And under the custody and charge of the sons of Merari shall be the boards of the tabernacle, and the bars thereof, and the pillars thereof, and the sockets thereof, and all the vessels thereof, and all that serveth thereto,
Parallel translations
- WEB The appointed duty of the sons of Merari shall be the tabernacle’s boards, its bars, its pillars, its sockets, all its instruments, all its service,
- BSB The duties assigned to the sons of Merari were the tabernacle’s frames, crossbars, posts, bases, and all its equipment—all the service for these items,
- NKJV And the appointed duty of the children of Merari included the boards of the tabernacle, its bars, its pillars, its sockets, its utensils, all the work relating to them,
- NASB Now the appointment of duties of the sons of Merari included the framework of the tabernacle, its bars, its pillars, its bases, all its equipment, and all the service concerning them,
- NLT These two clans were responsible for the care of the frames supporting the Tabernacle, the crossbars, the pillars, the bases, 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 Merarites cared for the tabernacle's boards, bars, pillars, and sockets. They handled the heavy structural framework of God's dwelling.
Overview
Their duty involved the load-bearing components, the boards, bars, pillars, and bases that held the tabernacle together. This labor-intensive work required strength and care to transport and assemble. The sturdy framework that upheld the sanctuary reminds us that God's dwelling among His people rested on a divinely designed structure.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Exod 26:37And thou shalt make for the hanging five pillars of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold, and their hooks shall be of gold: and thou shalt cast five sockets of brass for them.
- Exod 26:32And thou shalt hang it upon four pillars of shittim wood overlaid with gold: their hooks shall be of gold, upon the four sockets of silver.
- Exod 26:15–29And thou shalt make boards for the tabernacle of shittim wood standing up.
- Exod 39:33And 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 38:17–20And the sockets for the pillars were of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver; and the overlaying of their chapiters of silver; and all the pillars of the court were filleted with silver.
- Exod 35:11The tabernacle, his tent, and his covering, his taches, and his boards, his bars, his pillars, and his sockets,
- Exod 36:36And he made thereunto four pillars of shittim wood, and overlaid them with gold: their hooks were of gold; and he cast for them four sockets of silver.
- Exod 36:20–34And he made boards for the tabernacle of shittim wood, standing up.
- Num 7:8And four wagons and eight oxen he gave unto the sons of Merari, according unto their service, under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.
- Exod 35:18The pins of the tabernacle, and the pins of the court, and their cords,
- Num 4:29–33As for the sons of Merari, thou shalt number them after their families, by the house of their fathers;
- Exod 27:9–19And thou shalt make the court of the tabernacle: for the south side southward there shall be hangings for the court of fine twined linen of an hundred cubits long for one side:
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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.
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Original language
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