Num 4-6 | 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.

‏ Numbers 5

Summary for Num 5:1-31: 5:1–10:10 ^v These legal matters were to ensure the purity of the Israelites, their priesthood, and the Tabernacle. Such regulations drew constant attention to ancient Israel’s identity as a theocracy of which Moses was the primary spokesman.
Summary for Num 5:1-31: 5:1-31 ^w These laws concern purity, restitution, and marital faithfulness.
Summary for Num 5:1-4: 5:1-4 ^x Modern Westerners find the need for ceremonial or ritual purity difficult to understand. Westerners view skin diseases, bodily discharge, and contact with corpses as concerns of health and hygiene, but the primary issue in the Old Testament is guarding God’s holiness against ceremonial uncleanness (see Lev 11–15 ^y). The community had to safeguard the holiness of the camp so that unclean things or people did not ceremonially defile things associated with the Lord (Num 5:2-3 ^z). The community had to choose between having God in the camp or letting a defiled person remain in the camp, because both could not remain (5:3 ^aa).

• The importance of purity extends from Leviticus and Numbers to the book of Revelation: All that is ceremonially unclean will be forbidden to enter the New Jerusalem where God resides (see study note on Rev 21:27). In the New Testament, however, impurity is limited to what is morally impure (Acts 10:28 ^ab; Eph 5:5 ^ac; 1 Thes 2:3 ^ad; 4:7 ^ae).
5:2 ^af skin disease: The Hebrew word used here describes various skin diseases that were regarded as contagious (cp. Lev 13–14 ^ag).

• Discharge refers to fluids associated with sexual organs (Lev 15 ^ah; cp. Luke 8:43-48 ^ai).

• touching a dead person: See Num 6:6-11 ^aj; 19:11 ^ak.
Summary for Num 5:5-10: 5:5-10 ^al Guidelines regarding confession and restitution for wrongdoing emphasize the strong Hebrew concern for morality (Lev 6:1-7 ^am).
5:6 ^an Doing something wrong to another human being is the same as betraying—literally breaking faith with—the Lord (cp. 5:8 ^ao). A right relationship with God produces right relationships with people; a wrong relationship with others shows a wrong relationship with the Lord.
5:7 ^ap This restitution and the guilt offering (see Lev 6–7 ^aq) associated with the sin was intended to inculcate a heightened sense of individual responsibility to God’s holiness.
5:8 ^ar Because sin is ultimately against God (5:6 ^as; Ps 51:4 ^at), the perpetrator had a moral obligation to make restitution to the Lord, who authorized the human victims of the sin to receive that payment; if none were living, the Lord received payment through the priest. Perpetrators also had to offer a valuable sacrifice that restored their ritual purity (Num 5:1-4 ^au) and their relationship with God.

• purified and made right with the Lord: See study note on Lev 1:4.
Summary for Num 5:9-10: 5:9-10 ^av Priests supported their families partly by receiving a share of the sacrifices. In some instances, surplus sacrifices could be sold to provide funds for the priesthood, for maintaining the sanctuary, and for other religious needs (cp. 1 Cor 8:4-13 ^aw).
Summary for Num 5:11-31: 5:11-31 ^ax This detailed test for adultery, a “trial by ordeal,” is the only such case found in the Old Testament, though trial by ordeal was a common procedure in the ancient Near East. God had a special interest in safeguarding marriage as the foundation of Hebrew society, and the purpose of this ordeal was to promote marital faithfulness. We cannot determine how commonly such ordeals actually occurred. This procedure appealed to God’s own intervention to ensure justice in cases lacking evidence (cp. 1 Cor 5:5 ^ay).
Summary for Num 5:14-15: 5:14-15 ^az The husband presented his case before the priest, and the “ritual law for dealing with suspicion” (5:29 ^ba) took the husband’s jealousy and suspicion to a higher court.
5:17 ^bb The holy water and the dust were sacred because of their association with the sanctuary.
5:21 ^bc when he makes you infertile, causing your womb to shrivel: Literally when he causes your thigh to waste away. “Thigh” is a euphemism for the reproductive organs (cp. Gen 24:2 ^bd; 47:29 ^be); something would go wrong with her reproductive abilities. The punishment suited the crime as sexual immorality resulted in the inability to have children.
Summary for Num 5:23-24: 5:23-24 ^bf The symbolism of drinking disturbing words is repeated in Ezek 2:8–3:3 ^bg and Rev 10:8-11 ^bh.
Summary for Num 5:29-31: 5:29-31 ^bi As the trial by ordeal is summarized and justified, it is clear that a husband’s questions about his wife’s guilt or innocence did not burden him with any guilt. We might raise the question of a double standard, but it was very common for ancient laws to draw attention to the woman’s failure in the matter of adultery. However, Israel’s legal system provided for the punishment of both parties to an affair (as in Lev 20:10 ^bj; Deut 22:21-22 ^bk).

