THIS IS THE account of the family of Aaron and Moses at the time the LORD talked with Moses on Mount Sinai. 2The names of the sons of Aaron were Nadab the firstborn and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. 3Those were the names of Aaron’s sons, the anointed priests, who were ordained to serve as priests. 4Nadab and Abihu, however, fell dead before the LORD when they made an offering with unauthorized fire before him in the Desert of Sinai. They had no sons; so only Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests during the lifetime of their father Aaron.
5The LORD said to Moses, 6“Bring the tribe of Levi and present them to Aaron the priest to assist him. 7They are to perform duties for him and for the whole community at the Tent of Meeting by doing the work of the tabernacle. 8They are to take care of all the furnishings of the Tent of Meeting, fulfilling the obligations of the Israelites by doing the work of the tabernacle. 9Give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are the Israelites who are to be given wholly to him. 10Appoint Aaron and his sons to serve as priests; anyone else who approaches the sanctuary must be put to death.”
11The LORD also said to Moses, 12“I have taken the Levites from among the Israelites in place of the first male offspring of every Israelite woman. The Levites are mine, 13for all the firstborn are mine. When I struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, I set apart for myself every firstborn in Israel, whether man or animal. They are to be mine. I am the LORD.”
14The LORD said to Moses in the Desert of Sinai, 15“Count the Levites by their families and clans. Count every male a month old or more.” 16So Moses counted them, as he was commanded by the word of the LORD.
17These were the names of the sons of Levi:
Gershon, Kohath and Merari.
18These were the names of the Gershonite clans:
Libni and Shimei.
19The Kohathite clans:
Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel.
20The Merarite clans:
Mahli and Mushi.
These were the Levite clans, according to their families.
21To Gershon belonged the clans of the Libnites and Shimeites; these were the Gershonite clans. 22The number of all the males a month old or more who were counted was 7,500. 23The Gershonite clans were to camp on the west, behind the tabernacle. 24The leader of the families of the Gershonites was Eliasaph son of Lael. 25At the Tent of Meeting the Gershonites were responsible for the care of the tabernacle and tent, its coverings, the curtain at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, 26the curtains of the courtyard, the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard surrounding the tabernacle and altar, and the ropes—and everything related to their use.
27To Kohath belonged the clans of the Amramites, Izharites, Hebronites and Uzzielites; these were the Kohathite clans. 28The number of all the males a month old or more was 8,600. The Kohathites were responsible for the care of the sanctuary. 29The Kohathite clans were to camp on the south side of the tabernacle. 30The leader of the families of the Kohathite clans was Elizaphan son of Uzziel. 31They were responsible for the care of the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the articles of the sanctuary used in ministering, the curtain, and everything related to their use. 32The chief leader of the Levites was Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest. He was appointed over those who were responsible for the care of the sanctuary.
33To Merari belonged the clans of the Mahlites and the Mushites; these were the Merarite clans. 34The number of all the males a month old or more who were counted was 6,200. 35The leader of the families of the Merarite clans was Zuriel son of Abihail; they were to camp on the north side of the tabernacle. 36The Merarites were appointed to take care of the frames of the tabernacle, its crossbars, posts, bases, all its equipment, and everything related to their use, 37as well as the posts of the surrounding courtyard with their bases, tent pegs and ropes.
38Moses and Aaron and his sons were to camp to the east of the tabernacle, toward the sunrise, in front of the Tent of Meeting. They were responsible for the care of the sanctuary on behalf of the Israelites. Anyone else who approached the sanctuary was to be put to death.
39The total number of Levites counted at the LORD’s command by Moses and Aaron according to their clans, including every male a month old or more, was 22,000.
40The LORD said to Moses, “Count all the firstborn Israelite males who are a month old or more and make a list of their names. 41Take the Levites for me in place of all the firstborn of the Israelites, and the livestock of the Levites in place of all the firstborn of the livestock of the Israelites. I am the LORD.”
42So Moses counted all the firstborn of the Israelites, as the LORD commanded him. 43The total number of firstborn males a month old or more, listed by name, was 22,273.
