Numbers 18:4

Numbers 18:4 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And they shall be joined unto thee, and keep the charge of the tabernacle of the congregation, for all the service of the tabernacle: and a stranger shall not come nigh unto you.
• New International Version (NIV)They are to join you and be responsible for the care of the tent of meeting—all the work at the tent—and no one else may come near where you are.
• English Standard Version (ESV)They shall join you and keep guard over the tent of meeting for all the service of the tent, and no outsider shall come near you.
• New King James Version (NKJV)They shall be joined with you and attend to the needs of the tabernacle of meeting, for all the work of the tabernacle; but an outsider shall not come near you.

Context of Numbers 18:4

2“Bring with you your brothers, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, so that they may join with you and minister to you while you and your sons with you are before the tent of the testimony. 3They must be responsible to care for you and to care for the entire tabernacle. However, they must not come near the furnishings of the sanctuary and the altar, or both they and you will die. They must join with you, and they will be responsible for the care of the tent of meeting, for all the service of the tent, but no unauthorized person may approach you. 5You will be responsible for the care of the sanctuary and the care of the altar, so that there will be no more wrath on the Israelites. 6I myself have chosen your brothers the Levites from among the Israelites. They are given to you as a gift from the Lord, to perform the duties of the tent of meeting.

Numbers 18:4 word by word

וְנִלְו֣וּ עָלֶ֔יךָ וְשָֽׁמְר֗וּ אֶת־מִשְׁמֶ֙רֶת֙ אֹ֣הֶל מוֹעֵ֔ד לְכֹ֖ל עֲבֹדַ֣ת הָאֹ֑הֶל וְזָ֖ר לֹא־יִקְרַ֥ב אֲלֵיכֶֽם׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And they shall be joinedלָוָהlâvâh · to joinH3867
• unto thee, and keepשָׁמַרshâmar · to keep: guardH8104
• the chargeמִשְׁמֶ֫רֶתmishmereth · chargeH4931
• of the tabernacleאֹ֫הֶל'ôhel · tentH168
• of the congregationמוֹעֵדmô‛êd mô‛êd mô‛âdâh · meetingH4150
• for all the serviceעֲבֹדָה‛ăbôdâh ‛ăbôdâh · service: ministryH5656
• and a strangerזוּרzûr · be a strangerH2114
• shall not come nighקָרַבqârab · to present: comeH7126

Cross-references for Numbers 18:4

• Numbers 1:51Whenever the tabernacle is to move, the Levites must take it down, and whenever the tabernacle is to be reassembled, the Levites must set it up. Any unauthorized person who approaches it must be killed.
• Numbers 3:10So you are to appoint Aaron and his sons, and they will be responsible for their priesthood; but the unauthorized person who comes near must be put to death.”
• 1 Samuel 6:19But the Lord struck down some of the people of Beth Shemesh because they had looked into the ark of the Lord; he struck down 50,070 of the men. The people grieved because the Lord had struck the people with a hard blow.
• 2 Samuel 6:6When they arrived at the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out and grabbed hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled.

Commentaries on Numbers 18:4

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4A stranger - i. e. every one not a Levite. So in Numbers 18:7, it denotes each one who was not a priest: compare Numbers 3:10; Numbers 16:40.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3-4all the duties: See 1:47–53; 3:5–38; 4:1–33. they must not come near: The Levites could approach only after they had covered the holy objects for transport.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2-72-7. thy brethren also of the tribe of Levi--The departments of the sacred office, to be filled respectively by the priests and Levites, are here assigned to each. To the priests was committed the charge of the sanctuary and the altar, while the Levites were to take care of everything else about the tabernacle. The Levites were to attend the priests as servants--bestowed on them as "gifts" to aid in the service of the tabernacle--while the high and…Read the comment

Topics related to Numbers 18:4

• Levites
• Minister, Christian

In the dictionaries

• Exodus
• Levite
• Agrapha
• Atonement, Day of
• Chronicles, Books of
• Criticism
• Exodus, the Book of
• Ezekiel
• Genealogy
• Law in the Old Testament

Commentaries on Numbers 18

• 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
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings