Numbers Chapter 4

This chapter gets into the specific duties that the 3 tribes of Levi had to do in the Temple/Tent of Meeting. Plus the Levites males between the ages of 30-50 years get counted. Hope y’all enjoy.

The duties of the Kohathite in the Tent was the care & upkeep of the most holy things.

When the camp is getting ready to move, Aaron & his sons (the surviving ones) are to come into the Holy of Holies. They take down & wrap everything, like when you’re moving to a new house.

After Aaron & his sons are done & the camp is ready to go, the Kohathite are to drop all the heavy lifting, literally. But they can’t touch anything deemed holy, or they die. They only carry the things that go in the Temple.

Eleazar, Aaron’s son, is in charge of the entire tabernacle & everything in it.

God tells Moses to make sure that the Kohathites aren’t cut off from the rest of the Levites. So that they might live & not die when they came near to the most holy things.

Aaron & his sons went into the sanctuary. They assigned each man their jobs. And what they were to carry. But the Kohathites must not go in to look at the holy things. Or death becomes them.

Here’s what the Gershonites are responsible for: carrying the curtains of the tabernacle, the Tent, the courtyard surrounding the tabernacle & altar, also for the entrance; the coverings & outer covering of the hides of dugongs; the ropes & all the equipment used in its service.

They’re to do all that needs to be done with these things. All their service, whether carrying these items or doing other work, is to be done under the direction of Aaron & his sons, specifically Ithamar (Aaron’s sons).

The Merarites’ duty at the Tent: to carry the frames, crossbars, posts, & bases of the tabernacle. As well as the posts surrounding the courtyard with their bases, tent pegs, ropes, all their equipment, & everything related to their use. The Merarites’ were under the direction of Ithamar.

Moses, Aaron, & the leaders of the community (see Numbers 1:5-15) counted the Kohathites, Gershonites, & Merarites. They counted all the men from ages 30-50, who came to serve in the Tent.

The Kohathites totalled 2,750. The Gershonites totalled 2,630. The Merarites totalled 3,200. The total amount was 8,580.