Numbers3
English Standard Version
Tap any underlined word for the original Hebrew or Greek.
1 are the of and at the when the Lord with on .
2 are the of the of : the , and , , and .
3 are the of the of , the , whom he to serve as .
4 But and the Lord when they the Lord in the of , and they had no . So and served as in the of their .
5 And the Lord to , ,
6 the of , and them the , that they may to him.
7 They shall him and the the of , as they at the .
8 They shall the of the of , and over the of as they at the .
9 And you shall the to and his ; they are to him from the of .
10 And you shall and his , and they shall their . But if any near, he shall be put to .
11 And the Lord to , ,
12 , I have the from the of of who the among the of . The shall be mine,
13 for the are mine. On the that I down the in the of , I for my own the in , both of and of . They shall be mine: I am the Lord.
14 And the Lord to in the of , ,
15 the of , by ’ and by ; from a and you shall .
16 So them according to the of the Lord, as he was .
17 And were the of by their : and and .
18 And are the of the of by their : and .
19 And the of by their : , , , and .
20 And the of by their : and . These the of the , by their ’ .
21 To belonged the of the and the of the ; these were the of the .
22 Their according to the of the from a and .
23 The of the were to the on the ,
24 with , the of as of the ’ of the .
25 And the of the of in the of involved the , the with its , the for the of the of ,
26 the of the , the for the of the that is the and the , and its — the connected with these.
27 To belonged the of the and the of the and the of the and the of the ; these are the of the .
28 According to the of the , from a and , there were , over the .
29 The of the of were to on the of the ,
30 with the of as of the ’ of the of the .
31 And their duty involved the , the , the , the , the of the with the priests , and the ; the connected with these.
32 And the of the was to be over the of the , and to have of those who over the .
33 To belonged the of the and the of the : these are the of .
34 Their according to the of the from a and was .
35 And the of the ’ of the of was the of . They were to on the of the .
36 And the duty of the of involved the of the , the , the , the , and their ; the connected with these;
37 also the the , with their and and .
38 Those who were to the on the , the of toward the , were and and his , the itself, to the of . And any who came was to be put to .
39 All those among the , whom and at the of the Lord, by , the from a and , were .
40 And the Lord to , the of the of , from a and , the of their .
41 And you shall the for me—I am the Lord — of all the among the of , and the of the of all the among the of the of .
42 So the among the of , as the Lord him.
43 And the , according to the of , from a and as were .
44 And the Lord to , ,
45 the of the among the of , and the of the of their . The shall be mine: I am the Lord.
46 And as the price for the of the of the of , and the number of the male ,
47 you shall ; you shall them according to the of the (the of ),
48 and the to and his as the price for those who are .
49 So the from those who were and those by the .
50 From the of the of he the , , by the of the .
51 And the to and his , according to the of the Lord, as the Lord .
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Numbers 3Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Numbers 3. The full AI study guide (summary, themes, context) has its own page.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: The sons of Aaron, The Levites taken instead of the first-born. (1–13). The Levites numbered by their families, Their duties. (14–39). The first-born are numbered. (40–51).
vv1-13
There was much work belonging to the priests' office, and there were now only Aaron and his two sons to do it; God appoints the Levites to attend them. Those whom God finds work for, he will find help for. The Levites were taken instead of the first-born. When He that made us, saves us, as the first-born of Israel were saved, we are laid under further obligations to serve him faithfully. God's right to us by redemption, confirms the right he has to us by creation.
vv14-39
The Levites were in three classes, according to the sons of Levi; Gershon, Kohath, and Merari; and these were subdivided into families. The posterity of Moses were not at all honoured or privileged, but stood upon the level with other Levites; thus it was plain, that Moses did not seek the advancement of his own family, or to secure any honours to it. The tribe of Levi was by much the least of all the tribes. God's chosen are but a little flock in comparison with the world.
vv40-51
The number of the first-born, and that of the Levites, came near to each other. Known unto God are all his works beforehand; there is an exact proportion between them, and so it will appear, when they are compared together. The small number of first-born, over and above the number of the Levites, were to be redeemed, and the redemption-money given to Aaron. The church is called the church of the first-born, which is redeemed, not as they were, with silver and gold; but, being devoted by sin to the justice of God, is ransomed with the precious blood of the Son of God. All men are the Lord's by creation, and all true christians are his by redemption. Each should know his own post and duty; nor can any service required by such a Master be rightly accounted mean or hard.
Key Words
אֵלֶּה: these or those
תּוֹלְדָה: (plural only) descent, i.e. family; (figuratively) history
אַהֲרוֹן: Aharon, the brother of Moses
מֹשֶׁה: Mosheh, the Israelite lawgiver
יוֹם: a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an associated term), (often used adverb)
דָבַר: perhaps properly, to arrange; but used figuratively (of words), to speak; rarely (in a destructive sense) to subdue
הַר: a mountain or range of hills (sometimes used figuratively)
סִינַי: Sinai, mountain of Arabia
שֵׁם: an appellation, as amark or memorial of individuality; by implication honor, authority, character
בֵּן: a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.)
Cross References
Numbers 3Establishes God's claim on the firstborn, which the Levites are now substituted for in this chapter.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
The historical account of Nadab and Abihu's death by strange fire alluded to in verse 4.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
The Levites' zeal during the golden calf incident, explaining why they were chosen for ministry.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Asserts that no man takes the honor of priesthood to himself, reflecting Aaron's divine consecration.
Supported by John Calvin
Explicit parallel of Nadab and Abihu's death before the Lord in the wilderness.
Supported by JFB
Confirms the Levites are wholly given to Aaron and his sons for tabernacle service.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
New Testament typology linking Israel's redeemed firstborn to the 'church of the firstborn'.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Identifies Amram as the father of Aaron and Moses, under whom Moses' children are classified.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The Levites' charge to pitch around the tabernacle to prevent wrath on the congregation.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Warns that any stranger (non-Aaronic) who comes near to offer incense will perish.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Details the Kohathites' specific charge of moving the holy vessels and sanctuary furniture.
Supported by JFB
Defines the sanctuary shekel as twenty gerahs, matching the currency rate here.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Further legislation regarding the redemption of the firstborn of man and beast.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Reiterates the substitution of the Levites and their cattle for Israel's firstborn.
Supported by JFB