Preface:    The three clans or branches of Levites are the descendants of Kohath, Gershom and Merari. Their responsibilities and their very specific census will be examined in this chapter.

The Bible Summary of Numbers 4 (in 140 characters or less): The Kohathites are to carry the most holy things. The Gershonites are to carry the coverings. The Merarites are to carry the frame.

There are many chapter commentaries on the book of Numbers. This will be the most extensive examination of Numbers 4, 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 4:

Introduction

         vv.     1–15         The Duties and Responsibilities of the Kohathites

         vv.    16–20         Specific Responsibilities of Eleazar, Moses and Aaron

         vv.    21–28         The Duties and Responsibilities of the Gershonites

         vv.    29–33         The Duties and Responsibilities of the Merarites

         vv.    34–45         Census of the Three Branches of the Levites

         vv.    46–49         Final Census Numbers for a Specific Age Group of Levites

Chapter Summary

Addendum

Charts, Graphics and Short Doctrines:

         Preface               Quotations

         Introduction         Titles and/or Brief Descriptions of Numbers 4 (by various commentators)

         Introduction         Brief, but insightful observations of Numbers 4 (various commentators)

         Introduction         Fundamental Questions About Numbers 4

         Introduction         The Prequel of Numbers 4

         Introduction 

         Introduction 

         Introduction         The Principals of Numbers 4

         Introduction         The Places of Numbers 4

         Introduction         By the Numbers

         Introduction         Timeline for Numbers 4

         Introduction         A Synopsis of Numbers 4

         Introduction         Outlines of Numbers 4 (Various Commentators)

         Introduction         A Synopsis of Numbers 4 from the Summarized Bible

         Introduction         The Big Picture (Numbers 1–4)

         Introduction 

         Introduction 

         Introduction         Changes—additions and subtractions (for Numbers 4)

         Introduction 

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         v.       4              So far, the organization of Numbers goes as follows

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         Summary            A Set of Summary Doctrines and Commentary

         Summary            Why Numbers 4 is in the Word of God

         Summary            What We Learn from Numbers 4

         Summary            Jesus Christ in Numbers 4

         Summary            Edersheim Summarizes Numbers 4

         Summary 

         Addendum          Footnote for Numbers 4:1 (Christian Community Bible)

         Addendum 

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         Addendum          Josephus’ History of this Time Period

         Addendum          A Complete Translation of Numbers 4

         Addendum          Doctrinal Teachers Who Have Taught Numbers 4

         Addendum          Word Cloud from a Reasonably Literal Paraphrase of Numbers 4

         Addendum          Word Cloud from Exegesis of Numbers 4

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An Introduction to Numbers 4

I ntroduction: Numbers 4 is one of the census chapters. The Levites were numbered, but not all of them. Specifically those who had responsibilities related to the Tabernacle were numbered. This would be those who are between the ages of thirty and fifty. They were not drafted into Israel’s army, but they were drafted into a spiritual service to God.

Numbers 4 deals even more specifically with the duties of the Levites; primarily it covers their responsibilities in the moving of the Tabernacle.

Although there is very limited application of many chapters of the books of Leviticus and Numbers, this all shows that God was complex, He was organized, and He set up a system that the Israelites would follow (for the most part) whether in a state of spiritual serenity or reversionism.

I must admit to being struck by just how specific all of these instructions are. Specific people are named, clans and branches are specified, and duties regarding the moving of the Tabernacle are laid out carefully. This moving would occur a number of times during the 39 years remaining in the desert-wilderness. However, the Tabernacle will be moved on occasion during the history of Israel. An example of this is, Saul came and killed most of the priests (one got away). The Tabernacle was moved right after that (if memory serves, it may have been moved closer to Saul and populated with pro-Saul priests). Later, when David is given power, he sets up somewhat of a shadow Tabernacle. Solomon, his son, will eliminate that duplication and build the Temple.

In any case, much of this chapter deals with the moving of the Tabernacle. Had this been written six hundred years later (or later than that), then few people would even be aware that such a thing as the Tabernacle even existed (Solomon built the Temple around 1000 b.c., which was the center of Hebrew worship from that point forward). The Temple was a building and it stayed in one place. The Tabernacle was designed to disassemble and move (whenever Israel moved in the desert-wilderness south of Canaan, the Tabernacle also had to be moved).

One of the allegations of the JEPD theory is that the priestly class, at one point, had a heavy influence on these writings (hundreds of years after the fact). There are huge portions of the Mosaic Law devoted to Tabernacle worship, which would not have been a thing during the time period JEPD theorists supposedly wrote. In fact, an idea for a theological thesis might be, explain why the Mosaic Law was not written in the 6^th century b.c., and not written in the 7^th century b.c., and not written in the 8^th century b.c., etc.

Tabernacle worship would continue for 500 years after this was first written; and Temple worship (begun circa 1000 b.c.) would have been built upon Tabernacle worship. Moving the Tabernacle and who was responsible for doing what—that would have been very important at the time Moses wrote the Law. With each century, the importance of these topics would have become less and less a factor. By the time of the writing of the Mosaic Law, according to the JEPD theory, perhaps as much as a quarter of the Mosaic Law would have been irrelevant to the people of Israel—particularly, to the Levites. If the Torah was written many centuries after Moses, as is alleged in the JEPD theory, then we have this inordinate amount of writing given over to a Tabernacle, something with which they would not have any familiarity. If memory serves, the pieces of the Tabernacle were kept inside of the Temple, but it was not set up or anything like that, and all of the furniture was now in the Temple and not in the Tabernacle.

