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Numbers 3:27-32 meaning

The next group considered was the family of Kohath, Levi’s second son, in verses 27 through 32. As in the previous sections, it recorded their numbers, their placement in the camp, their appointed leader, and their duties in service to the priests and the tabernacle.

Regarding the descendants of Kohath, there were the following families:

–The family of the Amramites. Aaron and Moses were part of this family (Exodus 6:20).

–The family of the Izharites. Izhar means “he [God] shines.”

–The family of the Hebronites

–The family of the Uzzielites. Uzziel means “my strength is God.”

These four were the families of the Kohathites.

Verse 28 contains the numbering of every male from a month old and upward. Using these criteria, there were 8,600 Kohathites qualified for performing the duties of the sanctuary. This census of 8,600 compares to the census of men 20 years and older numbering 251,450 in the camp of Reuben.

Concerning their location in the camp, the families of the sons of Kohath were to camp on the southward side of the tabernacle. This would place them as a buffer between the tabernacle and the camp of Reuben on the southern side of the camp.

The LORD appointed the leader of the fathers’ households of the Kohathite families. It was Elizaphan [“God has protected”] the son of Uzziel [“God is my strength”]. The Bible does not use the term “grandfather.” There would have been about a thousand years between the birth of Kohath’s second born son Uzziel and Elizaphan, but Elizaphan is still the “son of Uzziel.” This demonstrates that lineage had been carefully kept while Israel was in Egypt, likely through oral tradition.

For the Kohathite families, their duties involved the following:

–The ark. This was the gold-covered box placed in the Holy of Holies in which were placed the tablets on which the Ten Commandments were written, Aaron’s rod that budded, and a jar of manna.

–The table. This was where the daily bread was place before the Lord in the sanctuary.

–The lampstand. The lamp (or “menorah”) was displayed across from the table.

–The altars. These were likely the altars of incense inside the tabernacle.

–The utensils of the sanctuary with which they minister. These were the utensils associated with the ceremonies inside the tabernacle.

–The screen. This would refer to the screen that separated the inner sanctuary, where the table and lamp resided, and the Holy of Holies in which dwelt the ark.

In other words, they were assigned to carry and place the holy objects that were inside the tabernacle. A description of the articles and their intended use can be found in Exodus 25-30. These “duties” included all the service concerning them, that is, the carrying of them, the setting up when camped, and their general care. Only the priests were allowed to enter the tabernacle to perform the duties of worship. So the sons of Kohath would likely have packed up, transported, and assembled the tabernacle, but then not participated in the services of worship.

Verse 32 states that Eleazar [“God has helped”] the son of Aaron the priest was the chief of the leaders of Levi. That is, he had the oversight of those who perform the duties of the sanctuary. They were to minister under his oversight and authority. This is probably mentioned since only the sons of Aaron were allowed to minister in the tabernacle. It seems likely that one of Eleazar’s duties would have been to create clear lines of responsibility so that the sons of Kohath did not overstep their authority. The Kohathites were to serve those who ministered in the sanctuary, but were not themselves allowed to minister within.

Korah, a descendant of Kohath, was among the Kohathites. Later in Numbers, he and other men insisted on expanding their authority and were met with deadly consequences (Numbers 16).

Biblical Text

²⁷Of Kohath was the family of the Amramites and the family of the Izharites and the family of the Hebronites and the family of the Uzzielites; these were the families of the Kohathites. ²⁸In the numbering of every male from a month old and upward, there were 8,600, performing the duties of the sanctuary. ²⁹The families of the sons of Kohath were to camp on the southward side of the tabernacle, ³⁰and the leader of the fathers’ households of the Kohathite families was Elizaphan the son of Uzziel. ³¹Now their duties involved the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, and the utensils of the sanctuary with which they minister, and the screen, and all the service concerning them; ³²and Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest was the chief of the leaders of Levi, and had the oversight of those who perform the duties of the sanctuary.

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Additional Resources

Book Theme

The book of Numbers is the fourth of the five books of Moses that comprise the Torah, which means “Law.” It gets its English name from the Greek Old Testament called the Septuagint (or LXX). The LXX named this book, “Arithmoi,” meaning “Numbers.” Its Hebrew name means “in the desert” or “in the wilderness.” Both names are appropriate. The Hebrew name is appropriate because Numbers covers the Israelites’ wanderings in the wilderness (or “desert”) from Sinai to the plains of Moab. The Greek name is also appropriate because of the many lists, and the numbers within those lists.

