Bible Strands
Numbers 4:45
These were counted from the Merarite clans, whom Moses and Aaron numbered at the LORD’s command through Moses.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Moses and Aaron record the census of the Merarite Levite clans at the Lord's command during the wilderness journey. This enumeration occurs immediately after the Gershonite registration and before the full Levite tally.
The words — The Hebrew פְקוּדֵי (fe.ku.dei) translates literally as "the enrolled men," while פָּקַד (pa.kad) denotes the administrative act of "he enrolled" or "he numbered." These terms mark the transition from divine instruction to recorded execution.
The thread — The command to number the Merarite clans by their families appears in Numbers 4:29, and the completed registration is summarized in Numbers 4:46. The census sequence moves from specific clan counts to a comprehensive organizational ledger.
Why it lands — The text requires acknowledgment that sacred service depends on precise, commanded enumeration. Readers must accept that communal structure follows explicit divine instruction rather than human initiative.
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
These be those that were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the word of the Lord by the hand of Moses.
Cross-references
- Numbers 4:29 As for the sons of Merari, you are to number them by their clans and families,