Preface:    The clans of the Levites are numbered, and a system is set up to substitute their male members from the tribe of Levite for the firstborn throughout the rest of Israel (who are, because of Egypt, dedicated to God).

The Bible Summary of Numbers 3 (in 140 characters or less): The Levites are to assist Aaron. I have taken them in place of every firstborn. The number of Levites over one month old was 22,000.

There are many chapter commentaries on the book of Numbers. This will be the most extensive examination of Numbers 3, where you will be able to examine in depth every word of the original text. Every attempt has been made to make this both a complete and self-contained study. Therefore, all references, vocabulary, and related concepts should be found within this extensive study. Easy access links to more in-depth studies of some vocabulary words, concepts and doctrines are also provided.

Outline of Chapter 3:

Introduction

         vv.     1–

         vv. 

         vv. 

         vv. 

         vv. 

Chapter Summary

Addendum

Charts, Graphics and Short Doctrines:

         Preface               Quotations

         Introduction         Titles and/or Brief Descriptions of Numbers 3 (by various commentators)

         Introduction         Brief, but insightful observations of Numbers 3 (various commentators)

         Introduction         Fundamental Questions About Numbers 3

         Introduction         The Prequel of Numbers 3

         Introduction 

         Introduction 

         Introduction         The Principals of Numbers 3

         Introduction         The Places of Numbers 3

         Introduction         By the Numbers

         Introduction         Timeline for Numbers 3

         Introduction         A Synopsis of Numbers 3

         Introduction         Outlines of Numbers 3 (Various Commentators)

         Introduction         A Synopsis of Numbers 3 from the Summarized Bible

         Introduction         The Big Picture (Numbers 1–15)

         Introduction 

         Introduction 

         Introduction         Changes—additions and subtractions (for Numbers 3)

         Introduction 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

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         v.      13              The Abbreviated Doctrine of the Firstborn

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         v.      25              Exterior View of the Tent of Meeting (a graphic)

         v.      25              Front View of the Tent of Meeting (a graphic)

         v.      26              The Tent of Meeting (a graphic)

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         v.      38              The Location of the Clans of Levi (a graphic)

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         v. 

         Summary            A Set of Summary Doctrines and Commentary

         Summary            Why Numbers 3 is in the Word of God

         Summary            What We Learn from Numbers 3

         Summary            Jesus Christ in Numbers 3

         Summary            Edersheim Summarizes Numbers 3

         Summary 

         Addendum          Footnote for Numbers 3:1 (Christian Community Bible)

         Addendum 

         Addendum 

         Addendum 

         Addendum 

         Addendum          Josephus’ History of this Time Period

         Addendum          A Complete Translation of Numbers 3

         Addendum          Doctrinal Teachers Who Have Taught Numbers 3

         Addendum          Word Cloud from a Reasonably Literal Paraphrase of Numbers 3

         Addendum          Word Cloud from Exegesis of Numbers 3

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An Introduction to Numbers 3

I ntroduction: Numbers 3 speaks to the role of the sons of Aaron and the sons of Levi. Aaron’s sons are to be the priests of Israel. The main priest will be the high priest of Israel. The Levites will be given over to God to complete divine tasks. Because of this, the Levites will need to be numbered, because this must be a one-for-one exchange. If there are more firstborn in Israel, then they must be redeemed.

Also in this chapter, God makes His claim on all of the firstborn in Israel. However, instead of claiming them, God will claim the entire tribe of Levi. If there are more firstborn in Israel than Levites, then those will have to be purchased or redeemed so that God does not take them.

Like much of the book of Numbers, the information found herein is important to this first generation of Israelites, the first generation who walked out of Egypt. Israel is, at this time, a nation, but it is a nation without parcel of land on which to live.

What God does with this first generation is very important to this first and second generation; but this would not have interesting at all to someone writing this material hundreds of years later (my point being, this was written by Moses at the time that these things took place; this was not written by groups of people writing hundreds of years later).

Timeline for Numbers

There is very little narrative in the book of Numbers; so this information may have been given to Moses in a few days or, at most, a few weeks; and Moses both wrote these things down and informed the people. Because of information previously studied in the introduction, we are not 100% certain if all of this material was given to Moses while in the newly erected Tabernacle. I would lean towards that being the case.

As I have done previously, since this chapters is what God is saying to Moses, I will begin and end the chapter with quotation marks. I will not insert a new set of quotation marks for each new paragraph.

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Here is how others have translated this passage:

Ancient texts:                       Note: I compare the Hebrew text to English translations of the Latin, Syriac (= Aramaic) and Greek texts, using the Douay-Rheims translation; George Lamsa’s translation, and Sir Lancelot Charles Lee Brenton’s translation as revised and edited by Paul W. Esposito, respectively. I often update these texts with non-substantive changes (e.g., you for thou, etc.). I often use the text of the Complete Apostles’ Bible instead of Brenton’s translation, because it updates the English text.

The Septuagint was the earliest known translation of a book (circa 200 b.c.). Since this translation was made before the textual criticism had been developed into a science and because different books appear to be translated by different men, the Greek translation can sometimes be very uneven.

When there are serious disparities between my translation and Brenton’s (or the text of the Complete Apostles’ Bible), I look at the Greek text of the Septuagint (the LXX) to see if a substantive difference actually exists (and I reflect these changes in the English rendering of the Greek text). I use the Greek LXX with Strong’s numbers and morphology available for e-sword. The only problem with this resource (which is a problem for similar resources) is, there is no way to further explore Greek verbs which are not found in the New Testament. Although I usually quote the Complete Apostles’ Bible here, I have begun to make changes in the translation when their translation conflicts with the Greek and note what those changes are.

