New Living Translation
Numbers 3:10
10Appoint Aaron and his sons to carry out the duties of the priesthood. But any unauthorized person who goes too near the sanctuary must be put to death.”
Numbers 3:10 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall wait on their priest’s office: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.
- New International Version (NIV)Appoint Aaron and his sons to serve as priests; anyone else who approaches the sanctuary is to be put to death.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)And you shall appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall guard their priesthood. But if any outsider comes near, he shall be put to death."
- New King James Version (NKJV)So you shall appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall attend to their priesthood; but the outsider who comes near shall be put to death.”
Context of Numbers 3:10
8They will also maintain all the furnishings of the sacred tent, serving in the Tabernacle on behalf of all the Israelites. 9Assign the Levites to Aaron and his sons. They have been given from among all the people of Israel to serve as their assistants. Appoint Aaron and his sons to carry out the duties of the priesthood. But any unauthorized person who goes too near the sanctuary must be put to death.” 11And the Lord said to Moses, 12“Look, I have chosen the Levites from among the Israelites to serve as substitutes for all the firstborn sons of the people of Israel. The Levites belong to me,
Read all of Numbers 3Numbers 3:10 word by word
וְאֶת־אַהֲרֹ֤ן וְאֶת־בָּנָיו֙ תִּפְקֹ֔ד וְשָׁמְר֖וּ אֶת־כְּהֻנָּתָ֑ם וְהַזָּ֥ר הַקָּרֵ֖ב יוּמָֽת׃ פRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And thou shalt appointפָּקַדpâqad · to reckon: overseerH6485
- Aaronאַהֲרֹן'ahărôn · AaronH175
- and his sonsבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
- and they shall wait onשָׁמַרshâmar · to keep: guardH8104
- their priest’s officeכְּהֻנָּהkehûnnâh · priesthoodH3550
- and the strangerזוּרzûr · be a strangerH2114
- that cometh nighקָרֵבqârêb · approachingH7131
- shall be put to deathמוּתmûth · to dieH4191
Cross-references for Numbers 3:10
- Numbers 18:7But you and your sons, the priests, must personally handle all the priestly rituals associated with the altar and with everything behind the inner curtain. I am giving you the priesthood as your special privilege of service. Any unauthorized person who comes too near the sanctuary will be put to death.”
- 1 Chronicles 6:32They ministered with music at the Tabernacle until Solomon built the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem. They carried out their work, following all the regulations handed down to them.
- Ezekiel 44:8Instead of safeguarding my sacred rituals, you have hired foreigners to take charge of my sanctuary.
- Acts 6:3And so, brothers, select seven men who are well respected and are full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will give them this responsibility.
- Romans 12:7If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well.
- 1 Timothy 4:15Give your complete attention to these matters. Throw yourself into your tasks so that everyone will see your progress.
- Numbers 3:38The area in front of the Tabernacle, in the east toward the sunrise, was reserved for the tents of Moses and of Aaron and his sons, who had the final responsibility for the sanctuary on behalf of the people of Israel. Anyone other than a priest or Levite who went too near the sanctuary was to be put to death.
- Numbers 1:51Whenever it is time for the Tabernacle to move, the Levites will take it down. And when it is time to stop, they will set it up again. But any unauthorized person who goes too near the Tabernacle must be put to death.
- Numbers 16:35Then fire blazed forth from the Lord and burned up the 250 men who were offering incense.
- Numbers 18:3But as the Levites go about all their assigned duties at the Tabernacle, they must be careful not to go near any of the sacred objects or the altar. If they do, both you and they will die.
- 1 Samuel 6:19But the Lord killed seventy men from Beth-shemesh because they looked into the Ark of the Lord. And the people mourned greatly because of what the Lord had done.
- 2 Samuel 6:7Then the Lord’s anger was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him dead because of this. So Uzzah died right there beside the Ark of God.
- 2 Chronicles 26:16But when he had become powerful, he also became proud, which led to his downfall. He sinned against the Lord his God by entering the sanctuary of the Lord’s Temple and personally burning incense on the incense altar.
- Ephesians 2:19So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family.
- Hebrews 3:4For every house has a builder, but the one who built everything is God.
- Hebrews 10:19And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus.
Commentaries on Numbers 3:10
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 10Aaron and his sons - shall wait on their priest's office - It was the business of the priests to offer the different sacrifices to God; to consecrate the shew-bread, pour out the libations, burn the incense, sprinkle the blood of the victims, and bless the people. In a word, they were the servants of God alone.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 10The sanctuary was set apart for God’s holy use (Numbers 1:51; 3:38; 18:7). Only qualified people could approach it (compare 3:4).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 3:10
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
New Living Translation — © 1996, 2004, 2015 Tyndale House Foundation
Commentaries