Numbers 3

Numbers · Chapter 3

Numbers 3:12

1These also are the generations of Aaron and Moses in the day that the LORD spake with Moses in mount Sinai.2And these are the names of the sons of Aaron; Nadab the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.3These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the priests which were anointed, whom he consecrated to minister in the priest’s office.4And Nadab and Abihu 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 priest’s office in the sight of Aaron their father.5And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,6Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister unto him.7And they shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole congregation before the tabernacle of the congregation, to do the service of the tabernacle.8And they shall keep all the instruments of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the charge of the children of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle.9And thou shalt give the Levites unto Aaron and to his sons: they are wholly given unto him out of the children of Israel.10And thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall wait on their priest’s office: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.11And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,12And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn that openeth the matrix among the children of Israel: therefore the Levites shall be mine;13Because all the firstborn are mine; for on the day that I smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I hallowed unto me all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast: mine shall they be: I am the LORD.14And the LORD spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying,15Number the children of Levi after the house of their fathers, by their families: every male from a month old and upward shalt thou number them.16And Moses numbered them according to the word of the LORD, as he was commanded.17And these were the sons of Levi by their names; Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari.18And these are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families; Libni, and Shimei.19And the sons of Kohath by their families; Amram, and Izehar, Hebron, and Uzziel.20And the sons of Merari by their families; Mahli, and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to the house of their fathers.21Of Gershon was the family of the Libnites, and the family of the Shimites: these are the families of the Gershonites.22Those that were numbered of them, according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, even those that were numbered of them were seven thousand and five hundred.23The families of the Gershonites shall pitch behind the tabernacle westward.24And the chief of the house of the father of the Gershonites shall be Eliasaph the son of Lael.25And the charge of the sons of Gershon in the tabernacle of the congregation shall be the tabernacle, and the tent, the covering thereof, and the hanging for the door of the tabernacle of the congregation,26And the hangings of the court, and the curtain for the door of the court, which is by the tabernacle, and by the altar round about, and the cords of it for all the service thereof.27And of Kohath was the family of the Amramites, and the family of the Izeharites, and the family of the Hebronites, and the family of the Uzzielites: these are the families of the Kohathites.28In the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, were eight thousand and six hundred, keeping the charge of the sanctuary.29The families of the sons of Kohath shall pitch on the side of the tabernacle southward.30And the chief of the house of the father of the families of the Kohathites shall be Elizaphan the son of Uzziel.31And their charge shall be the ark, and the table, and the candlestick, and the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary wherewith they minister, and the hanging, and all the service thereof.32And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall be chief over the chief of the Levites, and have the oversight of them that keep the charge of the sanctuary.33Of Merari was the family of the Mahlites, and the family of the Mushites: these are the families of Merari.34And those that were numbered of them, according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, were six thousand and two hundred.35And the chief of the house of the father of the families of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail: these shall pitch on the side of the tabernacle northward.36And under the custody and charge of the sons of Merari shall be the boards of the tabernacle, and the bars thereof, and the pillars thereof, and the sockets thereof, and all the vessels thereof, and all that serveth thereto,37And the pillars of the court round about, and their sockets, and their pins, and their cords.38But those that encamp before the tabernacle toward the east, even before the tabernacle of the congregation eastward, shall be Moses, and Aaron and his sons, keeping the charge of the sanctuary for the charge of the children of Israel; and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.39All that were numbered of the Levites, which Moses and Aaron numbered at the commandment of the LORD, throughout their families, all the males from a month old and upward, were twenty and two thousand.40And the LORD said unto Moses, Number all the firstborn of the males of the children of Israel from a month old and upward, and take the number of their names.41And thou shalt take the Levites for me (I am the LORD) instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel; and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstlings among the cattle of the children of Israel.42And Moses numbered, as the LORD commanded him, all the firstborn among the children of Israel.43And all the firstborn males by the number of names, from a month old and upward, of those that were numbered of them, were twenty and two thousand two hundred and threescore and thirteen.44And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,45Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle; and the Levites shall be mine: I am the LORD.46And for those that are to be redeemed of the two hundred and threescore and thirteen of the firstborn of the children of Israel, which are more than the Levites;47Thou shalt even take five shekels apiece by the poll, after the shekel of the sanctuary shalt thou take them: (the shekel is twenty gerahs:)48And thou shalt give the money, wherewith the odd number of them is to be redeemed, unto Aaron and to his sons.49And Moses took the redemption money of them that were over and above them that were redeemed by the Levites:50Of the firstborn of the children of Israel took he the money; a thousand three hundred and threescore and five shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary:51And Moses gave the money of them that were redeemed unto Aaron and to his sons, according to the word of the LORD, as the LORD commanded Moses.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
12And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn that openeth the matrix among the children of Israel: therefore the Levites shall be mine;“Behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel in place of every firstborn Israelite from the womb. The Levites belong to Me,And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the first-born that openeth the womb among the children of Israel; and the Levites shall be mine:

