Cities Allotted to Levi

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Joshua 21:1) Then came near the heads of the fathers of the Levites to Eleazar the priest and to Joshua the son of Nun and to the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel.

In the past chapters and posts, Eleazar the high priest and Joshua, along with heads of the tribes, had divided the land and given inheritance to each of the tribes.  Then the people appointed cities of refuge among their tribes.  Now the heads of the Levites came to Eleazar, and Joshua, and those heads of the other tribes.

(2) And they spoke to them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan, saying, "The Lord commanded by the hand of Moses to give us cities to dwell in, with the suburbs of them for our cattle."

The Levites reminded them that the Lord had commanded through Moses that they should have cities and suburbs within the other tribes, to live in and keep livestock.  The Levites had not been given a lot of their own as had been given the other tribes, because as the priests, God was to be their inheritance.  However, God did provide for them cities in which to dwell within the other tribes (Numbers 35:2).

(3) And the children of Israel gave to the Levites out of their inheritance at the commandment of the Lord, these cities and their suburbs.

The Israelites indeed gave to the Levites cities out of their inheritance in which to dwell, descriptions of which follow.

(4) And the lot came out for the families of the Kohathites, and the children of Aaron the priest of the Levites had by lot out of the tribe of Judah, and out of the tribe of Simeon, and out of the tribe of Benjamin, thirteen cities.

The first lot came out for the Kohathites, descendants of Kohath, a son of Levi.  The children of Aaron the priest, son of Amram who was a son of Kohath, were the only priests of the Levites.  The other Levites assisted the priests and acted as ministers for the people.  The children of Aaron, the priests, were given cities out of the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin, thirteen cities in all.

(5) And the rest of the children of Kohath had by lot out of the families of the tribe of Ephraim, and out of the tribe of Dan, and out of the half tribe of Manasseh west of the Jordan River, ten cities.

The rest of the Kohathites, Levites, but not priests, had their cities assigned by lot within the tribes of Ephraim, Dan, and the half tribe of Manasseh, ten cities in all.

(6) And the children of Gershon had by lot out of the families of the tribe of Issachar, and out of the tribe of Asher, and out of the tribe of Naphtali, and out of the half tribe of Manasseh in Bashan, thirteen cities.

The children of Gershon, another son of Levi, had cities assigned by lot within the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and the half tribe of Manasseh east of the Jordan River.

(7) The children of Merari by their families, had out of the tribe of Reuben, and out of the tribe of Gad, and out of the tribe of Zebulun, twelve cities.

The children of Merari, the third son of Levi, were given cities within the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun, twelve cities in all.  All the tribes were to give cities to the Levites as a sort of tithe.  They were to provide for the priests and the ministers who attended the priests and ministered to the people within each tribe.  Although it was a benefit to the other tribes to have Levite ministers living among them, it was the fulfillment of a curse made by Jacob, that because of their anger and cruel wrath, they would be scattered throughout Israel (Genesis 49:7).  A total of forty-eight cities were given to the Levites according to the commandment of the Lord (Numbers 35:7).

(8) And the children of Israel gave by lot to the Levites these cities with their suburbs, as the Lord commanded by the hand of Moses.

The Israelites gave by lot cities along with their suburbs within each of their tribes, just as the Lord had commanded.

(9) And they gave out of the tribe of the children of Judah, and out of the tribe of the children of Simeon, these cities which are mentioned by name, (10) Which the children of Aaron of the families of the Kohathites of the children of Levi had, for theirs was the first lot. (11) And they gave them the city of Arba the father of Anak, which is Hebron, in the hills of Judah with the suburbs of it round about it.

The Israelites gave the children of Aaron who were of the Kohathites, cities, names which follow in the text, out of the tribes of Judah and Simeon.  First, they gave them the city and suburbs of Kirjath Arba, "city of Arba," Arba being a son of the Anakims, a race of giants among whom Arba was chief.  It was renamed Hebron (Joshua 14:15) and it lay in the hill country of Judah.  

(12) But the fields of the city, and its villages, they gave to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for his possession.

However, the fields and villages surrounding Hebron belonged to Caleb (Joshua 14:13).  He had been given Hebron, but as with all the tribes, he gave a city in which the Levites could dwell.  According to Biblical scholars, the suburbs of the Levitical cities were generally 2000 cubits, about 1000 yards.  Anything beyond that belonged to the tribe that was giving the city for Levitical use.

(13) Thus they gave to the children of Aaron the priest Hebron with her suburbs, a city of refuge for the slayer, and Libnah and her suburbs.

The Israelites gave the children of Aaron, the priests, the city of Hebron which was also a city of refuge (Joshua 20:7) and the city of Libnah and their suburbs.

(14) And Jattir with her suburbs, and Eshtemoa with her suburbs, (15) And Holon with her suburbs, and Debir with her suburbs, (16) And Ain with her suburbs, and Juttah with her suburbs, Beth Shemesh with her suburbs, nine cities out of those two tribes.

The priests also had the cities of Jattir, Eshtemoa, Holon, Debir, Ain, Juttah, and Beth Shemesh, in which to live and dwell.  They had a total of nine cities within the tribes of Judah and Simeon, Simeon being within Judah.

(17) And out of the tribe of Benjamin, Gibeon with her suburbs, Geba with her suburbs, (18) Anathoth with her suburbs, and Almon with her suburbs; four cities.

Out of the tribe of Benjamin, the Levitical priests had the cities of Gibeon, Geba, Anathoth, and Almon, four cities and their suburbs.  Anathoth and Almon were not listed among the cities within Benjamin's tribe in chapter 18 and must have been a couple of the smaller villages that were said to be part of the larger cities.  The cities within Benjamin were described as cities with their villages rather than cities with their suburbs.

(19) All the cities of the children of Aaron, the priests, were thirteen cities with their suburbs.

All the cities of the children of Aaron, the priests, totaled thirteen cities with their suburbs.

(20) And the families of the children of Kohath, the Levites which remained of the children of Kohath, even they had the cities of their lot out of the tribe of Ephraim.

The rest of the Kohathites, those who were not of Aaron and the priests, also had cities, theirs from the tribe of Ephraim.

(21) For they gave them Shechem with her suburbs in mount Ephraim, a city of refuge for the slayer, and Gezer with her suburbs.

The rest of the Kohathites were given the cities of Shechem, also a city of refuge (Joshua 20:7), and Gezer.

(22) And Kibzaim with her suburbs, and Beth Horon with her suburbs, four cities.

The Kohathites were also given the cities of Kibzaim and Beth Horon in the tribe of Ephraim.

(23) And out of the tribe of Dan, Eltekeh with her suburbs, Gibbethon with her suburbs, (24) Aijalon with her suburbs, Gath Rimmon with her suburbs, four cities.

Out of the tribe of Dan, the Kohathites were given the cities of Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Aijalon, and Gath Rimmon, a total of four cities.

(25) And out of the half tribe of Manasseh, Tanach with her suburbs and Gath Rimmon with her suburbs, two cities.

Two cities were given out of the half tribe of Manasseh on the west side of the Jordan River, Tanach and Gath Rimmon, which appears to be a different city than the one in the tribe of Dan.

(26) All the cities were ten with their suburbs for the families of the children of Kohath who remained.

The Kohathites who were not descendants of Aaron, and therefore not priests, had a total of ten cities within the tribes of Ephraim, Dan, and West Manasseh.

(27) And to the children of Gershon of the families of the Levites, out of the half tribe of Manasseh, Golan in Bashan with her suburbs, a city of refuge for the slayer, and Be Eshterah with her suburbs, two cities.

The Levites who were children of Gershon received the city of Golan, which was also a city of refuge, and Be Eshterah, with their suburbs, out of the half tribe of Manasseh on the eastern side of the Jordan River.

(28) And out of the tribe of Issachar, Kishon with her suburbs, Daberath with her suburbs, (29) Jarmuth with her suburbs, En Gannim with her suburbs, four cities.

The Gershonites were also given four cities out of the tribe of Issachar, Kishon, Daberath, Jarmuth, and En Gannim, with their suburbs.

(30) And out of the tribe of Asher, Mishal with her suburbs, Abdon with her suburbs, (31) Helkath with her suburbs, and Rehob with her suburbs, four cities.

They were also given four cities out of the tribe of Asher, Mishal, Abdon, Helkath, and Rehob, with their suburbs.

(32) And out of the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee with her suburbs, a city of refuge for the slayer, and Hammoth Dor with her suburbs, and Kartan with her suburbs, three cities.

They were given three cities out of the tribe of Naphtali, Galilee, also a city of refuge, Hammoth Dor, and Kartan.

(33) All the cities of the Gershonites according to their families were thirteen cities with their suburbs.

The total number of cities given to the Levitical tribe of the Gershonites was thirteen.

(34) And to the families of the children of Merari, the rest of the Levites, out of the tribe of Zebulun, Jokneam with her suburbs, and Kartah with her suburbs, (35) Dimnah with her suburbs, Nahalal with her suburbs, four cities.

The rest of the Levites, children of Merari, were given four cities out of the tribe of Zebulun, Jokneam, Kartah, Dimnah, and Nahalal, with their suburbs.

(36) And out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer with her suburbs, and Jahaz with her suburbs, (37) Kedemoth with her suburbs, and Mephaath with her suburbs, four cities.

They were also given four cities out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer, Jahaz, Kedemoth, and Mephaath.

(38) And out of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead with her suburbs, a city of refuge for the slayer, and Mahanaim with her suburbs, (39) Heshbon with her suburbs, Jazer with her suburbs, four cities in all.

The children of Merari also received four cities out of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth, also a city of refuge, Mahanaim, Heshbon, and Jazer, with their suburbs.

(40) So all the cities for the children of Merari by their families, which were remaining of the families of the Levites, were their lot, twelve cities.

The children of Merari were given twelve cities in all.

(41) All the cities of the Levites within the possession of the children of Israel were forty-eight cities with their suburbs. (42) These cities were every one with their suburbs round about them, thus all these cities.

All the cities given to the Levites within all the other tribes of Israel numbered forty-eight, just as God had commanded (Numbers 35:7).  They were also given the suburbs, said to be about 2000 cubits, or about 1000 yards, round about the cities so that they would have space for livestock and provisions.

(43) And the Lord gave to Israel all the land which he swore to give to their fathers, and they possessed it and dwelt in it.

Thus the Lord had given to Israel all the land of Canaan as He had sworn to their fathers.  All the tribes having received their lots of inheritance, they possessed their land and dwelt in it.

(44) And the Lord gave them rest round about according to all that He swore to their fathers, and there stood not a man of all their enemies before them; the Lord delivered all their enemies into their hand.

At that time, the Lord gave Israel peace and rest in their land flowing with milk and honey as He had sworn to their forefathers.  Finally, they had settled into their promised land, that land promised so many years before, and there were no enemies before them, as the Lord had delivered all their enemies into their hand.

(45) There failed not one of any good thing which the Lord had spoken to the house of Israel; all came to pass.

Every good thing the Lord had promised Israel came to pass.  God's promises were exactly fulfilled down to the prophetic blessings and curses that told where some of the tribes might live.  "Your word is true from the beginning, and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever" (Psalm 119:160).  Every word of promise God made from the beginning of the world is true and has never failed.  If anything has not yet been fulfilled, you can be sure it will be in the future.  The Lord is not slack concerning His promises, but is ever-patient, giving us all time to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 7

Chapter 26 of Numbers consisted of a very important census which determined the sizes of the inheritances each tribe of Israel would receive.  Because Blogger limits the number of labels per post, I have had to divide the study of chapter 26 into eight short posts, as all the names mentioned are of importance.  The previous posts are linked here:

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 1

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 2

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 3

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 4

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 5

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 6

Continuing with part 7:

(Numbers 26:57) And these are those who were numbered of the Levites after their families: of Gershon, the family of the Gershonites; of Kohath, the family of the Kohathites; of Merari, the family of the Merarites.

The tribe of Levi was not numbered with the other tribes as it did not consist of men of war, but was rather devoted to God for His service.  The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari, and their families were numbered in a census.

(58) These are the families of the Levites: the family of the Libnites, the family of the Hebronites, the family of the Mahlites, the family of the Mushites, the family of the Korathites. And Kohath begat Amram.

From the three sons of Levi came the families of the Libnites from Gershon's son Libni; the Hebronites from Hebron the son of Kohath; the Mahlites and the Mushites from the sons of Merari--Mahli and Mushi; and the Korathites from Korah, the son of Izhar, who was the son of Kohath.  In Numbers 3:18-21 we were told of more sons of Gershon and Kohath, but they are not mentioned here as having families.  Gershon's son Shimei does not appear to have a family, perhaps because he either had no sons, or if he did, they died without sons, and therefore there was no family to be counted at this time.  Kohath's son Uzziel was not mentioned here although we had been told previously in Numbers 6:22 that he had sons Mishael, Elzaphan, and Zithri, but they apparently had no families tracing their descent to him.  Kohath's son Amram is mentioned.

(59) The name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed the daughter of Levi, who was born to Levi in Egypt; and to Amram she bore Aaron and Moses and Miriam their sister.

Kohath's son Amram married Jochebed the daughter of Levi, and they were the parents of Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.

Because Blogger limits the number of labels each post may have, I have to continue the numbering of the descendants of Levi in yet another short post:

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 8

The Israelites' Removal from Sinai to Paran, Part 1

(Numbers 10:13) And they first took their journey according to the commandment of the LORD by the hand of Moses.

