31 And their charge `is' the ark, and the table, and the candlestick, and the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary with which they serve, and the vail, and all its service.
`And they have made an ark of shittim wood; two cubits and a half its length, and a cubit and a half its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height; and thou hast overlaid it `with' pure gold, within and without thou dost overlay it, and thou hast made on it a ring of gold round about. `And thou hast cast for it four rings of gold, and hast put `them' on its four feet, even two rings on its one side, and two rings on its second side; and thou hast made staves of shittim wood, and hast overlaid them `with' gold, and hast brought the staves into the rings on the sides of the ark, to bear the ark by them, in the rings of the ark are the staves, they are not turned aside from it; and thou hast put unto the ark the testimony which I give unto thee. `And thou hast made a mercy-seat of pure gold, two cubits and a half its length, and a cubit and a half its breadth; and thou hast made two cherubs of gold, beaten work dost thou make them, at the two ends of the mercy-seat; and make thou one cherub at the end on this side, and one cherub at the end on that; at the mercy-seat ye do make the cherubs on its two ends. `And the cherubs have been spreading out wings on high, covering the mercy-seat over with their wings, and their faces `are' one towards another -- towards the mercy-seat are the faces of the cherubs. `And thou hast put the mercy-seat on the ark above, and unto the ark thou dost put the testimony which I give unto thee; and I have met with thee there, and have spoken with thee from off the mercy-seat (from between the two cherubs, which `are' on the ark of the testimony) all that which I command thee concerning the sons of Israel. `And thou hast made a table of shittim wood, two cubits its length, and a cubit its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height, and hast overlaid it `with' pure gold, and hast made for it a crown of gold round about, and hast made for it a border of a handbreadth round about, and hast made a crown of gold to its border round about. `And thou hast made to it four rings of gold, and hast put the rings on the four corners, which `are' to its four feet; over-against the border are the rings for places for staves to bear the table; and thou hast made the staves of shittim wood, and hast overlaid them with gold, and the table hath been borne with them; and thou hast made its dishes, and its bowls, and its covers, and its cups, with which they pour out; of pure gold thou dost make them; and thou hast put on the table bread of the presence before Me continually. `And thou hast made a candlestick of pure gold, of beaten work is the candlestick made; its base, and its branch, its calyxes, its knops, and its flowers are of the same; and six branches are coming out of its sides, three branches of the candlestick out of the one side, and three branches of the candlestick out of the second side; three calyxes made like almonds in the one branch, a knop and a flower, and three calyxes made like almonds in one branch, a knop and a flower; so for the six branches which are coming out from the candlestick. `And in the candlestick `are' four calyxes made like almonds, its knops and its flowers; and a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, `are' to the six branches which are coming out of the candlestick; their knops and their branches are of the same, all of it one beaten work of pure gold; and thou hast made its seven lamps, and `one' hath caused its lights to go up, and it hath given light over-against its front. `And its snuffers and its snuff dishes `are' of pure gold; of a talent of pure gold he doth make it, with all these vessels. And see thou and do `them' by their pattern which thou art shewn in the mount.
`And thou hast made a vail of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and twined linen, work of a designer; he maketh it `with' cherubs; and thou hast put it on four pillars of shittim wood, overlaid `with' gold, their pegs `are' of gold, on four sockets of silver. `And thou hast put the vail under the hooks, and hast brought in thither within the vail the ark of the testimony; and the vail hath made a separation for you between the holy and the holy of holies.
`And thou hast made the altar of shittim wood, five cubits the length, and five cubits the breadth -- the altar is square -- and three cubits its height. And thou hast made its horns on its four corners, its horns are of the same, and thou hast overlaid it `with' brass. And thou hast made its pots to remove its ashes, and its shovels, and its bowls, and its forks, and its fire-pans, even all its vessels thou dost make of brass. `And thou hast made for it a grate of net-work of brass, and hast made on the net four rings of brass on its four extremities, and hast put it under the compass of the altar beneath, and the net hath been unto the middle of the altar. `And thou hast made staves for the altar, staves of shittim wood, and hast overlaid them `with' brass. And the staves have been brought into the rings, and the staves have been on the two sides of the altar in bearing it. Hollow with boards thou dost make it, as it hath been shewed thee in the mount, so do they make `it'.
