Kohath

Biblical Account

Kohath was the second son of Levi, the son of Jacob. His older brother was Gershon, and his younger brother was Merari (Genesis 46:11; Exodus 6:16; 1 Chronicles 6:1). He appears in the list of those who went down to Egypt with Jacob's family. Exodus 6:18 records that he lived 133 years. He had four sons: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel (1 Chronicles 6:2).

Amram married Jochebed, who bore Aaron, Moses, and Miriam (Exodus 6:20; Numbers 26:59). Kohath was therefore the grandfather of Moses and Aaron. Izhar's son was Korah, who opposed Moses and Aaron in the wilderness (Numbers 16:1).

Scripture records no separate account of Kohath's own life. His name is used chiefly to designate his descendants, the "Kohathites." According to Numbers 3–4, during the forty years in the wilderness the Kohathites camped on the south side of the tabernacle. They were responsible for the most holy furnishings, such as the ark of the covenant, the table of the showbread, the lampstand, and the altars.

The Kohathites could carry these furnishings only after Aaron and his sons had first covered them. They were also warned that they would die if they touched or looked upon the holy things (Numbers 4:15, 20). Unlike the other Levitical clans, the Kohathites received no wagons; instead, they carried the furnishings on their shoulders (Numbers 7:9).

After the settlement in Canaan, the descendants of Aaron, the priestly family within the Kohathites, received thirteen cities from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin. The remaining Kohathites received ten cities from the tribes of Ephraim and Dan and the half-tribe of Manasseh (Joshua 21:4–5).

Significance in Scripture

The Kohathite line is the branch of the Levites from which the priestly family of Aaron's descendants came. In Chronicles, Heman, who was responsible for the service of song in the time of David, is identified as a Kohathite (1 Chronicles 6:33). The Kohathites also took part when David brought up the ark of the covenant (1 Chronicles 15:5). The "sons of Korah" named in the superscriptions of several Psalms were likewise descendants of Kohath. The New Testament does not mention Kohath by name.

Interpretation and Issues

• Genealogy and chronology: The genealogy in Exodus 6 spans only four generations: Levi, Kohath, Amram, and Moses. Some have noted that this genealogy is difficult to reconcile with the length of the sojourn in Egypt (430 years according to Exodus 12:40). Various interpretations have been proposed, including the view that the genealogy omits intervening generations, and scholars differ on the chronology.
• Discrepancy in 1 Chronicles 6: 1 Chronicles 6:22 lists Amminadab as a son of Kohath and names Korah among his descendants, whereas 6:37–38 records Korah as the son of Izhar. Among the explanations proposed is that Amminadab and Izhar are different names for the same person.
• Connection with the Uzzah incident: The death of Uzzah after he took hold of the ark of the covenant in 2 Samuel 6 is often read in light of the regulation in Numbers 4:15. The text, however, does not state that Uzzah was a Kohathite.

In the Korean Church

Preaching tends to focus on "the duties of the Kohathites" rather than on Kohath himself. The passages describing how the holy things were carried on the shoulders rather than on wagons (Numbers 4; 7:9) are often cited to illustrate the attitude of church officers who personally shoulder the mission entrusted to them. When psalms bearing the superscription "sons of Korah," such as Psalm 42, are expounded, this lineage is sometimes explained as well.