Furthermore, again assuming that the Torah was written long after Moses, one would think that they would foreshadow the Temple in some ways. Temple worship was central to Israel during the time that the JEPD theory supposes that the Torah was written. Then why was there so much detail written about the Tabernacle; and yet not a word suggests that the Tabernacle will someday be replaced?

There is some prophetical material in the Torah (in Leviticus 26 in particular). If someone rejects that the Bible is actually from God, then they will reject prophecy. If they reject prophecy, then they must somehow explain it away. Well, one way of explaining Leviticus 26 away is to claim it was written after the fulfillment of Leviticus 26. Well, that was long after David and Solomon. When JEPD claims the Torah was written, the Tabernacle was not even a memory anymore. No one’s parents or grandparents or great grandparents or great-great grandparents had ever seen the Tabernacle. Yet huge chunks of the Torah are all about the Tabernacle. This makes perfect sense if Moses is the author and that the Torah was written in his day. It makes little sense that this was written hundreds of years later. And remember, the thing that a late writing of the Torah is supposed to explain? It explains why sometimes we find YHWH more than we find Elohim; and vice versa. At no time in my word-by-word study of any of the Law have I found it necessary to stop and say, YHWH is occurring a lot in this chapter; let’s worry about that for awhile. My point is, the JEPD theory is a solution to something which is not a problem. The JEPD theory explains something that really requires no explanation. The only reason I reference it is, this false theory is taught in many seminaries. However, as I have alleged many times, if a pastor-teacher receives a degree and believes in this theory, and then tries to teach it, he will empty out his church toot sweet. Whatever his coffers were, they will be half that within a month or two.

Satan desires to shake our confidence in the Word of God in any way possible. One of his approaches is the proffering of the JEPD theory. Most congregations would not stand for it to be taught in their church.

Let me come up with an analogy. There are all kinds of weird economic theories out there, like Keynesian Economics. The main people who believe these theories are economics majors in college. They are educated to the point where they set common sense aside and believe in how they were indoctrinated. When such students graduated and write for media outlets, the average person just rejects what they have to say, because it is so illogical. But fellow Keynesian economists agree, because that is how they have been taught.

The point that I am attempting to make is, a person can believe the goofiest things, if they are educated enough. Maybe I should have used evolution as the illustration instead?

Application: We are studying these things 3500 years after the fact. What do we get out of this? We worship a God Who is organized and methodical. If you have ever been to a holy roller church (a charismatic, tongues, healing church) the words organized and methodical do not apply.

I have not sat down and tabulated the chapters which were very specific to this period of time; and the stuff which was very specific to the Hebrew religious life for the next 500 years (give or take). However, as a wild guess, I would think at least a third of the Torah (which I count as Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy) is given over specifically to this period of time (from the giving of the Law to the time of David). And yet, it is claimed by some that a rather large group of people put together these Scriptures hundreds of years after David. Logically, this makes no sense. Not is there no overwhelming evidence for a late date assigned to the writing of these books of the Bible, but there is literally no evidence that such a thing is true.

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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The Duties and Responsibilities of the Kohathites

Compare Numbers 3:27-32 Numbers 4:34-37 1Chronicles 23:12-20

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 so speaks Y^ehowah unto Moses and Aaron, to say, “Lifting up a head of sons of Kohath from a midst of Levi to their families, to a house of their fathers, from a son of thirty a year and higher as far as a son of fifty a year, every one entering into the host in a Tent of Appointment.

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.) And the Lord spoke to Moses, and Aaron, saying:

Take the sum of the sons of Caath from the midst of the Levites, by their houses and families.

From thirty years old and upward, to fifty years old, of all that go in to stand and to minister in the tabernacle of the covenant.

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

"Take a census of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, by their families, by their fathers' houses,

from thirty years old and upward even until fifty years old, all who enter into the service, to do the work in the Tabernacle.

Lamsa’s Peshitta (Syriac)     .

V. Alexander’s Aramaic T.     .

Samaritan Pentateuch           .

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

Take the sum of the children of Kohath from the midst of the sons of Levi, after their families, according to the houses of their fathers' households;

from twenty-five years old and upward until fifty years, everyone that goes in to minister, to do all the works in the tabernacle of witness.

Significant differences: 

Limited Vocabulary Translations:

Bible in Basic English             And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 

Let the sons of Kohath, from among the sons of Levi, be numbered by their families, in the order of their fathers' houses; 

All those from thirty to fifty years old who are able to do the work of the Tent of meeting.

Easy English                          .

Easy-to-Read Version–2008  The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Count the men in the families of the Kohath family group. (The Kohath family group is a part of Levi's family group.) Count all the men from 30 to 50 years old who come to serve. These men will work in the Meeting Tent.

God’s Word™                         The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Take a census of the Levites who are descended from Kohath. List them by families and households. Register all the men between the ages of 30 and 50 who are qualified to work at the tent of meeting.

Good News Bible (TEV)         The LORD told Moses to take a census of the Levite clan of Kohath by subclans and families, and to register all the men between the ages of thirty and fifty who were qualified to work in the Tent of the LORD's presence.

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 told Moses and Aaron: Find out how many men between the ages of thirty and fifty are in the four Levite clans of Kohath. Count only those who are able to work at the sacred tent.

The Living Bible                     .

New Berkeley Version           .

New Life Version                    .

New Living Translation           .

UnfoldingWord (Simplified)    Then Yahweh said to Moses, "Write down the names of the men who belong to the clans descended from Kohath. Write the names of the men who are between 30 and 50 years old. These will be men who will do work at 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):

Christian Standard Bible        .

Berean Study Bible                .

