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Numbers 3:9

in Numbers 3

Assign the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they have been given exclusively to him from among the Israelites.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV

ASV

And thou shalt give the Levites unto Aaron and to his sons: they are wholly given unto him on the behalf of the children of Israel.

KJV

And thou shalt give the Levites unto Aaron and to his sons: they are wholly given unto him out of the children of Israel.

This verse in Numbers 3

Commentary

5 notes on this verse

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

There was a great deal of work belonging to the priests' office, and there were now only three pairs of hands to do it all, Aaron's and his two sons'; for it does not appear that they had either of them any children at this time, at least not any that were of age to minister, therefore God appoints the Levites to attend upon them.

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 Awakening1 voice

And thou shalt give the Levites unto Aaron and to his sons,....

The Nineteenth Century2 voices

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

proposed

they are wholly given unto him out of the children of Israel, &c.--The priests hold the place of God, and the Levites are the servants of God in the obedience they render to the priests.

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

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

12 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.

  • וְנָתַתָּה֙and you will give

    venatatahH54142011 times

  • אֶת־<obj.>

    ʾet-H85310935 times

  • הַלְוִיִּ֔םthe Levites

    halviyimH3881291 times

  • לְאַהֲרֹ֖ןto Aaron

    leaharonH175347 times

  • וּלְבָנָ֑יוand to sons his

    ulevanavH11214930 times

  • נְתוּנִ֨ם[are] assigned

    netunimH54142011 times

  • נְתוּנִ֥םassigned

    netunimH54142011 times

  • הֵ֙מָּה֙they

    hemahH1992553 times

  • ל֔וֹto <the> him

    lo

  • מֵאֵ֖תfrom with

    meetH854929 times

  • בְּנֵ֥י[the] people of

    beneiH11214930 times

  • יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃Israel

    yisraelH34782507 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

    Ephesians 4:8

    This is why it says: “When He ascended on high, He led captives away, and gave gifts to men.”

    it leads to

    • Psalms 68:18

      You have ascended on high; You have led captives away. You have received gifts from men, even from the rebellious, that the LORD God may dwell there.

    • Colossians 2:15

      And having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

  • Through

    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,

    it leads to

    • Jeremiah 3:15

      Then I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.”

    • 1 Corinthians 12:28–29

      And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, and those with gifts of healing, helping, administration, and various tongues.

    • Ephesians 2:20

      built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone.

    • 2 Timothy 4:5

      But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

    • Acts 20:28

      Keep watch over yourselves and the entire flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which He purchased with His own blood.

  • Through

    Numbers 8:19

    And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons from among the Israelites, to perform the service for the Israelites at the Tent of Meeting and to make atonement…

    it leads to

    • 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…

Where this verse is studied

About Numbers

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) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.