1Este es el registro de los descendientes de Aarón y de Moisés, el día en que Jehovah habló a Moisés en el monte Sinaí: 2Estos son los nombres de los hijos de Aarón: Nadab el primogénito, Abihú, Eleazar e Itamar. 3Estos son los nombres de los hijos de Aarón ungidos sacerdotes, a quienes él invistió para servir como sacerdotes. 4Pero Nadab y Abihú murieron delante de Jehovah cuando ofrecieron fuego extraño delante de Jehovah en el desierto de Sinaí, y no tuvieron hijos. Así que Eleazar e Itamar sirvieron como sacerdotes delante de su padre Aarón. 5Jehovah habló a Moisés diciendo: 6"Haz que se acerque la tribu de Leví y ponla delante del sacerdote Aarón, para que ellos le sirvan. 7Que guarden delante del tabernáculo de reunión lo que él les ha encomendado y lo que ha sido encomendado a toda la congregación, para llevar a cabo el servicio del tabernáculo. 8Que cuiden de todos los utensilios del tabernáculo de reunión y lo que ha sido encomendado a los hijos de Israel, para llevar a cabo el servicio del tabernáculo. 9Darás los levitas a Aarón y a sus hijos. Le son enteramente entregados de entre los hijos de Israel. 10Constituirás a Aarón y a sus hijos para que cumplan con su sacerdocio. El extraño que se acerque será muerto." 11Jehovah habló a Moisés diciendo: 12"He aquí, yo he tomado a los levitas de entre los hijos de Israel en lugar de todo primogénito que abre la matriz, de entre los hijos de Israel. Los levitas serán míos, 13porque mío es todo primogénito. El día en que hice morir a todos los primogénitos en la tierra de Egipto, consagré para mí a todos los primogénitos en Israel, así de hombres como de animales. Míos serán. Yo, Jehovah." 14Jehovah habló a Moisés en el desierto de Sinaí, diciendo: 15"Cuenta los hijos de Leví. Contarás todos los varones de un mes para arriba, según sus casas paternas y sus clanes." 16Moisés los contó conforme a la palabra de Jehovah, como le fue mandado. 17Estos eran los nombres de los hijos de Leví: Gersón, Cohat y Merari. 18Y éstos eran los nombres de los hijos de Gersón, según sus clanes: Libni y Simei. 19Y los hijos de Cohat, según sus clanes, eran Amram, Izjar, Hebrón y Uziel. 20Los hijos de Merari, según sus clanes, eran Majli y Musi. Estos eran los clanes de Leví según sus casas paternas: 21De Gersón eran el clan libnita y el clan simeíta. Estos eran los clanes de los gersonitas. 22Los contados de ellos, según el número de todos los varones de un mes para arriba, eran 7.500. 23Los clanes de Gersón acamparán detrás del tabernáculo, al occidente. 24El jefe de la casa paterna de los gersonitas era Eliasaf hijo de Lael. 25Los hijos de Gersón estaban a cargo de la tienda del tabernáculo de reunión, de la cubierta del mismo, de la cortina de la entrada del tabernáculo de reunión, 26de las mamparas del atrio y de la cortina de la entrada del atrio que está alrededor del tabernáculo y del altar, y de sus cuerdas para todas sus funciones. 27De Cohat eran el clan de los amramitas, el clan de los izjaritas, el clan de los hebronitas y el clan de los uzielitas. Estos eran los clanes de los cohatitas. 28El número de todos los varones de un mes para arriba, que estaban a cargo del santuario, era de 8.600. 29Los clanes de los hijos de Cohat acamparán al lado sur del tabernáculo. 30El jefe de la casa paterna de los clanes de Cohat era Elizafán hijo de Uziel. 31Ellos estaban a cargo del arca, la mesa, el candelabro, los altares, los utensilios con que sirven en el santuario, el velo y todo su servicio. 32El principal de los jefes de los levitas era Eleazar, hijo del sacerdote Aarón, dirigente de los que estaban a cargo del santuario. 33De Merari eran el clan majlita y el clan musita. Estos eran los clanes de Merari. 34Los contados de ellos, conforme a la lista de todos los varones de un mes para arriba, eran 6.200. 35El jefe de la casa paterna de los clanes de Merari era Zuriel hijo de Abijail. Ellos acamparán al lado norte del tabernáculo. 36Los hijos de Merari estaban a cargo de los tablones del tabernáculo, de sus travesaños, de sus pilares, de sus bases, de todos sus accesorios y de todas sus funciones; 37asimismo de los pilares de alrededor del atrio, y de sus bases, sus estacas y sus cuerdas. 38Al frente del tabernáculo de reunión, al este, acamparán Moisés y Aarón con sus hijos, quienes tenían a su cargo el santuario, para cumplir con la responsabilidad de los hijos de Israel. Y el extraño que se acerque será muerto. 39Todos los contados de los levitas que contó Moisés con Aarón, conforme a la palabra de Jehovah, de un mes para arriba, según sus clanes, eran 22.000. 40Entonces Jehovah dijo a Moisés: "Cuenta todos los primogénitos varones de los hijos de Israel, de un mes para arriba, y haz una lista de sus nombres. 41Tomarás para mí los levitas en lugar de todos los primogénitos de los hijos de Israel; y el ganado de los levitas, en lugar de todos los primerizos del ganado de los hijos de Israel. Yo, Jehovah." 