NUM 1

Numbers 1:49

WEB

“Only the tribe of Levi you shall not count, neither shall you take a census of them among the children of Israel;

BSB

“Do not number the tribe of Levi in the census with the other Israelites.

KJV

Only thou shalt not number the tribe of Levi, neither take the sum of them among the children of Israel:

Matthew Henry

Verses 47–54

Numbers 1:47–54

Care is here taken to distinguish from the rest of the tribes the tribe of Levi, which, in the matter of the golden calf, had distinguished itself, Exo 32:26. Note, Singular services shall be recompensed with singular honours. Now,

I. It was the honour of the Levites that they were made guardians of the spiritualities; to them was committed the care of the tabernacle and the treasures thereof, both in their camps and in their marches. 1. When they moved the Levites were to take down the tabernacle, to carry it and all that belonged to it, and then to set it up again in the place appointed, Num 1:50, Num 1:51. It was for the honour of the holy things that none should be permitted to see them, or touch them, but those only who were called of God to the service. Thus we all are unfit and unworthy to have fellowship with God until we are first called by his grace into the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, and so, being the spiritual seed of that great high priest, are made priests to our God; and it is promised that God would take Levites to himself, even from the Gentiles, Isa 66:21. 2. When they rested the Levites were to encamp round about the tabernacle (Num 1:50, Num 1:53), that they might be near their work, and resident upon their charge, always ready to attend, and that they might be a guard upon the tabernacle, to preserve it from being either plundered or profaned. They must pitch round about the tabernacle, that there be no wrath upon the congregation, as there would be if the tabernacle and the charge of it were neglected, or those crowded upon it that were not allowed to come near. Note, Great care must be taken to prevent sin, because the preventing of sin is the preventing of wrath.

II. It was their further honour that as Israel, being a holy people, was not reckoned among the nations, so they, being a holy tribe, were not reckoned among other Israelites, but numbered afterwards by themselves, Num 1:49. The service which the Levites were to do about the sanctuary is called (as we render it in the margin) a warfare, Num 4:23. And, being engaged in that warfare, they were discharged from military services, and therefore not numbered with those that were to go out to war. Note, Those that minister about holy things should neither entangle themselves, nor be entangled, in secular affairs. The ministry is itself work enough for a whole man, and all little enough to be employed in it. It is an admonition to ministers to distinguish themselves by their exemplary conversation from common Israelites, not affecting to seem greater, but aiming to be really better, every way better than others.

Cross-references: Exod 32:26 · Num 1:50 · Num 1:51 · Isa 66:21 · Num 1:53 · Num 1:49 · Num 4:23

Hebrew interlinear

H389

אַךְʼak/ak/

adv — affirmation, surely, only

Derivation: akin to 403;

a particle of affirmation, surely; hence (by limitation) only

KJV: also, in any wise, at least, but, certainly, even, howbeit, nevertheless, notwithstanding, only, save, surely, of a surety, truly, verily, wherefore, yet (but).

אַךְ

adv — surely

אַךְ 159 adv. 1. surely. 2. with a restrictive force, emphasizing what follows

H853

אֵתʼêth/ayth/

prt — self, even, namely

Derivation: apparent contracted from 226 in the demonstrative sense of entity;

properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)

KJV: [as such unrepresented in English].

אֵת

mark of the accusative

אֵת the mark of the accusative, prefixed as a rule only to nouns that are definite

H4294

מַטֶּהmaṭṭeh/mat-teh'/

n-m — branch, extending, tribe, rod, correction, sceptre, lance, staff, support

Derivation: or (feminine) מַטָּה; from 5186;

a branch (as extending); figuratively, a tribe; also a rod, whether for chastising (figuratively, correction), ruling (a sceptre), throwing (a lance), or walking (a staff; figuratively, a support of life, e.g. bread)

KJV: rod, staff, tribe.

מַטֶּה

n.m — branch

מַטֶּה 251 n.m.

1. staff, rod, shaft

2. branch

3. tribe

H3878

לֵוִיLêvîy/lay-vee'/

n-pr-m — Levi

Derivation: from 3867; attached;

Levi, a son of Jacob

KJV: Levi. See also 3879, 3881.

לֵוִי

n.pr.m — Levi

לֵוִי n.pr.m. Levi

H3808

לֹאlôʼ/lo/

adv — not, no

Derivation: or לוֹא; or לֹה; (Deuteronomy 3:11), a primitive particle;

not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles

KJV: × before, or else, ere, except, ig(-norant), much, less, nay, neither, never, no((-ne), -r, (-thing)), (× as though...,(can-), for) not (out of), of nought, otherwise, out of, surely, as truly as, of a truth, verily, for want, whether, without.

לֹא

adv — not

לֹא or לוֹא adv. not

H6485

פָּקַדpâqad/paw-kad'/

v n-m — visit, oversee, muster, charge, care for, miss, deposit

Derivation: a primitive root;

to visit (with friendly or hostile intent); by analogy, to oversee, muster, charge, care for, miss, deposit, etc.

KJV: appoint, × at all, avenge, bestow, (appoint to have the, give a) charge, commit, count, deliver to keep, be empty, enjoin, go see, hurt, do judgment, lack, lay up, look, make, × by any means, miss, number, officer, (make) overseer, have (the) oversight, punish, reckon, (call to) remember(-brance), set (over), sum, × surely, visit, want.

פָּקַד

vb — attend to

פָּקַד 303 vb. attend to, visit, muster, appoint

Qal

A.

