Numbers 4

This chapter belongs to the census taken in the wilderness of Sinai in the opening section of Numbers. Numbers 3 numbers the Levite males from a month old and upward and assigns each clan its responsibilities. This chapter then numbers again those of working age, from thirty to fifty, and sets out in detail the procedure for moving the tabernacle.

Outline

• Verses 1–3 The command to number the sons of Kohath from thirty to fifty years old
• Verses 4–14 How Aaron and his sons were to cover the ark of the testimony, the table of showbread, the lampstand, the golden altar, the instruments of the sanctuary, and the altar of burnt offering with cloths and badgers' skins when the camp set forward
• Verses 15–16 The sons of Kohath were to carry the covered holy things without touching them; Eleazar was given charge of the oil, the sweet incense, the meat offering, the anointing oil, and the whole tabernacle
• Verses 17–20 So that the Kohathite clans would not be cut off, the priests were to direct their work, and the Kohathites were not to look upon the holy things even for a moment
• Verses 21–28 The sons of Gershon were to carry the curtains, coverings, hangings, door hanging, and cords, under the oversight of Ithamar
• Verses 29–33 The sons of Merari were to carry the boards, bars, pillars, sockets, pins, and cords, also under the oversight of Ithamar
• Verses 34–49 The results of the census: Kohath 2,750, Gershon 2,630, and Merari 3,200, for a total of 8,580

Key Verses

• Numbers 4:15 "but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die" — This verse reflects reverence for holy things and marks the boundary between the duties of the priests and those of the Levites.
• Numbers 4:3 "From thirty years old and upward even until fifty years old" — This verse sets the age range for those who served at the tabernacle of the congregation.

People and Places

• Moses and Aaron: the leaders who conducted the census
• Eleazar: son of Aaron, given charge of the whole sanctuary
• Ithamar: son of Aaron, who oversaw the sons of Gershon and Merari
• Kohath, Gershon, and Merari: the Levite clans descended from the three sons of Levi
• The tabernacle (tabernacle of the congregation): the portable place of worship, which contained the ark of the covenant (ark of the testimony), the table of showbread, the lampstand, the altar of burnt offering, and other furnishings

Points for Reflection

• Numbers 8:24 gives the age for Levitical service as twenty-five and upward. Various explanations have been offered to harmonize the two passages, such as understanding the first five years as a period of apprenticeship.
• The prohibition against touching the holy things is often read alongside the account in 2 Samuel 6, where Uzzah died after taking hold of the ark.
• The rule forbidding the Kohathites even to look upon the holy things is sometimes read in contrast with Hebrews 10, which says that the way into the holiest has been opened through Christ.