44The LORD also said to Moses, 45“Take the Levites in place of all the firstborn of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites in place of their livestock. The Levites are to be mine. I am the LORD. 46To redeem the 273 firstborn Israelites who exceed the number of the Levites, 47collect five shekels for each one, according to the sanctuary shekel, which weighs twenty gerahs. 48Give the money for the redemption of the additional Israelites to Aaron and his sons.”
49So Moses collected the redemption money from those who exceeded the number redeemed by the Levites. 50From the firstborn of the Israelites he collected silver weighing 1,365 shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel. 51Moses gave the redemption money to Aaron and his sons, as he was commanded by the word of the LORD.
4:1The LORD said to Moses and Aaron: 2“Take a census of the Kohathite branch of the Levites by their clans and families. 3Count all the men from thirty to fifty years of age who come to serve in the work in the Tent of Meeting.
4“This is the work of the Kohathites in the Tent of Meeting: the care of the most holy things. 5When the camp is to move, Aaron and his sons are to go in and take down the shielding curtain and cover the ark of the Testimony with it. 6Then they are to cover this with hides of sea cows, spread a cloth of solid blue over that and put the poles in place.
7“Over the table of the Presence they are to spread a blue cloth and put on it the plates, dishes and bowls, and the jars for drink offerings; the bread that is continually there is to remain on it. 8Over these they are to spread a scarlet cloth, cover that with hides of sea cows and put its poles in place.
9“They are to take a blue cloth and cover the lampstand that is for light, together with its lamps, its wick trimmers and trays, and all its jars for the oil used to supply it. 10Then they are to wrap it and all its accessories in a covering of hides of sea cows and put it on a carrying frame.
11“Over the gold altar they are to spread a blue cloth and cover that with hides of sea cows and put its poles in place.
12“They are to take all the articles used for ministering in the sanctuary, wrap them in a blue cloth, cover that with hides of sea cows and put them on a carrying frame.
13“They are to remove the ashes from the bronze altar and spread a purple cloth over it. 14Then they are to place on it all the utensils used for ministering at the altar, including the firepans, meat forks, shovels and sprinkling bowls. Over it they are to spread a covering of hides of sea cows and put its poles in place.
15“After Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holy furnishings and all the holy articles, and when the camp is ready to move, the Kohathites are to come to do the carrying. But they must not touch the holy things or they will die. The Kohathites are to carry those things that are in the Tent of Meeting.
16“Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest, is to have charge of the oil for the light, the fragrant incense, the regular grain offering and the anointing oil. He is to be in charge of the entire tabernacle and everything in it, including its holy furnishings and articles.”
17The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 18“See that the Kohathite tribal clans are not cut off from the Levites. 19So that they may live and not die when they come near the most holy things, do this for them: Aaron and his sons are to go into the sanctuary and assign to each man his work and what he is to carry. 20But the Kohathites must not go in to look at the holy things, even for a moment, or they will die.”
21The LORD said to Moses, 22“Take a census also of the Gershonites by their families and clans. 23Count all the men from thirty to fifty years of age who come to serve in the work at the Tent of Meeting.
24“This is the service of the Gershonite clans as they work and carry burdens: 25They are to carry the curtains of the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting, its covering and the outer covering of hides of sea cows, the curtains for the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, 26the curtains of the courtyard surrounding the tabernacle and altar, the curtain for the entrance, the ropes and all the equipment used in its service. The Gershonites are to do all that needs to be done with these things. 27All their service, whether carrying or doing other work, is to be done under the direction of Aaron and his sons. You shall assign to them as their responsibility all they are to carry. 28This is the service of the Gershonite clans at the Tent of Meeting. Their duties are to be under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron, the priest.
29“Count the Merarites by their clans and families. 30Count all the men from thirty to fifty years of age who come to serve in the work at the Tent of Meeting. 31This is their duty as they perform service at the Tent of Meeting: to carry the frames of the tabernacle, its crossbars, posts and bases, 32as well as the posts of the surrounding courtyard with their bases, tent pegs, ropes, all their equipment and everything related to their use. Assign to each man the specific things he is to carry. 33This is the service of the Merarite clans as they work at the Tent of Meeting under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron, the priest.”