The Masoretic text is the Hebrew text with all of the vowels (vowel points) inserted (the original Hebrew text lacked vowels). We take the Masoretic text to be the text closest to the original. However, differences between the Masoretic text and the Greek, Latin and Syriac are worth noting and, once in a great while, represent a more accurate text possessed by those other ancient translators.

In general, the Latin text is an outstanding translation from the Hebrew text into Latin and very trustworthy (I say this as a non-Catholic). Unfortunately, I do not read Latin—apart from some very obvious words—so I am dependent upon the English translation of the Latin (principally, the Douay-Rheims translation).

The comparisons which I do are primarily between the English translations which are taken from the ancient tongues. For the most part, the variances are so minor that I rarely investigate them any further than that.

Underlined words indicate differences in the text.

Bracketed portions of the Dead Sea Scrolls are words, letters and phrases lost in the scroll due to various types of damage. Underlined words or phrases are those in the Dead Sea Scrolls but not in the Masoretic text.

I will only list the translation from the Dead Sea Scrolls if it exists and if it is different from the Masoretic text.

The Targum of Onkelos is actually the Pentateuchal Targumim, which are The Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan Ben Uzziel. On the Pentateuch With The Fragments of the Jerusalem Targum From the Chaldee by J. W. Etheridge, M.A. From http://www.becomingjewish.org/texts/targum/onkelos_Numbers.html and first published in 1862.

Occasionally, there is an obvious error in the English translation, and I correct those without additional mention or footnoting. For instance, the online version of the Targum of Onkelos which I use has gorund in Ex. 4:9; I simply corrected the text. This may occur once or twice in a chapter.

I attempt to include translations which are different in their vocabulary and phrasing. On many occasions, I may include a translation which is not substantially different than another listed translation.

Most of the translations can be found here.

Ancient texts:

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And these [are] generations of Aaron and Moses in a day [that] spoke Y^ehowah with Moses in a mountain of Sinai. And these [are] names of sons of Aaron: the firstborn Nadab, and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. These [are] names of sons of Aaron, the priests, the anointed ones whom he has filled their hand to serve (as priests). And so dies Nadab and Abihu to faces of Y^ehowah in their approaching [with] fire, strange, to faces of Y^ehowah in a wilderness of Sinai. And sons they were not to them. And so serve (as priests) Eleazar and Ithamar upon faces of Aaron, their father. (Period, paragraph).

Dead Sea Scrolls                   .

Targum (Onkelos)                  . Translation for Onkelos and Pseudo-Jonathan by J. W. Etheridge, M.A. (1862).

Targum (Pseudo-Jonathan)   .

Jerusalem targum                  .

Updated Douay-Rheims         .

Douay-Rheims 1899 (Amer.) These are the generations of Aaron and Moses in the day that the Lord spoke to Moses in mount Sinai.

And these the names of the sons of Aaron: his firstborn Nadab, then Abiu, and Eleazar, and Ithamar.

These the names of the sons of Aaron the priests that were anointed, and whose hands were filled and consecrated, to do the functions of priesthood.

Now Nadab and Abiu died, without children, when they offered strange fire before the Lord, in the desert of Sinai: and Eleazar and Ithamar performed the priestly office in the presence of Aaron their father.

Aramaic ESV of Peshitta        Now this is the history of the generations of Aaron and Mosha in the day that Mar-Yah spoke with Mosha in Mount Sinai.

These are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the priests who were anointed, whom he consecrated to minister in the priest's office.

Nadab and Abihu died before Mar-Yah, when they offered strange fire before Mar-Yah, in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children. Eleazar and Ithamar ministered in the priest's office in the presence of Aaron their father.

Lamsa’s Peshitta (Syriac)     .

V. Alexander’s Aramaic T.     .

Samaritan Pentateuch           .

Updated Brenton (Greek)       And these are the generations of Aaron and Moses, in the day in which the Lord spoke to Moses in Mount Sinai.

And these are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab the firstborn; and Abiud, Eleazar and Ithamar.

These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the anointed priests whom they consecrated to the priesthood.

And Nadab and Abiud died before the Lord, when they offered strange fire before the Lord, in the Wilderness of Sinai; and they had no children; and Eleazar and Ithamar ministered in the priests' office with Aaron their father.

Significant differences: 

Limited Vocabulary Translations:

Bible in Basic English             Now these are the generations of Aaron and Moses, in the day when the word of the Lord came to Moses on Mount Sinai. 

These are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab the oldest, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 

These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the priests, on whom the holy oil was put, who were marked out as priests.

And Nadab and Abihu were put to death before the Lord when they made an offering of strange fire before the Lord, in the waste land of Sinai, and they had no children: and Eleazar and Ithamar did the work of priests before Aaron their father.

Easy English                          .

Easy-to-Read Version–2008  This is the family history of Aaron and Moses at the time the LORD talked to Moses on Mount Sinai. Aaron had four sons. Nadab was the firstborn son. Then there were Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. These sons were the chosen priests. They were given the special work of serving the LORD as priests. But Nadab and Abihu died while serving the LORD. They used fire that the LORD did not allow when they made an offering to him. So Nadab and Abihu died there, in the desert of Sinai. They had no sons, so Eleazar and Ithamar took their place and served the Lord as priests. This happened while their father Aaron was still alive.

God’s Word™                         This is the list of Aaron and Moses' descendants at the time when the LORD spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai. The names of Aaron's sons are Nadab (the firstborn), Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. These are the names of Aaron's sons, the anointed priests, who were ordained to serve as priests. Nadab and Abihu died in the LORD'S presence because they offered unauthorized fire in his presence in the Desert of Sinai. They had no children. So only Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests during the lifetime of their father Aaron.

