Numbers 4:16-20 meaning

Verses 16-20 describe the responsibility of Aaron’s son, Eleazar, concerning the oils and the grain offering. The LORD also gives a warning to the Kohathites not to look at the holy objects of the tabernacle.

Verse 16 outlines the responsibility of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest (v. 16). They oversaw the oil for the light and the fragrant incense and the continual grain offering and the anointing oil—the responsibility of all the tabernacle and of all that is in it, with the sanctuary and its furnishings. Eleazar was appointed as supervisor over all of the activities described in verses 5-15 as well as given the task of seeing that the oils, the incense, and the grain offering were handled properly.

The oil for the light would be a supply of olive oil used to fuel the lamps on the lampstand (Exodus 27:20). The lampstand (Exodus 25:31-35) would provide light in the tabernacle as the priests performed their worship. It also symbolized the LORD’s guiding presence among His people (Psalm 27:1, 44:3, 89:15).

The fragrant incense was an offering that was burned on the altar of incense, placed near the veil separating the Holy of Holies and the Holy Place (Exodus 30:1, 6). Aaron burned fragrant incense every morning (Exodus 30:7), resulting in “perpetual incense before the LORD” (Exodus 30:8). Incense symbolizes the “prayers of the saints” (Revelation 5:8, 8:3-4).

The continual grain offering, made of “fine flour” (Leviticus 2:1, 6:15), was presented along with the burnt offering (Leviticus 8:2-11) as an atonement (Heb.“kippūr,” “covering” or “reconciliation”) for the sins of the person bringing the offerings.

The anointing oil was used to consecrate (i.e., “set apart” or “make holy” for service only to the LORD) persons (Leviticus 8:12) or things (Leviticus 8:2-11). Oil also symbolized intercessory prayers for the sick (Mark 6:13; James 5:14).

Finally, the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron (v. 17) concerning the family of Kohath. It is in the form of a warning, telling the priests to not let the tribe of the families of the Kohathites be cut off from among the Levites (v. 18). Here, to be “cut off” would be to die physically. As stated in verse 15, the Kohathites who were not priests (those in the family line of Aaron) were in danger of dying if they handled a holy object without it being covered. So, the priests, charged with covering the holy objects, needed to be diligent when doing so in order to prevent other Kohathites from dying.

This is explicitly stated in verse 19. The priests were to do this to them that they may live and not die when they approach the most holy objects (v. 19). All of the instructions concerning covering the holy objects of the tabernacle (verses 5-15) were designed to save lives. Only priests can handle the objects that God has declared to be holy. Thus, the LORD commanded that Aaron and his sons shall go in and assign each of them to his work and to his load. This organizing was to ensure efficiency as well as safety.

The LORD then restated the warning that they (the Kohathites who were not priests) shall not go in to see the holy objects even for a moment, or they will die (v. 20). If a non-priest sees a holy object, even for a split-second, he will die. So, the priests needed to take all precautions necessary to prevent the loss of life of their fellow Kohathites. That God repeated this instruction emphasized the urgency for them to follow His direction in this matter, and ensure the safety of their brethren.

The fact that God provided and preserved such specific instructions for these objects and implements used in worship is worth reflecting upon. God makes clear throughout the Bible that the primary goal of worship is to align our hearts with God’s, that we might follow His ways. When Israel followed worship, but it did not result in changed hearts and minds, God rejected the worship (Amos 5:21-25).

In our modern era it has been observed that the creation of good habits begins with discipline. As we exercise willpower to choose to take action, we reframe our mindset. The goal of these specific instructions is to create a mindset that God’s ways are for the best. That disobedience to His ways results in death (Romans 6:23). By exercising willpower to follow these specific instructions, it provided an opportunity for the Israelites to orient their mindset toward obedience to God in all matters.

One way for believers today to apply this principle is in the exercise of spiritual disciplines. We can use an amount of willpower to get started in prayer, Bible study, meditation on God’s word, fasting, or many other activities. If these activities orient our mindset toward God, such that it affects the other areas of our lives with obedience to His ways, then it is of great benefit. Our greatest blessing lies in walking in the ways of God, putting to death the old man, the flesh, and walking in the newness of life as a new creation in Christ.

Biblical Text:

¹⁶“The responsibility of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest is the oil for the light and the fragrant incense and the continual grain offering and the anointing oil—the responsibility of all the tabernacle and of all that is in it, with the sanctuary and its furnishings.”

¹⁷Then the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, ¹⁸“Do not let the tribe of the families of the Kohathites be cut off from among the Levites. ¹⁹But do this to them that they may live and not die when they approach the most holy objects: Aaron and his sons shall go in and assign each of them to his work and to his load; ²⁰but they shall not go in to see the holy objects even for a moment, or they will die.”

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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

Numbers chapter 4 continues the section that began in chapter 3 concerning the Levites. It contains another census of the three major families of the Levites. The purpose of this census was to discover how many Levites were available to carry and maintain the items that comprised the tabernacle itself, the items in the tabernacle, and the courtyard. The census numbers were to be based on the three sons of Levi-Kohath, Gershon, and Merari.

Numbers 4 can be outlined as follows:

The Command to Take a Census of the Levite Families (Numbers 4:1-33)
- The Kohathites (Numbers 4:1-20)
  - The Command to Number the Gershonites (Numbers 1:1-4)
  - Preparations by the Priests (Numbers 1:5-15)
  - Other Instructions About the Kohathites (Numbers 1:16-20)
- The Gershonites (Numbers 4:21-28)
- The Merarites (Numbers 4:29-33)
The Census of the Levite Families (Numbers 4:34-45)
- The Kohathites (Numbers 4:34-37)
- The Gershonites (Numbers 4:38-41)
- The Merarites (Numbers 4:42-45)
Summary of the Census (Numbers 4:46-49)

Numbers 4:16-20 meaning

Check out our other commentaries:

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Habakkuk 1:1 meaning

2 Timothy 1:15-18 meaning

Romans 12:17-19 meaning

Additional Resources

Book Theme

Chapter Context

Maps and Charts

Videos

The Bible Project - Numbers Summary

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