At the beginning of the book, the Israelites had been camped at Mount Sinai for about a year. The book of Exodus covered their escape from Egypt and their journey to Sinai. The LORD commanded Moses to organize the people in preparation to leave Sinai and go to the Promised Land. The book covers around 38 years of the Israelites’ journey from Egypt to the Promised Land, and describes many of Israel’s failures, including mutinies against Moses and outright disobedience to the word of the LORD. In Numbers, the LORD declares that the generation that left Egypt would die in the wilderness due to their disobedience. Only two, Joshua and Caleb, were allowed to enter the Promised Land, due to their faithfulness. Even Moses died without entering the Land due to disobedience.

The book of Numbers can be outlined in many ways. The most general outline involves the generation that leaves Egypt and the one after it, as seen below:
• Events Involving the Exodus Generation (Num. 1 – 25)
• Events Involving the Second Generation (Num. 26 – 36)

Another outline sees the book having three major divisions based on the major encampments of the Israelites:
• Israel at Sinai (Num. 1:1 – 10:10)
• Israel at Kadesh Barnea (Num. 10:11 – 19:22)
• Israel on the Plains of Moab (Num. 20:1 – 36:13)

Still another outline (the one followed here) is as follows:
• The Exodus Generation in the Wilderness (chaps. 1 – 25)
◦ The Israelites Prepare to Leave Mount Sinai (1:1 – 10:10)
◦ The Israelites Depart to Kadesh Barnea (10:11 – 14:45)
◦ The Israelites Journey to the Plains of Moab (15:1 – 22:1)
◦ The Israelites Are Confronted by Balaam the Prophet (22:2 – 25:18)
• The Second Generation Prepares to Enter the Promised Land (26:1 – 36:13)
◦ The Rules Concerning Inheritance (Num. 26:1 – 27:11)
◦ The Provision for Moses’ Successor (Num. 27:12 – 23)
◦ The Laws Concerning Offerings (Num. 28:1 – 29:40)
◦ The Laws Concerning Vows (Num. 30:1 –16)
◦ The LORD’s Judgment Against the Midianites (Num. 31:1 – 54)
◦ The Inheritance of the Eastern Tribes (Num. 32:1 – 42)
◦ The Review of the Journey to Canaan (Num. 33:1 – 56)
◦ The LORD’s Instructions Before Conquering Canaan (Num. 33:50 – 36:13)

There are two themes that flow from the book of Numbers. The first concerns the LORD’s infinite grace in light of the people’s many failures and transgressions. There is hardly a book in the Bible where the LORD had to exercise His grace to His people more often than this one. The book of Numbers contains a record of Israel’s failure after failure and the LORD’s gracious forgiveness after forgiveness. Even when He judged them, there was grace.

Second, and related to the first, the book stresses the importance of obedience. God chose the Israelites unconditionally; they were the LORD’s chosen people regardless of their behavior. However, He demanded obedience to show His people that their obedience results in blessing. God set forth a way of life for His people in the covenant He and the people entered into at Sinai (Exodus 19:5-8). The Ten Commandments made it clear that God would make the law, and that the pinnacle requirement of His law was for the people to respect and serve one another. The strong were to serve the weak. This was in stark contrast to the surrounding cultures, which centered around the strong exploiting the weak (Leviticus 18). God’s judgment brought discipline upon Israel in order to shepherd them toward living in harmony and service to one another.

Chapter Context

Chapters 3 and 4 of Numbers concern the setting apart and organization of the Levites. They were selected to be the LORD’s possession, redeeming the firstborn of Israel. Each family was given the responsibility of taking care of various parts of the tabernacle and its furnishings.

The Levitical families were instructed to camp in a square immediately surrounding the tabernacle. This allowed them to serve as a buffer between God’s dwelling place and the rest of His people—the twelve tribes and their armies. This buffer served as both a protection of God’s holiness and a protection of the people from certain death if they tried to get too near to the tabernacle.

Numbers 3 can be outlined as follows:

The Family of Aaron and Moses (3:1 – 4)
The Levites Presented to Aaron (3:5 – 10)
The Levites Set Apart to the LORD (3:11 – 13)
The Census and Placement of the Levite Families (3:14 – 39)
- The Families Summarized (3:14 – 20)
- The Family of Gershon (3:21 – 26)
- The Family of Kohath (3:27 – 32)
- The Family of Merari (3:33 – 37)
- The Family of Moses and Aaron (3:38)
- The Final Count (3:39)
The Ransom of the Firstborn (3:39 – 51)
- The Census Taken (3:40 – 43)
- The Ransom Taken (3:44 – 51)

Numbers 3:27-32 meaning

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Additional Resources

Book Theme

Chapter Context

Maps and Charts

Videos

The Bible Project - Numbers Summary

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