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Numbers 3:10

in Numbers 3

So you shall appoint Aaron and his sons to carry out the duties of the priesthood; but any outsider who approaches the tabernacle must be put to death.”

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

And thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall keep their priesthood: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.

KJV

And thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall wait on their priest’s office: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.

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This verse in Numbers 3

Commentary

6 notes on this verse

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

Aaron and his sons - shall wait on their priest’s office - It was the business of the priests to offer the different sacrifices to God; to consecrate the shew-bread, pour out the libations, burn the incense, sprinkle the blood of the victims, and bless the people. In a word, they were the servants of God alone.

This site's exposition

shall keep all the instruments

on Numbers 3:8-11

The Levites are given wholly to Aaron out of Israel, and the sentence closing verse 10 is the fence around the arrangement. That same clause stands four times in this book, at 1:51, here, at 3:38 and at 18:7, and the stranger it warns off is any Israelite outside Aaron's house, a Levite included. Wesley reads it that way, and Korah in chapter 16 is the case that tests whether it means what it says.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices

A commentator

John Wesley

1703–1791

Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (1765)

The stranger - That is, every one who is of another family than Aaron's; yea, though he be a Levite. That cometh nigh - To execute any part of the priest's office.

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

7 ), Let us wait on our ministry. The office of the ministry requires a constant attendance and great diligence; so frequent are the returns of its work, and yet so transient its favourable opportunities, that it must be waited on. Here is repeated what was said before ( ch. i.

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-citation-number

And thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sons,....

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

proposed

Bring the tribe of Levi near--The Hebrew word "bring near" is a sacrificial term, denoting the presentation of an offering to God; and the use of the word, therefore, in connection with the Levites, signifies that they were devoted as an offering to the sanctuary, no longer to be employed in any common offices.

The words behind it

11 Hebrew words

Every Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.

  • וְאֶת־and <obj.>

    veetH853 →10935 times

  • אַהֲרֹ֤ןAaron

    ʾaharonH175 →347 times

  • וְאֶת־and <obj.>

    veetH853 →10935 times

  • בָּנָיו֙sons his

    banavH1121 →4930 times

  • תִּפְקֹ֔דyou will appoint

    tifkodH6485 →303 times

  • וְשָׁמְר֖וּand they will keep

    veshameruH8104 →468 times

  • אֶת־<obj.>

    ʾet-H853 →10935 times

  • כְּהֻנָּתָ֑םpriesthood their

    kehunatamH3550 →14 times

  • וְהַזָּ֥רand the stranger

    vehazarH2114 →77 times

  • הַקָּרֵ֖ב<the> approaching

    hakarevH7131 →12 times

  • יוּמָֽת׃ פhe will be put to death

    yumatH4191 →839 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

18 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

Numbers 1:51Whenever 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.5 worksNumbers 18:7But only you and your sons shall attend to your priesthood for everything concerning the altar and what is inside the veil, and you are to perform that service. I am giving you the work of the priesthood as a gift, but any outsider who comes near the sanctuary must be put to death.”5 worksNumbers 3:38Moses, Aaron, and Aaron’s sons were to camp to the east of the tabernacle, toward the sunrise, before the Tent of Meeting. They were to perform the duties of the sanctuary as a service on behalf of the Israelites; but any outsider who approached the sanctuary was to be put to death.5 works1 Kings 12:31Jeroboam also built shrines on the high places and appointed from every class of people priests who were not Levites.4 worksEzra 2:62These men searched for their family records, but they could not find them and so were excluded from the priesthood as unclean.4 worksNumbers 16:40just as the LORD commanded him through Moses. This was to be a reminder to the Israelites that no outsider who is not a descendant of Aaron should approach to offer incense before the LORD, lest he become like Korah and his followers.4 works
The other 12 cross-references, with their words ▾
Romans 12:7if it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach;3 worksDeuteronomy 18:5For the LORD your God has chosen Levi and his sons out of all your tribes to stand and minister in His name for all time.3 worksExodus 29:9Wrap the sashes around Aaron and his sons and tie headbands on them. The priesthood shall be theirs by a permanent statute. In this way you are to ordain Aaron and his sons.3 worksNumbers 16:35And fire came forth from the LORD and consumed the 250 men who were offering the incense.2 worksActs 6:3–4Therefore, brothers, select from among you seven men confirmed to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will appoint this responsibility to them2 worksEzekiel 44:8And you have not kept charge of My holy things, but have appointed others to keep charge of My sanctuary for you.’2 worksNumbers 18:3And they shall attend to your duties and to all the duties of the Tent; but they must not come near to the furnishings of the sanctuary or the altar, or both they and you will die.2 worksHebrews 10:19–22Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus,2 works1 Timothy 4:15–16Be diligent in these matters and absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all.2 worksEphesians 2:19Therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household,2 worksHebrews 8:4Now if He were on earth, He would not be a priest, since there are already priests who offer gifts according to the law.2 works2 Chronicles 26:16–21But when Uzziah grew powerful, his arrogance led to his own destruction. He was unfaithful to the LORD his God, for he entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense.2 works

The walk

8 stops

Each card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.

  • Through

    Romans 12:7

    if it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach;

    it leads to

    • 2 Timothy 4:2

      Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and encourage with every form of patient instruction.

    • Acts 13:1

      Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch), and Saul.

    • Ephesians 4:11

      And it was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers,

    • 1 Timothy 5:17

      Elders who lead effectively are worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.

    • Colossians 1:28–29

      We proclaim Him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.

  • Through

    Numbers 16:35

    And fire came forth from the LORD and consumed the 250 men who were offering the incense.

    it leads to

    • Leviticus 10:2

      So fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died in the presence of the LORD.

    • Numbers 26:10

      And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them along with Korah, whose followers died when the fire consumed 250 men. They serve as a warning sign.

  • Through

    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…

    it leads to

    • Numbers 3:38

      Moses, Aaron, and Aaron’s sons were to camp to the east of the tabernacle, toward the sunrise, before the Tent of Meeting. They were to perform the duties of the sanctuary as a service…

Where this verse is studied

About Numbers

The Bronze Serpent, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
The Bronze Serpent, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
Numbers: the study guide →Read Numbers 3 →

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.

Read on in Numbers 3 →