🔢WEB · Numbers 4:46
What does Numbers 4:46 mean?
"All those who were counted of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron and the princes of Israel counted, by their families, and by their fathers’ houses,"
— Numbers 4:46 (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,
even those who were counted of them by their families, were three thousand two hundred.
These are those who were counted of the families of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron counted according to the commandment of Yahweh by Moses.
All those who were counted of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron and the princes of Israel counted, by their families, and by their fathers’ houses,
from thirty years old and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who entered in to do the work of service, and the work of bearing burdens in the Tent of Meeting,
even those who were counted of them, were eight thousand five hundred eighty.
According to the commandment of Yahweh they were counted by Moses, everyone according to his service, and according to his burden. Thus were they counted by him, as Yahweh commanded Moses.
Explanation
Numbers 4:46 is a summary statement that comes at the close of a detailed census. In plain language, it simply says that Moses, Aaron, and the tribal leaders of Israel took a count of the Levite men, organizing that count according to their clans (families) and their ancestral households. It's the kind of verse that ties together a long, technical passage — much like a closing line in a report that says "all of the above figures were compiled by such-and-such officials, organized in such-and-such categories."
The context is essential to understanding why this verse exists at all. Numbers 4 describes the specific work assignments given to the three Levite clans — the Kohathites, Gershonites, and Merarites — regarding the transport and care of the tabernacle and its furnishings whenever Israel moved camp in the wilderness. Moses, under God's direction, commanded a census of Levite men between the ages of thirty and fifty, the age range considered fit for this demanding physical service. Aaron, as high priest, and the tribal leaders assisted in this count
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