‏ Numbers 6

Summary for Num 6:1-21: 6:1-21 ^bl The voluntary Nazirite vow allowed men or women to set themselves apart for the Lord. There was considerable variation in how the Nazirite lifestyle was practiced in various periods of Hebrew history. Vows were taken very seriously in ancient times as a well-established means of expressing devotion or gratitude to God. This vow could be temporary or permanent; it involved refraining from alcoholic drinks, hair cutting, and contact with corpses. Nazirite restrictions gave members of non-Levitical tribes a way to enter into a more demanding and highly respected relationship with God. The Nazirite vow is probably best known because of Samson (Judg 13–16 ^bm). See also 1 Sam 1:11 ^bn; Jer 35 ^bo; Acts 18:8 ^bp; 21:23-26 ^bq; cp. Luke 1:15 ^br.
6:2 ^bs Nazirite: The Hebrew term nazir is derived from a verb that means “to separate.”
Summary for Num 6:3-4: 6:3-4 ^bt The law required priests to avoid drinking wine before they served in the Tabernacle (Lev 10:9 ^bu); the Nazirite vow allowed non-Levites to broaden that law to include all places, all times, and anything that comes from a grapevine.
6:5 ^bv Hair had special symbolic significance (cp. Lev 19:27 ^bw); religious persons often left their hair uncut or shaved it off entirely (Num 8:5-7 ^bx). The Israelites were not expected to leave their hair entirely uncut, but the Nazirites were.
Summary for Num 6:6-8: 6:6-8 ^by Dead bodies defiled whoever touched them (9:6-10 ^bz). Priests were only allowed to touch the dead bodies of close relatives (Lev 21:1-4 ^ca), but even that was forbidden to Nazirites.
Summary for Num 6:9-21: 6:9-21 ^cb Provisions were made for restoring purity in cases of unavoidable contact with a corpse. Special procedures and offerings brought the period of the Nazirite vow to a conclusion. A stern warning is added about actually fulfilling the vow (6:21 ^cc).
Summary for Num 6:22-27: 6:22-27 ^cd The priestly benediction is related to the overall theme of worship and purity in chs 5–6 ^ce. This is a prayer on behalf of the people as the priests sought God’s blessings for Israel. Since the priest represented God, such prayer was part of the priestly duty (cp. Lev 9:23 ^cf; Deut 10:8 ^cg). This prayer is not unlike Jesus’ high priestly prayer in John 17 ^ch.
Summary for Num 6:24-26: 6:24-26 ^ci Psalm 67:1 ^cj contains an abbreviated version of this benediction, much like one inscribed on a silver amulet excavated at Ketef Hinnom, southwest of Jerusalem’s Old City. On a second, larger silver amulet from the same tomb, the complete benediction was inscribed in words almost identical to those here. In the days of the Second Temple (from Ezra to the time of Jesus), priests pronounced a blessing at each day’s sacrifice or at the end of services. This blessing is still used in Jewish and Christian liturgy as a way of seeking divine blessing (as in 6:27 ^ck). 6:24 ^cl The blessings sought in the first half of this verse include health, wealth, and fertility, while the protection mentioned in the second half was needed for all manner of dangers. This supplication is echoed in the language of Pss 121:3-8 ^cm; 140:4 ^cn; and 141:9 ^co. These heartfelt appeals are still good models for prayer and for the blessings that God’s people can seek for all humanity. The entire poem draws attention to the Lord as the source of all good things.
6:25 ^cp The desire for God’s smile is often translated more literally may he make his face shine upon you.

• be gracious to you: God’s people need his grace and mercy in a dangerous world (cp. Pss 31:16 ^cq; 67:1 ^cr; 80:3 ^cs, 7 ^ct, 19 ^cu).
6:26 ^cv God’s favor—the display of his face, or countenance—refers to his approval and special attention (cp. Ps 30:7 ^cw). Divine peace (Hebrew shalom) is not just the absence of conflict or violence; God’s peace brings complete well-being, health, and wholeness.
6:27 ^cx The priests were the mediators of God’s covenant with Israel, so their duty was to pray for God’s people and invoke his blessing on them. Jesus has the same role in relation to the church (see Rom 8:34 ^cy; Heb 2:17-18 ^cz; 4:14-16 ^da).