Numbers 4:48

And the number of men was 8,580.

Berean Standard Bible

Study note

Setting — Moses records the census of Levite men aged thirty to fifty at God’s command, immediately before assigning each man his specific duty for transporting the Tent of Meeting.

The words — פְּקֻדֵי (pe.ku.dei) denotes the mustered or enrolled cohort, while the numeral phrase שְׁמֹנַת אֲלָפִים וְחָמֵשׁ מֵאוֹת וּשְׁמֹנִים (she.mo.Nat 'a.la.Fim ve.cha.Mesh me.'ot u./she.mo.Nim) specifies the exact headcount of 8,580.

The thread — This enumeration parallels the Levite census in Numbers 3:39, and the precise accounting of a limited workforce echoes the narrow path in Matthew 7:14 and the reversal of status in Matthew 20:16.

Why it lands — It requires the reader to accept that divine service operates under exact measurement and assigned burden, where obedience to the commanded count precedes any personal 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

וַיִּהְי֖וּva/i.yih.Yuand/ they were פְּקֻדֵיהֶ֑םpe.ku.dei./Hemenrolled [men]/ their שְׁמֹנַ֣תshe.mo.Nateight אֲלָפִ֔ים'a.la.Fimthousand<s>וַחֲמֵ֥שׁva./cha.Meshand/ five מֵא֖וֹתme.'othundred<s>וּשְׁמֹנִֽים׃u./she.mo.Nimand/ eighty

King James Version

Even those that were numbered of them, were eight thousand and five hundred and fourscore.

Cross-references

Numbers 3:39 The total number of Levites that Moses and Aaron counted by their clans at the LORD’s command, including all the males a month old or more, was 22,000.
Matthew 7:14 But small is the gate and narrow the way that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Matthew 20:16 So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”
Matthew 22:15 Then the Pharisees went out and conspired to trap Jesus in His words.