[As former Messianics with opportunities to teach Bible, we used to connect many details in the “Old” Testament with the “New” (supposedly updated and not simply a continuation of the former), and particularly the ‘ministry’ of Jesus as the Christian Messiah/Savior/Son-God.
One question we would ask of our students: “Why do you think Jesus began his ministry at age 30 and not earlier?” The answer? Well, because a Levite who would serve in the Sanctuary had to begin his service at 30 years old.
It did occur to us that Jesus was not of the tribe of Levi and supposedly was from the tribe of Judah (think of all the associations with that tribe that fits him). So how did we explain the discrepancy, that is, if anyone even noticed or bothered to ask? Oh well, Jesus’ priesthood is not of the ‘OT’ priesthood criteria since under the new dispensation (God’s New Covenant with the Christian Church, the New Israel of NT superseding the Israel of OT), the priesthood of Jesus would be of Melchizedek (a gentile) who was not only priest but also King, according to the NT Book of Hebrews.
But all that is history now. As we re-read the Torah more carefully, minus Christian baggage, and IN CONTEXT as all books should be read, we see even more discrepancies that we figure, in the old days of our Christ-centeredness, we were actually forcing round pegs into square holes and were selective in our ‘prefigurations’.
This chapter is self-explanatory; it gives specific instructions to the different families belonging to the tribe of Levi who were given specific assignments in connection with service at the Sanctuary, or the Tabernacle in the wilderness.
Not everyone served as priest; others’ assignments were more mundane — carry the portable items, keep them clean, and so on. And so, we should clear up our misunderstanding of “qodesh” . . . “holy” . .. . “set apart” . . . . Don’t use the expression ‘holier than thou’ anymore, if you’re thinking someone is more righteous than you are.
Think about this: the ‘high priest’ (Aaron’s line) is the holiest line among the holiest tribe of the holiest people. They have simply been set apart from the rest of Israelites to perform specific functions of service at the Sanctuary. Being ‘set apart’ for special service to God does not make them ‘holier’ in terms of being more righteous than other tribes, unless they acted so; though of course, there are expectations of them in connection with their specific service. If YHWH’s instruction says so, do so to the last detail. That goes for ALL of Torah that is applicable to today’s context.
[The commentary is from Pentateuch and Haftarahs, ed. Dr. J.H. Hertz which uses the JPS/Jewish Publication Society version; our preferred translation is EF/Everett Fox The Five Books of Moses.—Admin1]
Bamidbar/Numbers 4
NUMBERING OF THE LEVITES QUALIFIED FOR SERVICE AND RULES OF SERVICE
1-20. THE KOHATHITES AND THEIR DUTIES
A second mustering of the Levites for the service to be performed by those who were between the ages of 30 and 50.
1 YHVH spoke to Moshe and to Aharon, saying:2 Take up the head-count of the Sons of Kehat from the midst of the Sons of Levi, by their clans, by their Fathers’ House,
the sons of Kohath. They are given priority because they were of the family of Moses and Aaron.
3 from the age of thirty years and upward, until the age of fifty years, all who enter the working-force to do skilled-work in the Tent of Appointment.the service. lit. ‘warfare’; perhaps implying that the Levites formed an organized body appointed for God’s work under the command of superior officials, as were the rest of the Israelites, who were numbered for war (McNeile).
to do work. In connection with the transport of the sacred objects.
4 This is the serving-task of the Sons of Kehat in the Tent of Appointment: the holiest holy-things.about the most holy things. The Ark, the Table, the Candlestick, the Altars, the Veil, and ‘the vessels of ministry’ (v.12).
5 Aharon and his sons are to come, when the camp marches forward, and are to take down the curtain of the screen, and are to cover with it the coffer of Testimony.Aaron shall go in. To cover up the holy vessels in the ways prescribed. The Kohathites would thus only have to carry the vessels, without actually touching them.
the veil of the screen. The Veil which acts as a screen.
6 They are to put over it a covering of tanned-leather skin, and are to spread a cloth entirely of blue-violet on top, putting its poles (in place).shall put thereon. Upon the Ark already covered with the Veil.
all of blue. Emblematic of the blue of the heavens—‘the like of the very heaven for clearness’.
the staves thereof. The poles with which the Ark was furnished for the purpose of transport; Exod. XXV,14.
7 On the Table of the Presence they are to spread a cloth of blue-violet, and are to place on it the bowls, the ladles, the jars and the jugs for pouring (offerings), and the regular bread is to remain on it.the table of showbread. lit. ‘bread of the Presence’ (Exod. XXV,30). . . consisting of 12 loaves of wheaten flour, corresponding in number to the tribes of Israel. It was placed on the table on the Sabbath, arranged in two rows, and left there until the following Sabbath. When the loaves were removed, they were eaten by the priests. The symbolic meaning of the showbread is a matter of conjecture. Maimonides confessed, ‘I do not know the object of the table with the bread upon it continually, and p to this day I have not been able to assign any reason to this commandment.’ Most commentators understand the Presence-bread a an expression of thankfulness and standing acknowledgment on the part of the children of Israel that God was the Giver of man’s daily necessities.
8 They are to spread over these a cloth of worm-scarlet, and are to cover it with a covering of tanned-leather skin, putting its poles (in place).9 They are to take a cloth of blue-violet and are to cover the lampstand for the lighting, its lamps, its tongs and its fire-pans, and all the implements for its oil which they use in conjunction with them.
10 They are to place it and all its implements in a covering of tanned-leather skin, placing (them) on a frame.
upon a bar. As the Candelabrum possessed no staves, it could not be carried in the same manner as the Ark and Table were. It was therefore placed with its appurtenances into a bag-like receptacle, and this was then slung on a pole.
11 Over the slaughter-site of gold they are to spread a cloth of blue-violet, and are to cover it with a covering of tanned-leather skin, putting its poles (in place).and upon the golden altar. The Altar of incense; Exod. XXX,1: No sacrifices were offered on it, and it was so called only because of its resemblance to the altar of burnt-offerings. pure gold. Since the altar of incense was located in the Holy Place, and not in the Court with the altar of burnt-offering, the metal was gold.
placing (them) on a frame.
the ashes from the altar. According to Lev. VI,5,6, the fire on the Altar of sacrifice was never allowed to be extinguished. But in all probability the command concerning the perpetual fire did not apply to the period of transit. Rashi says that the heavenly fire which descended on the Altar used to crouch beneath the wrappings like the figure of a lion at the times of the journeyings, and was rendered innocuous by means of an intervening plate of bronze.
Image from www.israel-a-history-of.com
15 When Aharon and his sons have finished covering the holy-things and all the holy implements, when the camp marches on, (only) after that may the Sons of Kehat enter, to carry, so that they do not touch the holy-things and die. These are the carrying-chores of the Sons of Kehat in the Tent of Appointment.
16 Accountable is El’azar son of Aharon the priest for: the oil for the light, the fragrant smoking-incense, the regular grain-gift, and the oil for anointing- accountable for all the Dwelling and all that is in it, whether the holy-things or its implements.
the charge of Eleazar. His was the duty of superintending the distribution for transport of the oil for light, the sweet incense, the continual meal-offering, and the anointing oil.
17 YHVH spoke to Moshe and to Aharon, saying:18 Do not cut off the tribe of the clans of Kehat from the midst of the Levites;
cut ye not off. i.e. take care that the Kohathites do not incur death through any negligence or want of consideration on your part.
19 do this with them, that they may live and not die when they encroach upon the holiest holy-things: Aharon and his sons are to enter and assign them, each-man, each-man to his service, his carrying-chores.20 But they are not to enter and see (even) for-a-moment (the dismantling of) the Holy-shrine, lest they die.
The lower members of the priesthood are not to be present when the unity of the Sanctuary is being destroyed by being taken apart, as they would lose all reverence for the Sanctuary if they were to witness it.
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22 Take up the head-count of the Sons of Gershon, they too, by their Fathers’ House, by their clans, 23 from the age of thirty years and upward; to the age of fifty years you are to count them, all who enter to join-forces with the working-force, to serve the serving-tasks in the Tent of Appointment.
24 This is the serving-task of the Gershonite clans, for the service-of-packing and for carryi 25 they are to carry the curtains of the Dwelling, and the Tent of Appointment, its covering, the covering of tanned-leather that is over it, on top, and the screen for the entrance of the Tent of Appointment,
26 the hangings of the courtyard and the screen for the entrance to the gate of the courtyard that is over the Dwelling and over the slaughter-site, all around, as well as their cords, and all their serving implements; whatever is to be done with regard to them, they are to do-the-serving-task. 27 By order of Aharon and his sons shall it be (done): all the serving-tasks of the Sons of the Gershonites, including all their carrying-chores, including all their service. You are to make them accountable for discharging all their carrying-chores.
28 This is the serving-task of the clans of the Sons of the Gershonites at the Tent of Appointment and their charge under the hand of Itamar son of Aharon the priest.
29 The Sons of Merari: by their clans, by their Fathers’ House you are to count them,
30 from the age of thirty years and upward until the age of fifty years you are to count them, every one that may enter the working-force, to serve the serving-tasks of the Tent of Appointment.
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32 the columns of the courtyard, all around, their sockets, their pegs and their cords-including all their implements, including all their serving-tasks; by name you are to account for the implements of their carrying duties.
33 That is the service-of-packing of the clans of the Sons of Merari, including all their serving-tasks in the Tent of Appointment under the hand of Itamar son of Aharon the priest.
34 So Moshe, Aharon and the leaders of the community counted all the Sons of Kehat, by their clans, by their Fathers’ House,
35 from the age of thirty years and upward until the age of fifty years, everyone that entered the working-force, for the serving-tasks in the Tent of Appointment.
36 Now those counted of them were, by their clans: two thousand, seven hundred and fifty.
37 These are the accountings of the Kehatite clans, everyone that was serving in the Tent of Appointment, whom Moshe and Aharon counted by order of YHVH, by the hand of Moshe.
38 Now those counted of the Sons of Gershon, by their clans, by their Fathers’ House,
39 from the age of thirty and upward until the age of fifty years, everyone who entered the work-force, for the serving-tasks in the Tent of Appointment:
40 those counted of them were, by their clans, by their Fathers’ House: two thousand, six hundred and thirty.
41 These are the accountings of the clans of the Sons of Gershon, everyone that did-service in the Tent of Appointment, whom Moshe and Aharon counted by order of YHVH.
42 And those counted of the Sons of Merari, by their clans, by their Fathers’ House,
43 from the age of thirty years and upward until the age of fifty years, everyone who entered the working-force, for serving-tasks in the Tent of Appointment:
44 those counted of them were, by their clans, by their Fathers’ House: three thousand and two hundred.
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46 All those counted, whom Moshe and Aharon and all the leaders of Israel counted, the Levites, by their clans, by their Fathers’ House,
47 from the age of thirty years and upward until the age of fifty years, everyone that entered to serve the serving-tasks of the service-of-packing and the serving-tasks of carrying, in the Tent of Appointment,
48 those of them counted were: eight thousand, five hundred and eighty.
49 By order of YHVH they were counted, by the hand of Moshe, each-man, each-man according to his service-of-packing and to his carrying-tasks, (with) his accountability, as YHVH had commanded Moshe.