Good News Bible (TEV)         This is the family of Aaron and Moses at the time the LORD spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai. Aaron had four sons: Nadab, the oldest, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. They were anointed and ordained as priests, but Nadab and Abihu were killed when they offered unholy fire to the LORD in the Sinai Desert. They had no children, so Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests during Aaron's lifetime.

The Message                         .

Names of God Bible               .

NIRV                                      .

New Simplified Bible              .

Thought-for-thought translations; dynamic translations; paraphrases:

Casual English Bible             .

Contemporary English V.       When the LORD talked with Moses on Mount Sinai, Aaron's four sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar, were the ones to be ordained as priests. But the LORD killed Nadab and Abihu in the Sinai Desert when they used fire that was unacceptable in their offering to the LORD. And because Nadab and Abihu had no sons, only Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests with their father Aaron.

The Living Bible                     .

New Berkeley Version           .

New Life Version                    .

New Living Translation           .

UnfoldingWord (Simplified)    These are some of the things that happened to Aaron and Moses when Yahweh spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai. Aaron had four sons. They were Nadab the oldest, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. These are the names of Aaron's sons who were anointed priests and set apart as priests and whom he ordained to serve as priests. But, while Yahweh was watching, Nadab and Abihu died in the wilderness of Sinai because they burned incense in a manner that was disobedient to what Yahweh had commanded. They had no sons, so Eleazar and Ithamar were the only sons of Aaron who were left to be priests, along with their father Aaron.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          .

Beck’s American Translation .

Common English Bible           .

New Advent (Knox) Bible       .

Translation for Translators     .

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Christian Standard Bible        .

Berean Study Bible                .

Conservapedia                       .

Revised Ferrar-Fenton Bible  .

God’s Truth (Tyndale)           .

The Heritage Bible                          These also are the generations of Aaron and Moses in the day Jehovah spoke with Moses in Mount Sinai.

And these are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab, the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

These, are the names of the sons of Aaron, the priests who were anointed, whose hand he filled to officiate in the priest’s office.

And Nadab and Abihu died before the face of Jehovah, when they brought near strange fire before the face of Jehovah in the desert of Sinai, and there were no children; and Eleazar and Ithamar officiated in the priest’s office before the face of Aaron, their father.

International Standard V                                              Aaron’s Descendants

(Leviticus 10:1-7)

This is a record of the genealogies [Lit. generations] of Aaron and Moses current as of [The Heb. lacks current as of] the day on which the Lord addressed Moses on Mount Sinai. The [Lit. These are the names of the] sons of Aaron were Nadab the first-born, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar who [Lit. These are the names of the sons of Aaron who] were anointed priests and whom he consecrated [Lit. filled their hands] as priests. Nadab and Abihu died in the Lord’s presence when they offered unauthorized [Lit. strange] fire before him [Lit. the Lord] in the Sinai wilderness. Since they didn’t have their own children, Eleazar and Ithamar ministered as priest under the authority of [Lit. priest before] Aaron their father.

Lexham English Bible            .

NIV, ©2011                             .

Unfolding Word Literal Text   .

Urim-Thummim Version         .

Wikipedia Bible Project          .

Catholic Bibles (those having the imprimatur):

Christian Community (1988)  The Tribe of Levi

• These are the descendants of Aaron and Moses, at the time when Yahweh spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai.

These are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab the eldest, then Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. 29; 30:22

These are the names of Aaron’s sons, priests anointed and invested with the powers of the priesthood. Nadab and Abihu died in the presence of Yahweh, in the desert of Sinai, when they offered fire that was unlawful. They left no children and so it fell to Eleazar and Ithamar to exercise the priesthood under their father Aaron. Lev 10

The footnote for this verse has been placed in the Addendum.

New American Bible(2011)    .

The Catholic Bible                  .

New Jerusalem Bible             .

NRSV (Anglicized Cath. Ed.) .

Revised English Bible–1989            .

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Complete Jewish Bible           .

exeGeses companion Bible   .

Hebraic Roots Bible               .

Kaplan Translation                 .

The Scriptures–2009              And these are the generations of Aharon and Mosheh when יהוה spoke with Mosheh on Mount Sinai.  And these are the names of the sons of Aharon: Naa, the first-born, and Aihu, El‛azar, and Ithamar.  These are the names of the sons of Aharon, the anointed priests, whom he ordained to act as priests.  And Naa and Aihu had died before יהוה when they brought strange fire before יהוה in the Wilderness of Sinai. And they had no children. So El‛azar and Ithamar acted as priests in the presence of Aharon their father.

Tree of Life Version                These are the generations of Aaron and Moses current at the time Adonai spoke to Moses at Mount Sinai. These are the names of Aaron’s sons: Nadab the first-born, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the anointed kohanim whom he consecrated to be priests. But Nadab and Abihu died before Adonai for offering unauthorized fire before Adonai in the Sinai wilderness—they had no children. So Eleazar and Ithamar served as kohanim under Aaron their father.

Weird English, Olde English, Anachronistic English Translations:

Alpha & Omega Bible            AND THESE ARE THE GENERATIONS OF AARON AND MOSES, IN THE DAY IN WHICH JESUS SPOKE TO MOSES IN MOUNT SINAI.

AND THESE ARE THE NAMES OF THE SONS OF AARON; NADAB THE FIRST-BORN; AND ABIUD, ELEAZAR AND ITHAMAR.

THESE ARE THE NAMES OF THE SONS OF AARON, THE ANOINTED PRIESTS WHOM THEY CONSECRATED TO THE PRIESTHOOD.

AND NADAB AND ABIUD DIED BEFORE JESUS, WHEN THEY OFFERED STRANGE FIRE BEFORE JESUS, IN THE DESERT OF SINAI; AND THEY HAD NO CHILDREN; AND ELEAZAR AND ITHAMAR MINISTERED IN THE PRIESTS' OFFICE WITH AARON THEIR FATHER.

