1Voici les descendants d'Aaron et de Moïse, au jour où YEHOVAH parla à Moïse au mont Sinaï; 2Voici les noms des fils d'Aaron: Nadab, le premier-né, Abihu, Éléazar et Ithamar. 3Ce sont là les noms des fils d'Aaron, des sacrificateurs qui furent oints, qu'on institua pour exercer le sacerdoce. 4Or, Nadab et Abihu moururent devant YEHOVAH, lorsqu'ils offrirent un feu étranger devant YEHOVAH, au désert de Sinaï. Et ils n'avaient point d'enfants. Mais Éléazar et Ithamar exercèrent la sacrificature, en présence d'Aaron, leur père. 5Alors YEHOVAH parla à Moïse, en disant: 6Fais approcher la tribu de Lévi, et fais-la tenir devant Aaron, le sacrificateur, afin qu'ils le servent; 7Et qu'ils soignent tout ce qui est commis à ses soins et aux soins de toute l'assemblée, devant le tabernacle d'assignation, en faisant le service du Tabernacle; 8Et qu'ils soignent tous les ustensiles du tabernacle d'assignation, et ce qui leur sera confié par les enfants d'Israël, pour faire le service du Tabernacle. 9Ainsi tu donneras les Lévites à Aaron et à ses fils; ils lui sont complètement donnés d'entre les enfants d'Israël. 10Tu établiras donc Aaron et ses fils, afin qu'ils gardent leur sacerdoce; et l'étranger qui en approchera sera puni de mort. 11Et YEHOVAH parla à Moïse, en disant: 12Voici, j'ai pris les Lévites, d'entre les enfants d'Israël, à la place de tous les premiers-nés des enfants d'Israël, et les Lévites seront à moi. 13Car tout premier-né m'appartient; au jour où je frappai tout premier-né dans le pays d'Égypte, je me suis consacré tout premier-né en Israël, depuis les hommes jusqu'aux bêtes; ils seront à moi: JE SUIS YEHOVAH. 14YEHOVAH parla aussi à Moïse, au désert de Sinaï, en disant: 15Dénombre les enfants de Lévi, selon les maisons de leurs pères, selon leurs familles, en comptant tous les mâles depuis l'âge d'un mois et au-dessus. 16Et Moïse les dénombra, selon le commandement de YEHOVAH, ainsi qu'il lui avait été ordonné. 17Voici quels sont les fils de Lévi, par leurs noms: Guershon, Kéhath et Mérari. 18Et voici les noms des fils de Guershon, selon leurs familles: Libni et Shimeï. 19Et les fils de Kéhath, selon leurs familles: Amram, Jitshar, Hébron et Uziel. 20Et les fils de Mérari, selon leurs familles: Machli et Mushi. Telles sont les familles de Lévi, selon les maisons de leurs pères. 21À Guershon appartient la famille des Libnites, et la famille des Simhites. Telles sont les familles des Guershonites. 22Ceux d'entre eux qui furent dénombrés, en comptant tous les mâles, depuis l'âge d'un mois et au-dessus, étaient sept mille cinq cents. 23Les familles des Guershonites campaient derrière le Tabernacle, vers l'Occident; 24Et le chef de la maison des pères des Guershonites était Eliasaph, fils de Laël. 25Et la charge des enfants de Guershon, quant au tabernacle d'assignation, était le Tabernacle et la tente, sa couverture, et la tapisserie de l'entrée du tabernacle d'assignation, 26Et les tentures du parvis, et la tapisserie de l'entrée du parvis, qui couvrent le Tabernacle et l'autel tout autour, et ses cordages pour tout son service. 27À Kéhath appartient la famille des Amramites, la famille des Jitseharites, la famille des Hébronites, et la famille des Uziélites. Telles sont les familles des Kéhathites. 28En comptant tous les mâles, depuis l'âge d'un mois et au-dessus, ils étaient huit mille six cents, chargés des soins du sanctuaire. 29Les familles des enfants de Kéhath campaient sur le côté de la Demeure, vers le Midi; 30Et Elitsaphan, fils d'Uziel, était le chef de la maison des pères des familles des Kéhathites. 31Ils avaient en garde l'arche, la table, le lampadaire, les autels et les ustensiles du sanctuaire avec lesquels on fait le service, et la tapisserie, et tout son service. 32Et le chef des chefs des Lévites étaient Éléazar, fils d'Aaron, le sacrificateur, qui était préposé à ceux qui étaient chargés des soins du sanctuaire. 33À Mérari appartient la famille des Mahlites, et la famille des Mushites. Telles sont les familles de Mérari. 34Ceux d'entre eux qui furent dénombrés, en comptant tous les mâles, depuis l'âge d'un mois et au-dessus, étaient six mille deux cents. 35Et Tsuriel, fils d'Abihaïl, était le chef de la maison des pères des familles des Mérarites; ils campaient sur le côté du Tabernacle, vers le Nord. 36Et les enfants de Mérari avaient la surveillance et le soin des planches du Tabernacle, de ses traverses, de ses colonnes, de ses soubassements, de tous ses ustensiles, et de tout son service, 37Des colonnes du parvis tout autour, avec leurs soubassements, leurs pieux et leurs cordages. 38Ceux qui campaient devant le Tabernacle, vers l'Orient, devant le tabernacle d'assignation, c'était Moïse, et Aaron, et ses fils, chargés du soin du sanctuaire pour les enfants d'Israël; et l'étranger qui en approcherait devait être puni de mort. 39Tous les Lévites qui furent dénombrés, que Moïse et Aaron dénombrèrent, selon leurs familles, suivant le commandement de YEHOVAH, tous les mâles, depuis l'âge d'un mois et au-dessus, étaient vingt-deux mille. 40Puis YEHOVAH dit à Moïse: Fais le dénombrement de tous les premiers-nés mâles des enfants d'Israël, depuis l'âge d'un mois et au-dessus, et fais le compte de leurs noms. 41Tu prendras les Lévites pour moi, YEHOVAH, à la place de tous les premiers-nés parmi les enfants d'Israël; et le bétail des Lévites, à la place de tous les premiers-nés du bétail des enfants d'Israël. 42Moïse dénombra donc, comme YEHOVAH le lui avait commandé, tous les premiers-nés parmi les enfants d'Israël; 43Et tous les premiers-nés mâles, en comptant par les noms depuis l'âge d'un mois et au-dessus, selon leur dénombrement, furent vingt-deux mille deux cent soixante et treize. 44Et YEHOVAH parla à Moïse, en disant: 45Prends les Lévites à la place de tous les premiers-nés des enfants d'Israël, et le bétail des Lévites à la place de leur bétail; et les Lévites seront à moi: JE SUIS YEHOVAH. 46Quant au rachat des premiers-nés des enfants d'Israël, savoir deux cent soixante et treize qui dépassent le nombre des Lévites, 47Tu prendras cinq sicles par tête; tu les prendras selon le sicle du sanctuaire; le sicle est de vingt oboles. 48Et tu donneras l'argent à Aaron et à ses fils; c'est le rachat de ceux qu'il y avait en plus. 49Moïse prit donc l'argent du rachat de ceux qu'il y avait en plus, outre les rachetés par les Lévites. 50L'argent qu'il prit des premiers-nés des enfants d'Israël, fut de mille trois cent soixante-cinq sicles, selon le sicle du sanctuaire. 51Et Moïse donna l'argent du rachat à Aaron et à ses fils, sur l'ordre de YEHOVAH, comme YEHOVAH l'avait commandé à Moïse.
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.