🔢WEB · Numbers 7:9
What does Numbers 7:9 mean?
"But to the sons of Kohath he gave none, because the service of the sanctuary belonged to them; they carried it on their shoulders."
— Numbers 7:9 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
Moses took the wagons and the oxen, and gave them to the Levites.
He gave two wagons and four oxen to the sons of Gershon, according to their service:
and he gave four wagons and eight oxen to the sons of Merari, according to their service, under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.
But to the sons of Kohath he gave none, because the service of the sanctuary belonged to them; they carried it on their shoulders.
The princes gave offerings for the dedication of the altar in the day that it was anointed, even the princes gave their offerings before the altar.
Yahweh said to Moses, “They shall offer their offering, each prince on his day, for the dedication of the altar.”
He who offered his offering the first day was Nahshon the son of Amminadab, of the tribe of Judah,
Explanation
Numbers 7:9 comes in the middle of a long chapter describing the gifts the tribal leaders of Israel brought at the dedication of the tabernacle. Among these gifts were six covered wagons and twelve oxen, which Moses distributed to the Levites to help them transport the tabernacle whenever Israel moved camp. The verse tells us that two of the three Levitical clans, the Gershonites and the Merarites, received these wagons for their work, but the Kohathites received none. The reason given is simple and specific: their assigned service involved carrying the sanctuary's holy objects, and they were to do this on their own shoulders rather than by cart.
To understand this fully, it helps to know how the Levites were organized. Moses, under God's instruction, had divided the Levites into three families with distinct responsibilities in caring for the tabernacle (see Numbers 3-4). The Gershonites handled the curtains, coverings, and hangings; the Merarites handled the heavier struct
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