🔢WEB · Numbers 4:37
What does Numbers 4:37 mean?
"These are those who were counted of the families of the Kohathites, all who served in the Tent of Meeting, whom Moses and Aaron counted according to the commandment of Yahweh by Moses."
— Numbers 4:37 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
Moses and Aaron and the princes of the congregation counted the sons of the Kohathites by their families, and by their fathers’ houses,
from thirty years old and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who entered into the service, for work in the Tent of Meeting.
Those who were counted of them by their families were two thousand seven hundred fifty.
These are those who were counted of the families of the Kohathites, all who served in the Tent of Meeting, whom Moses and Aaron counted according to the commandment of Yahweh by Moses.
Those who were counted of the sons of Gershon, their families, and by their fathers’ houses,
from thirty years old and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who entered into the service, for work in the Tent of Meeting,
even those who were counted of them, by their families, by their fathers’ houses, were two thousand six hundred thirty.
Explanation
Numbers 4:37 is a summary statement closing out a census report. It tells us that a specific group of men—those belonging to the Kohathite clan among the Levites—were counted, and that this count included all who were qualified and assigned to serve in the work connected to the Tent of Meeting (the tabernacle). The verse also notes who did the counting: Moses and Aaron, acting not on their own initiative but under a direct command from Yahweh, communicated through Moses.
The context is the book of Numbers, traditionally attributed to Moses, written to the Israelites during their wilderness wanderings after the exodus from Egypt. Numbers chapters 3 and 4 deal with organizing the tribe of Levi for tabernacle service. The Levites were set apart from the other tribes for religious duties, and within Levi there were three clans: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari, each with distinct responsibilities in caring for and transporting the tabernacle and its furnishings. The Kohathites specifically were given charge of the most sacred objects—the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, and other holy items (described earlier in chapter 4). Because these objects were extremely holy, only men between the ages of thirty and fifty, in the prime of physical and mental capability, were counted for this service, and this verse reports the completion of that specific tally for the
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