Bible Strands
Numbers 4:38
Then the Gershonites were numbered by their clans and families,
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Moses and Aaron conduct a census of the Levite clans at the Lord’s command, shifting administrative focus from the Kohathites to the Gershonites.
The words — פְּקוּדֵי (pequdei) denotes “the enrolled [men]” and מִשְׁפְּחֹתָם (mishpechotam) translates to “their clans.”
The thread — This verse continues the systematic enumeration of Levitical service groups in Numbers 3–4, tracking how each family line is registered for Tent duties. The same clan-based registration pattern appears in Numbers 3:21-28 and 4:21-33.
Why it lands — The text requires recognizing that sacred labor is distributed through established lineage and administrative structure rather than individual selection.
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 those that were numbered of the sons of Gershon, throughout their families, and by the house of their fathers,