1The sons of Aaron. 5The Levites are given to the priests for the service of the tabernacle, 11instead of the firstborn. 14The Levites are numbered by their families. 21The families, number, and charge of the Gershonites, 27of the Kohathites, 33of the Merarites. 38The place and charge of Moses and Aaron. 40The firstborn are freed by the Levites. 44The surplus are redeemed.
1THESE also are the agenerations of Aaron and Moses in the day that the LORD spake with Moses in mount Sinai.
a Ge. 2.4; 5.1; 10.1. Mat. 1.1.
2And these are bthe names of the sons of Aaron; Nadab the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
b Ex. 6.23. ch. 26.60. 1Ch. 6.3; 24.1.
3These are the names of the sons of Aaron, cthe priests which were anointed, 1whom he consecrated to minister in the priest's office.
1Heb. whose hand he filled. Ex. 28.41.
c Ex. 29. Le. 8; 9.
4And dNadab 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.
d Le. 10.1,2; 16.1. ch. 26.61. 1Ch. 24.2.
5¶And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
6Bring ethe tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister unto him.
e Ex. 32.26-29. De. 33.8,9. ch. 1.50,51,53; 8.6,11-15,22-26; 18.2-7.
7And they shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole congregation before the tabernacle of the congregation, fto do the service of the tabernacle.
f v.38. ch. 8.11,15,24,26.
8And they shall keep gall the instruments of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the charge of the children of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle.
g Ex. 31.6-11; 35.10-19; 40.2-15,17-30; 39.33-42; 26.1; 35-39. v.25,26,31,36,37. ch. 4.4-32.
9And hthou shalt give the Levites unto Aaron and to his sons: they are wholly given unto him out of the children of Israel.
h ch. 8.19; 18.2-6.
10And thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sons, and they ishall wait on their priest's office: and jthe stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.
i Eze. 44.8. ch. 18.7. Ro. 12.7,8. 1Ti. 4.13,15. 2Ti. 4.2. j ch. 1.51; 16.32,40; 18.3. 1Sa. 6.19. 2Sa. 6.7. Le. 22.10-13. v.38.
11And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
12And I, behold, I have ktaken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn that openeth the *matrix among the children of Israel: therefore the Levites shall be mine;
*matrix-womb.
k ch. 8.16,18; 18.6. v.41,45.
13Because lall the firstborn are mine; for on the day that I msmote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I hallowed unto me all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast: mine shall they be: I am the LORD.
l ch. 8.16,17. Ex. 13.2,12; 22.29; 34.19. Le. 27.26. Eze. 44.30. Lu. 2.23. He. 12.23. m Ex. 12.29,30; 13.12,15. ch. 8.17.
14¶And the LORD spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying,
15Number the children of Levi after the house of their fathers, by their families: every male nfrom a month old and upward shalt thou number them.
n ch. 18.15,16; 26.62. Je. 2.2; 31.3. Pr. 8.17. Mar. 10.14. 2Ti. 3.15. v.39.
16And Moses numbered them according to the 2word of the LORD, as he was commanded.
2Heb. mouth.
17And othese were the sons of Levi by their names; Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari.
o Ge. 46.11. Ex. 6.16-19. ch. 26.57,58. 1Ch. 6.1,2,16-19; 15.5-23; 23.6-23; 9; 24-26. Ne. 11; 12. Jos. 21.
18And pthese are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families; Libni, and Shimei.
p Ex. 6.17. v.21. 1Ch. 6.17,20,21; 23.7-11; 15.7; 16.5.
19And qthe sons of Kohath by their families; Amram, and Izehar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
q Ex. 6.18. v.27. 1Ch. 6.2-15,22-38, 50-53; 15.5,8-10,17-21; 23.12-20; 22; 25.4; 26; 9.10-22. Ne. 12.1-26.
20And rthe sons of Merari by their families; Mahli, and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to the house of their fathers.
r Ex. 6.19. v.33. 1Ch. 6.19,44-47; 15.6; 23.21-23; 24.27-30; 25.3.
21Of sGershon was the family of the Libnites, and the family of the Shimites: these are the families of the Gershonites.
s v.18.
22Those that were numbered of them, according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, even those that were numbered of them were seven thousand and five hundred.
23tThe families of the Gershonites shall upitch behind the tabernacle westward.
t ch. 1.53. u ch. 2.18.
24And the chief of the house of the father of the Gershonites shall be Eliasaph the son of Lael.
25And vthe charge of the sons of Gershon in the tabernacle of the congregation shall be wthe tabernacle, and the tent, the covering thereof, and the hanging for the door of the tabernacle of the congregation,
v ch. 4.24-28; 10.17; 7.7. Ex. 26.1,7,14,36; 27.9-16; 36.8-19,37,38; 38.9-18; 31.7; 35.11; 39.34-40. w Ex. 25.9.
