Numbers 3:8

Numbers 3:8 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And they shall keep all the instruments of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the charge of the children of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle.
• New International Version (NIV)They are to take care of all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, fulfilling the obligations of the Israelites by doing the work of the tabernacle.
• English Standard Version (ESV)They shall guard all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, and keep guard over the people of Israel as they minister at the tabernacle.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Also they shall attend to all the furnishings of the tabernacle of meeting, and to the needs of the children of Israel, to do the work of the tabernacle.

Context of Numbers 3:8

6‘Bring the tribe of Levi to Aaron the priest. They must help him. 7They must serve him and all the Israelites. They must work at the Tent of Meeting and take care of it. They must work on behalf of the Israelites. They must take care of the things that are in the Tent of Meeting. That is how they will serve God. 9Give the Levites to Aaron and to his descendants. They will be the Israelites who help him. They do not have to do anything else. 10But you must make a list of Aaron and his descendants. They will be the priests. If any other person comes near to the special Tent, they must die.’

Numbers 3:8 word by word

וְשָׁמְר֗וּ אֶֽת־כָּל־כְּלֵי֙ אֹ֣הֶל מוֹעֵ֔ד וְאֶת־מִשְׁמֶ֖רֶת בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל לַעֲבֹ֖ד אֶת־עֲבֹדַ֥ת הַמִּשְׁכָּֽן׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And they shall keepשָׁמַרshâmar · to keep: guardH8104
• all the instrumentsכְּלִיkelîy · article/utensilH3627
• of the tabernacleאֹ֫הֶל'ôhel · tentH168
• of the congregationמוֹעֵדmô‛êd mô‛êd mô‛âdâh · meetingH4150
• and the chargeמִשְׁמֶ֫רֶתmishmereth · chargeH4931
• of the childrenבֵּןbên · son: descendant/peopleH1121
• of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
• to doעָבַד‛âbad · to serve: ministerH5647
• the serviceעֲבֹדָה‛ăbôdâh ‛ăbôdâh · service: ministryH5656
• of the tabernacleמִשְׁכָּןmishkân · tabernacleH4908

Cross-references for Numbers 3:8

• Numbers 4:15When the camp is ready to move, the men from Kohath's clan must be ready to carry all those things. But they must wait until Aaron and his sons have covered God's Holy Tent and all its holy things. The men from Kohath's clan must not touch the holy things. They will die if they touch the holy things. These are the jobs of Kohath's clan. They must carry the things from the Tent of Meeting when the Israelites travel.
• Numbers 10:17Then the Levites packed God's Tent. Then Gershon's clan and Merari's clan, who were carrying God's Tent, started to travel.
• 1 Chronicles 26:20Other Levites kept the valuable things in the temple safe. That included the money and the gifts that people had offered to God.
• Ezra 8:24I chose 12 of the most important priests to do an important job, as well as Sherebiah, Hashabiah and ten of their brothers.
• Isaiah 52:11Leave! Leave! Go out from there. Do not touch anything that is unclean. Leave that foreign place! The people who carry the Lord's special things must keep themselves pure.

Commentaries on Numbers 3:8

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 8All the instruments - The tabernacle itself and all its contents: see all described, Numbers 3:25, Numbers 3:26, Numbers 3:31, Numbers 3:36, Numbers 3:37. The Levites were to perform the most common and laborious offices. It was their business to take down, put up, and carry the tabernacle and its utensils; for it was the object of their peculiar care. In a word, they were the servants of the priests.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 5-13God chose the Levites to be assistants for the priests, represented by Aaron. They had a number of holy duties in their ministry service. They performed holy tasks to maintain the Tent of Meeting and its items (3:7,8; explained more in 4:1–33).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 5-105-10. 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…Read the comment

Topics related to Numbers 3:8

• Levites
• Minister, Christian

In the dictionaries

• Israel
• Israel, Israelites
• Jacob, Israel
• Children of Israel
• Chief
• Conclude
• Custody
• Encamp
• O
• Secure

Commentaries on Numbers 3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings