The MacArthur Study Bible, NKJV, page 74
49b“Only the tribe of Levi you shall not number, nor take a census of them among the children of Israel;
50c“but you shall appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of the Testimony, over all its furnishings, and over all things that belong to it; they shall carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings; they shall attend to it dand camp around the tabernacle.
51e“And when the tabernacle is to go forward, the Levites shall take it down; and when the tabernacle is to be set up, the Levites shall set it fup. gThe outsider who comes near shall be put to death.
52“The children of Israel shall pitch their tents, heveryone by his own camp, everyone by his own standard, according to their armies;
53i“but the Levites shall camp around the tabernacle of the Testimony, that there may be no jwrath on the congregation of the children of Israel; and the Levites shall kkeep4 charge of the tabernacle of the Testimony.”
54Thus the children of Israel did; according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so they did.
Numbers 2
The Tribes and Leaders by Armies
1And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:
2a“Everyone of the children of Israel shall camp by his own 1standard, beside the emblems of his father’s house; they shall camp bsome distance from the tabernacle of meeting.
3“On the ceast side, toward the rising of the sun, those of the standard of the forces with Judah shall camp according to their armies; and dNahshon the son of Amminadab shall be the leader of the children of Judah.”
4And his army was numbered at seventy-four thousand six hundred.
5“Those who camp next to him shall be the tribe of Issachar, and Nethanel the son of Zuar shall be the leader of the children of Issachar.”
6And his army was numbered at fifty-four thousand four hundred.
7“Then comes the tribe of Zebulun, and Eliab the son of Helon shall be the leader of the children of Zebulun.”
8And his army was numbered at fifty-seven thousand four hundred.
9“All who were numbered according to their armies of the forces with Judah, one hundred and eighty-six thousand four hundred—ethese shall 2break camp first. The Placement of Israel’s Tribes
10“On the fsouth side shall be the standard of the forces with Reuben according to their armies, and the leader of the children of Reuben shall be Elizur the son of Shedeur.”
11And his army was numbered at forty-six thousand five hundred.
12“Those who camp next to him shall be the tribe of Simeon, and the leader of the children of Simeon shall be Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai.”
13And his army was numbered at fifty-nine thousand three hundred.
14“Then comes the tribe of Gad, and the leader of the children of Gad shall be Eliasaph the son of 3Reuel.”
15And his army was numbered at forty-five thousand six hundred and fifty.
16“All who were numbered according to their armies of the forces with Reuben, one hundred and fifty-one thousand four hundred and fifty—gthey shall 4be the second to break camp.
17h“And the tabernacle of meeting shall move out with the 5camp of the Levites iin the middle of the 6camps; as they camp, so they shall move out, everyone in his place, by their 7standards.
18“On the west side shall be the standard of the forces with Ephraim according to their armies, and the leader of the children of Ephraim shall be Elishama the son of Ammihud.”
19And his army was numbered at forty thousand five hundred.
20“Next to him comes the tribe of Manasseh, and the leader of the children of Manasseh shall be Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur.”
21And his army was numbered at thirty-two thousand two hundred.
22“Then comes the tribe of Benjamin, and the leader of the children of Benjamin shall be Abidan the son of Gideoni.”
23And his army was numbered at thirty-five thousand four hundred.
24“All who were numbered according to their armies of the forces with Ephraim, one hundred and eight thousand one hundred—jthey shall 8be the third to break camp.
25“The 9standard of the forces with Dan shall be on the north side according to their armies, and the leader of the children of Dan shall be Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai.”
26And his army was numbered at sixty-two thousand seven hundred.
27“Those who camp next to him shall be the tribe of Asher, and the leader of the children of Asher shall be Pagiel the son of Ocran.”
28And his army was numbered at forty-one thousand five hundred.
29“Then comes the tribe of Naphtali, and the leader of the children of Naphtali shall be Ahira the son of Enan.”
30And his army was numbered at fifty-three thousand four hundred.
31“All who were numbered of the forces with Dan, one hundred and fifty-seven thousand six hundred—kthey shall 10break camp last, with their 11standards.”
32These are the ones who were numbered of the children of Israel by their fathers’ houses. lAll who were numbered according to their armies of the forces were six hundred and three thousand five hundred and fifty.
33But mthe Levites were not numbered among the children of Israel, just as the LORD commanded Moses.
34Thus the children of Israel ndid according to all that the LORD commanded Moses; oso they camped by their 12standards and so they broke camp, each one by his family, according to their fathers’ houses.
Numbers 3
The Sons of Aaron
(Lev. 10:1–7)
1Now these are the arecords1 of Aaron and Moses when the LORD spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai.