Awful Scroll Bible                   These are the generations of Aaron and Moses, in the day Sustains To Become is to speak with Moses on Mount Sinai.

These are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab, the first born, and Abi-hu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

Even are these the names of the sons of Aaron, the priests, that are being anointed, and are to have fulfilled their part in the priesthood.

Nadab and Abi-hu were to die turned before Sustains To Become as they are to bring near that being strange fire, turned before Sustains To Become while in the wilderness of Sinai. His sons Eleazar and Ithamar were to minister as priests, being supervised by Aaron, their father.

Concordant Literal Version    These are the genealogical records of Aaron and Moses, on the day Yahweh spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai.

And these were the names of the sons of Aaron:the firstborn Nadab, then Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.

These were the names of the sons of Aaron, the anointed priests, whose hands he filled to serve as priests.

Yet Nadab and Abihu died before Yahweh when they brought near alien fire before Yahweh in the wilderness of Sinai. They did not come to have sons, so Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests in the presence of Aaron their father.

exeGeses companion Bible   PRIESTS OF THE SONS OF YISRA EL

And these are the generations

of Aharon and Mosheh

in the day Yah Veh worded with Mosheh

in mount Sinay.

And these are the names of the sons of Aharon:

Nadab the firstbirth and Abi Hu,

El Azar and Iy Thamar.

These are the names of the sons of Aharon,

the priests which were anointed,

whose hand he filled to priest the priesthood.

And Nadab and Abi Hu die at the face of Yah Veh

when they oblate strange fire at the face of Yah Veh

in the wilderness of Sinay:

and they have no sons:

and El Azar and Iy Thamar priest the priesthood

at the face of Aharon their father.

Orthodox Jewish Bible           These also are the toldot of Aharon and Moshe in the yom that Hashem spoke with Moshe in Mt. Sinai.

And these are the shmot of the Bnei Aharon: Nadav the bechor, and Avihu, Eleazar, and Itamar [Vayikra 10].

These are the shmot of the Bnei Aharon, the kohanim hameshuchim whose hand he filled [i.e., ordained] to be kohen [Shemot 29; Vayikra 8].

And Nadav and Avihu died before Hashem, when they offered eish zarah (unauthorized fire) before Hashem, in the midbar of Sinai, and they had no children; and Eleazar and Itamar ministered in the kohen's office in the sight of Aharon their av [Vayikra 10].

Rotherham’s Emphasized B. .

Expanded/Embellished Bibles:

The Amplified Bible                .

The Expanded Bible              .

Kretzmann’s Commentary    .

Lexham English Bible            Aaron’s Sons

These are the genealogies of Aaron and Moses at the time [Literally “on a day”] when Yahweh spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai. These are the names of the descendants of Aaron: Nadab the firstborn, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. These are the names of the descendants of Aaron, the priests, the anointed ones whom he consecrated as priests. [Literally “he filled their hands to serve as a priest”] Nadab and Abihu died before Yahweh [Literally “before the face of Yahweh”] when they presented a strange fire before Yahweh [Literally “before the face of Yahweh”] in the desert of Sinai, and they had no children. [Literally “sons were not for them”] Eleazar and Ithamar served as priest during the presence of Aaron their father.

Syndein/Thieme                     .

The Voice                               .

Bible Translations with Many Footnotes:

The Complete Tanach           .

The Geneva Bible                  .

Kaplan Translation                 Genealogy of Aaron

These are the chronicles of Aaron and Moses on the day that God spoke to Moses at Mount Sinai:

These are the names of Aaron's sons: Nadav (the first-born), Avihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.

These are the names of Aaron's sons who were the anointed priests, installed to serve.

Nadav and Avihu died before God when they offered unauthorized fire to God in the Sinai Desert. They had no children. Thus, [only] Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests during their father Aaron's lifetime. The Kaplan Translation, particularly in Numbers through Deuteronomy, takes note of historic rabbinic opinions.

Nadav...

See Exodus 6:23.

Nadav and Avihu died...

Leviticus 10:1,2.

during...

(Rashi). Literally, 'on the face of'.

NET Bible®                             .

New American Bible(2011)    .

Rotherham’s Emphasized B.                   § 3. The Numbering of the Levites as the Substituted Tribe.

Chapter 3.

Now ||these|| were the pedigrees of Aaronˎ and Moses,—in the day when Yahweh spake with Mosesˎ in Mount Sinai. And ||these|| are the names of the sons of Aaron—|the firstborn| Nadab,—and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. ||These||^a are the names of the sons of Aaronˎ the priests that were anointed,—who were installed to minister as priests.

But Nadab and Abihu diedʹ before Yahwehˎ when they brought near strange fire before Yahwehˎ in the desert of Sinai,^b and <sons> had they none,— so then Eleazar and Ithamar ministered as priestsˎ in the presence of Aaron their father.

^a Some cod. (w. one pr. edn., Sam. MS., Onk. MS., and Syr.) have: “and these”—G.n.

^b Lev. x. 1–7.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

A Faithful Version                  .

C. Thomson Updated OT       .

Charles Thomson OT            Now this is the genealogy of Aaron and Moses. On the day when the Lord spoke to Moses at mount Sina, these were the names of Aaron's sons, Nadab his first born, and Abiud, Eleazar and Ithamar. These were the names of Aaron's sons who were anointed priests, whose hands were consecrated to minister in the priest's office. But Nadab and Abiud died in the presence of the Lord, upon their offering strange fire before the Lord, in the wilderness of Sina, and they had no children; so Eleazar and Ithamar officiated as priests with their father.

Context Group Version          .

English Standard Version      .

