The families of the Gershonites shall encamp behind the tabernacle westward.
Eliasaph the son of Lael shall be the prince of the fathers’ house of the Gershonites. The duty of the sons of Gershon in the Tent of Meeting shall be the tabernacle, the tent, its covering, the screen for the door of the Tent of Meeting, the hangings of the court, the screen for the door of the court which is by the tabernacle and around the altar, and its cords for all of its service.
Of Kohath was the family of the Amramites, the family of the Izharites, the family of the Hebronites, and the family of the Uzzielites. These are the families of the Kohathites. According to the number of all the males from a month old and upward, there were eight thousand six hundred keeping the requirements of the sanctuary.
The families of the sons of Kohath shall encamp on the south side of the tabernacle. The prince of the fathers’ house of the families of the Kohathites shall be Elizaphan the son of Uzziel. Their duty shall be the ark, the table, the lamp stand, the altars, the vessels of the sanctuary with which they minister, the screen, and all its service. Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall be prince of the princes of the Levites, with the oversight of those who keep the requirements of the sanctuary.
Of Merari was the family of the Mahlites and the family of the Mushites. These are the families of Merari. Those who were counted of them, according to the number of all the males from a month old and upward, were six thousand two hundred.
The prince of the fathers’ house of the families of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail. They shall encamp on the north side of the tabernacle.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv24, 25, 28, 31, 32 Or, father.
Or, father.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv25, 26, 27, 28, 31, 32 The tabernacle; not the boards, which belonged to Merari,…
The tabernacle; not the boards, which belonged to Merari, Num 3:36, but the ten curtains mentioned Exo 26:1.
The tent, to wit, the curtains of goats’ hair.
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The covering thereof, i.e. the coverings of rams’ skins and badgers’ skins. See Num 4:25.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv23–35 The families of the Gershonites,.... The two before mentioned,…
The families of the Gershonites,.... The two before mentioned, the Libnites and Shimites:
shall pitch behind the tabernacle westward; this was their situation when encamped; they were placed in the rear of the camp of the Levites, between the tabernacle and the camp of Ephraim, which was westward also, Num 1:18.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv25, 26, 27, 28, 31, 32 The tabernacle - Not the boards, which belonged to…
The tabernacle - Not the boards, which belonged to Merari, ver. 36, but the ten curtains. The tent - The curtains of goats hair. The coverings - That is, the coverings of rams-skins and badgers- skins.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv25, 27, 31, 32 Num 3:25-26. The tabernacle — Not the boards, which…
Num 3:25-26. The tabernacle — Not the boards, which belonged to Merari, (Num 3:36,) but the ten curtains. The tent — The curtains of goats’ hair. The coverings — That is, the coverings of rams’ skins and badgers’ skins. The cords — By which the tabernacle was fastened to the pins, and stretched out, Exo 35:18.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv26–27 the cords ... the service thereof - i. e.…
the cords ... the service thereof - i. e. of the tabernacle, not of the hangings of the court, for these, with their cords and other fittings, belonged to the charge of the Merarites Num 3:36-37. The tabernacle was under the care of the Gershonites.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv24, 26, 28, 32
CHAPTER III.
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On v32 chief--rather, "chiefs" of the Levites. Three persons are mentioned…
chief--rather, "chiefs" of the Levites. Three persons are mentioned as chiefs of these respective divisions [Num 3:24, Num 3:30, Num 3:35]. And Eleazar presided over them; whence he is called "the second priest" (Kg2 25:18); and in the case of the high priest's absence from illness or other necessary occasions, he performed the duties (Kg1 4:4).
