Numbers 3

The opening section of Numbers records the preparations for Israel's march through the wilderness. Chapter 1 takes a census of the twelve tribes of Israel, and chapter 2 sets the arrangement of the camp. Chapter 3 numbers the tribe of Levi, which had been treated separately, and defines its duties. Chapter 4 then sets out the regulations for Levitical service in greater detail.

Outline

• Verses 1–4 The sons of Aaron are introduced: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. Nadab and Abihu died childless when they offered "strange fire," and Eleazar and Ithamar ministered in the priest's office.
• Verses 5–10 The Levites are given to Aaron to serve at the tent of meeting (the tent where God meets with His people, that is, the tabernacle). The priesthood belongs to Aaron's house, and any stranger (one who does not belong to that office) who comes near is to be put to death.
• Verses 11–13 God takes the Levites as His own in place of Israel's firstborn. The basis is the day He struck down the firstborn in Egypt.
• Verses 14–20 God commands that every male from a month old and upward be numbered. The three sons of Levi—Gershon, Kohath, and Merari—and their families are listed.
• Verses 21–26 The Gershonite families number 7,500. They camp on the west side of the tabernacle under their chief, Eliasaph, and are responsible for the tabernacle's coverings, hangings, and cords.
• Verses 27–32 The Kohathite families number 8,600. They camp on the south side under their chief, Elizaphan, and are responsible for the ark of the testimony (that is, the Ark of the Covenant), the table, the lampstand, and the altars. Eleazar presides over the chiefs of the Levites.
• Verses 33–37 The Merarite families number 6,200. They camp on the north side under their chief, Zuriel, and are responsible for the boards, pillars, sockets, and pins.
• Verses 38–39 Moses and the house of Aaron camp on the east side. The Levites total 22,000.
• Verses 40–51 The firstborn males of Israel number 22,273. For the 273 in excess of the Levites, a redemption price (a payment made in their place) of five shekels per person is paid, and the total of 1,365 shekels is given to Aaron and his sons.

Key Verses

• Numbers 3:12 "I have taken the Levites … instead of all the firstborn … therefore the Levites shall be mine." This verse states the principle of substitution that explains why the Levites were specially set apart.
• Numbers 3:4 "Nadab and Abihu died before the LORD, when they offered strange fire before the LORD …" This is the background for the continuation of the priesthood through the lines of Eleazar and Ithamar.

People and Places

• Aaron and Moses: Members of the tribe of Levi who carry out the census in this chapter.
• Nadab, Abihu, and Ithamar: Sons of Aaron.
• Eleazar: Aaron's third son, who is placed over the chiefs of the Levites.
• Gershon, Kohath, and Merari: The three sons of Levi and the ancestors of the three Levite families.
• Eliasaph, Elizaphan, and Zuriel: The chiefs of the three Levite families, respectively.
• Mount Sinai and the Wilderness of Sinai: The location where this census took place.

Points for Reflection

• The discrepancy in the totals: The figures for the three families add up to 22,300, yet verse 39 gives the total as 22,000. Various explanations have been offered for this difference. Some regard the figure in verse 28 as a variation that arose in the course of manuscript transmission, while others hold that 300 were the Levites' own firstborn and were therefore excluded from the substitution.
• The meaning of "strange fire": The text does not specify what the offense was. The incident is recounted in Leviticus 10, and explanations handed down in later tradition, such as the suggestion that the two were drunk, are inferences from outside the text.
• Connection to the New Testament: The law requiring the firstborn to be presented to God forms the background to the scene in Luke 2 in which the infant Jesus is presented at the temple.
• Application to ministry: Traditions differ on how the distinction between priests and Levites applies to ministry today. The Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and some Anglicans read it as a type of ordained ministry. Most Protestants, from the perspective of the priesthood of all believers, hold that this distinction has been fulfilled in Christ.