Conservapedia                       .

Revised Ferrar-Fenton Bible  .

God’s Truth (Tyndale)           .

The Heritage Bible                 .

International Standard V        .

Lexham English Bible            .

NIV, ©2011                             .

Unfolding Word Literal Text             Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron. He said, "Conduct a census of the male descendants of Kohath from among the Levites, by their clans and families. Count all the men who are thirty to fifty years old. These men must join the company to serve in the tent of meeting.

Urim-Thummim Version         YHWH spoke to Moses and to Aaron saying, Take a tally of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, after their families, by the house of their fathers from 30 years old and up to 50 years old, all that enter into the service to do the work in the Tabernacle at the Appointed Place.

Wikipedia Bible Project          .

Catholic Bibles (those having the imprimatur):

Christian Community (1988)  The Levite families: the Kohathites

• Yahweh spoke to Moses and Aaron. He said: “Take a census of those Levites who are sons of Kohath, by sub-clans and families count all the men between thirty and fifty years of age, those able to give military service who will be given tasks in the Tent of Meeting.

The footnote for v. 1 is 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 יהוה spoke to Mosheh, and to Aharon, saying, “Take a census of the sons of Qehath from among the children of Lěwi, by their clans, by their fathers’ house, from thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old, all who enter the service to do the work in the Tent of Appointment..

Tree of Life Version                Adonai spoke to Moses and to Aaron saying, “Take a census of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, by their families and by their ancestral households, everyone from 30 years of age to 50, all who come to serve doing the work in the Tent of Meeting.

Weird English, Olde English, Anachronistic English Translations:

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

TAKE THE SUM OF THE CHILDREN OF CAATH FROM THE MIDST OF THE SONS OF LEVI, AFTER THEIR FAMILIES, ACCORDING TO THE HOUSES OF THEIR FOREFATHERS' HOUSEHOLDS;

FROM TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OLD AND UPWARD UNTIL FIFTY YEARS, EVERY ONE THAT GOES IN TO MINISTER, TO DO ALL THE WORKS IN THE TABERNACLE OF WITNESS.

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

You is to take the sum of the sons of Kohath, from among the sons of Levi, by their families, by the house of their fathers,

the thirty years old sons and upward, to the fifty years old sons, they coming in for the service, to effect their occupation in the tent of the appointed place.

Concordant Literal Version    Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying. You are to obtain the sum of the sons of Kohath from the midst of the sons of Levi by their families, by their fathers' house, from thirty years old and upward, unto fifty years old, all those coming to the Levitical host, to do the work in the tent of appointment.

exeGeses companion Bible   SERVICE OF THE SONS OF QEHATH

And Yah Veh words to Mosheh and to Aharon,

saying,

Bear the heads of the sons of Qehath

from among the sons of Levi,

by their families, by the house of their fathers,

sons of thirty years and upward to sons of fifty years,

all going to the host,

to work the work in the tent of the congregation.

Orthodox Jewish Bible           And Hashem spoke unto Moshe and unto Aharon, saying,

Take the census of the Bnei Kehat from among the Bnei Levi, after their mishpekhot, by the bais of their avot,

From shloshim shanah (thirty years old) and upward even until chamishim shanah (fifty years old), all that enter into the tz'va (holy militia of Hashem) to do the melachah (work) in the Ohel Mo'ed.

Rotherham’s Emphasized B.          § 4. The Numbering of the Levites for Active Serviceˎ under the Priests.

Chapter 4.

Then spake Yahweh unto Moses and unto Aaronˎ saying:

Reckon up the sum of the sons of Kohath, out of the midst of the sons of Levi,—by their familiesˎ by their ancestral house:

from thirty years oldˎ and upwards, even unto fifty years,—every one that can enter into the host, to do service in the tent of meeting.

Expanded/Embellished Bibles:

The Amplified Bible                .

The Expanded Bible              .

International Standard V        The Duties of the Descendants of Kohath

The Lord told Moses and Aaron, “Take a census [Lit. Lift the head] of the descendants of Kohath from among the descendants of Levi according to their tribes and ancestral houses from 30 years and older through the age of 50 years, from everyone who can enter the service to perform work at the Tent of Meeting.

Kretzmann’s Commentary    .

Lexham English Bible            The Census of the Kohathites

Yahweh spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, “Take a census [Literally “and lift up the number of”] of the descendants [Or “sons”] of Kohath from the midst of the descendants [Or “sons”] of Levi, according to their clans and their families, [Literally “the house of their fathers”] from thirty years old [Literally “a son of thirty years”] and above, up to fifty years old, [Literally “a son of fifty years”] everyone who comes to the service to do the work in the tent of assembly.

Syndein/Thieme                     .

The Voice                               .

Bible Translations with Many Footnotes:

The Complete Tanach           .

The Geneva Bible                  .

Kaplan Translation                 Duties for Kehoth

God spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:

Take a [special] census of the descendants of Kehoth among the Levites. [Take it] by families, following the paternal line.

[It shall include] those from 30 to 50 years old, all who enter service to work in the Communion Tent. The Kaplan Translation, particularly in Numbers through Deuteronomy, takes note of historic rabbinic opinions.

special

(Rashi). See Numbers 4:36.

NET Bible®                             .

New American Bible(2011)    .

Rotherham’s Emphasized B. .

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

C. Thomson Updated OT       .

Charles Thomson OT            Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying; Take the sum of the Kaathites, apart from the Levites, according to their communities, according to the houses of their families, from twenty five years and upwards, to fifty years, every one who goeth in to minister; to do all the services of the tabernacle of the testimony.

