🔢WEB · Numbers 4:40
What does Numbers 4:40 mean?
"even those who were counted of them, by their families, by their fathers’ houses, were two thousand six hundred thirty."
— Numbers 4:40 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
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.
Those who were counted of the families of the sons of Merari, by their families, 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,
Explanation
Numbers 4:40 records a simple statistical detail: when the men of the Gershonite clan, one of the three Levitical families, were counted according to their households and ancestral lines, the total number came to two thousand six hundred thirty. On the surface, this is nothing more than a census figure, but it sits within a carefully structured passage where every number matters because it reflects real people assigned to real, sacred responsibilities.
The context is the wilderness wandering of Israel after the exodus from Egypt. Moses, acting under God's direct instruction, is organizing the tribe of Levi for the specific work of transporting and caring for the tabernacle, the portable sanctuary where God's presence dwelt among his people. Levi was divided into three clans — Kohath, Gershon, and Merari — each given distinct duties. The Kohathites carried the most sacred furnishings, like the ark; the Gershonites, whose numbers are recorded
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