But the Levites were not numbered among them by their fathers’ tribe;
Parallel translations
- WEB But the Levites after the tribe of their fathers were not counted among them.
- KJV But the Levites after the tribe of their fathers were not numbered among them.
- BSB The Levites, however, were not numbered along with them by the tribe of their fathers.
- NASB The Levites, however, were not counted among them by their fathers’ tribe.
- NLT But this total did not include the Levites.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The Levites are not counted with the other tribes. They are set apart for a special, sacred service rather than for war.
Overview
The exclusion of Levi marks the tribe's unique calling to serve the tabernacle rather than fight in Israel's army. This distinction reflects God's design that some be consecrated wholly to His worship. It points toward the priesthood of Christ and the spiritual service of all His people (1 Pet. 2:9).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Num 2:33But the Levites were not counted among the children of Israel; as Yahweh commanded Moses.
- Num 3:1Now this is the history of the generations of Aaron and Moses in the day that Yahweh spoke with Moses in Mount Sinai.
- Num 26:57–62These are those who were counted of the Levites after their families: of Gershon, the family of the Gershonites; of Kohath, the family of the Kohathites; of Merari, the family of the Merarites.
- 1 Chr 21:6But he didn’t count Levi and Benjamin among them; for the king’s word was abominable to Joab.
- 1 Chr 6:1–81The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
- Num 1:3from twenty years old and upward, all who are able to go out to war in Israel. You and Aaron shall count them by their divisions.
- Num 1:50but appoint the Levites over the Tabernacle of the Testimony, and over all its furnishings, and over all that belongs to it. They shall carry the tabernacle, and all its furnishings; and they shall take care of it, and shall encamp around it.
- Num 8:1–26Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
In the wilderness Christ is the water from the rock, the bronze serpent lifted up that the dying might look and live (John 3:14), and the star and scepter that Balaam saw rising out of Jacob.
How Numbers 1:47 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.