Numbers 3:27

Who was the second son of Levi: Amram, and Izehar, Hebron, and Uzziel; so in Exodus 6:18; and from whom were named the family of the Amramites, to which Moses and Aaron belonged; and the families of the Izeharites, Hebronites, and Uzzielites, as they are called, Numbers 3:27. Numbers 3:20 Ver. 20. And the sons, of Merari, by their families,.... The third son of Levi; Mahli and Mushi; the same as in Exodus 6:19; from whom were denominated the families of the Mahlites and Mushites, who, as the preceding families, were numbered at this time: these [are] the families of the Levites, according to the house of their fathers; in all eight families. Numbers 3:21 Ver. 21. Of Gershon [was] the family of the Libnites, and the family of the Shimites,.... The first son of Levi: these [are] the family of the Gershonites; that were now, numbered. Numbers 3:22 Ver. 22. Those that were numbered of them,.... Of the two families that sprung from Gershon: according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upwards: in the said families; [even] those that were numbered of them, [were] seven thousand and five hundred; 7,500 men, which was neither the least nor the largest number of the sons of Levi. Numbers 3:23 Ver. 23. The families of the Gershonites,....

Numbers 3:1 INTRODUCTION TO NUMBERS 3 In this chapter an account is given of the genealogy of the priests and Levites, and of the gift of the Levites to the priests, of the numbering of them, and the service they were to perform; and first of the priests, the sons of Aaron, Numbers 3:1; and then of the Levites, as given unto them, to wait upon them, and assist them, Numbers 3:5; and these were taken instead of the firstborn, Numbers 3:11; and ordered to be numbered, which was done accordingly by their families, Numbers 3:14; and the sum of each is given, and the particular work assigned to them; of the Gershonites, Numbers 3:21; of the Kohathites, Numbers 3:27; of the Merarites, Numbers 3:33; the sum total of them is given, Numbers 3:39; then the firstborn of the children of Israel, from a month old are ordered to be numbered, and were, Numbers 3:40; and these appearing to be more in number than the Levites, by two hundred seventy three a direction is given that the two hundred seventy three should be redeemed at the rate of five, shekels apiece, and the money paid to Aaron and his sons, Numbers 3:44; which was accordingly done, Numbers 3:49. Ver. 1. These also [are] the generations of Aaron and Moses,....

3:14-39 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.

And of Kohath was the family of the Amramites,.... So called from Amram, the first son of Kohath, and father of Aaron and Moses; so that Moses and Aaron, and their children, are included in this family: and the family of Izeharites; of which family was Korah, Numbers 16:1, and the family of the Hebronites, and the family of the Uzzielites; which four families had their names from Kohath's four sons, Numbers 3:19, these are the families of the Kohathites; which were as many as both the other sons of Levi.

Numbers 3:27-28 . Of Kohath — This family had many privileges above the others: of that were Moses and Aaron, and all the priests: they had the chief place about the tabernacle, and the care of the most holy things there, and in the land of Canaan they had twenty-three cities, which were almost as many as both their brethren received. Yet the posterity of Moses were not at all dignified or distinguished from other Levites. So far was he from seeking any advantage or honour for his own family. Keeping — That is, appointed for that work, as soon as they were capable of it. Of the sanctuary — That is, of the holy things contained in, or belonging to the sanctuary.

This family had many privileges above the others; of that were Moses and Aaron, and all the priests; they had the chief place about the tabernacle, and the care of the most holy things here below, Numbers 3:31 ; and in the land of Canaan they had twenty-three cities, which were almost as many as both their brethren received. See Jos 21 .

14-31. Number the children of Levi—They were numbered as well as the other tribes; but the enumeration was made on a different principle—for while in the other tribes the number of males was calculated from twenty years and upward [Nu 1:3], in that of Levi they were counted "from a month old and upward." The reason for the distinction is obvious. In the other tribes the survey was made for purposes of war [Nu 1:3], from which the Levites were totally exempt. But the Levites were appointed to a work on which they entered as soon as they were capable of instruction. They are mentioned under the names of Gershon, Kohath, and Merari, sons of Levi, and chiefs or ancestral heads of three subdivisions into which this tribe was distributed. Their duties were to assist in the conveyance of the tabernacle when the people were removing the various encampments, and to form its guard while stationary—the Gershonites being stationed on the west, the Kohathites on the south, and the families of Merari on the north. The Kohathites had the principal place about the tabernacle, and charge of the most precious and sacred things—a distinction with which they were honored, probably, because the Aaronic family belonged to this division of the Levitical tribe. The Gershonites, being the oldest, had the next honorable post assigned them, while the burden of the drudgery was thrown on the division of Merari.

The Kohathites, who were divided into four families, and numbered 8600, were to encamp on the south side of the tabernacle, and more especially to keep the charge of the sanctuary ( Numbers 3:28 ), viz., to take care of the ark of the covenant, the table (of shew-bread), the candlestick, the altars (of incense and burnt-offering), with the holy things required for the service performed in connection therewith, and the curtain (the veil before the most holy place), and to perform whatever had to be done ("all the service thereof," see at Numbers 3:26 ), i.e., to carry the said holy things after they had been rolled up in covers by the priests (see Numbers 4:5 .).

[Reformed Biblical] of the Levites numbered, Num_3:14-39. The first-born numbered, Num_3:40- 43. Being more than the Levites, some of them are redeemed, and the money given to Aaron and his sons, Num_3:41-51. ## These which follow in this chapter are the generations, i.e. either, ## 1. The things done by them; as the word generation is sometimes used, as Gen_6:9 25:19 37:2 . Or rather, 2. The kindred or family, for that is the subject of this chapter, and not their events or actions. ## Object. Aaron’s family indeed is here mentioned, but not Moses’s family. ## Answ. Moses’s family and children are here included under the general name of the Amramite , Num_3:27, which includes all the children and grandchildren of Amram , the persons only of Aaron and Moses being excepted. And the generations of M oses are thu s obscurely mentioned, because they were but common Levites, the priesthood being given solely to Aaron’s posterity, whence Aaron is here put before Moses, who elsewhere is commonly named after him. In the day that the Lord spake with Moses in Mount ## Sinai: this seems to be added, because Nadab and Abihu, mentioned Num_3:2, were then alive, though dead at the time of taking this account. Numbers 3:2 Numbers 3:3 Numbers 3:4 ## In the time of Aaron’s life, as this phrase is taken, Num_3:4; see also Psa_72:5 ,17 ; and under their father’s inspection and direction, and as their father’s servants or ministers in the priest’s office; for servants are oft described by this phra

[Reformed Biblical] committed it to those; or for their good, and service, and benefit; for their preservation, as the word may be rendered. Numbers 3:39 ## Object. But if the particular numbers, mentioned Num_3:22 ,28,34 , be put together, they make exactly 22,300. ## Answ. The odd 300 are omitted here, either according to the use of the Holy Scripture, which in so great numbers small sums are commonly neglected, or because they were the first-born of the Levites, and therefore belonged to God already, and so could not be given to him again instead of t he other firs t-born. See L ev_27:26. If this number o f first-born seem very sma ll to come fr om 22,000 Levites, it must be considered, that only such first- born are here named as were males, and such as continued in their parents families, not such as had erected new families of their own. Add to this, that God so ordered things by his wise providence for divers weig hty reasons, that this tribe should be much the least of all the tribes, as is evident by comparing the numb ers of the other tribes from twenty years old, Num 1 , with the number of this from a month old; and therefore it is not strange if the number of their first-born be less than in other tribes. Although if the other tribes had been computed from a month old, as this was, their number of 600,000 had probably been double or treble to that; and consequen