42Moisés contó todos los primogénitos de entre los hijos de Israel, como Jehovah le había mandado. 43Y todos los primogénitos varones contados, según el número de sus nombres, de un mes para arriba, fueron 22.273. 44Luego Jehovah habló a Moisés diciendo: 45"Toma a los levitas en lugar de todos los primogénitos de los hijos de Israel, y el ganado de los levitas en lugar de su ganado. Los levitas serán míos. Yo, Jehovah. 46Por el rescate de los 273 primogénitos de los hijos de Israel que exceden a los levitas, 47tomarás 5 siclos por cada uno, conforme al siclo del santuario, que tiene 20 geras, 48y darás a Aarón y a sus hijos el dinero por el rescate de los que les exceden." 49Tomó, pues, Moisés el dinero por el rescate de los que excedían al número de los rescatados por los levitas. 50Recibió el dinero de los primogénitos de los hijos de Israel, 1.365 siclos, conforme al siclo del santuario. 51Por mandato de Jehovah Moisés dio el dinero del rescate a Aarón y a sus hijos, como Jehovah había mandado a Moisés.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 THE LEVITES' SERVICE. (Num. 3:1-51)
These . . . are the generations of Aaron and Moses, &c.--This chapter contains an account of their families; and although that of Moses is not detailed like his brother's, his children are included under the general designation of the Amramites (
Num 3:27), a term which comprehends all the descendants of their common father Amram. The reason why the family of Moses was so undistinguished in this record is that they were in the private ranks of the Levites, the dignity of the priesthood being conferred exclusively on the posterity of Aaron; and hence, as the sacerdotal order is the subject of this chapter, Aaron, contrary to the usual style of the sacred history, is mentioned before Moses.
in the day that the Lord spake with Moses in mount Sinai--This is added, because at the date of the following record the family of Aaron was unbroken.
2 And these are the names of the sons of Aaron--All the sons of Aaron, four in number, were consecrated to minister in the priest's office. The two oldest enjoyed but a brief term of office (
Lev 10:1-
Lev 10:2;
Num 3:4;
Num 26:61); but Eleazar and Ithamar, the other two, were dutiful, and performed the sacred service during the lifetime of their father, as his assistants, and under his superintendence.
5 Bring the tribe of Levi near--The Hebrew word "bring near" is a sacrificial term, denoting the presentation of an offering to God; and the use of the word, therefore, in connection with the Levites, signifies that they were devoted as an offering to the sanctuary, no longer to be employed in any common offices. They were subordinate to the priests, who alone enjoyed the privilege of entering the holy place; but they were employed in discharging many of the humbler duties which belonged to the sanctuary, as well as in various offices of great utility and importance to the religion and morals of the people.
9 they are wholly given unto him out of the children of Israel, &c.--The priests hold the place of God, and the Levites are the servants of God in the obedience they render to the priests.
11 I have taken the Levites, &c.--The consecration of this tribe did not originate in the legislative wisdom of Moses, but in the special appointment of God, who chose them as substitutes for the first-born. By an appointment made in memory of the last solemn judgment on Egypt (from which the Israelitish households were miraculously exempt) all the first-born were consecrated to God (
Exod 13:12;
Exod 22:29), who thus, under peculiar circumstances, seemed to adopt the patriarchal usage of appointing the oldest to act as the priest of the family. But the privilege of redemption that was allowed the first-born opened the way for a change; and accordingly, on the full organization of the Mosaic economy, the administration of sacred things formerly committed to the first-born was transferred from them to the Levites, who received that honor partly as a tribute to Moses and Aaron, partly because this tribe had distinguished themselves by their zeal in the affair of the golden calf (
Exod 32:29), and also because, being the smallest of the tribes, they could ill find suitable employment and support in the work. (See on
Deut 33:8). The designation of a special class for the sacred offices of religion was a wise arrangement; for, on their settlement in Canaan, the people would be so occupied that they might not be at leisure to wait on the service of the sanctuary, and sacred things might, from various causes, fall into neglect. But the appointment of an entire tribe to the divine service ensured the regular performance of the rites of religion. The subsequent portion of the chapter relates to the formal substitution of this tribe.
