Census of the Levites Fit for Service and Their Duties Explained

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Numbers 4:1) And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, (2) "Take the sum of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, after their families, by the house of their fathers, (3) From thirty years old and upward even until fifty years old, all who enter into the host, to do the work in the tabernacle of the congregation."

In the previous chapter, Moses had taken a census of all the Levites from one month old and upward, according to the instructions of the Lord.  Now the Lord told Moses and Aaron to number just the Kohathites, from thirty to fifty years of age, all who entered into service to do the work of the tabernacle.  Whereas the men of the other tribes were to be counted from age twenty, these were to be counted from age thirty.  Although both twenty and thirty-year-olds would be in the prime of their strength, a twenty-year-old might still be immature and childish and not have the gravity to do the important service of a Levite. At fifty, they were discharged from the more laborious service of the tabernacle, like the physical carrying of the tabernacle, but later scriptures will show they still ministered with their Levite brethren.  This census of the Kohathite men thirty to fifty, was to be of "all who enter into the host to do the work in the tabernacle".  Interestingly, the word "host" was usually used for a mass of persons organized for war.  Although the Levites were exempt from going to war, their service was certainly a type of warfare, spiritual warfare, as soldiers of Christ.

(4) "This shall be the service of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation, about the most holy things: (5) And when the camp sets forward, Aaron and his sons shall come, and they shall take down the covering veil and cover the ark of the Testimony with it."

What followed was to be the service of the sons of Kohath, the most holy things, as described in Numbers 3:31, "...their charge shall be the ark, the table, the candlestick, the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary..."  When the camp was to move, only Aaron and his sons were to come into the most holy place and take down the veil dividing the holy place from the most holy, and they were to cover the ark of the Testimony with it, still protecting it from sight and touch of the Levites.

(6) "And shall put on it a covering of badgers' skins, and shall spread over it a cloth wholly of blue, and shall put in its staves."

They were then to put a covering of badger skins over the Ark to protect it from weather, and then spread over it a blue cloth.  Albert Barnes, in his Notes on the Bible, wrote that rather than putting in the staves or poles, they put them in order, as "These were never taken out of the golden rings by which the ark was to be borne (see Exo 25:14-15), but would need adjustment."  If on this sole occasion they were taken out so that the Ark might be covered, they were immediately put back in.

(7) "And on the table of showbread they shall spread a cloth of blue and put on it the dishes, the spoons, the bowls, and covers with which to cover it; and the continual bread shall be on it."

Aaron and his sons were then to spread a blue cloth on the showbread table, and to put on top of it all the utensils belonging to the showbread table, and the continual bread that was always on the table.

(8) "And they shall spread on them a cloth of scarlet, and cover the same with a covering of badgers' skins, and shall put in its staves."

They were then to cover the table and its utensils with a scarlet cloth, and cover that with a covering of badger skins, and finally put in the poles that were used to carry the table.

(9) “And they shall take a cloth of blue, and cover the candlestick of the light, and its lamps, its tongs, its snuffdishes, and all the oil vessels of it, with which they service it."

Then they were to cover the candlestand with all its lamps and all the utensils that went with it and to service it, with a blue cloth.

(10) "And they shall put it and all its vessels within a covering of badgers' skins, and shall put it on a bar."

The blue cloth covered candlestand and all its utensils were to be placed with a covering of badger skins, on something with which to carry it.  The original word translated as "bar" was "mot", and it actually means "wavering" or "shaking".  Perhaps the implication is "moving" and it refers to whatever device was used to move it.  Dr. John Gill, in his Exposition of the Entire Bible, thought perhaps it was "a kind of mat or mattress, on which the candlestick and its vessels, bundled together in the covering of the badgers' skins, were laid and carried between men on staves."  A mattress or the like makes sense as it would move and give rather than be rigid, but whatever it was, it was used to carry the candlestand and all its vessels.

(11) "And on the golden altar they shall spread a cloth of blue, and cover it with a covering of badgers' skins, and shall insert its staves."

The golden incense altar was to be covered with a blue cloth and then that covered with a covering of badger skins, and then the staves or poles were to be inserted into the rings so that it could be carried.

(12) "And they shall take all the instruments of ministry, with which they minister in the sanctuary, put them in a blue cloth, cover them with a covering of badger skins, and put them on a bar."

There seems to be a consensus among the old commentaries I read that these "instruments of ministry" referred to the sacred garments worn by the priests when they ministered in the sanctuary.  These were also to be covered and wrapped in a blue cloth and then covered with badger skins.  They, too, were to be placed on a "mot" so that they could be carried.

(13) "And they shall take away the ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth on it."

They were then to remove the ashes from the altar of burnt offering, and spread a purple cloth over the altar.

(14) "And they shall put on it all its vessels with which they minister there, the censers, the fleshhooks, the shovels, and the basins, all the vessels of the altar; and they shall spread upon it a covering of badgers' skins, and insert its staves."

On top of the purple cloth covered altar, they were to put all the utensils that were used at the altar, and that was then to be covered by a covering of badger skins, and finally staves or poles were to be inserted with which to carry the altar.

(15) “And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the vessels of the sanctuary, when the camp is set to go, then the sons of Kohath shall come to carry them; but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die. These are the things in the tabernacle of the congregation which the sons of Kohath are to carry."

When Aaron and his sons had finished covering all the most holy items of the sanctuary that have been before mentioned, when the camp was set to move on, the sons of Kohath were to carry those items.  They were to carry them on poles and/or mats, but were not to touch them, or they would die, as was the case when Uzza put out his hand to steady the ark and the Lord smote him dead (1 Chron. 13:9-10).

(16) "And to the office of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest pertains the oil for the light, the sweet incense, the daily grain offering, the anointing oil, the oversight of all the tabernacle, and of all that is in it, in the sanctuary, and in its vessels."

Eleazar, the son of Aaron and a priest, was to carry the oil for the light, the sweet incense, the daily grain offering, the anointing oil, those things not being committed to the sons of Kohath.  Eleazar was made overseer of the Kohathites in their service.  He had the oversight of all the tabernacle and all that was in it that all the things above mentioned were carried out by the persons and in the manner expressed.

(17) And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, (18) “Do not cut off the tribe of the families of the Kohathites from among the Levites; (19) But do this in regard to them, that they may live and not die when they approach the most holy things; Aaron and his sons shall go in and appoint each of them to his service and to his burden."

The Lord continued speaking to Moses and Aaron.  Great care was to be taken to preserve the lives of the Kohathites, by preventing their irreverent approach to the most holy things.  The Kohathites were not to see the holy things until the priests had covered them, and God warned Moses and Aaron and Aaron's sons, the priests, not to be negligent about wrapping well the holy things, causing the Kohathites to perish by touching them.  Aaron and his sons were to go into the holy and most holy places, and appoint to each of the Kohathites what each one should do, and how they should take up and bear the holy things.

(20) “But they shall not go in to see when the holy things are covered, lest they die."

The Kohathites were not to watch when the holy things were being covered, or they would die.  They were not to go in until the holy things were well covered and out of sight.  Once again, it was upon the priests to make sure everything was well covered so that in their negligence they did not cause a Kohathite to be killed.

(21) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (22) “Also take the sum of the sons of Gershon, throughout the houses of their fathers, by their families; (23) From thirty years old and upward until fifty years old you shall number them, all who enter to perform the service, to do the work in the tabernacle of the congregation."

Now the Lord spoke only to Moses.  He was also to take a census of the sons of Gershon as he was to have done for the Kohathites, throughout their families, from thirty years of age till fifty, all who entered to perform the service, to do the work in the tabernacle.  As in verse 3 above, where the word "host" was used, usually used for a mass of persons organized for war, here the word "perform", originally "tsaba", meant to assemble or muster for war.  Once again, although the Levites were exempt from going to war, their service was a type of spiritual warfare, as soldiers of Christ.

