🔢WEB · Numbers 3:30
What does Numbers 3:30 mean?
"The prince of the fathers’ house of the families of the Kohathites shall be Elizaphan the son of Uzziel."
— Numbers 3:30 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
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.
Of Merari was the family of the Mahlites, and the family of the Mushites. These are the families of Merari.
Explanation
Numbers 3:30 is a simple administrative notice: among the Kohathite clans of the tribe of Levi, the man appointed as leader was Elizaphan, son of Uzziel. In plain terms, this verse names the specific individual chosen to oversee one subgroup of Levites during Israel's time in the wilderness. It is not a verse rich in dramatic action or poetic language; it is a record of organizational structure, much like a modern list naming department heads within a larger institution.
The context is important for understanding why such a verse exists at all. Numbers chapter 3 comes shortly after Israel has left Egypt and is organizing itself as a nation under God's covenant, with the tabernacle as the center of worship and community life. Moses, under God's direction, is tasked with numbering and organizing the tribe of Levi, who were set apart for sacred service rather than military duty or land inheritance like the other tribes. The Levites were divided into three main clans descended from Levi's sons: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. The Kohathites were given the weighty responsibility of caring for and transporting the most sacred fur
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