Green’s Literal Translation    .

Legacy Standard Bible           .

Literal Standard Version        .

Modern English Version         .

Modern Literal Version 2020  Now these are the genealogies of Aaron and Moses in the day that Jehovah spoke with Moses in Mount Sinai: And these are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab the firstborn and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the priests who were anointed, whom he consecrated to minister in the priest's office. And Nadab and Abihu died before Jehovah when they offered strange fire before Jehovah in the wilderness of Sinai and they had no sons. And Eleazar and Ithamar ministered in the priest's office in the presence of Aaron their father.

New American Standard B.    .

New European Version          .

New King James Version       .

Niobi Study Bible                   .

Revised Mechanical Trans.    ...and these are the birthings of Aharon and Mosheh in the day YHWH spoke with Mosheh on the hill of Sinai, and these are the titles of the sons of Aharon, the firstborn is Nadav, and Aviyhu, Elazar and Iytamar. These are the titles of the sons of Aharon, the smeared administrators, who filled his hand^[846] to be adorned, and Nadav died, and Aviyhu, to the face of YHWH in their bringing near strange fire to the face of YHWH in the wilderness of Sinai, and sons did not exist for them, so Elazar was adorned, and Iytamar, in place of Aharon their father,...

846. To “fill the hand” is an idiom of uncertain meaning, but the same phrase is used in Akkadian to mean the placing of a relevant tool or insignia (such as a scepter for a king) in the hand of one being installed in a high office.

Updated Bible Version 2.17   .

A Voice in the Wilderness      .

Webster’s Bible Translation  .

World English Bible                .

Young's Literal Translation     .

Young's Updated LT              .

The gist of this passage: 

Translation: And these [are] the genealogies of Aaron, and Moses, in the day [that] Y^ehowah spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai.

Tôwl^edôth (תּוֹלְדֹת) [pronounced tohl^e-DOTH] means generations and usually refers to the account of a man and his descendants (as BDB puts it). Strong’s #8435 BDB #410. The writer is not the person at the top of the list, but he is often either at the end of the list or he is the second to the last. In the book of Genesis, the author generally began with a far ancestor and worked his way down to himself. Genealogy is a good modern translation (Young uses the word births). We are used to seeing the emphasis upon Moses and when Moses and Aaron are named in Scripture, Moses comes first. However, in v. 2, we will examine the line of Aaron, so he takes precedence in this verse.

The very common word used here is the feminine plural construct of tôwl^edôth (תּוֹלְדֹת) [pronounced tohl^e-DOTH], which means, generations, results, proceedings, genealogies, history, course of history; origin; families; races; records. Strong’s #8435 BDB #410. The first four verses will recap information which has been given before (in the book of Leviticus). Much of the rest of the chapter will reference sons three and four, as well as the tribe of Levi in general.

From here halfway through Numbers 10, the responsibilities of the priests and Levites will be discussed (among other things).

Moses will remarry (you may recall that things were not so rosy with his wife from Midian). It does not appear that Moses’ sons are even with him at this time. In the Torah, they are only found by name in Exodus 2 and 18. They are mentioned again in 1Chronicles 23 and 26 (their inclusion in 1Chronicles suggests that, at some point, they became a part of nation Israel). I do not believe there is any information about any sons with his second wife.

In other words, even though this speaks of the genealogies of Aaron and Moses, we are going to look at Aaron’s sons for the most part and their responsibilities.

Numbers 3:1 And these [are] the genealogies of Aaron, and Moses, in the day [that] Y^ehowah spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

This is a title of sorts, one which we have seen repeated several times throughout the book of Genesis. What this often connoted was there was a new author and he was about to cover his own genealogical information which would end with himself or with his sons.

Translation: These [are] the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab, the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.

Aaron had four sons: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.

Numbers 3:2 These [are] the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab, the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

You will notice that for the past book plus two chapters, we have been reading one long extended quote from God to Moses or to the people of Israel. It was certainly given over various points in time for the past several weeks and now Moses records some personal information. This begins in this verse and continues in v. 17.

Translation: These [are] the names of Aaron’s sons, the priests, the anointed ones, whom he has filled their hands to serve (as priests).

Aaron was getting quite old. His sons would be given the responsibility to serve as priests.

Numbers 3:3 These [are] the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab, the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. These [are] the names of Aaron’s sons, the priests, the anointed ones, whom he has filled their hands to serve (as priests). (Kukis mostly literal translation)

When one receives a responsibility or is ordained into an office, this is spoken of as filling one's hand. The last word is the verb cognate for the noun priest; we have no easy way to translate this word except to perform the duties of a priest, to function as a priest, to perform priestly functions. Just bear in mind that is one word.

Translation: Now Nadab and Abihu died before Y^ehowah when they approached [with] strange fire before Y^ehowah in the wilderness of Sinai.

We have a wâw consecutive here and in v. 4c, and I think this simply indicates the order in which these two events took place. The imperfect tense of the verbs which follow does not refer to continuous action. That is, Nadab and Abihu did not keep on coming before the Lord. They came near once, apparently with an incense concoction of their own making, and this was completely unacceptable to God. God laid out exactly what could be brought before Him.

Translation: They did not have sons (themselves).

Generally speaking, the priestly line goes from father to son. The position of high priest would go from Aaron to Nadab to his son, but Nadab died the sin unto death before God, and he had no sons. His younger brother also did not have sons. Therefore, the priesthood would go to their younger brothers and their sons.

