🔢WEB · Numbers 3:23
What does Numbers 3:23 mean?
"The families of the Gershonites shall encamp behind the tabernacle westward."
— Numbers 3:23 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
The sons of Merari by their families: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their fathers’ houses.
Of Gershon was the family of the Libnites, and the family of the Shimeites: these are the families of the Gershonites.
Those who were counted of them, according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, even those who were counted of them were seven thousand five hundred.
The families of the Gershonites shall encamp behind the tabernacle westward.
The prince of the fathers’ house of the Gershonites shall be Eliasaph the son of Lael.
The duty of the sons of Gershon in the Tent of Meeting shall be the tabernacle, and the tent, its covering, and the screen for the door of the Tent of Meeting,
and the hangings of the court, and the screen for the door of the court, which is by the tabernacle, and around the altar, and its cords for all of its service.
Explanation
Numbers 3:23 is a simple, practical instruction describing where one of the Levite clans was to set up camp during Israel's wilderness journey. The Gershonites, one of the three main family divisions of the tribe of Levi, were assigned a specific location: directly behind the tabernacle, on its western side. This was not a matter of chance or personal preference but a fixed assignment given by God through Moses as part of the larger organization of the Israelite camp.
The context is the census and organization of the Levites recorded in Numbers 3, written within the broader narrative of Israel's time at Mount Sinai and their journey through the wilderness. Moses, traditionally credited as the author of Numbers, records how God set apart the tribe of Levi for special service related to the tabernacle, God's dwelling place among His people. The Levites were divided into three clans—Gershon, Kohath, and Merari—each descended from a son of Levi, and each was given distinct duties and a distinct camping location surrounding the tabernacle: Kohathites to the south, Merarites to the north, Gershonites to the west,
Compare translations
Go deeper with ScriptureCompanion AI
Ask questions about any verse, follow reading plans, write personal prayers, and track your daily habit — all grounded in verified scripture text.