Context Group Version          .

English Standard Version      .

Green’s Literal Translation    .

Legacy Standard Bible           .

Literal Standard Version        . host

Modern English Version         .

Modern Literal Version 2020  And Jehovah spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, Take the total of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, by their families, by their fathers' houses, from thirty years old and upward even until fifty years old, all who enter upon the service, to do the work in the tent of meeting.

New American Standard B.    .

New European Version          .

New King James Version       .

Niobi Study Bible                   .

Revised Mechanical Trans.    ...and YHWH spoke to Mosheh and to Aharon saying, lift up the head^[850] of the sons of Qehat from the midst of the sons of Lewi, according their clans, according to the house of their fathers. From a son of thirty years and upward, and until a son of fifty years, each came for the army to do the business of the appointed tent.

850. “Lift up the head” is an idiom for “counting heads.”

Updated Bible Version 2.17   .

A Voice in the Wilderness      . head count

Webster’s Bible Translation  . most holy things

World English Bible                .

Young's Literal Translation     .

Young's Updated LT              .

The gist of this passage: 

Translation: Y^ehowah spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,...

Whenever God spoke about the Levites or the priests or the responsibilities of the Tabernacle, He often spoke to both Moses and Aaron.

Numbers 4:1 Y^ehowah spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,... (Kukis mostly literal translation)

Again, this is a direct quote from God. Whoever developed the idea of a red-lettered edition of the Bible did not take it far enough.

Translation: ...“Lift up a head count of the sons of Kohath, from the midst of Levi to their families regarding the house of their fathers,...

Rôʾsh (רֹאש or רֹאֶש) [pronounced rohsh], as we have seen, means shake, and it generally means head count, as an idiom, although it is used in several other ways. Strong's #7218 BDB #910. Initially, you should be confused; didn't we just take a census of the sons of Kohath? However, the key here is that this is an unfinished sentence.

This particular use of the verb nâsâʾ (נָשָׂא) [pronounced naw-SAW] (which means, to lift up, to bear, to carry); is not unique. Similar passages are given in the Hebrew exegesis table. Strong’s #5375 BDB #669.

There are three clans of the Levites, and each clan had a very specific set of responsibilities as laid out here and in the previous chapter.

Numbers 4:2 ...“Lift up a head count of the sons of Kohath, from the midst of Levi to their families regarding the house of their fathers,... (Kukis mostly literal translation)

Translation: ...from thirty years old and higher, as far as fifty years old, [for] every one entering into the service within the Tent of Meeting. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

The word here used for service is the same one used for the men entering the armed forces. The Levites are entering into a spiritual battle, the likes of which we learn from God's Word, but will never completely appreciate until we are face to face with the Lord.

This is to the Levites: from twenty-five years old and upward they will enter to perform service in the work of the ten of meeting; but at fifty years they will retire from service in the work and not work any more (Numbers 8:24–25). Apparently between ages twenty-five and thirty, the Levites went through an apprentice program of sorts.

A specific age range is given for the people of Kohath. They will have very specific responsibilities regarding the Tabernacle, which will be enumerated over the next portion of Numbers 4.

Numbers 4:3 ...from thirty years old and higher, as far as fifty years old, [for] every one entering into the service within the Tent of Meeting. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

Numbers 4:1–3 Y^ehowah spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, “Lift up a head count of the sons of Kohath, from the midst of Levi to their families regarding the house of their fathers, from thirty years old and higher, as far as fifty years old, [for] every one entering into the service within the Tent of Meeting. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

Numbers 4:1–3 Jehovah spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying these things: “Take a census of the Kohath males, one of the clans of Levi, with regards to their responsibilities. This will be a census to determine the number of men in Kohath who are between the ages of 30 and 50, as those will be the men who will enter into the service of the Tent of Meeting. (Kukis paraphrase)

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Here is how others have translated this passage:

Ancient texts:

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        This [is] work of sons of Kohath in a Tent of Appointment, a holy of the holies. And has come Aaron and his sons in a pulling up (of stakes), and they caused to go down a veil of the covering and they have covered in her an Ark of the Testimony. And they have given upon it a covering of a skin of a tachash and they have broken into pieces a garment of entirely violet from to higher and they have set his parts.

Dead Sea Scrolls                   .

Jerusalem targum                  .

Targum (Onkelos)                  .

Targum (Pseudo-Jonathan)   .

Aramaic Targum                    .

The Psalms Targum              .

Updated Douay-Rheims         .

Douay-Rheims 1899 (Amer.) This is the service of the sons of Caath:

When the camp is; to set forward, Aaron and his sons shall go into the tabernacle of the covenant, and the holy of holies, and shall take down the veil that hangeth before the door, and shall wrap up the ark of the testimony in it,

And shall cover it again with a cover of violet skins, and shall spread over it a cloth all of violet, and shall put in the bars.

Aramaic ESV of Peshitta        "This is the service of the sons of Kohath in the Tabernacle, the most holy things.

When the camp moves forward, Aaron shall go in, and his sons, and they shall take down the veil of the screen, and cover the ark of the Testimony with it,

and shall put a covering of sealskin on it, and shall spread over it a cloth all of blue, and shall put in its poles.

Original Aramaic Psalms        .

V. Alexander’s Aramaic T.     .

Plain English Aramaic Bible   .

Lamsa’s Peshitta (Syriac)     .

Samaritan Pentateuch           .

Updated Brenton (Greek)       And these are the works of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of witness; it is most holy.

And Aaron and his sons shall go in, when the camp is about to move, and shall take down the shadowing veil, and they shall cover with it the ark of the Testimony.

