But as the Lord had commanded, the Levites were not included in this registration.
Parallel translations
- WEB But the Levites were not counted among the children of Israel; as Yahweh commanded Moses.
- KJV But the Levites were not numbered among the children of Israel; as the LORD commanded Moses.
- BSB But the Levites were not counted among the other Israelites, as the LORD had commanded Moses.
- NKJV But the Levites were not numbered among the children of Israel, just as the Lord commanded Moses.
- NASB The Levites, however, were not counted among the sons of Israel, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
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 were not counted with the fighting men, just as the Lord commanded. They were set apart for sacred service rather than war.
Overview
The Levites were excluded from the military census because their calling was to the tabernacle, not the battlefield. Their separation marked them as devoted wholly to God's service. This obedience to the Lord's specific command shows Israel's submission, and points to the principle that God sets apart some for holy ministry among His people.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 2
- 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.
- Num 1:47–49But the Levites after the tribe of their fathers were not counted among them.
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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 2:33 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
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