`And thou hast made an altar `for' making perfume; `of' shittim wood thou dost make it; a cubit its length, and a cubit its breadth, (it is square), and two cubits its height; its horns `are' of the same. `And thou hast overlaid it with pure gold, its top, and its sides round about, and its horns; and thou hast made to it a crown of gold round about; and two rings of gold thou dost make to it under its crown; on its two ribs thou dost make `them', on its two sides, and they have become places for staves, to bear it with them. `And thou hast made the staves of shittim wood, and hast overlaid them with gold; and thou hast put it before the vail, which `is' by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy-seat which `is' over the testimony, whither I am met with thee. `And Aaron hath made perfume on it, perfume of spices, morning by morning; in his making the lamps right he doth perfume it, and in Aaron's causing the lamps to go up between the evenings, he doth perfume it; a continual perfume before Jehovah to your generations. `Ye do not cause strange perfume to go up upon it, and burnt-offering, and present, and libation ye do not pour out on it; and Aaron hath made atonement on its horns, once in a year, by the blood of the sin-offering of atonements; once in a year doth he make atonement for it, to your generations; it `is' most holy to Jehovah.'
And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying, `See, I have called by name Bezaleel, son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I fill him `with' the Spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all work, to devise devices to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in graving of stone for settings, and in graving of wood to work in all work. `And I, lo, I have given with him Aholiab, son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, and in the heart of every wise-hearted one I have given wisdom, and they have made all that which I have commanded thee. `The tent of meeting, and the ark of testimony, and the mercy-seat which `is' on it, and all the vessels of the tent, and the table and its vessels, and the pure candlestick and all its vessels, and the altar of the perfume, and the altar of the burnt-offering and all its vessels, and the laver and its base, and the coloured garments, and the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, for acting as priests in; and the anointing oil, and the perfume of the spices for the sanctuary; according to all that I have commanded thee -- they do.' And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying, `And thou, speak unto the sons of Israel, saying, Only, My sabbaths ye do keep, for it `is' a sign between Me and you, to your generations, to know that I, Jehovah, am sanctifying you; and ye have kept the sabbath, for it `is' holy to you, he who is polluting it is certainly put to death -- for any who doeth work in it -- that person hath even been cut off from the midst of his people. `Six days is work done, and in the seventh day `is' a sabbath of holy rest to Jehovah; any who doeth work in the sabbath-day is certainly put to death, and the sons of Israel have observed the sabbath; to keep the sabbath to their generations `is' a covenant age-during, between Me and the sons of Israel it `is' a sign -- to the age; for six days Jehovah made the heavens and the earth, and in the seventh day He hath ceased, and is refreshed.' And He giveth unto Moses, when He finisheth speaking with him in mount Sinai, two tables of the testimony, tables of stone, written by the finger of God.
And he maketh the vail of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and twined linen, work of a designer he hath made it, `with' cherubs; and he maketh for it four pillars of shittim `wood', and overlayeth them with gold; their pegs `are' of gold; and he casteth for them four sockets of silver.
