God’s Word Translation
Numbers 3:17
17Gershon, Kohath, and Merari were the sons of Levi.
Numbers 3:17 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And these were the sons of Levi by their names; Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari.
- New International Version (NIV)These were the names of the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath and Merari.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And these were the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon and Kohath and Merari.
- New King James Version (NKJV)These were the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
Context of Numbers 3:17
15“Count the Levites by households and families. Count every male who is at least one month old.” 16So Moses did what the Lord said and registered them as he had been commanded. Gershon, Kohath, and Merari were the sons of Levi. 18Libni and Shimei were the sons of Gershon. Their families were named after them. 19Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel were the sons of Kohath. Their families were named after them.
Read all of Numbers 3Numbers 3:17 word by word
וַיִּֽהְיוּ־אֵ֥לֶּה בְנֵֽי־לֵוִ֖י בִּשְׁמֹתָ֑ם גֵּרְשׁ֕וֹן וּקְהָ֖ת וּמְרָרִֽי׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Numbers 3:17
- Numbers 26:57The families descended from Levi were listed as the family of Gershon, the family of Kohath, and the family of Merari.
- Genesis 46:11The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
- Exodus 6:16These are the names of the sons of Levi listed in birth order: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. Levi lived 137 years.
- Joshua 21:1Then the leaders of the families of Levi came to the priest Eleazar, to Joshua (son of Nun), and to the leaders of the families of the other Israelite tribes
- 1 Chronicles 6:1Levi’s sons were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
- 1 Chronicles 15:5Leading Kohath’s descendants was Uriel, who came with 120 of his relatives.
- 1 Chronicles 23:6David organized the Levites into divisions based on which of Levi’s sons (Gershon, Kohath, or Merari) they were descended from.
- 1 Chronicles 24:1The divisions of Aaron’s descendants were as follows: Aaron’s sons were Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.
- 1 Chronicles 25:1David and the army commanders appointed the sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun to serve as prophets with lyres, harps, and cymbals. This is the list of the men who performed this service:
- 1 Chronicles 26:1The following were the divisions of the gatekeepers: For Korah’s descendants there was Meshelemiah, the son of Kore, from the descendants of Asaph.
- Numbers 11:1The people began complaining out loud to the Lord about their troubles. When the Lord heard them, he became angry, and fire from the Lord began to burn among them. It destroyed some people on the outskirts of the camp.
- Numbers 12:1Miriam and Aaron began to criticize Moses because he was married to a woman from Sudan.
Commentaries on Numbers 3:17
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 14-39Verses 14-39 The Levites were in three classes, according to the sons of Levi; Gershon, Kohath, and Merari; and these were subdivided into families. The posterity of Moses were not at all honoured or privileged, but stood upon the level with other Levites; thus it was plain, that Moses did not seek the advancement of his own family, or to secure any honours to it. The tribe of Levi was by much the least of all the tribes. God's chosen are but a little…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 14-39This first phase of a two-part registration of the tribe of Levi summarized each family's special duties. 4:1–33 describes this in more detail (see 4:34–49 for the second phase). This count did not relate to military duties, so it included male Levites from the age of one month (3:40–41). Three family groups descend from the three sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. These clans, often called the Gershonites, Kohathites, and Merarites, later…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 14-3114-31. 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 [Nu 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 [Nu 1:3], from which the Levites were totally…Read the comment
Topics related to Numbers 3:17
In the dictionaries
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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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