Numbers 3:31

Numbers 3:31

And their charge shall be the ark, and the table, and the candlestick, and the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary wherewith they minister, and the hanging, and all the service thereof.

a. NLT: These four clans were responsible for the care of the Ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the various articles used in the sanctuary, the inner curtain, and all the equipment related to their use. [Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.]

b. ASV: And their charge shall be the ark, and the table, and the candlestick, and the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary wherewith they minister, and the screen, and all the service thereof. [Thomas Nelson & Sons first published the American Standard Version in 1901. This translation of the Bible is in the public domain.]

c. YLT: And their charge is the ark, and the table, and the candlestick, and the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary with which they serve, and the vail, and all its service. [The Young's Literal Translation was translated by Robert Young, who believed in a strictly literal translation of God's word. This version of the Bible is in the public domain.]

d. Classic Amplified: Their charge was to be the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, and the utensils of the sanctuary with which the priests minister, and the screen, and all the service having to do with these. [Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation]

e. Septuagint: And their charge [was] the ark, and the table, and the candlestick, and the altars, and all the vessels of the sanctuary wherewith they do holy service, and the veil, and all their works.

f. Stone Edition Torah/Prophets/ Writings: Their charge was the Ark, the Table, the Menorah, the Altars and the sacred utensils with which they would minister, the Partition and all its accessories. [The Artscroll Series/Stone Edition, THE TANACH--STUDENT SIZE EDITION Copyright 1996, 1998 by Mesorah Publications, Ldt.]

1. “And their charge shall be the ark, and the table, and the candlestick, and the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary wherewith they minister…”

a. [And their] charge [shall be] [Strong: 4931 mishmereth mish-mer'-reth fem. of 4929; watch, i.e. the act (custody), or (concr.) the sentry, the post; obj. preservation, or (concr.) safe; fig. observance, i.e. (abstr.) duty or (obj.) a usage or party:--charge, keep, or to be kept, office, ordinace, safeguard, ward, watch.]

b. [the] ark [Strong: 727 'arown aw-rone' or laron {aw-rone'}; from 717 (in the sense of gathering); a box:--ark, chest, coffin.]

c. [and the] table [Strong: 7979 shulchan shool-khawn' from 7971; a table (as spread out); by implication, a meal:--table.]

d. [and the] candlestick [Strong: 4501 mnowrah men-o-raw' or mnorah {men-o-raw'}; feminine of 4500 (in the original sense of 5216); a chandelier:--candlestick.]

e. [and the] altars [Strong: 4196 mizbeach miz-bay'-akh from 2076; an altar:--altar.]

f. [and the] vessels [Strong: 6944 qodesh ko'-desh from 6942; a sacred place or thing; rarely abstract, sanctity:--consecrated (thing), dedicated (thing), hallowed (thing), holiness, (X most) holy (X day, portion, thing), saint, sanctuary.]

g. wherewith [Strong: 834 'aher ash-er' a primitive relative pronoun (of every gender and number); who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc.:--X after, X alike, as (soon as), because, X every, for, + forasmuch, + from whence, + how(-soever), X if, (so) that ((thing) which, wherein), X though, + until, + whatsoever, when, where (+ -as, -in, -of, -on, -soever, -with), which, whilst, + whither(- soever), who(-m, -soever, -se). As it is indeclinable, it is often accompanied by the personal pronoun expletively, used to show the connection.]

h. [they] minister [Strong: 8334 sharath shaw-rath' a primitive root; to attend as a menial or worshipper; figuratively, to contribute to:--minister (unto), (do) serve(- ant, -ice, -itor), wait on.]

2. “...and the hanging, and all the service thereof.”

a. [and the] hanging [Strong: 4539 macak maw-sawk' from 5526; a cover, i.e. veil:--covering, curtain, hanging.]

b. [and] all [Strong: 3605 kol kole or (Jer. 33:8) kowl {kole}; from 3634; properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense):--(in) all (manner, (ye)), altogether, any (manner), enough, every (one, place, thing), howsoever, as many as, (no-)thing, ought, whatsoever, (the) whole, whoso(-ever).]

c. [the] service [thereof] [Strong: 5656 `abodah ab-o-daw' or mabowdah {ab-o-daw'}; from 5647; work of any kind:--act, bondage, + bondservant, effect, labour, ministering(-try), office, service(-ile, -itude), tillage, use, work, X wrought.]

1). The responsibility of the Kohathites was the furniture of the tabernacle, the ark, the table of showbread, the Menorah, the altar, and the altar of incense. Their responsibility was different from Gershonites and the sons of Merari, because they carried the most holy things of the tabernacle.

2). The other two Levitical branches were given covered wagons to transport the materials of the Tabernacle, but the Kohathites were not given wagons for the items they had responsibility of were to be carried.

a). Numbers 7:1-9 And it came to pass on the day that Moses had fully set up the tabernacle, and had anointed it, and sanctified it, and all the instruments thereof, both the altar and all the vessels thereof, and had anointed them, and sanctified them;

7:2 That the princes of Israel, heads of the house of their fathers, who were the princes of the tribes, and were over them that were numbered, offered:

7:3And they brought their offering before the LORD, six covered wagons, and twelve oxen; a wagon for two of the princes, and for each one an ox: and they brought them before the tabernacle.

7:4 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

7:5 Take it of them, that they may be to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; and thou shalt give them unto the Levites, to every man according to his service.

7:6 And Moses took the wagons and the oxen, and gave them unto the Levites.

7:7 Two wagons and four oxen he gave unto the sons of Gershon, according to their service:

7:8 And four wagons and eight oxen he gave unto the sons of Merari, according unto their service, under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.

7:9 But unto the sons of Kohath he gave none: because the service of the sanctuary belonging unto them was that they should bear upon their shoulders.

c). These truths must be remembered when studying the debacle of David’s first attempt of moving the Ark (2 Samuel 6:1-11).