Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Bring the tribe of Levi near, and set them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister to him. They shall keep his requirements, and the requirements of the whole congregation before the Tent of Meeting, to do the service of the tabernacle. They shall keep all the furnishings of the Tent of Meeting, and the obligations of the children of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle. You shall give the Levites to Aaron and to his sons. They are wholly given to him on the behalf of the children of Israel.
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Numbers 3:5-9 sits inside this longer paragraph.
Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Bring the tribe of Levi near, and set them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister to him. They shall keep his requirements, and the requirements of the whole congregation before the Tent of Meeting, to do the service of the tabernacle. They shall keep all the furnishings of the Tent of Meeting, and the obligations of the children of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle. You shall give the Levites to Aaron and to his sons. They are wholly given to him on the behalf of the children of Israel. You shall appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall keep their priesthood, but the stranger who comes near shall be put to death.”
Parallel Translations
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Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
“Bring the tribe of Levi near, and set them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister to him.
They shall keep his requirements, and the requirements of the whole congregation before the Tent of Meeting, to do the service of the tabernacle.
They shall keep all the furnishings of the Tent of Meeting, and the obligations of the children of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle.
You shall give the Levites to Aaron and to his sons. They are wholly given to him on the behalf of the children of Israel.
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And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister unto him.
And they shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole congregation before the tabernacle of the congregation, to do the service of the tabernacle.
And they shall keep all the instruments of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the charge of the children of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle.
And thou shalt give the Levites unto Aaron and to his sons: they are wholly given unto him out of the children of Israel.
Show all 3 translations
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And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying:
'Bring the tribe of Levi near, and set them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister unto him.
And they shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole congregation before the tent of meeting, to do the service of the tabernacle.
And they shall keep all the furniture of the tent of meeting, and the charge of the children of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle.
And thou shalt give the Levites unto Aaron and to his sons; they are wholly given unto him from the children of Israel.
Cross-references (32)
- Numbers 1:50 (v7) but appoint the Levites over the Tabernacle of the Testimony, and over all its furnishings, and over all that belongs to it. They shall…
- Numbers 8:19 (v9) I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and to his sons from among the children of Israel, to do the service of the children of Israel…
- Numbers 8:11 (v7) and Aaron shall offer the Levites before Yahweh for a wave offering on the behalf of the children of Israel, that it may be theirs to do…
- Numbers 8:15 (v7) “After that, the Levites shall go in to do the service of the Tent of Meeting. You shall cleanse them, and offer them as a wave offering.
- Exodus 32:26-29 (v6) then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, “Whoever is on Yahweh’s side, come to me!” All the sons of Levi gathered themselves…
Show all 32 cross-references
- Numbers 1:49-53 (v6) “Only the tribe of Levi you shall not count, neither shall you take a census of them among the children of Israel; but appoint the Levites…
- Numbers 2:17 (v6) “Then the Tent of Meeting shall set out, with the camp of the Levites in the middle of the camps. As they encamp, so shall they set out,…
- Numbers 2:33 (v6) But the Levites were not counted among the children of Israel, as Yahweh commanded Moses.
- Numbers 3:32 (v7) 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…
- Numbers 4:15 (v8) “When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the furniture of the sanctuary, as the camp moves forward; after…
- Numbers 4:28 (v8) This is the service of the families of the sons of the Gershonites in the Tent of Meeting. Their duty shall be under the hand of Ithamar…
- Numbers 4:33 (v8) This is the service of the families of the sons of Merari, according to all their service in the Tent of Meeting, under the hand of Ithamar…
- Numbers 8:6-26 (v6) “Take the Levites from among the children of Israel, and cleanse them. You shall do this to them, to cleanse them: sprinkle the water of…
- Numbers 8:24-26 (v7) “This is what is assigned to the Levites: from twenty-five years old and upward they shall go in to wait on the service in the work of the…
- Numbers 10:17 (v8) The tabernacle was taken down; and the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari, who bore the tabernacle, went forward.
- Numbers 10:21 (v8) The Kohathites set forward, bearing the sanctuary. The others set up the tabernacle before they arrived.
- Numbers 16:9-11 (v6) Is it a small thing to you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself, to do…
- Numbers 18:1-7 (v6) Yahweh said to Aaron, “You and your sons and your fathers’ house with you shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary; and you and your sons…
- Numbers 18:6-7 (v9) Behold, I myself have taken your brothers the Levites from among the children of Israel. They are a gift to you, dedicated to Yahweh, to do…
- Numbers 31:30 (v7) Of the children of Israel’s half, you shall take one drawn out of every fifty, of the persons, of the cattle, of the donkeys, and of the…
- Deuteronomy 10:8 (v6) At that time Yahweh set apart the tribe of Levi to bear the ark of Yahweh’s covenant, to stand before Yahweh to minister to him, and to…
- Deuteronomy 33:8-9 (v6) About Levi he said, “Your Thummim and your Urim are with your godly one, whom you proved at Massah, with whom you contended at the waters…
- 1 Chronicles 23:28-32 (v7) For their office was to wait on the sons of Aaron for the service of Yahweh’s house, in the courts, and in the rooms, and in the purifying…
- 1 Chronicles 26:20 (v7) Of the Levites, Ahijah was over the treasures of God’s house and over the treasures of the dedicated things.
