Numbers 4:29-33 meaning

In verses 29-33, the duties of the Merarites were discussed. These duties involved the items comprising the tabernacle’s frame. This included the crossbars, bases, pegs, and other related items.

The last family discussed are the sons of Merari, the third and final son of Levi (v. 29). Like the families of Kohath and Gershon, Moses was to number them by their families, by their fathers’ households. Again, included in the census were men from thirty years and upward even to fifty years old, you shall number them (v. 30). The resulting census would count everyone who enters the service to do the work of the tent of meeting. Like the families of Merari’s two brothers, they would be assigned to serve in the tabernacle and be responsible for the carrying and maintenance of items that made up the structure itself.

Verses 31 and 32 list the items that comprised the duty of their loads, for all their service in the tent of meeting (v. 31), which included:

The boards of the tabernacle and its bars and its pillars and its sockets. The “boards” were essentially wooden frames that comprised the walls of the tabernacle (see Exodus 26:15-30; 36:20ff). Some think that these frames were trellis-like. The “bars” were pieces of wood used to connect the “boards.” The “sockets” were made of silver (Exodus 26:19) and served as support bases for the frames comprising the walls of the tabernacle.
The pillars around the court and their sockets and their pegs and their cords, with all their equipment and with all their service. The “pillars” were pieces of wood that stood upright and served as supports for the curtains of the court. The “sockets” were bases upon which the pillars were placed. The “pegs,” made of bronze (Exodus 27:19), held the pillars in place. The “cords” were used when erecting the tabernacle and the court and securing them in place.

The LORD gave Moses the task to assign each man by name the items he is to carry. Each individual was given a particular part of the tabernacle or the court structure to carry and to maintain. Moses delegated the responsibility and set up a structure of authority, that the work might be done in an orderly and efficient manner.

Moses then gave a summary of the duties of the family of Merari in verse 33 by saying that this is the service of the families of the sons of Merari, according to all their service in the tent of meeting. As with the Gershonites, the sons of Merari were placed under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest (v. 33). Again, authority was established in order to produce order and efficiency.

Biblical Text:

²⁹“As for the sons of Merari, you shall number them by their families, by their fathers’ households; ³⁰from thirty years and upward even to fifty years old, you shall number them, everyone who enters the service to do the work of the tent of meeting. ³¹Now this is the duty of their loads, for all their service in the tent of meeting: the boards of the tabernacle and its bars and its pillars and its sockets, ³²and the pillars around the court and their sockets and their pegs and their cords, with all their equipment and with all their service; and you shall assign each man by name the items he is to carry. ³³This is the service of the families of the sons of Merari, according to all their service in the tent of meeting, under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.”

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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 4:29-33 meaning

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Additional Resources

Book Theme

Chapter Context

Maps and Charts

Videos

The Bible Project - Numbers Summary

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