In verse 12 at the end of the last post, we were told that the pillar of cloud lifted and the children of Israel moved from the wilderness of Sinai to the wilderness of Paran where the cloud again rested.  The people set out on this first journey according to the commandment of the Lord that had been earlier described as the movement of the cloud, and by the directions that had been given to Moses and were carried out by him as follows:

(14) In the first place went the standard of the camp of the children of Judah according to their armies; and over his host was Nahshon the son of Amminadab.

Numbers 2 explained the four standards, the tribes grouped under each standard, where they should camp, and the order of their marching.  The Israelites under the standard of Judah were to move first; these included the tribes of Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.  These were camped on the east side and had been instructed in Numbers 2:9 to move out first.  The captain of the tribe of Judah was Nahshon, the son of Amminadab.

(15) And over the host of the tribe of the children of Issachar was Nethanel the son of Zuar.

The captain of the tribe of Issachar that was also under the standard of Judah, was Nethanel, the son of Zuar.

(16) And over the host of the tribe of the children of Zebulun was Eliab the son of Helon.

The captain of the host or army, if you will, of the children of Zebulun was Eliab, the son of Helon.  The tribe of Zebulun also moved under the standard of Judah.

(17) And the tabernacle was taken down; and the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari set forward, bearing the tabernacle.

The tabernacle was taken down; according to Numbers 1:51, this would have been done by the Levites.  Then specifically the Gershonites and Merarites moved forward carrying the tabernacle.  Numbers 3 described the tribes of the sons of Levi and their particular duties as it related to the moving of the tabernacle.  The Gershonites were responsible for the tent, the skin covering, and all the curtains and linen hangings of the tabernacle.  The Merarites carried the boards of the tabernacle, including all the bars, pillars, and sockets.

(18) And the standard of the camp of Reuben set forward according to their armies; and over his host was Elizur the son of Shedeur.

Next the standard of Reuben moved forward.  According to Numbers 2, the standard of Reuben camped on the south side, and the tribes under that standard were Reuben, Simeon, and Gad.  The captain of the host of Reuben was Elizur, the son of Shedeur.

(19) And over the host of the tribe of the children of Simeon was Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai.

The captain of the host of the tribe of Simeon, which was under the standard of Reuben, was Shelumiel, the son of Zurishaddai.

(20) And over the host of the tribe of the children of Gad was Eliasaph the son of Deuel.

The captain of the army of Gad, which was also under the standard of Reuben, was Eliasaph, the son of Deuel.

(21) And the Kohathites set forward, bearing the sanctuary; and the other did set up the tabernacle before they came.

Next the Kohathites moved forward, carrying the holy things, including the Ark of the Covenant with the mercy seat, the showbread table, the gold candlestick, the altars, and all the vessels and furnishings of the sanctuary.  The Gershonites and Merarites, who had marched before the Kohathites, had the tabernacle set up before the Kohathites came with the holy things.

Because Blogger limits the number of labels I can have per post, I will continue this in the next post:

The Israelites' Removal from Sinai to Paran, Part 2

Offerings of the Princes at the Dedication of the Altar, Part 1

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Numbers 7:1) And it came to pass on the day that Moses had fully set up the tabernacle, and had anointed it, and sanctified it, and all its instruments, both the altar and all its vessels, and had anointed them, and sanctified them, (2) That the princes of Israel, heads of the house of their fathers, who were the princes of the tribes, and were over them who were numbered, made an offering.

The past many chapters and posts, since Leviticus 10 till this one, have dealt with laws and numbers.  I have been following a chronologically ordered study of the Bible set forth by Skip Andrews.  As far as historical activities and events, Biblical scholars agree that the events in this chapter took place (or began to take place) on the second day of the second month of the second year after the Israelites' departure from Egypt, and the proper place of this account is immediately after the tenth chapter of Leviticus.  However, it makes perfect logical sense that all the laws and numbers be linked together in sequence and placed conveniently where they were in the Bible.

Numbers 7:1 begins on the day after Moses had fully set up the tabernacle (Exodus 40:17), and after he had anointed and sanctified it and all its furnishings (Lev. 8:10-11).  Obviously, all these things took time, and it is not to be taken literally that the events of Numbers 7 began on the exact day that Moses had set up the tabernacle, etc., but after all these things were completed.  It was at that time that the princes of the twelve tribes of Israel who had been named in Numbers 1, made an offering.

(3) And they brought their offering before the LORD, six covered wagons, and twelve oxen; a wagon for every two of the princes, and for each one an ox; and they brought them before the tabernacle.

The princes brought six covered wagons, which scholars agree were actually covered litters, a litter being a type of wagon carried upon people or animals rather than on wheels.  Each wagon was carried upon two oxen, and as there were twelve princes, it made one wagon for two princes and one ox for each prince.  They brought them to the tabernacle.

(4) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (5) "Take it from them, that they may be used to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; and you shall give them to the Levites, to every man according to his service.”

The Lord told Moses to take the offerings of wagons and oxen from the princes to use in service of the tabernacle.  They were to be distributed to the Levites according to each one's need for his particular service.

(6) And Moses took the wagons and the oxen, and gave them to the Levites.

Moses did as the Lord had instructed him and he took the wagons and the oxen and distributed them to the Levites as follows:

(7) Two wagons and four oxen he gave to the sons of Gershon, according to their service.

Moses gave two wagons and four oxen to the Gershonites who were in charge of transporting the curtains, coverings, and hangings of the tabernacle (Numbers 4:25).

(8) And four wagons and eight oxen he gave to the sons of Merari, according to their service, under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.

Moses gave the other four wagons and eight oxen to the Merarites whose service was the carrying of all the boards, bars, pillars, etc. (Numbers 4:31-32).  As their burden was the heaviest, they were given more wagons and oxen.  Ithamar, the son of Aaron, was in charge of direction and oversight of the Gershonites (Numbers 4:28) and the Merarites (Numbers 4:33).

(9) But to the sons of Kohath he gave none, because the service of the sanctuary belonging to them was that which they should bear on their shoulders.

Moses gave no wagons or oxen to the Kohathites because they had charge of the ark and other holy furnishings (Numbers 4:4, 15), and those were to be carried on their shoulders.  It makes sense that those sacred things must never be carried by beasts.

(10) And the princes offered for dedicating of the altar in the day that it was anointed; the princes offered their offering before the altar.

The princes of the tribes also made offerings for the dedication of the altar.  There is some discrepancy among the commentaries I study as to whether this referred back to the time when Moses first anointed the altar (Lev. 8:10), or if, like in Numbers 7:1 above, it meant once the anointing had been done, they offered their offerings for the dedicating of the altar.  I tend to believe the latter as this appears to be a formal dedication after the time Moses first anointed and sanctified the altar.