34Moses, Aaron and the leaders of the community counted the Kohathites by their clans and families. 35All the men from thirty to fifty years of age who came to serve in the work in the Tent of Meeting, 36counted by clans, were 2,750. 37This was the total of all those in the Kohathite clans who served in the Tent of Meeting. Moses and Aaron counted them according to the LORD’s command through Moses.
38The Gershonites were counted by their clans and families. 39All the men from thirty to fifty years of age who came to serve in the work at the Tent of Meeting, 40counted by their clans and families, were 2,630. 41This was the total of those in the Gershonite clans who served at the Tent of Meeting. Moses and Aaron counted them according to the LORD’s command.
42The Merarites were counted by their clans and families. 43All the men from thirty to fifty years of age who came to serve in the work at the Tent of Meeting, 44counted by their clans, were 3,200. 45This was the total of those in the Merarite clans. Moses and Aaron counted them according to the LORD’s command through Moses.
46So Moses, Aaron and the leaders of Israel counted all the Levites by their clans and families. 47All the men from thirty to fifty years of age who came to do the work of serving and carrying the Tent of Meeting 48numbered 8,580. 49At the LORD’s command through Moses, each was assigned his work and told what to carry.
Thus they were counted, as the LORD commanded Moses.
Original Meaning
MINISTERIAL EXEMPTION FROM military duty. Because the Levites were the Lord’s ministers, performing vital service that was continually necessary for the well-being of the nation, they were not drafted into the army. As a result, they were not included in the general military census (1:49). Numbers 3 fills in details regarding the tribe of Levi, within which the family of Aaron is singled out for the priesthood. Verse 4 adds a detail not found in Leviticus 10: When Nadab and Abihu died, they left no sons to carry on lines of descendants. So in effect, they were “cut off” from Israel. Consequently, the priesthood is limited to the two branches from Aaron’s surviving sons: Eleazar and Ithamar.
Non-priestly Levites are to assist the priests by performing duties pertaining to the sanctuary infrastructure (3:6–9). However, Aaron and his sons are to guard their priestly prerogatives. Any unauthorized person (i.e., non-priest, including Levites) will be put to death if he attempts to “approach” (qrb) the sanctuary (in the restricted, technical sense of usurping or encroaching on an exclusive priestly function; see 3:10).1
Although Levites are not soldiers, it is necessary to count them and organize their work force. Rather than counting males twenty years of age or more who can serve in the army, the register of Levites (3:14–37) begins with babies one month old (3:15), because the members of this tribe substitute for firstborn male Israelites (3:40–41), who are to be redeemed with five shekels when they were one month old (18:15–16). One month conveniently allows some time for the payment following the birth and means that parents do not have to pay the redemption price in the tragic event that a baby dies soon after birth. Even though Levite males are counted down to the age of one month, there are still far fewer Levites than members of any other tribe: only 22,000 (3:39; cf. 1:35; 2:21).
The Levites belong to the Lord, who has given them to the priests as assistants in place of the Israelite firstborn, whom he consecrated to himself along with firstborn animals when he spared them when he struck the firstborn in Egypt (3:11–13; cf. Ex. 13:2, 11–16). Rather than using the firstborn of every tribe for lifelong service to the sanctuary, which would take people away from their families, God has chosen one tribe to maintain and guard the sacred precincts.
The census report of Levites covers their clans in the order Gershon, Kohath, and Merari (as in Gen. 46:11 and Ex. 6:16–19). Numbers 3:21–26 provide several kinds of information regarding the Gershonites: (1) the number of their males a month of age and up, (2) their place of encampment—behind and to the west of the tabernacle, (3) the name of their chieftain, and (4) their duties for the sanctuary. They are responsible for the sanctuary fabrics and hides (3:25–26; cf. Ex. 26–27), but not the most sacred fabric of all—the inner veil, which is entrusted to the care of the Kohathites (Num. 3:31), who cover the ark of the covenant with it at the time of a journey (4:5).
