Bible Strands
Numbers 3:6
“Bring the tribe of Levi and present them to Aaron the priest to assist him.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The LORD addresses Moses in Numbers 3:5, issuing a command that precedes the formal organization of the tabernacle personnel. This directive occurs during the wilderness camp arrangements, immediately before detailing the Levites' specific duties in Numbers 3:7.
The words — The text employs הַקְרֵב (hakrev), literally "bring near," and הַעֲמַדְתָּ (ha'amadtā), literally "you will make stand," to describe the physical presentation and permanent placement of the tribe. These verbs move the Levites from a statistical category into a fixed ministerial position before Aaron.
The thread — This separation aligns with the earlier census exclusion in Numbers 1:49 and establishes the logistical framework for their central camp placement in Numbers 2:17. The gathering of the tribe also mirrors the loyalty call recorded in Exodus 32:26.
Why it lands — The passage requires the reader to acknowledge that sacred service begins with deliberate removal from the general population and fixed positioning under priestly authority. It establishes a structural rule where proximity to the tabernacle dictates communal function and accountability.
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
King James Version
Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister unto him.
Cross-references
- Exodus 32:26 So Moses stood at the entrance to the camp and said, “Whoever is for the LORD, come to me.” And all the Levites gathered around him.
- Numbers 1:49 “Do not number the tribe of Levi in the census with the other Israelites.
- Numbers 2:17 In the middle of the camps, the Tent of Meeting is to travel with the camp of the Levites. They are to set out in the order they encamped, each in his own place under his standard.
- Numbers 2:33 But the Levites were not counted among the other Israelites, as the LORD had commanded Moses.
- Numbers 8:6 “Take the Levites from among the Israelites and make them ceremonially clean.
- Numbers 16:9 Is it not enough for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel and brought you near to Himself to perform the work at the LORD’s tabernacle, and to stand before the congregation to minister to them?
- Numbers 18:1 So the LORD said to Aaron, “You and your sons and your father’s house must bear the iniquity involving the sanctuary. And you and your sons alone must bear the iniquity involving your priesthood.
- Deuteronomy 10:8 At that time the LORD set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to serve Him, and to pronounce blessings in His name, as they do to this day.
- Deuteronomy 33:8 Concerning Levi he said: “Give Your Thummim to Levi and Your Urim to Your godly one, whom You tested at Massah and contested at the waters of Meribah.
- Malachi 2:4 Then you will know that I have sent you this commandment so that My covenant with Levi may continue,” says the LORD of Hosts.