(24) “This is the service of the families of the Gershonites, to serve, and for burdens: (25) And they shall bear the curtains of the tabernacle, and the tabernacle of the congregation, its covering, the covering of the badgers' skins that is above on it, and the hanging for the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, (26) And the hangings of the court, the hanging for the door of the gate of the court, which is by the tabernacle and by the altar round about, their cords, all the instruments of their service, and all that is made for them; so shall they serve."

It was the duty of the Gershonites to take down, pack and carry, and then set up again all the curtains of the tabernacle.  These included the ten curtains of fine linen (Exodus 26:1), the eleven curtains of goats' hair that made the walls of the tabernacle (Exodus 26:7), the tent's covering of ram skins dyed red (Exodus 26:14), the covering of badgers' skins above that (Exodus 26:14), the hanging for the door of the tabernacle that hung between the sanctuary and the court (Exodus 26:36), the hangings of the court (Exodus 27:9), and the hanging for the door of the gate of the court (Exodus 27:16); their duties also included the care of the cords which fastened the hangings to pins or stakes to keep them from blowing, and all the instruments of their service, which Dr. John Gill writes, were "in the court, as the tables on which the sacrifices were laid, and the hooks, and cords, and pins, on which they were hung and fastened," described later in Ezekiel 40:39. 

(27) "At the appointment of Aaron and his sons shall be all the service of the sons of the Gershonites, in all their burdens, and in all their service; and you shall appoint to them all their burdens."

Aaron and his sons were to order and direct the Gershonites in what each should do in his service.

(28) “This is the service of the families of the sons of Gershon in the tabernacle of the congregation; and their charge shall be under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest."

The duties described above in verses 24-26 were to be those of the Gershonites, under the oversight and direction of Ithamar, son of Aaron.

(29) "As for the sons of Merari, you shall number them by their families and by the house of their fathers; (30) From thirty years old and upward even to fifty years old you shall number them, everyone who enters into the service to do the work of the tabernacle of the congregation."

The sons of Merari were also to be numbered from thirty years up to and including, it would seem, fifty years of age, everyone who entered into the spiritual warfare of the tabernacle.

(31) "And this is the charge of their burden, according to all their service in the tabernacle of the congregation: the boards of the tabernacle, its bars, its pillars, its sockets, (32) And the pillars of the court round about, their sockets, pins, and cords, with all their instruments, and with all their service; and you shall assign by name the instruments of the charge of their burden."

This is what would be assigned to the Merarites' care and charge: the boards, bars, pillars, sockets, pins, cords, and whatever else was used in the structure of the tabernacle.  The Merarites were to be assigned by name what each was to carry.  Albert Barnes pointed out that as these "comprised the heavier parts of the tabernacle...the order seems intended to prevent individual Merarites choosing their own burden, and so throwing more than the proper share on others."

(33) “This is the service of the families of the sons of Merari, according to all their service, in the tabernacle of the congregation, under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest."

The service of the families of the sons of Merari, as described in verses 31 and 32 above, was to also be under the charge and oversight of Ithamar, as was the service of the Gershonites (v. 28).

(34) And Moses and Aaron and the chief of the congregation numbered the sons of the Kohathites after their families, and after the house of their fathers, (35) From thirty years old and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who entered into the service for work in the tabernacle of the congregation; (36) And those who were numbered of them by their families were two thousand seven hundred and fifty.

It doesn't specify which chief accompanied Moses and Aaron in numbering the Kohathites as ordered in verses 2 and 3 above.  Perhaps it was the chief of the Kohathites named in Numbers 3:30, Elzaphan, or it could have been the chief of all the chiefs named in Numbers 3:32, and mentioned in verse 16 above, Eleazar.  As instructed by God in verses 2 and 3 above, they now numbered the Kohathites, from thirty to fifty years of age, all who entered into service to do the work of the tabernacle.  Those who were counted numbered 2750 able-bodied men from thirty to fifty.  In chapter 3 of Numbers the Kohathites had been numbered including all the males, from a month old and upward, and that was eight thousand six hundred.  Of 8600 males one month and older, there were 2750 males between thirty and fifty able and fit for service in the tabernacle.