In context

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Original Hebrew words

EnglishHebrewSay itStrong'sMeaning
and Iוַאֲנִ֞יva-'a-NIH0589
me

אֲנָא (a.na) I (first pers. sing. -usually used for emphasis) Aramaic of a.ni (אֲנִי, אָֽנֹכִ֫י "I" H0589)

here!הִנֵּ֧הhi-NEHH2009
behold

הִנֵּה (hin.neh) behold, lo, see, if

I have takenלָקַ֣חְתִּיla-KACH-tiH3947G
to take: take

לָקַח (la.qach) : take 1) to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to take, take in the hand 1a2) to take and carry along 1a3) to take from, take out of, take, carry away, take away 1a4) to take to or for a person, procure, get, take possession of, select, choose, take in marriage, receive, accept 1a5) to take up or upon, put upon 1a6) to fetch 1a7) to take, lead, conduct 1a8) to take, capture, seize 1a9) to take, carry off 1a10) to take (vengeance) 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be captured 1b2) to be taken away, be removed …

the Levitesהַלְוִיִּ֗םhal-vi-YIMH3881
Levi

לֵוִי (le.viy.yi) Someone from the tribe of Levi living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.29.34; son of: Israel (H3478) and Leah (H3812); brother of: Reuben (H7205), Simeon (H8095), Judah (H3063), Issachar (H3485), Zebulun (H2074) and Dinah (H1783); half-brother of: Dan (H1835H), Naphtali (H5321), Gad (H1410), Asher (H0836), Joseph (H3130) and Benjamin (H1144); father of: Gershon (H1648), Kohath (H6955), Merari (H4847) and Jochebed (H3115) Another name of le.vi (לֵוִי "Levi" H3878) § Levite, of Levi "joined to" 1) the descendants of Levi, the 3rd son of Jacob by Leah …

from amongמִתּוֹךְ֙mi-toKhH8432
midst

תָּ֫וֶךְ (ta.vekh) 1) midst, middle 1a) midst, middle 1b) into, through (after verbs of motion) 1c) among (of a number of persons) 1d) between (of things arranged by twos) 1e) from among (as to take or separate etc)

[the] people ofבְּנֵ֣יbe-NEIH1121GNo entry
Israelיִשְׂרָאֵ֔לYIS-ra-'ELH3478
Jacob

יַעֲקֹב (ya.a.qov) A man living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.25.26; son of: Isaac (H3327) and Rebekah (H7259); brother of: Esau (H6215); married to Rachel (H7354), Leah (H3812), Zilpah (H2153) and Bilhah (H1090A); father of: Reuben (H7205), Simeon (H8095), Levi (H3878), Judah (H3063), Dan (H1835H), Naphtali (H5321), Gad (H1410), Asher (H0836), Issachar (H3485), Zebulun (H2074), Dinah (H1783), Joseph (H3130) and Benjamin (H1144); also called Jacob frequently Another name of yis.ra.el (יִשְׂרָאֵל "Israel" H3478) § Jacob = "heel holder" or "supplanter" …