(11) And the LORD said to Moses, “They shall offer their offering, one prince each day, for the dedication of the altar.”

The Lord instructed Moses that the princes were to offer their offerings one day at a time, one prince offering on the first day, then another the next, etc., for what would be twelve days, for this dedication of the altar.

(12) And the one who offered his offering on the first day was Nahshon the son of Amminadab, from the tribe of Judah.

The prince who offered his offering on the first day was Nahshon, the son of Amminadab, who had been named in Numbers 2:3 as the captain (prince) of the tribe of Judah.

(13) And his offering was one silver charger, the weight of which was one hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering.

Nahshon's offering was one silver charger that weighed 130 shekels and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, according to the standard weight of the sanctuary shekel.  Exactly what the sanctuary shekel was varies among Biblical scholars, but as discussed in previous posts, as in the most recent post discussing this, a shekel was twenty gerahs, a gerah being a "kernel" or a "grain", the smallest weight or coin.  This doesn't seem to be much value, but then again, who's to say what silver was worth in Biblical times, or what the rate of inflation might do to that value.  Both of the silver items offered were full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering.

(14) One spoon of ten shekels of gold, full of incense; (15) One young bullock, one ram, and one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering; (16) One kid of the goats for a sin offering; (17) And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Nahshon the son of Amminadab.

In addition, Nahshon offered a spoon of ten shekels of gold, full of incense.  Once again, no one seems to know exactly what the sanctuary shekel of gold weighed, but this article in Got Questions gives us one idea.  According to those calculations, this spoon would have weighed about 4 ounces or 120 grams of gold, worth over $5500 in today's market.  Nahshon also offered a young bull, a ram, and a lamb of the first year for a burnt offering; a goat kid for a sin offering, and two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year for peace offerings.

(18) On the second day Nethanel the son of Zuar, leader of Issachar, presented an offering.

On the second day Nethanel, the son of Zuar, who had been named captain or prince of the tribe of Issachar in Numbers 2:5, presented an offering.

(19) He offered for his offering one silver charger, the weight of which was one hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; (20) One spoon of gold of ten shekels, full of incense; (21) One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering; (22) One kid of the goats for a sin offering; (23) And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Nethanel the son of Zuar.

Nethanel also offered a silver charger weighing 130 shekels and a silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, according to the standard shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering.  He also offered a gold spoon of ten shekels full of incense, and a young bull, a ram, and a lamb of the first year for a burnt offering.  He also offered a goat kid for a sin offering, and two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five lambs in their first year for peace offerings.

(24) On the third day Eliab the son of Helon, prince of the children of Zebulun, did offer.  (25) His offering was one silver charger, the weight of which was one hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; (26) One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense; (27) One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering; (28) One kid of the goats for a sin offering; (29) And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Eliab the son of Helon.

On the third day Eliab, son of Helon, prince of the tribe of Zebulun, made his offering.  He offered a silver charger and a silver bowl of the same weight as offered by the first two princes, also full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering.  He also offered a golden spoon of the same weight as the spoons given before, also full of incense.  He also offered a young bull, a ram, a lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering, a goat kid for a sin offering, and two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year for peace offerings.

(30) On the fourth day Elizur the son of Shedeur, prince of the children of Reuben, did offer. (31) His offering was one silver charger of the weight of a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a grain offering; (32) One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense; (33) One young bullock, one ram, and one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering; (34) One kid of the goats for a sin offering; (35) And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Elizur the son of Shedeur.

On the fourth day Elizur, the son of Shedeur, prince of the tribe of Reuben, presented his offering which consisted of the same items offered by the princes before him on the previous three days.  The offerings which the princes brought were very rich and valuable, and were surely not their own personal freewill offerings, but were the offerings of the people of their tribes.  The princes of the tribes of the children of Israel would not have been so much richer than the common people of their tribes at this point.

(36) On the fifth day Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai, prince of the children of Simeon, did offer. (37) His offering was one silver charger, the weight of which was one hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; (38) One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense; (39) One young bullock, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year, as a burnt offering; (40) One kid of the goats for a sin offering; (41) And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai.

On the fifth day Shelumiel, the son of Zurishaddai, prince of the tribe of Simeon, presented his offering which was exactly the same as the princes before him.

(42) On the sixth day Eliasaph the son of Deuel, prince of the children of Gad, offered. (43) His offering was one silver charger of the weight of a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; (44) One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense; (45) One young bullock, one ram, and one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering; (46) One kid of the goats for a sin offering; (47) And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Eliasaph the son of Deuel.

On the sixth day Eliasaph, the son of Deuel, prince of the children of Gad, offered the same large rich offering as the princes in the days before him.

Because Blogger limits the number of labels on each post, and all of the names are important in Numbers 7, I have continued the study of this chapter in the next post:

Offerings of the Princes at the Dedication of the Altar, Part 2

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."

The Numbering of the Levites and Their Exchange for the First-Born, Part 2

Continuing a chronological Bible study, this third chapter of Numbers having been started in the last post:

The Numbering of the Levites and Their Exchange for the First-Born, Part 1

(Numbers 3:21) Of Gershon was the family of the Libnites, and the family of the Shimites: these are the families of the Gershonites.

In the first half of Numbers 3, Moses had begun numbering the Levites, as instructed by God.  From Levi's first son, Gershon, and his family, the Gershonites, came the Libnites, named for Gershon's son Libni, and the Shimites, named for his son Shimei.

(22) Those who were numbered of them, according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, those who were numbered of them were seven thousand five hundred.

The Gershonites, including the Libnites and the Shimites, numbered 7500 males from one month of age and upward.

(23) The families of the Gershonites shall pitch behind the tabernacle westward.

It had already been established in Numbers 1:53 that the Levites would pitch their tents around the tabernacle between the tabernacle and the rest of the tribes.  The Gershonites were to camp on the west side of the tabernacle between the tabernacle and the camp of Ephraim, which was also westward (Numbers 2:18).

(24) And the chief of the house of the father of the Gershonites shall be Eliasaph the son of Lael.

The chief of the Gershonites was to be Eliasaph, the son of Lael, not to be confused with Eliasaph, the son of Reuel or Deuel, from the tribe of Gad.

(25) And the charge of the sons of Gershon in the tabernacle of the congregation shall be the tabernacle, and the tent, its covering, and the hanging for the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, (26) And the hangings of the court, and the curtain for the door of the court, which is by the tabernacle, and by the altar round about, and the cords of it for all the service thereof.

