“Take a census of the Kohathites among the Levites by their clans and families,
Parallel translations
- WEB “Take a census of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, by their families, by their fathers’ houses,
- KJV Take the sum of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, after their families, by the house of their fathers,
- NKJV “Take a census of the sons of Kohath from among the children of Levi, by their families, by their fathers’ house,
- NASB “Take a census of the descendants of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, by their families, by their fathers’ households,
- NLT “Record the names of the members of the clans and families of the Kohathite division of the tribe of Levi.
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 commands a special census of the Kohathites, the Levite clan responsible for the most holy furnishings of the tabernacle. It shows that worship was carefully ordered, not left to human improvisation.
Overview
Following the general Levite numbering of chapter 3, God now organizes the Levites for their actual work, beginning with the sons of Kohath. Their assignment to the most sacred objects highlights both the privilege and the gravity of serving in God's presence. The careful structure points forward to the ordered, reverent worship that befits a holy God, ultimately fulfilled in Christ who gives believers true access to the Father.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 2
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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 4:2 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.