2And these are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab, the bfirstborn, and cAbihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
3These are the names of the sons of Aaron, dthe anointed priests, 2whom he consecrated to minister as priests.
4eNadab and Abihu had died before the LORD when they offered profane fire before the LORD in the Wilderness of Sinai; and they had no children. So Eleazar and Ithamar ministered as priests in the presence of Aaron their father.
The Levites Serve in the Tabernacle
5And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying:
6f“Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may serve him.
7“And they shall attend to his needs and the needs of the whole congregation before the tabernacle of meeting, to do gthe work of the tabernacle.
8“Also they shall attend to all the furnishings of the tabernacle of meeting, and to the needs of the children of Israel, to do the work of the tabernacle.
9“And hyou shall give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are given entirely to 3him from among the children of Israel.
10“So you shall appoint Aaron and his sons, iand they shall attend to their priesthood; jbut the outsider who comes near shall be put to death.”
11Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying:
12“Now behold, kI Myself have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of every firstborn who opens the womb among the children of Israel. Therefore the Levites shall be lMine,
13“because mall the firstborn are Mine. nOn the day that I struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified to Myself all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast. They shall be Mine: I am the LORD.”
Census of the Levites Commanded
(cf. Num. 1:47–54)
14Then the LORD spoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai, saying:
15“Number the children of Levi by their fathers’ houses, by their families; you shall number oevery male from a month old and above.”
16So Moses numbered them according to the 4word of the LORD, as he was commanded.
17pThese were the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
18And these are the names of the sons of qGershon by their families: rLibni and Shimei.
19And the sons of sKohath by their families: tAmram, Izehar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
20uAnd the sons of Merari by their families: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites by their fathers’ houses.
21From Gershon came the family of the Libnites and the family of the Shimites; these were the families of the Gershonites.
22Those who were numbered, according to the number of all the males from a month old and above—of those who were numbered there were seven thousand five hundred.
23vThe families of the Gershonites were to camp behind the tabernacle westward.
24And the leader of the father’s house of the Gershonites was Eliasaph the son of Lael.
25wThe duties of the children of Gershon in the tabernacle of meeting included xthe tabernacle, ythe tent with zits covering, athe screen for the door of the tabernacle of meeting,
26bthe screen for the door of the court, cthe hangings of the court which are around the tabernacle and the altar, and dtheir cords, according to all the work relating to them.
27eFrom Kohath came the family of the Amramites, the family of the Izharites, the family of the Hebronites, and the family of the Uzzielites; these were the families of the Kohathites.
28According to the number of all the males, from a month old and above, there were eight thousand 5six hundred 6keeping charge of the sanctuary.
29fThe families of the children of Kohath were to camp on the south side of the tabernacle.
30And the leader of the fathers’ house of the families of the Kohathites was Elizaphan the son of gUzziel.
31hTheir duty included ithe ark, jthe table, kthe lampstand, lthe altars, the utensils of the sanctuary with which they ministered, mthe screen, and all the work relating to them.
32And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest was to be chief over the leaders of the Levites, with oversight of those who kept charge of the sanctuary.
33From Merari came the family of the Mahlites and the family of the Mushites; these were the families of Merari.
34And those who were numbered, according to the number of all the males from a month old and above, were six thousand two hundred.
35The leader of the fathers’ house of the families of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail. nThese were to camp on the north side of the tabernacle.
36And othe appointed duty of the children of Merari included the boards of the tabernacle, its bars, its pillars, its sockets, its utensils, all the work relating to them,
37and the pillars of the court all around, with their sockets, their pegs, and their cords.
38pMoreover those who were to camp before the tabernacle on the east, before the tabernacle of meeting, were Moses, Aaron, and his sons, qkeeping charge of the sanctuary, rto meet the needs of the children of Israel; but sthe outsider who came near was to be put to death.
39tAll who were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron numbered at the commandment of the LORD, by their families, all the males from a month old and above, were twenty-two thousand.
Levites Dedicated Instead of the Firstborn
40Then the LORD said to Moses: u“Number7 all the firstborn males of the children of Israel from a month old and above, and take the number of their names.
41v“And you shall take the Levites for Me—I am the LORD—instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the livestock of the children of Israel.”
42So Moses numbered all the firstborn among the children of Israel, as the LORD commanded him.
43And all the firstborn males, according to the number of names from a month old and above, of those who were numbered of them, were twenty-two thousand two hundred and seventy-three.
44Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying:
45w“Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites instead of their livestock. The Levites shall be Mine: I am the LORD.
46“And for xthe redemption of the two hundred and seventy-three of the firstborn of the children of Israel, ywho are more than the number of the Levites,
47“you shall take zfive shekels for each one aindividually; you shall take them in the currency of the shekel of the sanctuary, bthe shekel of twenty gerahs.
48“And you shall give the money, with which the excess number of them is redeemed, to Aaron and his sons.”
49So Moses took the redemption money from those who were over and above those who were redeemed by the Levites.
50From the firstborn of the children of Israel he took the money, cone thousand three hundred and sixty-five shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary.
51And Moses dgave their redemption money to Aaron and his sons, according to the word of the LORD, as the LORD commanded Moses.
Numbers 4
Duties of the Sons of Kohath
1Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:
2“Take a census of the sons of aKohath from among the children of Levi, by their families, by their fathers’ house,
3b“from thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old, all who enter the service to do the work in the tabernacle of meeting.
4c“This is the service of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of meeting, relating to dthe most holy things:
5“When the camp prepares to journey, Aaron and his sons shall come, and they shall take down ethe covering veil and cover the fark of the Testimony with it.
6“Then they shall put on it a covering of badger skins, and spread over that a cloth entirely of gblue; and they shall insert hits poles.
7“On the itable of showbread they shall spread a blue cloth, and put on it the dishes, the pans, the bowls, and the 1pitchers for pouring; and the jshowbread2 shall be on it.
8“They shall spread over them a scarlet cloth, and cover the same with a covering of badger skins; and they shall insert its poles.
9“And they shall take a blue cloth and cover the klampstand of the light, lwith its lamps, its wick-trimmers, its trays, and all its oil vessels, with which they service it.
10“Then they shall put it with all its utensils in a covering of badger skins, and put it on a carrying beam.
11“Over mthe golden altar they shall spread a blue cloth, and cover it with a covering of badger skins; and they shall insert its poles.
12“Then they shall take all the nutensils of service with which they minister in the sanctuary, put them in a blue cloth, cover them with a covering of badger skins, and put them on a carrying beam.
13“Also they shall take away the ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth over it.
14“They shall put on it all its implements with which they minister there—the firepans, the forks, the shovels, the 3basins, and all the utensils of the altar—and they shall spread on it a covering of badger skins, and insert its poles.
15“And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, when the camp is set to go, then othe sons of Kohath shall come to carry them; pbut they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die. qThese are the things in the tabernacle of meeting which the sons of Kohath are to carry.
16“The appointed duty of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest is rthe oil for the light, the ssweet incense, tthe daily grain offering, the uanointing oil, the oversight of all the tabernacle, of all that is in it, with the sanctuary and its furnishings.”
17Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:
18“Do not cut off the tribe of the families of the Kohathites from among the Levites;
19“but do this in regard to them, that they may live and not die when they approach vthe most holy things: Aaron and his sons shall go in and 4appoint each of them to his service and his task.
20w“But they shall not go in to watch while the holy things are being covered, lest they die.”
Duties of the Sons of Gershon
21Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying:
22“Also take a census of the sons of xGershon, by their fathers’ house, by their families.
23y“From thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old, you shall number them, all who enter to perform the service, to do the work in the tabernacle of meeting.
24“This is the zservice of the families of the Gershonites, in serving and carrying:
25a“They shall carry the bcurtains of the tabernacle and the tabernacle of meeting with its covering, the covering of cbadger skins that is on it, the screen for the door of the tabernacle of meeting,
26“the screen for the door of the gate of the court, the hangings of the court which are around the tabernacle and altar, and their cords, all the furnishings for their service and all that is made for these things: so shall they serve.
27“Aaron and his sons shall 5assign all the service of the sons of the Gershonites, all their tasks and all their service. And you shall 6appoint to them all their tasks as their duty.
28“This is the service of the families of the sons of Gershon in the tabernacle of meeting. And their duties shall be dunder the 7authority of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.
Duties of the Sons of Merari
29“As for the sons of eMerari, you shall number them by their families and by their fathers’ house.
30f“From thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old, you shall number them, everyone who enters the service to do the work of the tabernacle of meeting.
31“And gthis is hwhat they must carry as all their service for the tabernacle of meeting: ithe boards of the tabernacle, its bars, its pillars, its sockets,
32“and the pillars around the court with their sockets, pegs, and cords, with all their furnishings and all their service; and you shall jassign to each man by name the items he must carry.
33“This is the service of the families of the sons of Merari, as all their service for the tabernacle of meeting, under the 8authority of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.”
Census of the Levites
34kAnd Moses, Aaron, and the leaders of the congregation numbered the sons of the Kohathites by their families and by their fathers’ house,
35from thirty lyears old and above, even to fifty years old, everyone who entered the service for work in the tabernacle of meeting;
