Numbers 4:21-49 - Levites and their Duties Count

Numbers 4:21-49

Duties of the Sons of Gershon

21 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 22 “Also take a census of the sons of Gershon, by their fathers’ house, by their families. 23 From thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old, you shall number them, all who enter to perform the service, to do the work in the tabernacle of meeting. 24 This is the service of the families of the Gershonites, in serving and carrying: 25 They shall carry the curtains of the tabernacle and the tabernacle of meeting with its covering, the covering of badger skins that is on it, the screen for the door of the tabernacle of meeting, 26 the screen for the door of the gate of the court, the hangings of the court which are around the tabernacle and altar, and their cords, all the furnishings for their service and all that is made for these things: so shall they serve.

27 “Aaron and his sons shall assign all the service of the sons of the Gershonites, all their tasks and all their service. And you shall appoint to them all their tasks as their duty. 28 This is the service of the families of the sons of Gershon in the tabernacle of meeting. And their duties shall be under the authority of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.

Duties of the Sons of Merari

29 ”As for the sons of Merari, you shall number them by their families and by their fathers’ house. 30 From thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old, you shall number them, everyone who enters the service to do the work of the tabernacle of meeting. 31 And this is what they must carry as all their service for the tabernacle of meeting: the boards of the tabernacle, its bars, its pillars, its sockets, 32 and the pillars around the court with their sockets, pegs, and cords, with all their furnishings and all their service; and you shall assign to each man by name the items he must carry. 33 This is the service of the families of the sons of Merari, as all their service for the tabernacle of meeting, under the authority of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.”

Census of the Levites

34 And Moses, Aaron, and the leaders of the congregation numbered the sons of the Kohathites by their families and by their fathers’ house, 35 from thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old, everyone who entered the service for work in the tabernacle of meeting; 36 and those who were numbered by their families were two thousand seven hundred and fifty. 37 These were the ones who were numbered of the families of the Kohathites, all who might serve in the tabernacle of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the commandment of the LORD by the hand of Moses.

38 And those who were numbered of the sons of Gershon, by their families and by their fathers’ house, 39 from thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old, everyone who entered the service for work in the tabernacle of meeting— 40 those who were numbered by their families, by their fathers’ house, were two thousand six hundred and thirty. 41 These are the ones who were numbered of the families of the sons of Gershon, of all who might serve in the tabernacle of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the commandment of the LORD.

42 Those of the families of the sons of Merari who were numbered, by their families, by their fathers’ house, 43 from thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old, everyone who entered the service for work in the tabernacle of meeting— 44 those who were numbered by their families were three thousand two hundred. 45 These are the ones who were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the word of the LORD by the hand of Moses.

46 All who were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses, Aaron, and the leaders of Israel numbered, by their families and by their fathers’ houses, 47 from thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old, everyone who came to do the work of service and the work of bearing burdens in the tabernacle of meeting— 48 those who were numbered were eight thousand five hundred and eighty.

49 According to the commandment of the LORD they were numbered by the hand of Moses, each according to his service and according to his task; thus were they numbered by him, as the LORD commanded Moses.

The first and third sons of Levi, Gershon (meaning “exile”) and Merari (meaning “bitter”), also were assigned helper duties in the tabernacle.  Gershon’s children carried the curtains, coverings, screens, hangings, and other furnishings of the tabernacle when it was moved from place to place as the LORD led the people with the cloud by daylight.  Merari’s sons likewise carried the boards of the tabernacle, its bars, its pillars, its sockets, and the pillars around the court with their sockets, pegs, and cords, along with all their furnishings.  This allowed an orderly move from place to place as the children of Israel were led through the wild before entering the promised land after leaving the four hundred years of Egyptian bondage.  All of the Levites of the sons Kohath (meaning “assembly”), Gershon, and Merari were counted in a census by God’s word of direction by Moses and Aaron with help from the leaders of the congregation to show us they all mattered to God and that He knew and shows us that each one counted.  They were also identified by the assigned tasks in God’s house as recorded for posterity here, both to remind the people then of their callings and to give us the examples now of the callings of God and how each of us matters, everyone counts, to the Lord God.  We are precious in His sight and have work to do (Ephesians 2:10) as we have been called and chosen to serve and worship our Lord Jesus Christ and the Father in heaven above by the power and understanding of His Spirit living now in each of us as His temples and corporately as the house of God not made with stones but God’s mighty hands of grace.  We are the assembly once exiled and embittered by sin who have been released from bondage to worship Him who called us and gifted each one to serve, reminding us we all count and are recorded in the Lamb’s Book of Life for eternal remembrance.