At some point, there will develop two lines of priests, the sons of Eleazar and the sons of Ithamar. If memory serves, the Tabernacle was in northern Israel while David was king being served by one priest. However, David seemed to have an unofficial worship tent where he was in Jerusalem with a priest from the other line. David simply wanted a closer relationship with God, and this was more difficult, since the Tabernacle was in the north (I am not sure if I know the reason why David did not simply move the Tabernacle to the south). Now that I am thinking about it, the Ark of the Covenant was not at the Tabernacle, but kept somewhere else. People would touch it in order to try to move it, and they would die. David studied, learned how it could be moved, and then moved it to Jerusalem. Well, David could not simply keep the Ark in his garage or in the palace; so he saw that a proper tent was constructed for it. If there is going to be a tent dedicated to God, then there needs to be someone in charge of this, and so this is how a second head priest was established in Jerusalem.

Numbers 3:4a-b Now Nadab and Abihu died before Y^ehowah when they approached [with] strange fire before Y^ehowah in the wilderness of Sinai. They did not have sons (themselves). (Kukis mostly literal translation)

Translation: Consequently, Eleazar and Ithamar served (as priests) before Aaron, their father. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

As a result, Eleazar and Ithamar serves as priests.

Numbers 3:4c Consequently, Eleazar and Ithamar served (as priests) before Aaron, their father. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

Moses has written an awful lot of material and realizing that one may just pick up this portion of God's Word in the middle and begin reading, Moses gives a brief history of what happened to the first two sons of Aaron (Leviticus 10:1–2).

Numbers 3:1–4 And these [are] the genealogies of Aaron, and Moses, in the day [that] Y^ehowah spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai. These [are] the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab, the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. These [are] the names of Aaron’s sons, the priests, the anointed ones, whom he has filled their hands to serve (as priests). Now Nadab and Abihu died before Y^ehowah when they approached [with] strange fire before Y^ehowah in the wilderness of Sinai. They did not have sons (themselves). Consequently, Eleazar and Ithamar served (as priests) before Aaron, their father. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

Numbers 3:1–4 What follows are the records of Aaron and Moses when Jehovah spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai. Aaron had four sons: Nadab the firstborn, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. The first two were, as Aaron’s sons, the next generation of priests, anointed ceremonially. Aaron gave them this responsibility. However, Nadab and Abihu both died because they brought unauthorized first before Jehovah in the wilderness of Sinai. Now, because they did not have sons themselves, their younger siblings, Eleazar and Ithamar, served as priests under the guidance of Aaron their father. (Kukis paraphrase)

——————————

Here is how others have translated this passage:

Ancient texts:

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And so speaks Y^ehowah with Moses, to say, “Bring near a tribe of Levi and cause to stand him to faces of Aaron the priest and they will serve him. And they will guard his charge and a charge of all the congregation to faces of a Tent of Appointment to serve a service of the Dwelling Place and they have guarded all artifacts of a Tent of Appointment and [they have guarded] a watch of the sons of Israel, to serve a service of the Dwelling Place.

Dead Sea Scrolls                   .

Jerusalem targum                  .

Targum (Onkelos)                  .

Targum (Pseudo-Jonathan)   .

Aramaic Targum                    .

The Psalms Targum              .

Updated Douay-Rheims         .

Douay-Rheims 1899 (Amer.) And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

Bring the tribe of Levi, and make them stand in the sight of Aaron the priest to minister to him, and let them watch,

And observe whatsoever appertaineth to the service of the multitude before the tabernacle of the testimony,

And let them keep the vessels of the tabernacle, serving in the ministry thereof.

Aramaic ESV of Peshitta        Mar-Yah spoke to Mosha, saying,

"Bring the tribe of Levi near, and set them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister to him.

They shall keep his requirements, and the requirements of the whole congregation before the Tabernacle, to do the service of the Tabernacle.

They shall keep all the furnishings of the Tabernacle, and the obligations of the B'nai Yisrael, to do the service of the Tabernacle.

Original Aramaic Psalms        .

V. Alexander’s Aramaic T.     .

Plain English Aramaic Bible   .

Lamsa’s Peshitta (Syriac)     .

Samaritan Pentateuch           .

Updated Brenton (Greek)       And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

Take the tribe of Levi, and you shall set them before Aaron the priest, and they shall minister to him,

and shall keep his charges, and the charges of the children of Israel, before the tabernacle of witness, to do the works of the tabernacle.

And they shall keep all the furniture of the tabernacle of witness, and the charges of the children of Israel as to all the works of the tabernacle.

Significant differences: 

Limited Vocabulary Translations:

Bible in Basic English             And the Lord said to Moses, 

Make the tribe of Levi come near, and put them before Aaron the priest, to be his helpers, 

In order that they may be responsible to him and to all Israel for the care of the Tent of meeting, and to do the work of the House; 

And they will have the care of all the vessels of the Tent of meeting, and will do for the children of Israel all the necessary work of the House.

Easy English                          .

Easy-to-Read Version–2008  The LORD said to Moses, "Bring all the men from the tribe of Levi. Bring them to Aaron the priest. These men will be his helpers. The Levites will help him when he serves at the Meeting Tent. And they will help all the Israelites when they come to worship at the Holy Tent. The Israelites should protect everything in the Meeting Tent; it is their duty. But the Levites will serve the Israelites by caring for these things. This will be their way of serving at the Holy Tent.

God’s Word™                         The LORD said to Moses, "Bring the tribe of Levi, and have them stand in front of the priest Aaron to assist him. They will work for him and the whole community in front of the tent of meeting, doing what needs to be done for the inner tent. They will take care of all the furnishings in the tent of meeting and work for the Israelites, doing what needs to be done for the inner tent..

Good News Bible (TEV)         The LORD said to Moses, "Bring forward the tribe of Levi and appoint them as servants of Aaron the priest. They shall do the work required for the Tent of my presence and perform duties for the priests and for the whole community. They shall take charge of all the equipment of the Tent and perform the duties for the rest of the Israelites.

