“Bring the tribe of Levi and present them to Aaron the priest to assist him.
Parallel translations
- WEB “Bring the tribe of Levi near, and set them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister to him.
- KJV Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister unto him.
- NKJV “Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may serve him.
- NASB “Bring the tribe of Levi forward and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may serve him.
- NLT “Call forward the tribe of Levi, and present them to Aaron the priest to serve as his assistants.
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
God commanded that the tribe of Levi be brought near to assist Aaron. The Levites were appointed to serve the priests in sacred duties.
Overview
The Levites were 'brought near' and placed before Aaron to minister to him, distinguishing them from the priests who were Aaron's direct descendants. This established a structure of service supporting the priesthood. Their nearness to holy things, granted by God's appointment, illustrates that all approach to God depends on His gracious calling.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Num 18:1–7So the LORD said to Aaron, “You and your sons and your father’s house must bear the iniquity involving the sanctuary. And you and your sons alone must bear the iniquity involving your priesthood.
- Deut 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 His name, as they do to this day.
- Num 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 under his standard.
- Deut 33:8–9Concerning Levi he said: “Give Your Thummim to Levi and Your Urim to Your godly one, whom You tested at Massah and contested at the waters of Meribah.
- Mal 2:4Then you will know that I have sent you this commandment so that My covenant with Levi may continue,” says the LORD of Hosts.
- Num 1:49–53“Do not number the tribe of Levi in the census with the other Israelites.
- Exod 32:26–29So Moses stood at the entrance to the camp and said, “Whoever is for the LORD, come to me.” And all the Levites gathered around him.
- Num 8:6–26“Take the Levites from among the Israelites and make them ceremonially clean.
- Num 2:33But the Levites were not counted among the other Israelites, as the LORD had commanded Moses.
- Num 16:9–11Is 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 to stand before the congregation to minister to them?
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 3:6 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.