The Gershonites which included the Libnites and the Shimites, were in charge of the tent, the skin covering, and all the curtains and linen hangings of the tabernacle, including all the necessary cords that fastened them in place.  The Gershonites were responsible for the taking down and carrying of all the coverings and hangings of the tabernacle, and the care of them while they were not in use as a tabernacle, for they would not have normally been allowed within the curtains of the tabernacle to do any service.

(27) And of Kohath were 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.

Levi's son Kohath had sons, Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, whose families were known as the Amramites, the Izharites, the Hebronites, and the Uzzielites.

(28) In the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, were eight thousand and six hundred, keeping the charge of the sanctuary.

The number of all the Kohathites was 8600 males from one month and older, and they were in charge of the vessels and furnishings of the sanctuary.

(29) The families of the sons of Kohath shall pitch on the side of the tabernacle southward.

The Kohathites were to camp on the south side of the tabernacle between the tabernacle and the camp of Reuben, which was also southward (Numbers 2:10).

(30) And the chief of the house of the father of the families of the Kohathites shall be Elzaphan the son of Uzziel.

The chief of the Kohathites was to be Elzaphan, the son of Uzziel.  This was the same Elzaphan who, with his brother Mishael, carried Nadab and Abihu out of the camp after they had been devoured by fire from the Lord when they offered "strange fire" before the Lord (Lev. 10:4).

(31) And their charge shall be the ark, the table, the candlestick, the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary with which they minister, and the hanging, and all the service thereof.

The Kohathites were in charge of the Ark of the Covenant which would include the mercy seat, and the showbread table, the gold candlestick, the altars, and all the vessels and furnishings of the sanctuary.  It also included "the hanging" which would be the veil that divided the holy place from the most holy place; all the other hangings were in the charge of the Gershonites.

(32) And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall be chief over the chief of the Levites, and have the oversight of them that keep the charge of the sanctuary.

Eleazar, Aaron's son, was to be chief over all the chiefs of the Levites, that is, the chiefs of the Gershonites, Kohathites, and Merarites.  He would have oversight of the Kohathites who were to keep charge of the sanctuary furnishings.

(33) Of Merari were the family of the Mahlites and the family of the Mushites; these are the families of Merari.

Levi's son, Merari, had sons Mahli and Mushi, from which came the families of the Mahlites and the Mushites.

(34) And those who were numbered of them, according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, were six thousand and two hundred.

The number of all the Merarites, from one month old and older, was 6200.

(35) And the chief of the house of the father of the families of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail; these shall pitch on the side of the tabernacle northward.

The chief of all the Merarites was to be Zuriel, the son of Abihail, and they were to pitch their camps on the north side, between the tabernacle and the camp of Dan, which was also pitched northward (Num. 2:25).

(36) And under the custody and charge of the sons of Merari shall be the boards of the tabernacle, and its bars, and its pillars, and its sockets, and all its vessels, and all that serves these, (37) And the pillars of the court all around, and their sockets, their pins, and their cords.

The Merarites were to be in charge of the boards of the tabernacle, including all the bars and pillars, and the sockets in which the boards and pillars were put, and the pins and cords of the pillars, by which the outside hangings of the court were kept tight and unmoved by the winds.  Whereas the Gershonites had charge of the cords of all the hangings of the tabernacle and tent, it seems the Merarites had charge of the cords of the court.

(38) But those who were to camp before the tabernacle on the east, before the tabernacle of the congregation eastward, shall be Moses, and Aaron and his sons, keeping the charge of the sanctuary for the charge of the children of Israel; and the stranger who comes near shall be put to death.

On the east side which was in front of the court of the tabernacle, between it and the camp of Judah, Moses and Aaron and Aaron's sons, the priests were to camp.  They were to keep charge of the sanctuary for the children of Israel and for their safety, for whoever came near to enter the holy place who was not a priest would be put to death.

(39) All who were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron numbered at the commandment of the LORD, throughout their families, all the males from a month old and upward, were twenty-two thousand.

After having discussed in the last post that it appeared Moses only was commanded to number the Levites (Num. 3:14-16), maybe because he was presenting them to Aaron (Num. 3:6), it appears that both Moses and Aaron numbered the Levites.  However, the old commentators pointed out that the word "Aaron" in the original Hebrew text had a dot over every letter, for what reason it is not certain; but the word itself was left out in the Samaritan and Syriac versions, so perhaps the reason was that it had been questionably added to the text by an early transcriber.  The Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge by Canne, Browne, Blayney, Scott, etc., asserts that "Moses alone, as Houbigant observes, was commanded to number the Levites (Num 3:5, Num 3:11, Num 3:40, Num 3:44, Num 3:51) for as the money with which the first-born were redeemed was to be paid to Aaron and his sons (Num 3:48), it was decent that he, whose advantage it was that the number of the first-born should exceed, should not be authorized to take that number himself."  Most of the scriptures referenced are yet to come in the study, but Houbigant's explanation does seem reasonable.  The Houbigant referenced is probably Charles Francois Houbigant, a French Oratorian Biblical scholar (the French Oratory being a Roman Catholic Society of apostolic life of Catholic priests).

The total number of Levites from one month of age and upward was said to be 22,000.  This number does not agree with the total when the Gershonites, Kohathites, and Merarites are totaled together, which comes to 22,300.  The old commentaries go to great lengths to explain the discrepancy, but the simplest explanation seems to be that there was an error in the number of Gershonites, where instead of 7500, there were only 7200.  The numbers in the Hebrew Bible were expressed by letters and not by words at full length, and apparently the symbol for 500 is very similar to the one for 200 and could have easily been mistakenly transcribed.

(40) And the LORD said to Moses, "Number all the firstborn of the males of the children of Israel from a month old and upward, and take the number of their names."

After numbering the Levites, the Lord told Moses to number the firstborn males of all the Israelites that were one month and older, identifying each one and counting them.

(41) “And you shall take the Levites for Me (I am the LORD) instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel; and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstlings among the cattle of the children of Israel."

This is where God made the exchange for His firstborn among all the children of Israel, those firstborn that He made His because as their sovereign Lord who saved all their firstborn in Egypt, He had every right to them.  He would take all the Levites as His, to serve Him in His tabernacle, and no longer require that the firstborn be in service to Him.  Likewise, He would accept the cattle of the Levites as His as they would be used in the service of His priests and tabernacle, and would no longer require the firstborn among the people's cattle to be for Him.

(42) And Moses numbered, as the LORD commanded him, all the firstborn among the children of Israel.

Moses did as the Lord commanded him, and he numbered all the firstborn among the children of Israel.

(43) And all the firstborn males by the number of names, from a month old and upward, of those that were numbered of them, were twenty-two thousand two hundred and seventy-three.

The number of firstborn males one month old and older of all the children of Israel totaled 22,273.

(44) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (45) "Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle, and the Levites shall be mine; I am the LORD."