And they shall put a cover on it of blue skin, a garment of all blue, and they shall put the poles through the rings.

Significant differences: 

Limited Vocabulary Translations:

Bible in Basic English             And this is to be the work of the sons of Kohath in connection with the most holy things. 

When all the people go forward, Aaron is to go in with his sons, and take down the veil of the curtain, covering the ark of witness with it; 

And putting over it the leather cover and over that a blue cloth; and putting its rods in place.

Easy English                          .

Easy-to-Read Version–2008  Their job is to take care of the most holy things in the Meeting Tent.

"When the Israelites travel to a new place, Aaron and his sons must go into the Meeting Tent and take down the curtain and cover the Box of the Agreement with it. Then they must cover all of this with covering made from fine leather. Then they must spread the solid blue cloth over the leather and put the poles in the rings on the Holy Box.

God’s Word™                         "This is the work the Kohathites will do in the tent of meeting: They will take care of the most holy things. When the camp is supposed to move, Aaron and his sons will go in and take down the canopy that hangs over the ark containing the words of God's promise. First they will cover the ark with the canopy. Over this they will put a covering of fine leather. On top of that they will spread a cloth made entirely of violet material. Then they will put the poles in place.

Good News Bible (TEV)         Their service involves the most holy things. The LORD gave Moses the following instructions. When it is time to break camp, Aaron and his sons shall enter the Tent, take down the curtain in front of the Covenant Box, and cover the Box with it. They shall put a fine leather cover over it, spread a cloth of solid blue on top, and then insert the carrying poles.

The Message                         .

Names of God Bible               .

NIRV                                      .

New Simplified Bible              .

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

Casual English Bible             .

Contemporary English V.       The Kohathites will be responsible for carrying the sacred objects used in worship at the sacred tent. When the Israelites are ready to move their camp, Aaron and his sons will enter the tent and take down the curtain that separates the sacred chest from the rest of the tent. They will cover the chest with this curtain, and then with a piece of fine leather, and cover it all with a solid blue cloth. After this they will put the carrying poles in place.

The Living Bible                     .

New Berkeley Version           .

New Life Version                    .

New Living Translation           .

The Passion Translation        .

Unfolding Bible Simplified      The work of these descendants of Kohath will be to take care of the sacred items that are used when the people worship at the sacred tent. When you Israelites move to another location, Aaron and his sons must enter the tent to take down the curtain that separates the very holy place from the holy place in the sacred tent. They must cover the sacred chest with that curtain. Then they must cover that with a covering made from fine leather skins. Over that they must spread a blue cloth. Then they must insert into the rings on the chest the poles for carrying it.

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                .

Christian Standard Bible        .

Conservapedia Translation    .

Revised Ferrar-Fenton Bible  .

God’s Truth (Tyndale)           .

The Heritage Bible                          This shall be the work of the sons of Kohath in the tent of appointed meeting about the most holy things;

And when the camp pulls up, Aaron shall come and his sons, and they shall take down the covering veil, and cover the ark of testimony with it;

And shall give it the covering of badgers’ skins, and shall spread over it a cloth wholly of blue, and shall put in the separators. Note Ex 25:5.

International Standard V        .

H. C. Leupold                         .

Lexham English Bible            .

NIV, ©2011                             .

Unfolding Bible Literal Text    The descendants of Kohath must take care of the most holy things reserved for me in the tent of meeting. When the camp prepares to move forward, Aaron and his sons must go into the tent, take down the curtain that separates the most holy place from the holy place and cover the ark of the testimony with it. They must cover the ark with a piece of fine leather. They must spread a blue cloth over it. They must insert the poles to carry it.

Urim-Thummim Version         This will be the service of the sons of Kohath in the Tabernacle at the Appointed Place, concerning the Most Holy things. When the camp pulls up, Aaron and his sons will come and they will take down the covering veil, and cover the Ark of Testimony with it and will put on it the outer covering of animal hides, and will spread over it a cloth (entirely of blue), and will insert its bars in place.

Wikipedia Bible Project          .

Catholic Bibles (those having the imprimatur):

Christian Community (1988)  These are the duties of the sons of Kohath in the Tent of Meeting: they are to have charge of the most holy things. When it is time to move from the camp, Aaron and his sons are to come and take down the veil of the screen. With it they shall cover up the Ark of the Covenant. On top of this they shall put a covering of fine leather, and spread over the whole a cloth all of violet. Then they are to fix the poles to the ark.

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              “This is the service of the sons of Qehath in the Tent of Appointment, the most set-apart matters: 

“At the breaking of camp, Aharon and his sons shall come, and they shall take down the covering veil and cover the ark of the Witness with it, and shall put on it a covering of fine leather, and spread over that an all-blue wrapper, and shall insert its poles.

Tree of Life Version                This is the task of the sons of Kohath in the Tent of Meeting—the most holy things. Whenever the camp is about to move out, Aaron and his sons are to take down the shielding curtain and cover the Ark of the Testimony with it. Then they are to cover this with porpoise hide, then spread over it a cloth of solid blue. Then they are to put its poles in place.

Weird English, Olde English, Anachronistic English Translations:

Alpha & Omega Bible            AND THESE ARE THE WORKS OF THE SONS OF CAATH IN THE TABERNACLE OF WITNESS; IT IS MOST HOLY.

AND AARON AND HIS SONS SHALL GO IN, WHEN THE CAMP IS ABOUT TO MOVE, AND SHALL TAKE DOWN THE SHADOWING VEIL, AND SHALL COVER WITH IT THE ARK OF THE TESTIMONY.

