Numbers 3:31

Their duties were the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the articles of the sanctuary used with them, and the curtain—all the service for these items.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — The text records a logistical decree for the Kohathite clan, positioned between the appointment of their leader Elizaphan and the broader oversight of Eleazar. It functions as an administrative inventory delivered to Moses and Aaron regarding the transport and care of sanctuary furnishings.

The words — מִשְׁמַרְתָּם (mishmaratam) translates literally to “their duty” or “their custody,” and כְּלֵי הַקֹּדֶשׁ (k'lei ha-kodesh) means “equipment of the holy place.” These terms anchor the verse in precise administrative responsibility rather than general worship.

The thread — The inventory traces directly to the tabernacle construction commands in Exodus 25:10 (ark), Exodus 26:31 (curtain/veil), and Exodus 27:1 (altar). This list operationalizes those earlier architectural specifications into ongoing Levitical service.

Why it lands — It demands recognition of the exact division of labor required to maintain sacred space. The text establishes that worship depends on meticulous, delegated stewardship of physical objects.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

וּמִשְׁמַרְתָּ֗םu./mish.mar.Ta/mand/ duty/ their הָאָרֹ֤ןha./'a.Ron[was] the/ ark וְהַשֻּׁלְחָן֙ve./ha./shul.Chanand/ the/ table וְהַמְּנֹרָ֣הve./ha./me.no.Rahand/ the/ lampstand וְהַֽמִּזְבְּחֹ֔תve./ha./miz.be.Chotand/ the/ altars וּכְלֵ֣יu./khe.Leiand/ [the] equipment<s> of הַקֹּ֔דֶשׁha./Ko.deshthe/ holy place אֲשֶׁ֥ר'a.Sherwhich יְשָׁרְת֖וּye.sha.re.Tuthey will serveבָּהֶ֑םba./Hemby <the>/ themוְהַ֨מָּסָ֔ךְve./Ha./ma.Sakhand/ the/ screen וְכֹ֖לve./Kholand/ all עֲבֹדָתֽוֹ׃a.vo.da.T/oservice/ its

King James Version

And their charge shall be the ark, and the table, and the candlestick, and the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary wherewith they minister, and the hanging, and all the service thereof.

Cross-references

Exodus 25:10 And they are to construct an ark of acacia wood, two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high.
Exodus 26:31 Make a veil of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely spun linen, with cherubim skillfully worked into it.
Exodus 27:1 “You are to build an altar of acacia wood. The altar must be square, five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high.
Exodus 30:1 “You are also to make an altar of acacia wood for the burning of incense.
Exodus 31:1 Then the LORD said to Moses,
Exodus 36:35 Next, he made the veil of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely spun linen, with cherubim skillfully worked into it.
Exodus 37:1 Bezalel went on to construct the ark of acacia wood, two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high.
Exodus 39:33 Then they brought the tabernacle to Moses: the tent with all its furnishings, its clasps, its frames, its crossbars, and its posts and bases;
Exodus 40:2 “On the first day of the first month you are to set up the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting.
Exodus 40:30 He placed the basin between the Tent of Meeting and the altar and put water in it for washing;