I am the Lord--that is, I decree it to be so; and being possessed of sovereign authority, I expect full obedience.
14 Number the children of Levi--They were numbered as well as the other tribes; but the enumeration was made on a different principle--for while in the other tribes the number of males was calculated from twenty years and upward [
Num 1:3], in that of Levi they were counted "from a month old and upward." The reason for the distinction is obvious. In the other tribes the survey was made for purposes of war [
Num 1:3], from which the Levites were totally exempt. But the Levites were appointed to a work on which they entered as soon as they were capable of instruction. They are mentioned under the names of Gershon, Kohath, and Merari, sons of Levi, and chiefs or ancestral heads of three subdivisions into which this tribe was distributed. Their duties were to assist in the conveyance of the tabernacle when the people were removing the various encampments, and to form its guard while stationary--the Gershonites being stationed on the west, the Kohathites on the south, and the families of Merari on the north. The Kohathites had the principal place about the tabernacle, and charge of the most precious and sacred things--a distinction with which they were honored, probably, because the Aaronic family belonged to this division of the Levitical tribe. The Gershonites, being the oldest, had the next honorable post assigned them, while the burden of the drudgery was thrown on the division of Merari.
32 chief--rather, "chiefs" of the Levites. Three persons are mentioned as chiefs of these respective divisions [
Num 3:24,
Num 3:30,
Num 3:35]. And Eleazar presided over them; whence he is called "the second priest" (
2Kgs 25:18); and in the case of the high priest's absence from illness or other necessary occasions, he performed the duties (
1Kgs 4:4).
38 those that encamp, &c.--That being the entrance side, it was the post of honor, and consequently reserved to Moses and the priestly family. But the sons of Moses had no station here.
39 twenty and two thousand--The result of this census, though made on conditions most advantageous to Levi, proved it to be by far the smallest in Israel. The separate numbers stated in
Num 3:22,
Num 3:28,
Num 3:34, when added together, amount to twenty-two thousand three hundred. The omission of the three hundred is variously accounted for--by some, because they might be first-born who were already devoted to God and could not be counted as substitutes; and by others, because in Scripture style, the sum is reckoned in round numbers. The most probable conjecture is, that as Hebrew letters are employed for figures, one letter was, in the course of transcription, taken for another of like form but smaller value.
40 Number all the first-born of the males of the children of Israel, &c.--The principle on which the enumeration of the Levites had been made was now to be applied to the other tribes. The number of their male children, from a month old and upward, was to be reckoned, in order that a comparison might be instituted with that of the Levites, for the formal adoption of the latter as substitutes for the first-born. The Levites, amounting to twenty-two thousand, were given in exchange for an equal number of the first-born from the other tribes, leaving an excess of two hundred seventy-three; and as there were no substitutes for these, they were redeemed at the rate of five shekels for each (
Num 18:15-
Num 18:16). Every Israelite would naturally wish that his son might be redeemed by a Levite without the payment of this tax, and yet some would have to incur the expense, for there were not Levites enough to make an equal exchange. Jewish writers say the matter was determined by lot, in this manner: Moses put into an urn twenty-two thousand pieces of parchment, on each of which he wrote "a son of Levi," and two hundred seventy-three more, containing the words, "five shekels." These being shaken, he ordered each of the first-born to put in his hand and take out a slip. If it contained the first inscription, the boy was redeemed by a Levite; if the latter, the parent had to pay. The ransom-money, which, reckoning the shekel at half a crown, would amount to 12s. 6d. each, was appropriated to the use of the sanctuary. The excess of the general over the Levitical first-born is so small, that the only way of accounting for it is, by supposing those first-born only were counted as were males remaining in their parents' household, or that those first-born only were numbered which had been born since the departure from Egypt, when God claimed all the first-born as his special property.
41 the cattle of the Levites--These, which they kept to graze on the glebes and meadows in the suburbs of their cities, to supply their families with dairy produce and animal food, were also taken as an equivalent for all the firstlings of the cattle which the Israelites at that time possessed. In consequence of this exchange the firstlings were not brought then, as afterwards, to the altar and the priests.