AND THEY SHALL PUT ON IT A COVER, EVEN A BLUE SKIN, AND PUT ON IT ABOVE A GARMENT ALL OF BLUE, AND SHALL PUT THE STAVES THROUGH THE RINGS.

Awful Scroll Bible                   Even is this to be the service of the sons of Kohath, in the tent of the appointed place, the set apart set apart.

As the camp is to pull out, Aaron is to have come in, and his sons, and they are to have taken down the screening veil, and are to have covered the ark of the testimony.

and are to have put a covering of sea cow hide on it, and are to have spread over it a garment completely violet, and are to have placed its poles.

Concordant Literal Version    This is the carrier service of the sons of Kohath in the tent of appointment:the holy of holies. For Aaron will come in, and his sons, when the camp is to journey, and they will take down the portiere curtain and cover the coffer of the testimony with it. They will put on it a cover of azure hide and spread over it a cloth wholly of blue from above and put its poles in place.

exeGeses companion Bible   This is the service of the sons of Qehath

in the tent of the congregation,

the holy of holies:

and when the camp pulls stakes,

Aharon and his sons come

and lower the covering veil

and cover the ark of witness with it:

and give thereon the covering of skins of badgers

and spread over it a cloth totally blue

and put in the staves thereof:...

Orthodox Jewish Bible           This shall be the Avodat Bnei Kehat in the Ohel Mo'ed: kodesh hakodashim (the most holy things);

And when the machaneh (camp) setteth forward, Aharon shall come, and his banim, and they shall take down the Parochet (veil) of the screen, and cover the Aron HaEdut (Ark of the Testimony) with it;

And shall put thereon the tachash hide covering, and shall spread over it a cloth wholly sky-blue violet, and shall put in the carrying poles thereof.

Rotherham’s Emphasized B. .

Expanded/Embellished Bibles:

The Amplified Bible                .

The Expanded Bible              .

International Standard V        “Here’s what the descendants of Kohath are to do regarding the Tent of Meeting and what’s inside the Most Holy Place: When the camp is about to travel, Aaron and his sons are to come and take down the veil of the curtain and cover the Ark of the Testimony with it. They are to set a leather-dyed [Or porpoise; or fine leather] skin covering over it, cover it with a pure blue cloth, and then insert its poles.

Kretzmann’s Commentary    

Lexham English Bible            This is the work of the descendants [Or “sons”] of Kohath in the tent of assembly, concerning the holiness of the sanctuary: When setting out the camp, Aaron and his sons will go and lower the curtain of the covering and cover with it the ark of the testimony. [Or “the ark of the covenant”] They will put on it a covering of fine leather, [Literally “the hide of a sea cow”] and they will spread a cloth of perfect blue over it, and they will place its poles.

Syndein/Thieme                     .

The Voice                               .

Bible Translations with Many Footnotes:

The Complete Tanach           .

The Geneva Bible                  .

Kaplan Translation                 The following is the service of Kehoth's descendants in the Communion Tent. It is the holy of holies.

When the camp is about to travel, Aaron and his sons shall come and take down the partition drape, using it to cover the Ark of Testimony.

They shall then place a cover of blue-processed skins over it, and on top of that, a cloth of pure sky blue wool. They shall then put its carrying poles in place.

partition drape

The drape over the Holy of Holies. See Numbers 3:31.

blue processed skins

Tachash in Hebrew. See note on Exodus 25:5.

put its carrying poles in place

See Numbers 4:8, 4:11, 4:14. In other cases, the Torah means that the poles had been removed, and replaced, but in the case of the ark, the poles were not to be removed (Exodus 25:15). Therefore, in the case of the ark, the poles were merely adjusted (Baaley Tosafoth; Ramban; Meiri on Yoma 72a). Others say that the rings were placed into slots in the poles, so that they would not slip (Chizzkuni). Others say that there was one set of decorative poles that could not be removed, and another set that were used to move the ark (Tosafoth, Yoma 72a, s.v. Kethiv; see note on Exodus 25:12). Others say that the poles were moved from the top rings to the bottom rings when the ark was carried (Ibn Ezra on Exodus 25:12). According to others, the poles were now set in place on the shoulders of the Levites (Ibn Ezra).

NET Bible®                             .

New American Bible (2011)   .

New Catholic Bible                 .

Rotherham’s Emphasized B. ||This|| shall be the labour of the sons of Kohathˎ in the tent of meeting,—||the most holy things||. So then Aaron and his sons shall enterˎ when the camp is to set forward, and take down the screeningʹ veil,—and enwrap therein the ark of the testimony; and put thereon a covering of badgers’ skin, and spread^a a complete wrapper of blueˎ over above,—and put in the staves thereof.

^a Some cod. (w. Sam. and Sep.) add: “thereupon”—G.n.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

A Faithful Version                  This shall be the service of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation, the most holy place.  And when the camp sets forth, Aaron and his sons shall come, and they shall take down the covering veil and cover the ark of testimony with it.  And they shall put on it the covering of tanned leather skins, and shall spread over it a cloth wholly of blue, and shall put in its staves.

C. Thomson Updated OT       .

Charles Thomson OT            Now these are the services of the Kaathites in the tabernacle of the testimony, a most sacred service. When the camp is about to remove, Aaron shall go in with his sons, and they shall take down the covering veil, and with it cover the ark of the testimony, and put thereon the covering of blue skins; and over it they shall spread a mantle, wholly blue, and put in the staves.

