🔢WEB · Numbers 4:38
What does Numbers 4:38 mean?
"Those who were counted of the sons of Gershon, their families, and by their fathers’ houses,"
— Numbers 4:38 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
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.
These are those who were counted of the families of the sons of Gershon, all who served in the Tent of Meeting, whom Moses and Aaron counted according to the commandment of Yahweh.
Explanation
Numbers 4:38 is a transitional line in the middle of a census. It introduces the count of the descendants of Gershon, one of the three Levite clans, organized "by their families" and "by their fathers' houses" — meaning the count was taken according to their extended family groups and ancestral lineages, not just as a lump total of individuals. In plain language, the verse is simply saying: "Here begins the record of how many Gershonites were counted, organized by family line." The actual number appears a few verses later (v. 40: 2,630 men
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