in place ofתַּ֧חַתTA-chatH8478H
underneath: under

תַּחַת (ta.chat) : under/below 1) the under part, beneath, instead of, as, for, for the sake of, flat, unto, where, whereas n m 1a) the under part adv accus 1b) beneath prep 1c) under, beneath 1c1) at the foot of (idiom) 1c2) sweetness, subjection, woman, being burdened or oppressed (fig) 1c3) of subjection or conquest 1d) what is under one, the place in which one stands 1d1) in one's place, the place in which one stands (idiom with reflexive pronoun) 1d2) in place of, instead of (in transferred sense) 1d3) in place of, in exchange or return for (of things mutually interchanged) conj …

everyכָּל־kol-H3605
all

כֹּל (kol) 1) all, the whole 1a) all, the whole of 1b) any, each, every, anything 1c) totality, everything Aramaic equivalent: kol (כֹּל "all" H3606)

firstbornבְּכ֛וֹרbe-KHORH1060
firstborn

בְּכוֹר (be.khor) 1) firstborn, firstling 1a) of men and women 1b) of animals 1c) noun of relation (fig.)

[the] firstborn ofפֶּ֥טֶרPE-terH6363A
firstborn

פֶּ֫טֶר (pe.ter) firstborn, firstling, that which separates or first opens Also means: pit.rah (פִּטְרָה "firstborn" H6363B)

a wombרֶ֖חֶםRE-chemH7358
womb

רַחַם (ra.cham) womb Another spelling of re.chem (רֶ֫חֶם "womb" H7358)

from [the] people ofמִבְּנֵ֣יmi-be-NEIH1121GNo entry
Israelיִשְׂרָאֵ֑לYIS-ra-'ELH3478
Jacob

יַעֲקֹב (ya.a.qov) A man living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.25.26; son of: Isaac (H3327) and Rebekah (H7259); brother of: Esau (H6215); married to Rachel (H7354), Leah (H3812), Zilpah (H2153) and Bilhah (H1090A); father of: Reuben (H7205), Simeon (H8095), Levi (H3878), Judah (H3063), Dan (H1835H), Naphtali (H5321), Gad (H1410), Asher (H0836), Issachar (H3485), Zebulun (H2074), Dinah (H1783), Joseph (H3130) and Benjamin (H1144); also called Jacob frequently Another name of yis.ra.el (יִשְׂרָאֵל "Israel" H3478) § Jacob = "heel holder" or "supplanter" …

and they will belongוְהָ֥יוּve-HA-yuH1961
to be

הָיָה (ha.yah) 1) to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out 1a) (Qal) 1a1) --- 1a1a) to happen, fall out, occur, take place, come about, come to pass 1a1b) to come about, come to pass 1a2) to come into being, become 1a2a) to arise, appear, come 1a2b) to become 1a2b1) to become 1a2b2) to become like 1a2b3) to be instituted, be established 1a3) to be 1a3a) to exist, be in existence 1a3b) to abide, remain, continue (with word of place or time) 1a3c) to stand, lie, be in, be at, be situated (with word of locality) 1a3d) to accompany, be with 1b) (Niphal) …

the Levitesהַלְוִיִּֽם׃hal-vi-YIMH3881
Levi

לֵוִי (le.viy.yi) Someone from the tribe of Levi living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.29.34; son of: Israel (H3478) and Leah (H3812); brother of: Reuben (H7205), Simeon (H8095), Judah (H3063), Issachar (H3485), Zebulun (H2074) and Dinah (H1783); half-brother of: Dan (H1835H), Naphtali (H5321), Gad (H1410), Asher (H0836), Joseph (H3130) and Benjamin (H1144); father of: Gershon (H1648), Kohath (H6955), Merari (H4847) and Jochebed (H3115) Another name of le.vi (לֵוִי "Levi" H3878) § Levite, of Levi "joined to" 1) the descendants of Levi, the 3rd son of Jacob by Leah …

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.