The Message                         .

Names of God Bible               .

NIRV                                      .

New Simplified Bible              .

Thought-for-thought translations; dynamic translations; paraphrases:

Casual English Bible             .

Contemporary English V.       The LORD said to Moses: Assign the Levi tribe to Aaron the priest. They will be his assistants and will work at the sacred tent for him and for all the Israelites. The Levites will serve the community by being responsible for the furnishings of the tent..

The Living Bible                     .

New Berkeley Version           .

New Life Version                    .

New Living Translation           .

The Passion Translation        .

Unfolding Bible Simplified      Then Yahweh said to Moses, "Bring the men of the tribe of Levi and present them to Aaron, in order that they may assist him. They will serve Aaron and all the other Israelite people, while they do their work inside the sacred tent and outside it. They must serve all the Israelite people by taking care of all the things that are inside the sacred tent.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          .

Beck’s American Translation .

Common English Bible           .

New Advent (Knox) Bible       .

Translation for Translators     .

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Berean Study Bible                . attending

Christian Standard Bible        .

Conservapedia Translation    .

Revised Ferrar-Fenton Bible  .

God’s Truth (Tyndale)           .

The Heritage Bible                          And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,

Bring near the tribe of Levi, and stand them before the face of Aaron the priest, that they may minister to him.

And they shall hedge about his guard duty, and the guard duty of the whole congregation before the face of the tent of appointed meeting to do the work of the tabernacle.

And they shall hedge about all the implements of the tent of appointed meeting and the guard duty of the children of Israel to do the work of the tabernacle.

International Standard V        .

H. C. Leupold                         .

Lexham English Bible            .

NIV, ©2011                             .

Unfolding Bible Literal Text    .

Urim-Thummim Version         YHWH spoke to Moses saying, Bring the tribe of Levi near, and you will cause them to stand before Aaron the priest, that they may wait upon him. And they will observe his charge, and the charge of the whole nation before the Tabernacle at the Appointed Place, to perform the service of the Tabernacle. They will guard all the articles of the Tabernacle at the Appointed Place, and the obligation of the children of Israel to do the service of the Tabernacle.

Wikipedia Bible Project          .

Catholic Bibles (those having the imprimatur):

Christian Community (1988)  . laid

New American Bible (2011)   .

The Catholic Bible                  .

New Jerusalem Bible             .

NRSV (Anglicized Cath. Ed.) .

Revised English Bible–1989   .

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Complete Jewish Bible           .

exeGeses companion Bible   .

Hebraic Roots Bible               .

Kaplan Translation                 Status of the Levites

God spoke to Moses, saying:

Bring forth the tribe of Levi, and present it to Aaron the priest, so that [its members] shall serve him.

They shall safeguard My trust and the trust of the entire community involving the Communion Tent, performing any necessary service in the Tabernacle.

They shall guard all the Communion Tent's furniture, along with [everything else] that the Israelites have entrusted for the Tabernacle's service.

The Scriptures–2009              And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying, “Bring the tribe of Lěwi near, and set them before Aharon the priest, and they shall serve him, and shall guard his duty and the duty of all the congregation before the Tent of Appointment, to do the service of the Dwelling Place. 

“And they shall guard all the furnishings of the Tent of Appointment, and the duty of the children of Yisra’ěl, to do the service of the Dwelling Place.

Tree of Life Version                Then Adonai spoke to Moses saying, “Gather the tribe of Levi near, and appoint them to attend to Aaron the kohen. They are to keep watch over duties for him and the entire community before the Tent of Meeting while performing the service of the Tabernacle. They are to tend to all the implements of the Tent of Meeting and the service of Bnei-Yisrael while performing the service of the Tabernacle.

Weird English, Olde English, Anachronistic English Translations:

Alpha & Omega Bible            AND JESUS SPOKE TO MOSES, SAYING,

TAKE THE TRIBE OF LEVI, AND YOU SHALL SET THEM BEFORE AARON THE PRIEST, AND THEY SHALL MINISTER TO HIM,

AND SHALL KEEP HIS CHARGES, AND THE CHARGES OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, BEFORE THE TABERNACLE OF WITNESS, TO DO THE WORKS OF THE TABERNACLE.

AND THEY SHALL KEEP ALL THE FURNITURE OF THE TABERNACLE OF WITNESS, AND THE CHARGES OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL AS TO ALL THE WORKS OF THE TABERNACLE.

Awful Scroll Bible                   Sustains To Become was to speak to Moses, to the intent:

Be drawing near the branch of Levi, a drawing near, even are they to have stationed themselves, turned before Aaron, the priest! They are to have ministered under him,

and are to have observed the obligations, and the functions to the assembly, turned toward the tent of the appointed place, to work the service of the dwelling place.

They are to have kept the implements, of the tent of the appointed place, and the functions to the sons of Contends-with-he-mighty to work the service of the dwelling place.

Concordant Literal Version    Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying. Bring near the stock of Levi and stand them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister to him. For they will keep charge for him and charge for the whole congregation before the tent of appointment to serve in the service of the tabernacle. They will keep all the furnishings of the tent of appointment and the charge for the sons of Israel to serve in the service of the tabernacle.

exeGeses companion Bible   And Yah Veh words to Mosheh, saying,

Oblate the rod of Levi

and stand them at the face of Aharon the priest

to minister to him.

Have them guard their guard

and the guard of the whole witness

at the face of the tent of the congregation

to serve the service of the tabernacle:

and guard all the instruments

of the tent of the congregation

and the guard of the sons of Yisra El

to serve the service of the tabernacle:.

Orthodox Jewish Bible           And Hashem spoke unto Moshe, saying,

Bring the tribe of Levi near [i.e., present them as offerings are presented], and present them before Aharon HaKohen, that they may minister unto him [i.e., help, be of service to him].