Numbers 3:27–32 supplies the same categories of data regarding the Kohathites: their number, place of encampment (on the south side of the sanctuary), chieftain, and duties. They are responsible for the sanctuary furniture and utensils, plus the inner veil (3:31). Since the Kohathite clan is that of the priests, the administrative chief of all the Levites is a Kohathite: Eleazar, son of Aaron, the high priest (3:32).
Finally, the Merarites are to camp on the north side of the tabernacle and take care of the entire framework of the sanctuary, the courtyard posts, and everything connected with them (3:33–37).
The encampment of Moses and the priests is to guard the sanctuary on the east, where it is most vulnerable because that is where its entrance is located. Again the text warns that an unauthorized person who encroaches on priestly prerogatives is to be put to death (3:38; cf. v. 10). This is no empty threat. The unsqueamish zeal of Phinehas exemplifies the readiness of priests to use weapons in order to defend holiness (25:6–8).
We may have thought that substitution of the Levites for the male firstborn (3:12–13) involves an inexact kind of abstract equivalence. Now we learn that there is to be one-to-one numerical correspondence between the Levites and the firstborn whose place they take. A census of firstborn males in the other twelve tribes yields a total of 22,273 (3:40–43). So 22,000 Levites replace 22,273 firstborn. Surely that is close enough! But no. While 22,000 firstborn are redeemed by the substitution of the Levites, the remaining 273 must be redeemed another way: with five shekels apiece, totalling 1,365 shekels (3:44–51). Such monetary redemption is required for all subsequent firstborn (18:15–16).
The five shekel redemption price for each Israelite firstborn male and the lifelong dedication of Levites to God’s work at the sanctuary in place of the firstborn serve as tokens of redemption, ongoing reminders of the roots of Israelite freedom. When Egypt refused to free Israel, whom God called “my firstborn son” (Ex. 4:22), the Lord struck down the firstborn of Egypt (Ex. 12:29) but spared the firstborn Israelites.
Levite labor. The census of male Levites a month old or more in Numbers 3, totaling 22,000 (3:39), substitutes for the 22,000 of the firstborn of the other tribes. In Numbers 4 another census is needed to determine the number of Levites available for the actual work of the sanctuary by men thirty to fifty years of age, that is, mature and in their physical prime. As we would expect in any normal population group, these numbers are significantly less: 8,580 (4:48).
Chapter 4 divides itself into two parts, consisting of the Lord’s instructions for the census (4:1–33) and the report of these instructions being carried out (4:34–49). Each of these parts is divided into three sections, dealing with the Kohathites, Gershonites, and Merarites. In addition to commanding the census, the Lord fills out the job descriptions of the three Levite groups (cf. 3:25–26, 31, 36–37), particularly in terms of their procedures when the portable sanctuary is to be moved from one place to another. In contrast to chapter 3, where the Gershonites come first, chapter 4 moves the Kohathites to this position because the transportation procedures begin with their role in packing up the most holy furniture.
The job description of the Kohathites (4:4–20) is by far the longest and most complicated because it involves careful coordination with the priests, who are to cover the sacred objects of furniture before the other, nonpriestly Kohathites can carry them. Packing up for a journey begins with the most sacred item of furniture (the ark of the covenant), which is appropriately covered with the most sacred fabric (the inner veil). Over the veil goes a leather protective covering, and over that a violet (tekelet) cloth.2 In addition, the long carrying poles are to be put in place (4:5–6), implying that they are detached when not needed for transport (but cf. 2 Chron. 5:9 later in Solomon’s temple).
Coverings on the pieces of sanctuary furniture in transit are color-coded according to whether these items belong in the Most Holy Place, the Holy Place, or the court. The ark of the covenant from the inner sanctum has violet cloth over its leather covering (4:6), a detail missed by the movie Raiders of the Lost Ark. Leather is on the outside of the other pieces (with their auxiliary utensils), but whereas the furniture of the Holy Place has violet cloth under the leather, the cloth under the leather covering the outer bronze altar is red-purple (ʾargaman).3
When the Kohathites have emptied the sanctuary of its furniture and utensils, the Gershonites are to pack up and carry away all the fabric and skin coverings of the sanctuary and its court, including the ropes that go with them (4:24–28). After they have stripped the portable sanctuary down to its skeleton, the Merarites are to carry the disassembled pieces of this framework and everything pertaining to it (4:31–33).