Context Group Version          This is the service of the sons of Kohath in the tent of meeting, [about] the most special things: when the camp sets forward, Aaron shall go in, and his sons, and they shall take down the veil of the screen, and cover the ark of the testimony with it, and shall put on it a covering of sealskin, and shall spread over it a cloth of all blue, and shall put in the poles.

English Standard Version      This is the service of the sons of Kohath in the tent of meeting: the most holy things. When the camp is to set out, Aaron and his sons shall go in and take down the veil of the screen and cover the ark of the testimony with it. Then they shall put on it a covering of goatskin and spread on top of that a cloth all of blue, and shall put in its poles.

Green’s Literal Translation    . dugong

Legacy Standard Bible           .

Literal Standard Version        . tachash

Modern English Version         .

Modern Literal Version 2020  This is the service of the sons of Kohath in the tent of meeting, about the most holy things:
When the camp sets forward, Aaron will go in and his sons and they will take down the veil of the screen and cover the ark of the testimony with it. And will put on it a covering of certain skin and will spread over it a cloth all of blue and will put in the staves of it.

New American Standard B.    .

New European Version          .

New King James Version       .

Niobi Study Bible                   .

Owen's Translation                .

Revised Mechanical Trans.    ...This is the service of the sons of Qehat in the appointed tent, the special of specials^[851], and Aharon will come, and his sons, in the journeying of the camp, and they will bring down the tent curtain of the screen, and they will cover over the box of the evidence with her, and they will place upon him the outer covering of skin of the deer, and they will spread out the garment, entirely of blue, above, and they will place his strands,...

851. The phrase “special of specials” means a “very special thing, one or place.”

Updated Bible Version 2.17   .

A Voice in the Wilderness      This is the service of the sons of Kohath in the tent of meeting, regarding the set apart, holy things: When the camp sets out, Aaron and his sons shall come, and they shall take down the covering veil, and cover the ark of the Testimony with it. And they shall put on it a covering of badger skins, and spread over that a cloth entirely of violet; and they shall insert its poles.

Webster’s Bible Translation  .

World English Bible                . sealskin

Young's Literal Translation     .

Young’s Updated LT             .

The gist of this passage: 

4-6

Translation: This is the service of the sons of Kohath in the Tent of Meeting [and] the Holy of Holies:...

The three clans will have very specific duties when it comes to dismantling and moving the Tent of Meeting. The Holy of Holies is a portion of the Tabernacle.

Translation: ...Aaron and his sons have come when [all Israel] is to break camp (and move out).

When it is time to break camp and move out, Aaron and his sons will come on the scene to break down and move the entire Tabernacle complex.

Numbers 4:4–5a This is the service of the sons of Kohath in the Tent of Meeting [and] the Holy of Holies: Aaron and his sons have come when [all Israel] is to break camp (and move out). (Kukis mostly literal translation)

This will be a list of the services that they will perform, primarily with respect to the moving of the tabernacle. The Kohathites have one of the most sacred positions of responsibility—they will be handling the furniture of the Holy Place and from the Holy of Holies. However, they are not to touch it directly (v. 15) or even look at it (v. 20); or they will be executed by God. The Kohathites were under the direct supervision of Aaron and his sons, who would help to keep them from violating God's holiness.

There is a continual emphasis in the Old Testament on the absolute holiness of God and the fact that man can have no direct contact with God. Those who claim to have a casual, friendly relationship with God the Father or with Jesus Christ have not read the Scriptures and do not realize how painfully sinful we are in the light of His perfection.

Translation: They have brought down the veil of covering and they have covered the Ark of Testimony with it.

Between the sanctuary and the Holy of Holies (the two sections of the Tabernacle), there is a veil. That veil separates these two sections. For the most part, no one was to go into the Holy of Holies except the high priest once a year (on the Day of Atonement).

When the Tabernacle must be moved, then the sons of Kohath will go into the Tabernacle and take down the curtain or veil between the two sections.

Now, even though people were not allowed to simply walk into the Tabernacle, everyone there knew what they were dealing with because they took part in the building and assembling of the Tabernacle. They have already assembled the Tabernacle; so now they will disassemble it (when camp Israel is to move).

This veil is used to cover the Ark of Testimony (which comes out of the Holy of Holies). At this point in the process, the Ark is simply left there in place.

Given the size of this veil (it stretched out across the entire width of the Tabernacle), I would assume that it would completely cover the Ark of Testimony.

Numbers 4:5b They have brought down the veil of covering and they have covered the Ark of Testimony with it. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

The veil hanging between the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies is used to cover the ark.

Translation: And they will place on it the covering of the tachash skins. Also they have separated into pieces the entirely violet cloth from above and they have set in its poles. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

There are four layers to the roof of the Tabernacle. The top layer is made from badger (?) skins. That layer was to be removed and placed over the Ark.

The bottom layer of the roof is made from violate cloth and this can be apparently taken down and divided into its individual parts.

The poles in the Ark remain in the Ark. They are adjusted with the intent of lifting up the Ark and the things covering it, and moving it to the next location.

To remind you, all Israel is, right at this point, in the Sinai desert-wilderness. They are not yet in their land and they are at least one year out of Egypt.

Numbers 4:6 And they will place on it the covering of the tachash skins. Also they have separated into pieces the entirely violet cloth from above and they have set in its poles. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

We do not know really what kind of a skin is being talked about here. Various translations use badger or dolphin; so you can see there is no real agreement. The poles being placed are those poles which are used in order to carry the ark. The idea here is simple: the Ark represents Jesus Christ, and what was seen of the Ark, the gold plating, represented His deity. Man cannot look directly upon God’s deity, due to man’s inherent sinfulness. Therefore, the Ark had to be covered when it was moved. We have one incident when the Ark was transported on the orders of King David, that one of the men reached out to steady the Ark, and God struck him dead for that irreverence (2Samuel 6:2–7).

