And their charge shall be the ark, and the table, and the candlestick, and the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary wherewith they minister, and the hanging, and all the service thereof.
Parallel translations
- WEB Their duty shall be the ark, the table, the lamp stand, the altars, the vessels of the sanctuary with which they minister, and the screen, and all its service.
- BSB Their duties were the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the articles of the sanctuary used with them, and the curtain—all the service for these items.
- NKJV Their duty included the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the utensils of the sanctuary with which they ministered, the screen, and all the work relating to them.
- NASB Now their duties included the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the utensils of the sanctuary with which they minister, the curtain, and all the service concerning them;
- NLT These four clans were responsible for the care of the Ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the various articles used in the sanctuary, the inner curtain, and all the equipment related to their use.
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 Kohathites cared for the ark, table, lampstand, altars, and sacred vessels. They were entrusted with the most holy furnishings of the sanctuary.
Overview
Their charge included the ark of the covenant and the other central objects of worship, the very items that represented God's presence and Israel's communion with Him. This was the most weighty Levitical duty, carried out under strict regulation. The holiness of these objects, especially the ark, points to the unapproachable holiness of God, now made accessible through Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Exod 31:1–18And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
- Exod 39:33–42And they brought the tabernacle unto Moses, the tent, and all his furniture, his taches, his boards, his bars, and his pillars, and his sockets,
- Exod 36:35–36And he made a vail of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen: with cherubims made he it of cunning work.
- Exod 25:10–40And they shall make an ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof.
- Num 4:4–16This shall be the service of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation, about the most holy things:
- Exod 40:2–16On the first day of the first month shalt thou set up the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation.
- Exod 37:1And Bezaleel made the ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half was the length of it, and a cubit and a half the breadth of it, and a cubit and a half the height of it:
- Exod 26:31–33And thou shalt make a vail of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen of cunning work: with cherubims shall it be made:
- Exod 40:30And he set the laver between the tent of the congregation and the altar, and put water there, to wash withal.
- Exod 30:1–10And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon: of shittim wood shalt thou make it.
- Exod 27:1–8And thou shalt make an altar of shittim wood, five cubits long, and five cubits broad; the altar shall be foursquare: and the height thereof shall be three cubits.
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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 3:31 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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