26And xthe hangings of the court, and ythe curtain for the door of the court, which is by the tabernacle, and by the altar round about, and zthe cords of it for all the service thereof.
x Ex. 27.9. y Ex. 27.16. z Ex. 35.18.
27¶And aof Kohath was the family of the Amramites, and the family of the Izeharites, and the family of the Hebronites, and the family of the Uzzielites: these are the families of the Kohathites.
a v.19. 1Ch. 26.23.
28In the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, were eight thousand and six hundred, keeping the charge of the sanctuary.
29The families of the sons of Kohath shall pitch bon the side of the tabernacle southward.
b ch. 2.10.
30And the chief of the house of the father of the families of the Kohathites shall be Elizaphan the son of Uzziel.
31And ctheir charge shall be the ark, and the table, and the candlestick, and dthe altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary wherewith they minister, and the hanging, and all the service thereof.
c ch. 4.14-16; 10.21. Ex. 25; 26; 31; 37; 38.1-8; 36.35,36; 31.6-11; 35.10-19; 40.2-15,17-30; 39.33-42. d Ex. 27.1; 30.1.
32And eEleazar 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.
e ch. 4.16. 2Ki. 25.18. 1Ch. 9.20.
33¶Of Merari was the family of the Mahlites, and the family of the Mushites: these are the families of Merari.
34And those that were numbered of them, according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, were six thousand and two hundred.
35And 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 fnorthward.
f ch. 2.25.
36And gunder 3the custody and charge of the sons of Merari shall be the boards of the tabernacle, and the bars thereof, and hthe pillars thereof, and the sockets thereof, and all the vessels thereof, and all that serveth thereto,
3Heb. the office of the charge.
g ch. 4.29-33; 7.8. Ex. 26.15-30; 27.9-15; 36.20-34; 38.10-20; 35.11,18; 39.33. h Ex. 26.32,37.
37And ithe pillars of the court round about, and their sockets, and jtheir pins, and ktheir cords.
i Ex. 27.10. j Ex. 27.19. k v.26.
38¶But those that encamp before the tabernacle toward the east, even lbefore the tabernacle of the congregation eastward, shall be Moses, and Aaron and his sons, mkeeping the charge of the sanctuary for the charge of the children of Israel; and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.
l ch. 2.3. m v.10. ch. 1.53.
39All nthat were numbered of the Levites, which Moses and Aaron numbered at the commandment of the LORD, throughout their families, all the males from a month old and upward, were otwenty and two thousand.
n ch. 26.62; 4.47,48. o ch. 26.62. v.22,28,34,46-49.
40¶And the LORD said unto Moses, pNumber all the firstborn of the males of the children of Israel from a month old and upward, and take the number of their names.
p 2Ti. 2.19. Lu. 10.20. Ps. 87.6. Is. 4.3. Re. 3.5; 14.4. He. 12.23. Phi. 4.3.
41And thou qshalt 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.
q v.12,45. ch. 18.15; 8.16. Ex. 24.5,6; 32.26-29. Mat. 20.28. 1Ti. 2.6.
42And Moses numbered, as the LORD commanded him, all the firstborn among the children of Israel.
43And all the firstborn males by the number of names, from a month old and upward, of those that were numbered of them, were twenty and two thousand two hundred and threescore and thirteen.
44¶And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
45Take 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.
46And for those that are to be rredeemed of the two hundred and threescore and thirteen of the firstborn of the children of Israel, swhich are more than the Levites;
r Ex. 13.13. ch. 18.15. s v.39,43.
47Thou shalt even take tfive shekels apiece uby the poll, after the shekel of the sanctuary shalt thou take them : v(the shekel is twenty gerahs:)
t ch. 18.16. Le. 27.6,25. Ex. 30.13. Eze. 45.12. u ch. 1.2. v Ex. 30.13. Le. 27.25. ch. 18.16. Eze. 45.12.
48And thou shalt give the money, wherewith the odd number of them is to be redeemed, unto Aaron and to his sons.
49And Moses took the redemption money of them that were over and above them that were redeemed by the Levites:
50Of the firstborn of the children of Israel took he the money; wa thousand three hundred and threescore and five shekels , after the shekel of the sanctuary:
w Tit. 2.14. He. 9.12. 1Ti. 2.5,6. Mat. 20.28. 1Pe. 1.18,19; 3.18. v.46,47.
51And Moses xgave the money of them that were redeemed unto Aaron and to his sons, according to the word of the LORD, as the LORD commanded Moses.
x ch. 16.15. Ac. 20.33. 1Co. 4.1,2. 1Pe. 5.2. v.48.