And they [the Levi'im] shall be shomer mishmeret (watch the watch, keep the guard duty) for him and for the mishmeret kol HaEdah (duty of the whole Congregation) before the Ohel Mo'ed, to do avodat HaMishkan (the work, service of the Mishkan).

And they shall be shomer mishmeret over kol klei Ohel Mo'ed (all the vessels, furnishings of the Ohel Mo'ed) for the Bnei Yisroel, doing the avodat HaMishkan (work of the Mishkan).

Rotherham’s Emphasized B. .

Expanded/Embellished Bibles:

The Amplified Bible                .

The Expanded Bible              .

International Standard V        Appointment of the Descendants of Levi as Priests

The Lord told Moses, “Bring the tribe of Levi near and present them to Aaron the priest so they may serve him. They are to take care of his needs and the needs of the whole congregation at the Tent of Meeting by performing duties [Or work] at the tent. They are to take charge of the utensils at the Tent of Meeting and meet the needs of the Israelis by performing duties on behalf of the tent.

Kretzmann’s Commentary    

Lexham English Bible            Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Bring near the tribe of Levi, and set the tribe [Literally “cause it to stand”] before Aaron [Literally “in the presence of Aaron”] the priest, and they will minister to him. They shall observe his duties and the duties of the entire community before the tent of assembly, to do the work of the tabernacle. And they will keep all the vessels of the tent of assembly and the responsibilities of the Israelites, [Literally “sons/children of Israel”] to do the work [Or “service”] of the tabernacle.

Syndein/Thieme                     .

The Voice                               .

Bible Translations with Many Footnotes:

The Complete Tanach           .

The Geneva Bible                  .

Kaplan Translation                 .

NET Bible®                             .

New American Bible (2011)   .

New Catholic Bible                 .

Rotherham’s Emphasized B. Then spake Yahweh unto Moses, saying—

Bring near the tribe of Levi,^c and thou shalt cause it to stand before Aaron the priest,—so shall they wait upon him; so shall they keep his chargeˎ and the charge of all the assembly, before the tent of meeting,—to do the laborious work of the habitation;

so shall they have charge of all the furniture^d of the tent of meeting, even the charge of the sons of Israel,^e—to do the laborious work of the habitation.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

A Faithful Version                  .

C. Thomson Updated OT       .

Charles Thomson OT            And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Take the tribe of Levi, and thou shalt present them before Aaron the priest, and they shall minister to him, and keep his watches, and the watches of the children of Israel before the tabernacle of the testimony, to do the works of the tabernacle. V. 8 will be placed with the next passage for context.

Context Group Version          . entire

English Standard Version      . guard

Green’s Literal Translation    .

Legacy Standard Bible           .

Literal Standard Version        And YHWH speaks to Moses, saying, “Bring the tribe of Levi near, and you have caused it to stand before Aaron the priest, and they have served him, and kept his charge, and the charge of all the congregation before the Tent of Meeting, to do the service of the Dwelling Place; and they have kept all the vessels of the Tent of Meeting, and the charge of the sons of Israel, to do the service of the Dwelling Place; and you have given the Levites to Aaron and to his sons; they are surely given to him out of the sons of Israel. V. 9 is included for context.

Modern English Version         .

Modern Literal Version 2020  And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying, Bring the tribe of Levi near and set them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister to him. And they will keep his charge and the charge of the whole congregation before the tent of meeting, to do the service of the tabernacle. And they will keep all the furniture of the tent of meeting and the charge of the sons of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle.

New American Standard B.    .

New European Version          .

New King James Version       .

Niobi Study Bible                   . instruments

Owen's Translation                .

Revised Mechanical Trans.    ...and YHWH spoke to Mosheh saying, bring near the branch of Lewi, and you will make him stand to the face of Aharon the administrator, and they will minister with him, and they will safeguard his charge and the charge of all the company to the face of the appointed tent, to serve with the service of the dwelling, and they will safeguard all the utensils of the appointed tent, and the charge of the sons of Yisra'eyl, to serve with the service of the dwelling,...

Updated Bible Version 2.17   .

A Voice in the Wilderness      .

Webster’s Bible Translation  .

World English Bible                Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Bring the tribe of Levi near, and set them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister to him.  They shall keep his requirements, and the requirements of the whole congregation before the Tent of Meeting, to do the service of the tabernacle.  They shall keep all the furnishings of the Tent of Meeting, and the obligations of the children of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle.

Young's Literal Translation     .

Young’s Updated LT             .

The gist of this passage: 

5-8

Translation: And Y^ehowah spoke with Moses, saying,...

God probably speaks to Moses in the Tabernacle, and I would suspect that this takes place every day or every few days.

Unlike before, this will be a relatively short quotation.

Translation: ...“Bring near the tribe of Levi and make them stand before Aaron the priest so that they will serve him.

We just studied how the Levites would not be taking part in the wars of Israel. They would be protected on all sides by the twelve tribes of Israel, but this did not mean that they were without responsibility. So Moses as to bring all of the Levites to stand before Aaron.

It probably would take many sessions with groups of 1000–5000 Levites. However many that could be brought out before Aaron at one time. Then Aaron and Moses would explain to them their responsibilities.

Numbers 3:5–6 And Y^ehowah spoke with Moses, saying, “Bring near the tribe of Levi and make them stand before Aaron the priest so that they will serve him. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

Aaron only had two sons and there was far too much to do with the sacrifices to think about doing anything else. They did not have the time to move the articles of furniture and the rest of the tabernacle. Therefore, God will assign certain responsibilities to the Levites. There is a great many things about the Levite tribe in this book and this book ought to have been named Leviticus.