Num 4 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for Num 4:1-49: 4:1-49 This section expands the discussion begun in 3:21-37 on the duties of the three clans of Levites. The Levites—on the march and encamped—carried and cared for the Tabernacle and were always surrounded by the other tribes so that they and their precious cargo would be safe (2:17 ). The sacred things associated with God were placed in the middle of the tribes, and the role of the priests and their Levitical assistants was to keep them holy by keeping them separate. • God, in his holiness, is worthy of attention to the details of his will. His Tabernacle and its furnishings were sacred, and the tribe of Levi was responsible to maintain the distinction between holy and common, between clean and unclean. This explains why so much information is provided about the duties of the three clans of Levites. 4:1 Moses and Aaron were mediators of God’s will regarding the care and transport of the Tabernacle, the primary charge of the three Levitical families.

Summary for Num 4:1-49: 4:1-49 ^a This section expands the discussion begun in 3:21-37 ^b on the duties of the three clans of Levites. The Levites—on the march and encamped—carried and cared for the Tabernacle and were always surrounded by the other tribes so that they and their precious cargo would be safe (2:17 ^c). The sacred things associated with God were placed in the middle of the tribes, and the role of the priests and their Levitical assistants was to keep them holy by keeping them separate.

• God, in his holiness, is worthy of attention to the details of his will. His Tabernacle and its furnishings were sacred, and the tribe of Levi was responsible to maintain the distinction between holy and common, between clean and unclean. This explains why so much information is provided about the duties of the three clans of Levites. 4:1 ^d Moses and Aaron were mediators of God’s will regarding the care and transport of the Tabernacle, the primary charge of the three Levitical families.
4:3 ^e Of the 22,000 Levites (3:39 ^f), only men between the ages of thirty and fifty, those in the prime of their life, were allowed to serve in the sanctuary. The summary of this registration (another “numbering”) found in 4:34-49 ^g gives the total number of qualified males as 8,580.
Summary for Num 4:4-20: 4:4-20 ^h The duties of the Kohathites (see 3:27-32 ⁱ) are listed first because they performed a special service related to the most sacred objects (perhaps because Aaron and the priests came from this clan; 1 Chr 6:2-3 ^j). The tasks of carrying, setting up, and disassembling these sacred coverings and furnishings were extremely important. All the things entrusted to Kohath’s descendants—the Ark of the Covenant, the table of the Bread of the Presence, the lampstand (Hebrew menorah), the gold incense altar, and the altar for sacrifices—held tremendous value. These objects are first described in Exod 25–30 ^k, but Numbers shows how they were integrated into Hebrew life. The Kohathites carried these items on poles or in frames, and they were not to touch them or enter the sanctuary to look at them on penalty of death.
4:15 ^l Aaron and his surviving sons Eleazar and Ithamar had to cover the sanctuary and all the sacred articles completely before the camp was ready to move, with the groups of non-Levitical tribes marching before and behind the Levites who carried the Tabernacle. The royalty of these objects is seen in the symbolic colors of the coverings, and their sacredness underlies the stern warning that even though the Kohathites were the designated handlers, they must not touch the sacred objects, or they would die. Such respect marked the holiness of Israel’s Lord. The dangers of disregarding these instructions are apparent in 1 Sam 6:19-20 ^m and 2 Sam 6:6-7 ⁿ.
Summary for Num 4:21-28: 4:21-28 ^o The men of the Gershonite clan (see 3:21-26 ^p) were responsible for general service and carrying loads (4:24 ^q). This involved handling the curtains and coverings, ropes, and related equipment that was less central to Israel’s worship. Their duties focused on the Tabernacle in general instead of on the sacred objects of the inner sanctuary that were the responsibility of Kohath’s clan.
Summary for Num 4:29-33: 4:29-33 ^r Even this assignment to the Merarite clan, which focused on items of lesser priority than those handled by the Kohathites and Gershonites, had to be done in a specific way, and the various loads were assigned to each man by name (4:32 ^s; cp. 1 Cor 14:40 ^t). While the Gershonites and Merarites lacked the status of Kohath’s family, each group contributed to the process of moving and erecting the Tabernacle.
Summary for Num 4:34-49: 4:34-49 ^u The process of numbering and recording the Levites’ names and making sure that each man understood his assignment was an important step in organizing Israel to travel and camp in the correct manner and in safeguarding the Tabernacle.