The Lord had declared before that He had taken the Levites in exchange for all the firstborn among the Israelites.  Now He told Moses, who had numbered them, to take them and their cattle, and they were to be the Lord's, once again, because He was Lord and had thusly commanded ('nuf said).

(46) "And for those who are to be redeemed of the two hundred and seventy-three of the firstborn of the children of Israel, which are more than the Levites; (47) You shall take five shekels apiece by the head, after the shekel of the sanctuary you shall take them (the shekel is twenty gerahs)."

There were 273 more firstborn of all the Israelites than there were Levites.  I believe this proves that the number 22,000 said to be the total of all the Levites (v. 39 above) must be the accurate number, and that the correct number of Gershonites had been 7200 instead of the transcribed 7500.  Had the number been 22,300, for whatever reason some of the old commentators went to great lengths to explain, why would there have been a need to redeem for the discrepancy?  It is evident there were 273 more firstborn of all the Israelites than there were Levites, so the Lord required a redemption to be made to level the discrepancy.  The number of firstborn which exceeded the number of the Levites (273 in all) were to be redeemed at five shekels apiece, according to the shekel used by the sanctuary.  There were twenty gerahs to one shekel, and as discussed in an earlier post, a gerah is defined as a "kernel" or a "grain", the smallest weight or coin among the Israelites, about two and a half or three pennies of American money (if a shekel of silver as in former scriptures).  As discussed previously, that doesn't seem like a huge value for a person, but precious metals were probably worth a lot more in Biblical times than now, and, if you calculated for inflation, the value would be exceedingly more now.  There is common agreement among the Biblical scholars that the exchange began with the oldest of the firstborn, and so downward, so that those who were to be redeemed with money were the 273 youngest of the firstborn.

(48) “And you shall give the money, with which the excess number of them is to be redeemed, to Aaron and his sons.”

The redemption money was to be given to Aaron and his sons, the priests.  Because the Levites were given to Aaron that they might minister to him (Num. 3:6) and there was a deficiency of them in exchange for the firstborn, it was right and just that the redemption price be paid to him and his sons.

(49) And Moses took the redemption money of them who were over and above them who were redeemed by the Levites.

A Levite redeemed a firstborn, or freed him from the redemption price, being taken in lieu of him.  22,000 Levites were answerable to 22,000 firstborn of Israel, but as there were 273 more firstborn than Levites, those were to be redeemed by money, and it was the redemption money of these that Moses took.

(50) Of the firstborn of the children of Israel he took the money, one thousand three hundred and sixty-five shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary.

Obviously, Moses took the money from the parents of the 273 firstborn.  We can't be sure how it was decided which 273 must pay.  As suggested before, many commentators believed the firstborn were counted in age order; it does seem reasonable that the first who were born would be the first to be redeemed by a Levite, and when the Levites "ran out", there were left the 273 youngest firstborn.  Perhaps it was just the last 273 who were numbered.  However it was determined, Moses collected from those 273, 1365 shekels, which is exactly 273 times five shekels.

(51) And Moses gave the money of them who were redeemed to Aaron and to his sons, according to the word of the LORD, as the LORD commanded Moses.

Moses did just as the Lord had commanded he do, and he gave the redemption money to Aaron and his sons, the priests.

The firstborn being the Lord's, then being exchanged for priests in service to Him, and those being redeemed, paints a big beautiful symbolic picture of the things that were to come with the arrival of the Messiah.  The church is called the church of the firstborn, and its people called a royal priesthood redeemed with the precious blood of Christ:

To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect. - Hebrews 12:23

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. - 1 Peter 2:9

Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. - 1 Peter 1:18-19

Obviously, the Lord didn't have to do a formal exchange, nor did He have to level the number by a redemption fee.  After all, He is the sovereign Lord, and He could do whatever He wanted to do.  He obviously did it this way to paint a picture to us humans of what was to come.  Once again, I marvel at how often we find Jesus in the scriptures of the Old Testament!  It also occurs to me that God's chosen people, the Israelites, are like the Levites, God's chosen for His priesthood; and that the 273 who had to be redeemed are like the Gentiles who were allowed to be redeemed and grafted into the living olive tree, illustrative of everlasting life through Christ (Romans 11:16-24).  God's plan for salvation through Jesus Christ was there from the beginning, and with all these beautiful illustrations, He patiently shows us our need for Christ.

The Numbering of the Levites and Their Exchange for the First-Born, Part 1

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Numbers 3:1) These are the generations of Aaron and Moses in the day that the LORD spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai.

In the previous several chapters, the Lord had been speaking to Moses, giving him laws and instructions to pass on to the people.  At the time this took place, the following is an account of the descendants of Aaron and Moses.

(2) And these are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab, the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

I believe because Aaron and Moses were brothers, Moses's name was included in verse 1.  However, it seems that only the descendants of Aaron are named.  I believe that is because it was Aaron who was the head of the tribe of Levi, and we are about to see a census of sorts of the Levites.  In the previous two chapters of Numbers, Moses and Aaron numbered the armies or tribes, but were instructed by God not to number the Levites.  This chapter is an account of the Levites.

These sons of Aaron--Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar--were first mentioned in Exodus 6 when we learned that Aaron took as his wife Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab, sister of Nahshon.

(3) These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the priests which were anointed, whom he consecrated to minister in the priest's office.

These sons of Aaron were the priests who were anointed and set apart to minister in the office of the priesthood.

(4) And Nadab and Abihu died before the LORD, when they offered strange fire before the LORD, in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children; and Eleazar and Ithamar ministered in the priest's office in the sight of Aaron their father.

In Leviticus 10, we read the account of Nadab and Abihu who offered profane incense in the sight of the Lord; and they were devoured by the fire of the Lord.  They died with no descendants, and Eleazar and Ithamar were left to carry on in the Aaronic priesthood.

(5) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (6) "Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister to him."

The Lord told Moses to bring the tribe of Levi before Aaron the priest, offering their services to the sanctuary.

(7) "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."

The tribe of Levi was to assist Aaron the high priest, working for the whole congregation, to do the service of the tabernacle.

(8) "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."

The tribe of Levi was to take care of the tabernacle and all its furnishings.  They serviced the priests and therefore serviced the entire tribe of Israel by taking care of the tabernacle.

(9) “And you shall give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are wholly given to him out of the children of Israel."

The whole Levite tribe was given to the service of Aaron and his sons, the priests.  The priests came only from the Levites, and all of the Levites, even though most not priests, were set apart from the rest of the tribes of Israel and appointed for the service of the priests.

(10) "And you shall appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall wait on their priest's office; and the stranger who comes near shall be put to death.”

Only Aaron and his sons were to be appointed to the priesthood, and they only were to attend to the duties of the priest's office.  A stranger in this case was anyone who was not a priest; anyone who came near to perform any duties that were wholly set aside for the priests only, would be put to death.

(11) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (12) "And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn who opens the womb among the children of Israel; therefore the Levites shall be Mine, (13) Because all the firstborn are mine; on the day that I smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I hallowed unto Me all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast; they shall be Mine; I am the LORD.”

The Lord continued speaking to Moses, telling him that He had taken the Levites from all the children of Israel to be His own, set apart for His service and the service of His sanctuary.  The Lord took the Levites in place of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, whom He had declared as His own when He had spared the firstborn of Israel at the time He destroyed the firstborn in Egypt (Exodus 13:15).  As He alone had the sovereign right and power to take the firstborn as His own, and because they were now His, He also had the sovereign right to take the Levites as His own in exchange for His firstborn.

(14) And the LORD spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying, (15) “Number the children of Levi after the house of their fathers, by their families; you shall number every male from a month old and upward.”

Having numbered all the other tribes except the tribe of Levi, the Lord now instructed Moses to number the Levites.  Whereas the Lord had Moses and Aaron number only the men of the other tribes who were twenty years of age and older, He now instructed Moses to take a census of the Levite males who were one month and older.  The other tribes were to be ready for war, but the Levites were to be the Lord's, and were to be set apart and trained from their youth for the service of His sanctuary.

(16) And Moses numbered them according to the word of the LORD, as he was commanded.

Moses, with Aaron and the heads of each tribe, had numbered all the other tribes, but it appears that only Moses numbered the Levites just as God had instructed him to do.

(17) And these were the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

The immediate sons of Levi, who went with him into Egypt (Genesis 46:8 and 11), were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

(18) And these are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families: Libni and Shimei.

The sons of Gershon were Libni and Shimei.  These sons had first been named in Exodus 6:17 when the heads of the fathers of the Levites were named.

(19) And the sons of Kohath by their families: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.

The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.  These sons were also mentioned in Exodus 6 as heads of the Levites.  Amram was the father of Aaron and Moses (Exodus 6:20).

(20) And the sons of Merari by their families: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to the house of their fathers.

The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi.  Mahli was written as Mahali in Exodus 6:19.  The preceding verses listed the families of the Levites according to the houses of their fathers.

Since Blogger limits the number of labels per post, and there are many more notable names in the third chapter of Numbers, the study of this chapter is continued here:

The Numbering of the Levites and Their Exchange for the First-Born, Part 2

Jehovah Renews His Promise to Moses, and the Israelite Genealogy of Moses and Aaron is Confirmed

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Exodus 6:1)  Then the LORD said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh; for with a strong hand he shall let them go, and with a strong hand he shall drive them out of his land.”

In the last chapter, Moses and Aaron had gone before Pharaoh the first time to ask that Pharaoh let the Israelite people go to worship and sacrifice to their God in the desert.  He had refused just as God said he would, but he put unreasonable additional work on the Israelites claiming the only reason they wanted to go sacrifice to their Lord was because they were idle.  It was too much work and the Israelite officers were beaten because the people could not possibly keep up with the task.  The people complained to Moses and Aaron that it was their fault, and Moses took their complaints to God.  God responded in a way that should have conveyed to Moses that this was part of His plan; NOW Moses would see what God would do to Pharaoh in response.  When forced with God's strong hand, Pharaoh would not only let the people go, he would drive them out of the land.  God was giving assurance to Moses, repeating His promise to him, that He would stretch out His hand and strike Egypt with all His wonders and then Pharaoh would let them go.  Interestingly, the word translated as "strong" above is "chazaq", and that was the same word used in Exodus 4:21, there translated as "harden" when God said He would harden Pharaoh's heart.  It may be a slightly different form of the word, as Strong's listed it as a separate word; it is spelled the same, but appears to be pronounced a little differently, but definitely it's a form of the same word.  With a strong hardened heart, Pharaoh would refuse God's people, but with a stronger mightier hand, God would deliver them from Pharaoh, to the point where he would actually drive them out of his land.

(2) And God spoke to Moses and said to him, “I am the LORD; (3) And I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name JEHOVAH I was not known to them."

God told Moses that He was the Lord, Jehovah.  He told him He had appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, and He was known to them as El Shaddai, God Almighty, but His name, Jehovah, or more properly Yehovah, was not known to them.  Actually, Jehovah had been used as a title before this time, and it meant "self-existent or eternal", so the eternal God was known, but perhaps not as the true proper name of the one true God.  Moses had been the one to ask what God's name was, so now it was personal.  At least that is what I thought, but some Biblical scholars have said that it was translated a bit wrong, or in the wrong order, and should have read, "and by My name JEHOVAH was I not known to them?"  The same almighty eternal God of his forefathers was here before him now.  Maybe both interpretations are true--God had been called Jehovah, but the reality of the name may not have truly been known to them, as God was about to accomplish the promises He had made to them in a big way, in a way they could have only imagined, and could not have known from experience.  Jehovah and His covenant were about to be made real!

(4) “And I have also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, in which they were strangers. (5) And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel whom the Egyptians keep in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant."

The Lord had established His covenant with Abraham, Issac, and Jacob, to give them the land of Canaan; a land in which they had lived as strangers would be theirs.  The Lord had now heard the groaning of the children of Israel who were living in oppression and bondage by the Egyptians, and He remembered the covenant He had made to their forefathers, not that God ever forgot, but now was the time to bring it to fruition.

(6) “Therefore say to the children of Israel, ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. (7) And I will take you to Me as My people, and I will be your God; and you shall know that I am the LORD your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. (8) And I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it to you as a heritage; I am the LORD.’”

God told Moses to tell the people of Israel that He was Jehovah, the Lord, and that He would rescue them and bring them out of Egypt with His outstretched arm, which surely signified the exertion of His almighty power, and with great judgments upon the Egyptians. He would furthermore take this people as His people and He would be their God; they would no longer be subject to Pharaoh, but would have God as their ruler and protector and defender.  They would surely know that He alone was Jehovah the Lord when He brought them out, and fulfilled the promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, bringing them to the promised land.  He would give the land to them as an inheritance for He was Jehovah, the Lord, and had the sovereign power to dispose of lands and kingdoms as He pleased.

(9) And Moses spoke so to the children of Israel, but they did not heed Moses, because of anguish of spirit and cruel bondage.

It is hard to believe that after all these marvelous personal promises by God, the people would not even listen to Moses!  It was Matthew Henry in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, who pointed out how many repetitions of His promises God gave to the people in what He told Moses to tell them above:  "I will bring you out...I will rescue you...I will redeem you...I will bring you into...I will give you..."  I'm paraphrasing his words, but in essence, he said it was shameful that man had such unbelief and needed such repetitions, and that glory be to God that He would give man such repeated assurances!  Maybe they just didn't believe Moses because his actions seemed to make things so much worse.  The people were so swallowed up by their troubles and misery, they probably felt helpless and hopeless and were either unable or unwilling to listen to Moses.