And they bring in the tabernacle unto Moses, the tent, and all its vessels, its hooks, its boards, its bars, and its pillars, and its sockets; and the covering of rams' skins, which are made red, and the covering of badgers' skins, and the vail of the covering; the ark of the testimony and its staves, and the mercy-seat; the table, all its vessels, and the bread of the presence; the pure candlestick, its lamps, the lamps of arrangement, and all its vessels, and the oil for the light. And the golden altar, and the anointing oil, and the spice-perfume, and the covering of the opening of the tent; the brazen altar and the brazen grate which it hath, its staves, and all its vessels, the laver and its base. The hangings of the court, its pillars, and its sockets; and the covering for the gate of the court, its cords, and its pins; and all the vessels of the service of the tabernacle, for the tent of meeting; the coloured clothes to minister in the sanctuary, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to act as priest in. According to all that Jehovah hath commanded Moses, so have the sons of Israel done all the service;
`On the first day of the month, in the first month, thou dost raise up the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, and hast set there the ark of the testimony, and hast covered over the ark with the vail, and hast brought in the table, and set its arrangement in order, and hast brought in the candlestick, and caused its lamps to go up. `And thou hast put the golden altar for perfume before the ark of the testimony, and hast put the covering of the opening to the tabernacle, and hast put the altar of the burnt-offering before the opening of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, and hast put the laver between the tent of meeting and the altar, and hast put water there. `And thou hast set the court round about, and hast placed the covering of the gate of the court, and hast taken the anointing oil, and anointed the tabernacle, and all that `is' in it, and hallowed it, and all its vessels, and it hath been holy; and thou hast anointed the altar of the burnt-offering, and all its vessels, and sanctified the altar, and the altar hath been most holy; and thou hast anointed the laver and its base, and sanctified it. `And thou hast brought near Aaron and his sons unto the opening of the tent of meeting, and hast bathed them with water; and thou hast clothed Aaron with the holy garments, and anointed him, and sanctified him, and he hath acted as priest to Me. `And his sons thou dost bring near, and hast clothed them with coats, and anointed them as thou hast anointed their father, and they have acted as priests to Me, and their anointing hath been to be to them for a priesthood age-during, to their generations.' And Moses doth according to all that Jehovah hath commanded him; so he hath done.
`This `is' the service of the sons of Kohath in the tent of meeting, the holy of holies: that Aaron and his sons have come in, in the journeying of the camp, and have taken down the vail of the hanging, and have covered with it the ark of the testimony; and have put on it a covering of badger skin, and have spread a garment completely of blue above, and have placed its staves. `And on the table of the presence they spread a garment of blue, and have put on it the dishes, and the spoons, and the bowls, and the cups of the libation, and the bread of continuity is on it, and they have spread over them a garment of scarlet, and have covered it with a covering of badger skin, and have placed its staves, and have taken a garment of blue, and have covered the candlestick of the lamp, and its lights, and its snuffers, and its snuff-dishes, and all its oil vessels wherewith they minister to it; and they have put it and all its vessels unto a covering of badger skin, and have put `it' on the bar. `And on the golden altar they spread a garment of blue, and have covered it with a covering of badger skin, and have placed its staves; and have taken all the vessels of ministry wherewith they minister in the sanctuary, and have put `them' unto a garment of blue, and have covered them with a covering of badger skin, and have put `them' on the bar, and have removed the ashes of the altar, and have spread over it a garment of purple; and have put on it all its vessels wherewith they minister about it, the censers, the hooks, and the shovels, and the bowls, all the vessels of the altar, and have spread on it a covering of badger skin, and have placed its staves: `And Aaron hath finished -- his sons also -- covering the sanctuary, and all the vessels of the sanctuary, in the journeying of the camp, and afterwards do the sons of Kohath come in to bear `it', and they do not come unto the holy thing, that they have died; these `things are' the burden of the sons of Kohath in the tent of meeting. `And the oversight of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, `is' the oil of the lamp, and the spice-perfume, and the present of continuity, and the anointing oil, the oversight of all the tabernacle, and of all that `is' in it, in the sanctuary, and in its vessels.'
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Numbers 3
Commentary on Numbers 3 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 3
This chapter and the next are concerning the tribe of Levi, which was to be mustered and marshalled by itself, and not in common with the other tribes, intimating the particular honour put upon them and the particular duty and service required from them. The Levites are in this chapter considered,
Num 3:1-13
Here,
Num 3:14-39
The Levites being granted to Aaron to minister to him, they are here delivered to him by tale, that he might know what he had, and employ them accordingly. Observe,
Num 3:40-51
Here is the exchange made of the Levites for the first-born.