Bible Strands
Numbers 4:29
As for the sons of Merari, you are to number them by their clans and families,
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator records God’s command to Moses regarding the organization of the Levitical clans, specifically directing the census of the Merarite families. This instruction occurs within the broader framework of assigning duties for the Tent of Meeting.
The words — תִּפְקֹד (tif.Kod) literally means “you will enroll” or “you will count,” emphasizing a formal administrative register. מְרָרִ֑י (me.ra.Ri) identifies the patriarch whose lineage requires this specific accounting.
The thread — The Merarite lineage appears earlier in Numbers 3:33 as the source of the Mahlites and Mushites. The census procedure here directly connects to Numbers 4:28 and Numbers 4:30, which define the supervisory structure and age range for Tabernacle service.
Why it lands — The text demands exact documentation of personnel before any religious labor begins. It requires readers to recognize that sacred service depends on verified, organized accountability rather than voluntary participation.
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
As for the sons of Merari, thou shalt number them after their families, by the house of their fathers;
Cross-references
- Numbers 3:33 From Merari came the clans of the Mahlites and Mushites; these were the Merarite clans.