Bridging Contexts
FRIENDLY WARNINGS OF divine danger. When the priests have completely covered all the furniture and utensils belonging to the sanctuary, the other Kohathites are to carry them from their respective poles, carefully avoiding contact with the sacred items themselves, or they will die (4:15). This sounds frightfully strict, but to make sure the warning is adequately understood, the Lord addresses Moses and Aaron again to emphasize it. He also adds that the nonpriestly Kohathites must be completely under the control of the priests, who will assign them their tasks. The Levites must not enter the sanctuary prematurely so as to look at the sancta “even for a moment” (lit., “swallowing”), or they will die (4:17–20).
In 4:18–19 the Lord makes clear that his warning to the Kohathites is so that they will live and not die when they come near the most sacred items. This reveals God’s character. It is not a matter of arbitrary vindictiveness. He is not trying to be nasty. Rather, he is trying to protect his servants so they will not get hurt.
The Lord’s own holy life force is so powerful that it constitutes a real danger to those who get close to him, as if he possesses a mega-voltage aura! Whatever the nature of this force may be, it is lethal to human beings who cross boundaries of authorization that he sets for them (cf. Num. 16; 1 Sam. 6:19; 2 Sam. 6:6–7; 2 Chron. 26:16–21).
So why doesn’t the Lord simply authorize everyone so he will not destroy anyone? Undoubtedly so that his people will not become overly familiar with him so as to lose their sense of the vast difference between him and themselves. This perspective is essential if they are to enjoy a beneficial relationship with him by totally trusting in his power. As Albert Einstein understood, reverence and awe go with mystery:
The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true science. Whoever does not know it and can no longer wonder, no longer marvel, is as good as dead, and his eyes are dimmed. It was the experience of mystery—even if mixed with fear—that engendered religion. A knowledge of the existence of something we cannot penetrate, our perceptions of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty, which only in their most primitive forms are accessible to our minds—it is this knowledge and this emotion that constitute true religiosity. . . . 4
Contemporary Significance
NO SERVICE FOR the Sovereign is small. Nehemiah was a waiter, but he wasn’t working at Denny’s for a bit more than minimum wage, plus tips. He was the personal cupbearer of Artaxerxes, king of the Persian empire (Neh. 1:11; 2:1). The monarch implicitly trusted Nehemiah to make sure there was no poison in his wine. With frequent, intimate access to the king, Nehemiah was a high-ranking member of the royal court, who ended up rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem and serving as governor of Judah. His cup-bearing role was by no means menial because the one he was serving was important.
At the ancient Israelite sanctuary the Levites do what appears to be menial labor: maintenance, guarding, packing, hauling. But all of it is honorable and vitally important because it is for the divine King. Similarly, the smallest and most insignificant task that contributes to God’s work today is important: cleaning the church, changing its light bulbs, preparing food for a social event, visiting a sick person, teaching a scriptural song to a child, encouraging a neighbor, and so on.
Nothing that is done for God is small. When Elijah sent his servant to see if there was any sign of rain, and when the servant saw the cloud no bigger than a man’s hand, perhaps he thought it was a very insignificant thing. But Elijah knew what it meant; and he told the man to go and warn Ahab that he had better make haste and get home or he would get a good drenching before he got there. Elijah knew God was in the cloud. Anything that God is in isn’t small. If we go to work right at home we will have success. There isn’t a child of God but can do something if he will.5
As in Bible times, service for God is anywhere he leads, not just at church. Some find his work in the classroom, others in the boardroom. Some help the least of Christ’s brothers and sisters on the streets of San Francisco or Calcutta, others the more outwardly fortunate in posh apartments and country clubs. Everyone has a place and a role to play. God “does not make spare parts. You are not a spare part. You have a purpose—a design that is central to God’s dream for the human race.”6 For the person who seeks to do everything to God’s glory (cf. 1 Cor. 10:31), life is holy. It is as though every meal is a sacrament, every word a prayer, and every deed an act of worship.7