did just as the Lord had commanded through Moses.
46
So Moses and Aaron counted all of the Levites. The leaders of Israel helped them. They counted the Levites family by family.
47
All of the men who were from 30 to 50 years old were counted. They were the men who came and served at the Tent of Meeting. They were also supposed to carry it.
Reference
Temple
Numbers 4:3
48
The total number of men was 8,580.
Reference
Parallel theme
Numbers 3:39
Summary of Numbers 4
Numbers chapter 4 continues the instructions concerning the Levites and their duties of carrying the tabernacle when the Israelites journeyed from one place to another. The previous chapter had described the different orders of the families of Levi and their duties. In Numbers 4:1-5 , God gives more instructions concerning the duty of the Kohathites, Gershonites, and Merarites. The chapter also describes who was eligible for this service and how the holy objects should be carried.
God instructed Moses and Aaron to take a census of the Kohathites, who were a family of the Levites. The men who were chosen for this task belonged to the age group of thirty to fifty years. They were supposed to carry the most sanctified furnishings of the tabernacle when the Israelites moved.
The Kohathites were not allowed to go into the sanctuary and carry the holy objects directly. The Kohathites had to wait until Aaron and his sons went into the sanctuary. First, Aaron and his sons had to put the veil over the ark, and then they had to put all the furnishings of the tabernacle under other coverings. The Kohathites would carry the table of shewbread, the candlestick, the golden altar, and its vessels, the altar of incense, and the holy vessels. But these servants of Israel had to learn that although they had a special duty to carry these objects, they were not priests, and they could not touch the holy place. If the Kohathites came near the holy place, they had to learn that they would incur a fate of death if they looked at these holy objects when they were unveiled. Eleazar, the son of Aaron, had the responsibility of overseeing much of this work and saw to it that the holy furnishings were carried in accordance with the word of God.
The Kohathites were given the duty of transport of these holy things when Israel encamped. These Kohathites were especially consecrated to this task since the Holy Tabernacle was the most important object in Israel. The Ark, the table, the lamps, the altars, etc., were holy things, and they represented Israel's religion. The Kohathites had more responsibilities as compared to any other family of the Levites. All this meant that the Kohathites had a permanent duty of carrying the tabernacle.
The Gershonites were also counted among the men thirty to fifty years of age who could serve in Israel's service. They were given the duty of transportation of the curtains that were used in the sanctuary. The Gershonites were placed under the supervision of Ithamar, the son of Aaron. They were expected to carry the curtains of the tabernacle, the coverings of the tabernacle, the covering of badgers' skins that formed part of the protection of the Tent of Congregation, the hanging at the door of the tabernacle, the hangings of the court, and all other associated curtains and cords with them. The Gershonites had the responsibility of knowing where each material had to be assigned so that the tabernacle could be set up accordingly.
The Merarites were the ones who had the duty to carry the boards, the bars, the pillars, the sockets, the pins, and the cords that came together to make up the Tabernacle and its court. Since these items were quite heavy, the Israelites gave the Merarites wagons and oxen to assist them in their duty. The Merarites' work was different from that of the Kohathites in the sense that the Kohathites carried the most holy things, which were first prepared by the priests. But the Merarites had to make sure of the structural framework of the sanctuary. The Israelites gave wagons and oxen to the Merarites so that they could carry these items to their new destination.
Moses, Aaron, and the elders of Israel were requested to take a census of all the Levites who were eligible to offer service in assisting Israel to journey from one place to another. The chapter gives a record of the number of men who belonged to each family. The Kohathites consisted of 2,750 men who were eligible for service. The Gershonites consisted of 2,630, and the Merarites consisted of 3,200 men. Thus, there were 8,580 Levite men altogether who were considered fit to offer this service to Israel.
The number of Levite men was different from the entire number of Levitical tribe members. The Levitical tribe had a number of men who belonged to the age bracket of one month to adulthood as compared to the 30 to 50 age group of the Levites who were counted above. This census had been taken because it had a different purpose from the one that had been carried out in Numbers 3.
One of the key messages that the people in Israel would have got from reading Numbers chapter 4 was that holy work required holy obedience. Although the Levites had been blessed with the opportunity to serve at the tabernacle, they did not have the liberty of doing this service any way they wanted to do. God had outlined every detail that had to be done and by whom in order to assure that His service was carried out with precision.
Another message that the chapter gives is about various tasks that were necessary in order for the worship of Israel to take place. The Kohathites had the duty of carrying the most holy furnishings of the tabernacle. The Gershonites had the duty of transportation of the coverings, curtains, and materials that had been used in making the tent of the meeting place. The Merarites had the duty of carrying the structural framework of the tabernacle. None of these tasks was unimportant because without them, the Israelites could not worship God. The tabernacle could not move if any one of the families failed to do their duty.
A third message that the Israelites would have drawn from Numbers chapter 4 is the chain of command. Aaron and his sons had the duty of preparing the most holy things of Israel before they were transported by the Kohathites. Eleazar took care of much of the work of the Kohathites. He kept a watchful eye on them. Ithamar took charge of the Gershonites and Merarites and ensured that they fulfilled their duties. The family of Levi had the duty of carrying out these tasks. Since there was a demarcation of duties, confusion was avoided as much as possible. This arrangement helped keep the Israelites and their sanctuary safe as they journeyed through the wilderness.
Numbers chapter 4 provides a detailed account of what the Israelites used to do every time that they broke camp. The Israelites had to dismantle the tabernacle carefully, cover the most holy furnishings, and assign every object to the family that was supposed to carry it when traveling. All this had to be done to assure that the Israelites would be able to worship God when they settled wherever they went. This chapter reminded the Israelites that the tabernacle was not an ordinary tent that could be treated carelessly. There had to be procedures for setting up and taking it down, and the Levites had the special duty of making sure that all of these things were done.
Numbers chapter 4 is about the details of preparing Israel to travel. The nation was large, and they had to make sure that everything was organized. Every family had their duty, every item of the tabernacle had a carrier, and the priests had their responsibility of making sure that the most holy things were handled accordingly.
God instructed Moses and Aaron to take a census of the Kohathites, who were a family of the Levites. The men who were chosen for this task belonged to the age group of thirty to fifty years. They were supposed to carry the most sanctified furnishings of the tabernacle when the Israelites moved.
The Kohathites were not allowed to go into the sanctuary and carry the holy objects directly. The Kohathites had to wait until Aaron and his sons went into the sanctuary. First, Aaron and his sons had to put the veil over the ark, and then they had to put all the furnishings of the tabernacle under other coverings. The Kohathites would carry the table of shewbread, the candlestick, the golden altar, and its vessels, the altar of incense, and the holy vessels. But these servants of Israel had to learn that although they had a special duty to carry these objects, they were not priests, and they could not touch the holy place. If the Kohathites came near the holy place, they had to learn that they would incur a fate of death if they looked at these holy objects when they were unveiled. Eleazar, the son of Aaron, had the responsibility of overseeing much of this work and saw to it that the holy furnishings were carried in accordance with the word of God.
The Kohathites were given the duty of transport of these holy things when Israel encamped. These Kohathites were especially consecrated to this task since the Holy Tabernacle was the most important object in Israel. The Ark, the table, the lamps, the altars, etc., were holy things, and they represented Israel's religion. The Kohathites had more responsibilities as compared to any other family of the Levites. All this meant that the Kohathites had a permanent duty of carrying the tabernacle.
The Gershonites were also counted among the men thirty to fifty years of age who could serve in Israel's service. They were given the duty of transportation of the curtains that were used in the sanctuary. The Gershonites were placed under the supervision of Ithamar, the son of Aaron. They were expected to carry the curtains of the tabernacle, the coverings of the tabernacle, the covering of badgers' skins that formed part of the protection of the Tent of Congregation, the hanging at the door of the tabernacle, the hangings of the court, and all other associated curtains and cords with them. The Gershonites had the responsibility of knowing where each material had to be assigned so that the tabernacle could be set up accordingly.
The Merarites were the ones who had the duty to carry the boards, the bars, the pillars, the sockets, the pins, and the cords that came together to make up the Tabernacle and its court. Since these items were quite heavy, the Israelites gave the Merarites wagons and oxen to assist them in their duty. The Merarites' work was different from that of the Kohathites in the sense that the Kohathites carried the most holy things, which were first prepared by the priests. But the Merarites had to make sure of the structural framework of the sanctuary. The Israelites gave wagons and oxen to the Merarites so that they could carry these items to their new destination.
Moses, Aaron, and the elders of Israel were requested to take a census of all the Levites who were eligible to offer service in assisting Israel to journey from one place to another. The chapter gives a record of the number of men who belonged to each family. The Kohathites consisted of 2,750 men who were eligible for service. The Gershonites consisted of 2,630, and the Merarites consisted of 3,200 men. Thus, there were 8,580 Levite men altogether who were considered fit to offer this service to Israel.
The number of Levite men was different from the entire number of Levitical tribe members. The Levitical tribe had a number of men who belonged to the age bracket of one month to adulthood as compared to the 30 to 50 age group of the Levites who were counted above. This census had been taken because it had a different purpose from the one that had been carried out in Numbers 3.
One of the key messages that the people in Israel would have got from reading Numbers chapter 4 was that holy work required holy obedience. Although the Levites had been blessed with the opportunity to serve at the tabernacle, they did not have the liberty of doing this service any way they wanted to do. God had outlined every detail that had to be done and by whom in order to assure that His service was carried out with precision.
Another message that the chapter gives is about various tasks that were necessary in order for the worship of Israel to take place. The Kohathites had the duty of carrying the most holy furnishings of the tabernacle. The Gershonites had the duty of transportation of the coverings, curtains, and materials that had been used in making the tent of the meeting place. The Merarites had the duty of carrying the structural framework of the tabernacle. None of these tasks was unimportant because without them, the Israelites could not worship God. The tabernacle could not move if any one of the families failed to do their duty.
A third message that the Israelites would have drawn from Numbers chapter 4 is the chain of command. Aaron and his sons had the duty of preparing the most holy things of Israel before they were transported by the Kohathites. Eleazar took care of much of the work of the Kohathites. He kept a watchful eye on them. Ithamar took charge of the Gershonites and Merarites and ensured that they fulfilled their duties. The family of Levi had the duty of carrying out these tasks. Since there was a demarcation of duties, confusion was avoided as much as possible. This arrangement helped keep the Israelites and their sanctuary safe as they journeyed through the wilderness.
Numbers chapter 4 provides a detailed account of what the Israelites used to do every time that they broke camp. The Israelites had to dismantle the tabernacle carefully, cover the most holy furnishings, and assign every object to the family that was supposed to carry it when traveling. All this had to be done to assure that the Israelites would be able to worship God when they settled wherever they went. This chapter reminded the Israelites that the tabernacle was not an ordinary tent that could be treated carelessly. There had to be procedures for setting up and taking it down, and the Levites had the special duty of making sure that all of these things were done.
Numbers chapter 4 is about the details of preparing Israel to travel. The nation was large, and they had to make sure that everything was organized. Every family had their duty, every item of the tabernacle had a carrier, and the priests had their responsibility of making sure that the most holy things were handled accordingly.