(37) These were they who were numbered of the families of the Kohathites, all that might do service in the tabernacle of the congregation, which Moses and Aaron did number according to the commandment of the LORD by the hand of Moses.

Those who numbered 2750 of the Kohathites were those who were the prime age and able to do the service in the tabernacle, the ones numbered by Moses and Aaron according to the directions of the Lord.

(38) And those who were numbered of the sons of Gershon, throughout their families, and by the house of their fathers, (39) From thirty years old and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who entered into the service for the work in the tabernacle of the congregation, (40) Those who were numbered of them, throughout their families, by the house of their fathers, were two thousand six hundred and thirty. (41) These are they who were numbered of the families of the sons of Gershon, of all who might do service in the tabernacle of the congregation, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the commandment of the LORD.

Those who were numbered of the Gershonites from thirty to fifty years of age, who were of prime age and able to do the service of the tabernacle, were 2630; they had been numbered by Moses and Aaron as directed by the Lord.  In Numbers 3:22, we were told there were 7500 Gershonite males from one month of age and upward, and of those there were 2630 men from thirty to fifty years of age able to do the service required.

(42) And those who were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, throughout their families, by the house of their fathers, (43) From thirty years old and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who entered into the service for work in the tabernacle of the congregation, (44) Those who were numbered of them after their families, were three thousand and two hundred. (45) These are those who were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the word of the LORD by the hand of Moses.

Those who were numbered of the Merarites, males from thirty to fifty years of age who entered into the service of the tabernacle, were 3200.  They had been numbered as instructed by the Lord.  The total number of Merarite males from one month of age upward, was 6200, according to Numbers 3:34, and of those there were 3200 males from thirty to fifty, who were able to do the service required.

(46) All those who were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron and the chief of Israel numbered, after their families, and after the house of their fathers, (47) From thirty years old and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who came to do the service of the ministry, and the service of the burden in the tabernacle of the congregation, (48) Those who were numbered of them were eight thousand five hundred and eighty.

All of the Levite males from thirty to fifty of years who came to do the service of the tabernacle, the total number of the Kohathites, Gershonites, and Merarites, was 8580.

(49) According to the commandment of the LORD they were numbered by the hand of Moses, everyone according to his service, and according to his burden: thus were they numbered by him, as the LORD commanded Moses.

Just as the Lord had commanded Moses to do, all the able-bodied men from thirty to fifty were numbered by Moses, each according to his particular service for the tabernacle; they were numbered by Moses just in the manner the Lord had commanded he do.

In this chapter we have an account of those able-bodied men of the tribe of Levi who were in their prime for service, between thirty and fifty years old.  Of 8600 Kohathites, 2750 were between thirty and fifty and fit for the service assigned them, carrying all the holy things of the tabernacle.  Of 7500 Gershonites, 2630 were fit for their service of the care and carrying of all the drapery of the tabernacle, the curtains, and hangings, and the coverings.  Of 6200 Merarites, 3200 were fit for their job of the heavy carriage, the boards and bars, the pillars and sockets, and the pins and cords.  Matthew Henry, in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, pointed out that although the Merarites as a whole had the fewest number of the Levite tribes, they had the largest number of able-bodied men in their prime age for their heavy burden.  In Mr. Henry's words, "...for whatever service God calls men to he will furnish them for it, and give strength in proportion to the work, grace sufficient."  He added:

"The whole number of the able men of the tribe of Levi who entered into God's host to war his warfare was but 8580, whereas the able men of the other tribes that entered into the host of Israel to war their warfare were many more. The least of the tribes had almost four times as many able men as the Levites, and some of them more than eight times as many; for those that are engaged in the service of this world, and war after the flesh, are many more than those that are devoted to the service of God, and fight the good fight of faith."