Bible Strands
Numbers 4:15
When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holy objects and all their equipment, as soon as the camp is ready to move, the Kohathites shall come and do the carrying. But they must not touch the holy objects, or they will die. These are the transportation duties of the Kohathites regarding the Tent of Meeting.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The text records God’s command to Moses concerning the Levitical clans at the moment the Israelite camp prepares to relocate. Aaron and his sons must complete the sanctuary covering before the Kohathites arrive to transport the furnishings.
The words — The Hebrew לְ/כַסֹּ֨ת (le./kha.Sot) literally means "to cover," denoting the priests’ required preparation of the holy objects. The verb וְ/כִלָּ֣ה (ve./khi.Lah) translates as "he will finish," marking the exact termination of this covering procedure.
The thread — The lethal boundary against unauthorized contact appears in 2 Samuel 6:6, where Uzzah dies for grasping the ark. The Kohathites’ specific transport method is detailed in Numbers 7:9, which states they carry the objects on their shoulders without receiving poles.
Why it lands — The passage requires readers to recognize that sacred duty operates within strict procedural limits, not human initiative. It demands obedience to the stated sequence: covering first, then carrying, with death as the stated consequence for crossing the boundary.
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
And when Aaron and his sons have made an end of covering the sanctuary, and all the vessels of the sanctuary, as the camp is to set forward; after that, the sons of Kohath shall come to bear it: but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die. These things are the burden of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation.
Cross-references
- 2 Samuel 6:6 When they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen had stumbled.
- Numbers 7:9 But he did not give any to the Kohathites, since they were to carry on their shoulders the holy objects for which they were responsible.
- Deuteronomy 31:9 So Moses wrote down this law and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and to all the elders of Israel.
- Numbers 10:21 Then the Kohathites set out, transporting the holy objects; the tabernacle was to be set up before their arrival.
- 1 Chronicles 13:9 When they came to the threshing floor of Chidon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark, because the oxen had stumbled.
- 1 Samuel 6:19 But God struck down some of the people of Beth-shemesh because they looked inside the ark of the LORD. He struck down seventy men, and the people mourned because the LORD had struck them with a great slaughter.
- 1 Chronicles 15:2 Then David said, “No one but the Levites may carry the ark of God, because the LORD has chosen them to carry the ark of the LORD and to minister before Him forever.”
- Exodus 19:12 And you are to set up a boundary for the people around the mountain and tell them, ‘Be careful not to go up on the mountain or touch its base. Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death.
- Numbers 1:51 Whenever the tabernacle is to move, the Levites are to take it down, and whenever it is to be pitched, the Levites are to set it up. Any outsider who goes near it must be put to death.
- Numbers 3:30 and the leader of the families of the Kohathites was Elizaphan son of Uzziel.