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv25, 26, 30 25. Tabernacle… tent… covering — The tabernacle consisted of…
25. Tabernacle… tent… covering — The tabernacle consisted of three chief parts, namely, the dwelling place, mishkan, or tabernacle strictly so called; the tent, ohel; and mikseh, the covering. The tabernacle itself was made of ten curtains of fine linen, ornamented with coloured cherubim resting upon a framework of boards, and was composed of the holy place and the most holy, corresponding to the adytum, ναος, or innermost sanctuary of the temple at Jerusalem. The tent — a goat’s hair fabric — was to cover the tabernacle, while spread over the tent was the covering made of the red skins of rams, or tachash skins, as a protection from the weather. See note on Num_4:6. Much confusion arises from the fact that in English tent and tabernacle are synonyms, and mean about the same as covering.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv23, 25, 26, 28, 31, 32 23. behind] The usual expression for ‘westward,’ because the…
23. behind] The usual expression for ‘westward,’ because the Hebrew faced eastward when thinking of the points of the compass; cf. Exo_3:1, Deu_11:30, Jdg_18:12, Isa_9:12. With the characteristic tautology of the priestly style another word for ‘westward’ is added; cf. Num_3:38, Exo_27:9. The latter denotes literally ‘towards the sea,’ shewing that the narrator was in Palestine when he wrote, the Mediterranean being the sea referred to.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv23, 25, 26, 29, 32 (23) Behind the tabernacle westward.—As the position of the…
(23) Behind the tabernacle westward.—As the position of the twelve tribes in respect of the tent of meeting had been already determined, so in this and the following verses the position of the priests and Levites is fixed. On the east side of the tent Moses and Aaron and Aaron’s sons were to encamp, on the south the Kohathites, on the west the Gershonites, on the north the Merarites.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv23, 25, 28, 30, 32 Shall pitch. These directions as to the position and…
Shall pitch. These directions as to the position and duties of the Levitical families retain the form in which they were originally given. The way in which they are mixed up with direct narrative affords a striking proof of the inartificial character of these sacred writings. Behind the tabernacle westward. The tabernacle opened or looked eastward towards the sunrise.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On v33 These shall pitch on the side of the tabernacle.
Num_3:33-39
These shall pitch on the side of the tabernacle.
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The placing of the Levites throughout the host
In this division we see more particularly that which was in part noted before, namely, the several situations that these Levites had about the tabernacle, which they compassed round about that they might not be far from any of the people of God, but always resident among them. This teacheth us that God will have every part of His people taught. None are too high in regard of their great places; none are too low in regard of their obscure callings; none are too good to be taught, whatsoever their degrees be. This will be made plain by divers reasons.
1. Consider the titles that are given unto God in the Scriptures. He is worthily called the King of His Church, and the Lord and Master of His house. Is not He the Shepherd of Israel that leadeth Josephlike sheep? (Psa_80:1). Will a shepherd that hath any care of his sheep, or any love unto them, look unto some of them and not to all? Will a king regard only the chief cities and most populous places of his kingdom, and suffer the rest to live as they list, without laws and good orders? Or will the master of a house look to some in his family, and not to all?
2. Such is the grace and goodness of God, that He would have all His people come to knowledge. Such as know not His will are none of His servants. If then He require the understanding of His ways, not only of rich men, of great men, of learned men, and of the ministers, but of all the people, we must hereof conclude that He hath ordained that all of them should have the means of knowledge and salvation offered unto them, and published among them.
3. The Word of God was penned for all estates, degrees, and conditions of men.
4. All persons, whatsoever they be, have souls to save: simple persons, small congregations, little assemblies, as well as others that ale many in number.
Uses:
1. It is Gods ordinance that every congregation should have a learned minister to teach them the true religion and fear of God.
2. It is required of the ministers of the Gospel, whom the Holy Ghost hath made overseers of their several flocks, to look to their whole charge from one corner of it to another. They are to give an account for every soul that dies through their ignorance or through their negligence.
3. We have warrant from hence to desire most earnestly that the kingdom of God may flourish everywhere. Christ our Saviour teaches us to pray that His kingdom may come (Mat_6:10), and so to be erected in the hearts of men.
4. This doctrine serveth as an instruction to all magistrates (as their places serve them) to further the preaching of the Word, and to furnish such places as belong unto them with able teachers. (W. Attersoll.)
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The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv24, 27, 30, 33 Eliasaph ... Lael
Eliasaph ... Lael
These are the names of men. (See: How to Translate Names)
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the courtyard hangings
"the curtains in the courtyard"
the courtyard that surrounds the sanctuary and the altar
"that is, the courtyard that surrounds the sanctuary and the altar"
translationWords
descend
family
curtain
tent of meeting
tent
court
sanctuary
altar
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv27, 28, 32 3:27-32 Aaron and Moses, sons of Amram, were descendants…
3:27-32 Aaron and Moses, sons of Amram, were descendants of Kohath (see Exod 6:18, 20, 26). Because they were caretakers of the sanctuary (the Most Holy Place) and its very sacred furnishings (described in Num 3–4), the Kohathites were the most highly regarded of the three clans.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.