Numbers 4:4–6 This is the service of the sons of Kohath in the Tent of Meeting [and] the Holy of Holies: Aaron and his sons have come when [all Israel] is to break camp (and move out). They have brought down the veil of covering and they have covered the Ark of Testimony with it. And they will place on it the covering of the tachash skins. Also they have separated into pieces the entirely violet cloth from above and they have set in its poles. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

Numbers 4:4–6 The sons of Kohath will have the following responsibilities with regards to the Tent of Meeting and the Holy of Holies. When all Israel is going to break camp and move out, Aaron and his sons will come to dismantle the entire Tabernacle. The veil which separates the holy place will be taken down and placed on top of the Ark of Testimony. On top of that, they will place the covering of the badger skins (which were used as part of the roof for the Tabernacle). The bottom layer of roof is the all violate cloth and that will be broken down into its component parts as well. They will adjust the poles for the Ark, preparing to move the Ark. (Kukis paraphrase)

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Here is how others have translated this passage:

Ancient texts:

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And upon a table of the faces, they will spread out a garment of violet and they will give upon him the dishes and the bowls and the cups and jugs of the libation and bread of the continuity upon him he keeps on being. And they spread out upon them a garment of worm-dye of scarlet; and they have covered him in a covering of a skin of leather and they have placed his parts.

Dead Sea Scrolls                   .

Jerusalem targum                  .

Targum (Onkelos)                  .

Targum (Pseudo-Jonathan)   .

Aramaic Targum                    .

The Psalms Targum              .

Updated Douay-Rheims         .

Douay-Rheims 1899 (Amer.) They shall wrap up also the table of proposition in a cloth of violet, and shall put with it the censers and little mortars, the cups and bowls to pour out the libations: the loaves shall be always on it:

And they shall spread over it a cloth of scarlet, which again they shall cover with a covering of violet skins, and shall put in the bars.

Aramaic ESV of Peshitta        "On the table of show bread they shall spread a blue cloth, and put on it the dishes, the spoons, the bowls, and the cups with which to pour out; and the continual bread shall be on it.

They shall spread on them a scarlet cloth, and cover the same with a covering of sealskin, and shall put in its poles.

Original Aramaic Psalms        .

V. Alexander’s Aramaic T.     .

Plain English Aramaic Bible   .

Lamsa’s Peshitta (Syriac)     .

Samaritan Pentateuch           .

Updated Brenton (Greek)       And they shall put on the table set forth for showbread a cloth all of purple, and the dishes, and the censers, and the cups, and the vessels with which one offers drink offerings; and the continual loaves shall be upon it.

And they shall put upon it a scarlet cloth, and they shall cover it with a blue covering of skin, and they shall put the poles into it.

Significant differences: 

Limited Vocabulary Translations:

Bible in Basic English             And on the table of the holy bread they are to put a blue cloth, and on it all the vessels, the spoons and the basins and the cups; and the holy bread with them; 

And over them they are to put a red cloth, covering it with a leather cover, and putting its rods in their places.

Easy English                          .

Easy-to-Read Version–2008  "Then they must spread a blue cloth over the holy table. Then they must put the plates, spoons, bowls, and the jars for drink offerings on the table. Put the special bread on the table. Then you must put a red cloth over all these things, cover everything with fine leather, and put the poles in the rings of the table.

God’s Word™                         "They will spread a violet cloth over the table of the presence and put on it the plates, dishes, bowls, and pitchers for the wine offerings. The bread that is always in the LORD'S presence will also be on it. They will spread a bright red cloth over everything on the table. They will cover all this with fine leather. Then they will put the poles in place.

Good News Bible (TEV)         They shall spread a blue cloth over the table for the bread offered to the LORD and put on it the dishes, the incense bowls, the offering bowls, and the jars for the wine offering. There shall always be bread on the table. They shall spread a red cloth over all of this, put a fine leather cover over it, and then insert the carrying poles.

The Message                         .

Names of God Bible               .

NIRV                                      .

New Simplified Bible              .

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

Casual English Bible             .

Contemporary English V.       Next, Aaron and his sons will use another blue cloth to cover the table for the sacred bread. On the cloth they will place the dishes, the bowls for incense, the cups, the jugs for wine, as well as the bread itself. They are to cover all of this with a bright red cloth, and then with a piece of fine leather, before putting the carrying poles in place.

The Living Bible                     .

New Berkeley Version           .

New Life Version                    .

New Living Translation           .

The Passion Translation        .

Unfolding Bible Simplified      Then they must put a blue cloth over the table on which the priests will put the bread to display before God. On top of the cloth they must put the bowls for incense, the pans, the other dishes, the jars for the wine that will be offered as a sacrifice, and the sacred bread. Over all of this they must spread a scarlet cloth. Finally, they must put on top a covering made from fine leather skins. Then they must insert into the rings at the corners of the tables the poles for carrying it.

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                .

Christian Standard Bible        .

Conservapedia Translation    .

Revised Ferrar-Fenton Bible  .

God’s Truth (Tyndale)           .

The Heritage Bible                          And upon the table of his face they shall spread out a cloth of blue, and put on it the dishes, and the spoons, and the bowls, and covers to cover it; and the continuous bread shall be on it; Note, Ex 25:30.

And they shall spread over them a cloth of crimson, and cover the same with a covering of badgers’ skins, and shall put in its separators.

International Standard V        .

H. C. Leupold                         .

Lexham English Bible            .