(10) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (11) “Go in, speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt, that he let the children of Israel go out of his land.”

Moses probably went right back to the Lord, not knowing what to do when the people would not listen to him.  God just told Moses to go back to Pharaoh and repeat his demand.  It did seem more like a demand this time to let the people go, rather than a request to allow them to go for a few days.  However, I believe the point is that God was giving Pharaoh one more chance to let the people go before He brought judgment.

(12) And Moses spoke before the LORD, saying, “Behold, the children of Israel have not heeded me; how then shall Pharaoh hear me, who is of uncircumcised lips?”

Moses told the Lord if his own people would not listen to him, he didn't see how Pharaoh would pay any attention to him, one of uncircumcised lips.  An uncircumcised ear was one that did not hear clearly, an uncircumcised heart was slow to receive and understand, and uncircumcised lips could not speak fluently.  Moses used the term to again complain that he could not speak well.

(13) And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, and gave them a charge to the children of Israel and to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.

As God had answered Moses's objection about his speech before, He sent Aaron with Moses to give God's command both to the people and to Pharaoh, that they were to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.  God had already told Moses that Pharaoh would refuse to let the people go at first, so any objection Moses would have would really be moot anyway, but God pretty much shut up all debate and gave Moses and Aaron His command to tell the people and Pharaoh to let the people go from Egypt.

(14) These are the heads of their fathers’ houses: the sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi; these are the families of Reuben. (15) And the sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman; these are the families of Simeon.

Inserted here is a genealogy of Moses and Aaron, probably intended to show that Moses and Aaron were Israelites who came in a direct line from Abraham.  It begins with Reuben, Jacob's firstborn son, and names Reuben's sons.  Next the sons of Simeon are named.  Interestingly, Reuben and Simeon are not direct lines to Moses and Aaron, but are two of Levi's brothers, Levi being their direct line.  None other of the brothers are listed, so why name just Reuben and Simeon?  Perhaps it was as simple as naming the brothers in order until Levi was reached to prove the relationship with the sons of Israel.  Some of the old Bible commentators wrote that there was more to it:  these three were taken notice of to show that they were not rejected of God, although they were rather cursed by Jacob; and although they were guilty of great crimes, Reuben of incest, and Simeon and Levi of murder, they truly repented and obtained mercy of God, and were honored in their offspring, of whom an account was here given.  It's a nice idea, but I don't see that there is any proof of that.  Since they are named in order, I believe it is as simple as the first two being named only for the sake of the third that the order might be preserved, but then again Moses would not have had to mention Reuben and Simeon at all, so who knows...?  One thing is for certain, though, this genealogy was used to prove that the deliverers of the Israelite people, Moses and Aaron, were indeed Israelites themselves.  So on with that proof:

(16) And these are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari; and the years of the life of Levi were one hundred and thirty-seven. (17) The sons of Gershon were Libni and Shimi according to their families. (18) And the sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel; and the years of the life of Kohath were one hundred and thirty-three. (19) And the sons of Merari were Mahali and Mushi; these are the families of Levi according to their generations.

Levi and his sons and each of their sons were listed next.

(20) And Amram took for himself Jochebed, his father’s sister, as wife; and she bore him Aaron and Moses; and the years of the life of Amram were one hundred and thirty-seven.

Amram, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, was the father of Moses and Aaron. Once again, as discussed before, it must not be ignored that Moses recorded the marriage of his father Amram with Jochebed his own aunt.  This marriage would later be forbidden as incestuous, which might be looked upon as a blot upon Moses's family, but Moses did not hide it, "for he sought not his own praise, but wrote with a sincere regard to truth, whether it smiled or frowned upon him" (Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible).

(21) And the sons of Izhar were Korah, Nepheg, and Zichri. (22) And the sons of Uzziel were Mishael, Elzaphan, and Zithri.

Two of Amram's brothers, two other sons of Kohath, were mentioned next, with their sons, perhaps to show the relationship of Moses to his cousins, some of whom will be mentioned later, although not so favorably.  But, as generally the case with his impartial writing, Moses listed them in his genealogy.

(23) And Aaron took to himself Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab, sister of Nahshon, as wife; and she bore him Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

Moses's brother, Aaron, is listed next, with his wife and his sons.  Aaron's wife was from the line of Judah, and her brother Nahshon was considered a prince of Judah.  I have read that while normally there was not a lot of intermarriage among the tribes, so as to keep the tribes and their inheritances distinct, the tribe of Levi often took wives of other tribes, because they had no inheritance and were to have none in the land of Canaan.

(24) And the sons of Korah were Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph. These are the families of the Korahites.

This scripture went back to name the sons of Korah, son of Izhar, Amram's brother; these would be sons of Moses's cousin.

(25) And Eleazar Aaron's son took for himself one of the daughters of Putiel as wife; and she bore him Phinehas; these are the heads of the fathers of the Levites according to their families.

Next and finally, Aaron's son Eleazar is listed with his wife and son.  This partial genealogy was intended to name the heads of the Levites.  Interestingly, Moses wrote of Aaron's offspring, but not of his own.  This was probably because the priesthood was successive in the family of Aaron, rather than Moses.

(26) These are the same Aaron and Moses to whom the LORD said, “Bring out the children of Israel from the land of Egypt according to their armies.” (27) These are they who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring out the children of Israel from Egypt; these are that Moses and Aaron.

These verses confirm that the reason for the genealogy was to show that Aaron and Moses were also children of Israel and to prove their ancestry and their positions in the Abrahamic line.  The verses reiterated that God had chosen Moses and Aaron to bring the Israelites out of Egypt, and that they indeed were the ones who went to Pharaoh to do just that.  Bringing the children of Israel out of Egypt according to their armies might have been a description of the large numbers of them marching out of Egypt, not in a confused fearful flight, but as in military order with great composure and power.

(28) And it came to pass, on the day the LORD spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, (29) That the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “I am the LORD; speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say to you.” (30) And Moses said before the LORD, “Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh hearken to me?”

The genealogy was included as a sort of parenthesis to explain just who this Moses and Aaron were who God was charging to bring the children of Israel out of Egypt, and now the scriptures returned to a repeat of verses 10 and 11 after Moses had spoken to the children of Israel, but they did not heed him because of their anguish of spirit and cruel bondage.  God told Moses to return to Pharaoh and tell him all God had told him to tell him.  However, Moses objected, wondering why Pharaoh would ever listen to him, one with uncircumcised lips that could not speak well.  Verses 28-30 are just a repeat of verses 10-12 in order to return to the story before the parenthetical verses about the genealogy of Moses and Aaron, and to set up what happened next in the following chapter.