🔢WEB · Numbers 3:29
What does Numbers 3:29 mean?
"The families of the sons of Kohath shall encamp on the south side of the tabernacle."
— Numbers 3:29 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
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.
Of Kohath was the family of the Amramites, and the family of the Izharites, and the family of the Hebronites, and the family of the Uzzielites: these are the families of the Kohathites.
According to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, there were eight thousand six hundred, keeping the requirements of the sanctuary.
The families of the sons of Kohath shall encamp on the south side of the tabernacle.
The prince of the fathers’ house of the families of the Kohathites shall be Elizaphan the son of Uzziel.
Their duty shall be the ark, the table, the lamp stand, the altars, the vessels of the sanctuary with which they minister, and the screen, and all its service.
Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall be prince of the princes of the Levites, with the oversight of those who keep the requirements of the sanctuary.
Explanation
Numbers 3:29 is a simple statement of placement: the Kohathite clans, one of the three main family divisions of the tribe of Levi, were assigned to camp on the south side of the tabernacle, the tent that served as the center of Israel's worship during their wilderness journey. It is part of a larger census and organizational scheme that fills much of Numbers 1–4, where God directs Moses to number the tribes and Levite families and to arrange them in a specific pattern around the tabernacle.
The book of Numbers was written to record Israel's journey from Sinai to the plains of Moab, and this section addresses the practical question of how a nation of roughly two million people, along with a portable sanctuary, was to be organized and moved. Moses, under God's instruction, divided the Levites—set apart to serve in worship instead of receiving a land inheritance like the other tribes—into three family groups: the Gershonites, Kohathites, and Merarites, each with distinct duties and a designated camping position. The Kohathites specifically were responsible for carrying the most sacred furnishings of the tabernacle, including the ark of the covenant, the table, the lampstand, and the altars (Numbers 3:31), which explains why their position and duties receive careful attention.
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.