Numbers 3:6
in Numbers 3“Bring the tribe of Levi and present them to Aaron the priest to assist him.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Bring the tribe of Levi near, and set them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister unto him.
KJV
Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister unto him.
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This verse in Numbers 3
Commentary
5 notes on this verseBring the tribe of Levi near - The original word הקרב hakreb is properly a sacrificial word, and signifies the presenting of a sacrifice or offering to the Lord. As an offering, the tribe of Levi was given up entirely to the service of the sanctuary, to be no longer their own, but the Lord’s property.
This site's exposition
Then the LORD said to Moses
on Numbers 3:5-7
Adam Clarke and Jamieson, Fausset and Brown note that the Hebrew verb behind “Bring” in verse 6 is the word for presenting an offering. So the tribe is given as a gift, and at Numbers 8:11 Aaron presents it as a wave offering.
This site's exposition
present them to Aaron the priest to assist him
John Calvin finds two commands: the Levites are set apart for the sanctuary, and they answer to Aaron's house and act only by its authority. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown place them below the priests, who alone entered the holy place.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
Bring the tribe of Levi near,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
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 wordsEvery 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.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| הַקְרֵב֙ | hakrev | bring near | H7126 → | 280 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| מַטֵּ֣ה | mateh | [the] tribe of | H4294 → | 252 times |
| לֵוִ֔י | levi | Levi | H3881 → | 291 times |
| וְֽהַעֲמַדְתָּ֣ | vehaamadta | and you will make stand | H5975 → | 521 times |
| אֹת֔וֹ | ʾoto | <obj.> it | H853 → | 10935 times |
| לִפְנֵ֖י | lifnei | <to> before | H6440 → | 2123 times |
| אַהֲרֹ֣ן | ʾaharon | Aaron | H175 → | 347 times |
| הַכֹּהֵ֑ן | hakohen | the priest | H3548 → | 750 times |
| וְשֵׁרְת֖וּ | vesheretu | and they will serve | H8334 → | 97 times |
| אֹתֽוֹ׃ | ʾoto | <obj.> him | H853 → | 10935 times |
הַקְרֵב֙bring near
hakrevH7126 →280 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
מַטֵּ֣ה[the] tribe of
matehH4294 →252 times
לֵוִ֔יLevi
leviH3881 →291 times
וְֽהַעֲמַדְתָּ֣and you will make stand
vehaamadtaH5975 →521 times
אֹת֔וֹ<obj.> it
ʾotoH853 →10935 times
לִפְנֵ֖י<to> before
lifneiH6440 →2123 times
אַהֲרֹ֣ןAaron
ʾaharonH175 →347 times
הַכֹּהֵ֑ןthe priest
hakohenH3548 →750 times
וְשֵׁרְת֖וּand they will serve
vesheretuH8334 →97 times
אֹתֽוֹ׃<obj.> him
ʾotoH853 →10935 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach 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
Deuteronomy 10:8At that time the LORD set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to serve Him, and to pronounce blessings in…
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 21:5
And the priests, the sons of Levi, shall come forward, for the LORD your God has chosen them to serve Him and pronounce blessings in His name and to give a ruling in every…
- Deuteronomy 18:5
For 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.
- Numbers 6:23–26
“Tell Aaron and his sons: This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:
- Numbers 4:15
When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holy objects and all their equipment, as soon as the camp is ready to move, the Kohathites shall come and do the carrying. But they…
- Numbers 16:9–10
Is it not enough for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel and brought you near to Himself to perform the work at the LORD’s tabernacle, and…
- Deuteronomy 21:5
Through
Numbers 2:17In the middle of the camps, the Tent of Meeting is to travel with the camp of the Levites. They are to set out in the order they encamped, each in his own place…
it leads to
- Numbers 10:21
Then the Kohathites set out, transporting the holy objects; the tabernacle was to be set up before their arrival.
- Numbers 10:17
Then the tabernacle was taken down, and the Gershonites and the Merarites set out, transporting it.
- Numbers 1:50–53
Instead, you are to appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of the Testimony, all its furnishings, and everything in it. They shall carry the tabernacle and all its articles, care for it, and camp…
- Numbers 10:21
Where this verse is studied
About Numbers
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Calvin, Commentary on the Four Last Books of Moses Arranged in the Form of a Harmony; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament.