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Numbers 3:38

in Numbers 3

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 on behalf of the Israelites; but any outsider who approached the sanctuary was to be put to death.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV

ASV

And those that encamp before the tabernacle eastward, before the tent of meeting toward the sunrising, shall be Moses, and Aaron and his sons, keeping the charge of the sanctuary for the charge of the children of Israel; and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.

KJV

But those that encamp before the tabernacle toward the east, even before the tabernacle of the congregation eastward, shall be Moses, and Aaron and his sons, keeping the charge of the sanctuary for the charge of the children of Israel; and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.

This verse in Numbers 3

Commentary

4 notes on this verse
And those that encamp before the tabernacle toward the east,.... At which was the entrance into the tabernacle: even before the tabernacle of the congregation eastward; that is, before the court of the tabernacle, where the people assembled together: shall be Moses, Aaron, and his sons; Moses the chief ruler, and Aaron the high priest, and his sons priests under him; these had the most honourable place of all, beings at the front of the tabernacle, between that and the camp of Judah.

This site's exposition

But those that encamp before the tabernacle

Moses, Aaron and Aaron's sons take the east, which is the side the door opens on, so the men who go in and out stand between the entrance and the whole camp. Judah's standard is on the east too at 2:3, which puts the tribe of the sceptre and the house of the priesthood on the same face of the camp. The warning of verse 10 is repeated here word for word, at the one point where a man walking toward the tent would actually reach it.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

Thus was the tabernacle surrounded with its guards; and thus does the angel of the Lord encamp round about those that fear him, those living temples, Ps. xxxiv.

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

proposed

those that encamp, &c.--That being the entrance side, it was the post of honor, and consequently reserved to Moses and the priestly family. But the sons of Moses had no station here.

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase

The words behind it

20 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.

  • וְהַחֹנִ֣יםand those [who] encamp

    vehachonimH2583143 times

  • לִפְנֵ֣י<to> before

    lifneiH64402123 times

  • הַמִּשְׁכָּ֡ןthe tabernacle

    hamishkanH4908139 times

  • קֵ֣דְמָהeast -ward

    kedemahH692487 times

  • לִפְנֵי֩<to> before

    lifneiH64402123 times

  • אֹֽהֶל־[the] tent of

    ʾohel-H168345 times

  • מוֹעֵ֨ד׀meeting

    moedH4150223 times

  • מִזְרָ֜חָהeast -ward

    mizrachahH421774 times

  • מֹשֶׁ֣ה׀[were] Moses

    moshehH4872765 times

  • וְאַהֲרֹ֣ןand Aaron

    veaharonH175347 times

  • וּבָנָ֗יוand sons his

    uvanavH11214930 times

  • שֹֽׁמְרִים֙keeping

    shomerimH8104468 times

  • מִשְׁמֶ֣רֶת[the] duty of

    mishmeretH493178 times

  • הַמִּקְדָּ֔שׁthe sanctuary

    hamikdashH472075 times

  • לְמִשְׁמֶ֖רֶתto [the] duty of

    lemishmeretH493178 times

  • בְּנֵ֣י[the] people of

    beneiH11214930 times

  • יִשְׂרָאֵ֑לIsrael

    yisraelH34782507 times

  • וְהַזָּ֥רand the stranger

    vehazarH211477 times

  • הַקָּרֵ֖ב<the> approaching

    hakarevH713112 times

  • יוּמָֽת׃he will be put to death

    yumatH4191839 times

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

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

    Numbers 3:10

    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.”

    it leads to

    • 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…

  • Through

    Numbers 2:3

    On the east side, toward the sunrise, the divisions of Judah are to camp under their standard:

    it leads to

    • Ruth 4:20

      Amminadab was the father of Nahshon, Nahshon was the father of Salmon,

    • 1 Chronicles 2:10

      Ram was the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab was the father of Nahshon, a leader of the descendants of Judah.

    • Numbers 10:14–16

      First, the divisions of the camp of Judah set out under their standard, with Nahshon son of Amminadab in command.

  • Through

    Numbers 1:53

    But the Levites are to camp around the tabernacle of the Testimony and watch over it, so that no wrath will fall on the congregation of Israel. So the Levites are responsible for the…

    it leads to

    • Numbers 16:46

      Moses said to Aaron, “Take your censer, place fire from the altar in it, and add incense. Go quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them, because wrath has come out from the…

    • Leviticus 10:6

      Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, “Do not let your hair become disheveled and do not tear your garments, or else you will die, and the LORD will be…

    • 1 Chronicles 23:32

      So the Levites were to carry out the responsibilities for the Tent of Meeting and the Holy Place, and, under their brothers the descendants of Aaron, the service of the house of the LORD.

  • Through

    Numbers 3:35

    The leader of the families of the Merarites was Zuriel son of Abihail; they were to camp on the north side of the tabernacle.

    it leads to

    • Numbers 2:25

      On the north side, the divisions of Dan are to camp under their standard:

Where this verse is studied

About Numbers

This page draws on Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: The Pentateuch and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.