- 1 Chronicles 26:20-28 (v8) Of the Levites, Ahijah was over the treasures of God’s house and over the treasures of the dedicated things. The sons of Ladan, the sons of…
- 1 Chronicles 26:22 (v7) The sons of Jehieli: Zetham, and Joel his brother, over the treasures of Yahweh’s house.
- 1 Chronicles 26:26 (v7) This Shelomoth and his brothers were over all the treasures of the dedicated things, which David the king, and the heads of the fathers’…
- Ezra 8:24-30 (v8) Then I set apart twelve of the chiefs of the priests, even Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brothers with them, and weighed to them…
- Isaiah 52:11 (v8) Depart! Depart! Go out from there! Touch no unclean thing! Go out from among her! Cleanse yourselves, you who carry Yahweh’s vessels.
- Malachi 2:4 (v6) You will know that I have sent this commandment to you, that my covenant may be with Levi,” says Yahweh of Armies.
- Ephesians 4:8 (v9) Therefore he says, “When he ascended on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts to people.”
- Ephesians 4:11 (v9) He gave some to be apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, shepherds and teachers;
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (16 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv6, 7, 9 Offer them unto Aaron for the use of the…
Offer them unto Aaron for the use of the Tabernacle.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On v9 Num 3:9 And thou shalt give the Levites unto…
Num 3:9 And thou shalt give the Levites unto Aaron and to his sons: they [are] wholly given unto him out of the children of Israel.
Ver. 9. They are wholly given unto him.] Heb. They are given, they are given. So the ministers of the gospel are called "gifts"; {Eph 4:8; Eph 4:11} honoraries; such as Christ bestowed upon his Church at the day of his coronation, and solemn inauguration into his throne, at his wonderful ascension.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv6–9 Present them; offer them to the lord for his…
Present them; offer them to the lord for his special service. This was promised to them before, and now actually conferred upon them.
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 vv5–9 And the Lord spake unto Moses,.... After he had…
And the Lord spake unto Moses,.... After he had given him the order for the numbering the children of Israel, and for the manner of their encampment and journeying:
saying; as follows.
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 vv6–9 Present them - Offer them to the Lord for…
Present them - Offer them to the Lord for his special service. This was promised to them before, and now actually conferred.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv6–8 Verse 6. Bring the tribe of Levi near] The…
Verse 6. Bring the tribe of Levi near] The original word הקרב hakreb is properly a sacrificial word, and signifies the presenting of a sacrifice or offering to the Lord. As an offering, the tribe of Levi was given up entirely to the service of the sanctuary, to be no longer their own, but the Lord's property.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv6–8 Num 3:6. Present them — Offer them to the…
Num 3:6. Present them — Offer them to the Lord for his special service. This was promised to them before, and now actually conferred.
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 v7 keep his charge - i. e. so assist him…
keep his charge - i. e. so assist him that the obligations incumbent on him and on the congregation may be fulfilled.
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 vv6–7 To him, and to the other priests, who had…
To him, and to the other priests, who had to perform the higher offices. The Levites did not approach near the altar, except when they had to carry it and the tabernacle. (Calmet)
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 vv5, 9 Bring the tribe of Levi near--The Hebrew word "bring…
Bring the tribe of Levi near--The Hebrew word "bring near" is a sacrificial term, denoting the presentation of an offering to God; and the use of the word, therefore, in connection with the Levites, signifies that they were devoted as an offering to the sanctuary, no longer to be employed in any common offices. They were subordinate to the priests, who alone enjoyed the privilege of entering the holy place; but they were employed in discharging many of the humbler duties which belonged to the sanctuary, as well as in various offices of great utility and importance to the religion and morals of the people.
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 vv5, 7, 9 THE LEVITES SUBORDINATED TO AARON, Num_3:5-11.
THE LEVITES SUBORDINATED TO AARON, Num_3:5-11.
In the performance of the prescribed ritual there were many duties of a semi-sacerdotal nature, and some that were even menial. For the latter the Gibeonites were subsequently held, as a punishment for their mendacious diplomacy and as a relief to the Levites, who had been charged with all the sub-priestly duties connected with the tabernacle. Hence the propriety of a public presentation of the Levites, and a solemn charge pronounced by the high priest.
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 vv5, 6, 7, 9 5–10. The appointment of the Levites as an inferior,…
5–10. The appointment of the Levites as an inferior, though sacred, body of priests’ servants.
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 vv7, 9 (7) And they shall keep his charge.—The word rendered…
(7) And they shall keep his charge.—The word rendered charge may mean the directions which the Levites should receive from Aaron (comp. Gen_26:5); or—as seems more probable from the use of the same word in this and the following verse with reference to the congregation—it may refer to the charge which was laid upon Aaron and upon the whole congregation in matters pertaining to the public worship of God.
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 vv6–9 Bring the tribe of Levi near. Not by any…
Bring the tribe of Levi near. Not by any outward act of presentation, but by assigning to them solemnly the duties following. The expression is often used of servants coming to receive orders from their masters.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv5, 7, 9 Bring the tribe of Levi
Bring the tribe of Levi
Here the word "tribe" refers to the men in the tribe. AT: "Bring the men of the tribe of Levi" (See: Metonymy)
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translationWords
tribe
Levi
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 v5 3:5-13 The Levites were appointed as assistants to the…
3:5-13 The Levites were appointed as assistants to the priests, who were represented by Aaron. Their ministry included sacred duties (3:7) in maintaining the Tabernacle and its furnishings (3:8; described in greater detail in 4:1-33).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.