1.

a. pay attention to, observe (with care, practical interest)

b. attend to, in act, see to

c. seek (with interest, desire)

d. seek in vain, need, miss, lack

2. specif. visit, c. acc., for different purposes

3. c. עַל pers., visit upon

4. pass in review, muster (nearly = number), c. acc.

B. appoint

Niph.

1. be (sought, i.e. needed) missed, lacking

2. be visited (graciously)

3. be visited upon, עַל pers.

4. be appointed

Pi. (intens.) muster a host

Pu. be passed in review; be caused to miss, deprived

Hithp. be mustered

Hothp. id.

Hiph.

1. c. acc. pers. set (over), make overseer

2. c. acc. rei (implic.)

a. commit, entrust

b. deposit

Hoph.

1. be visited in punishment

2. be deposited

3. be made overseer

פְּקוּדִים

n.pl.[m.] abstr — musterings

[פְּקוּדִים] n.pl.[m.] abstr. musterings, i.e. expenses;—cstr. Ex 38:21

H7218

רֹאשׁrôʼsh/roshe/

n-m — head

Derivation: from an unused root apparently meaning to shake;

the head (as most easily shaken), whether literal or figurative (in many applications, of place, time, rank, itc.)

KJV: band, beginning, captain, chapiter, chief(-est place, man, things), company, end, × every (man), excellent, first, forefront, (be-)head, height, (on) high(-est part, (priest)), × lead, × poor, principal, ruler, sum, top.

רֹאשׁ

n.pr.gent — Rôsh

רֹאשׁ n.pr.gent. Rôsh

רֹאשׁ

n.m — head

רֹאשׁ 599 n.m.

1.

a. (c. 230 t.) head, of human being

b. head, of animals

2.

a. top (88 t.)

b. height, of stars

3.

a. head = chief (man)

b. = chief (city)

c. chief nation

d. = chief (place, position)

e. = chief priest

f. = head of a family

4.

a. head = front, leader's place

b. of time, beginning, of night watch

c. of things, river-heads

5. chief, choicest, best, of spices

6. head = division of army, company, band

7. = sum, esp. in phr. take sum of, enumerate

8. other phr.

H5375

נָשָׂאnâsâʼ/naw-saw'/

v — lift

Derivation: or נָסָה; (Psalm 4:6 [7]), a primitive root;

to lift, in a great variety of applications, literal and figurative, absolute and relative

KJV: accept, advance, arise, (able to, (armor), suffer to) bear(-er, up), bring (forth), burn, carry (away), cast, contain, desire, ease, exact, exalt (self), extol, fetch, forgive, furnish, further, give, go on, help, high, hold up, honorable ( man), lade, lay, lift (self) up, lofty, marry, magnify, × needs, obtain, pardon, raise (up), receive, regard, respect, set (up), spare, stir up, swear, take (away, up), × utterly, wear, yield.

נָשָׂא

vb — lift

נָשָׂא 656 vb. lift, carry, take

Qal

1. lift, lift up

2. Bear, carry

3. Take, take away

Niph.

1. be lifted up

2. refl. lift oneself up = rise up, of י׳, to display power in judgment

3. be borne, carried

4. be taken away, carried off

Pi.

1. lift up = exalt

2. fig. = desire, long

3. carry, bear continuously

4. take, take away

Hithp. lift oneself up

Hiph.

1. cause one to bear iniquity

2. appar. cause to bring, have brought

H8432

תָּוֶךְtâvek/taw'-vek/

n-m — bisection, centre

Derivation: from an unused root meaning to sever;

a bisection, i.e. (by implication) the centre

KJV: among(-st), × between, half, × (there-, where-), in(-to), middle, mid(-night), midst (among), × out (of), × through, × with(-in).

תָּ֫וֶךְ

subst — midst

תָּ֫וֶךְ 416 subst. midst

H1121

בֵּןbên/bane/

n-m — son

Derivation: from 1129;

a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.)

KJV: afflicted, age, (Ahoh-) (Ammon-) (Hachmon-) (Lev-) ite, (anoint-) ed one, appointed to, ( ) arrow, (Assyr-) (Babylon-) (Egypt-) (Grec-) ian, one born, bough, branch, breed, (young) bullock, (young) calf, × came up in, child, colt, × common, × corn, daughter, × of first, firstborn, foal, very fruitful, postage, × in, kid, lamb, ( ) man, meet, mighty, nephew, old, ( ) people, rebel, robber, × servant born, × soldier, son, spark, steward, stranger, × surely, them of, tumultuous one, valiant(-est), whelp, worthy, young (one), youth.

בֵּן

n.m — son

בֵּן 4870 n.m. son

1. son, male child, born of a woman

2. children (male and female)

3. youth, young men

4. the young of animals

5. of plant shoots

6. fig. of lifeless things, sparks, stars, arrows

7.

a. member of a guild, order or class

b. of animals son of (the) herd

8. ב׳ as n. relat. followed by word of quality, characteristic, etc.

9. n. relat. of age

בְּנוֹ

n.pr.m — his son

בְּנוֹ 1 Ch 24:26, 27 as n.pr.m. in AV, RV, but render: the sons of Jaaziah his son, & the sons of Merari by Jaaziah his son, cf. VB & Be Öt.

H3478

יִשְׂרָאֵלYisrâʼêl/yis-raw-ale'/

n-pr-m — he will rule as God, Jisraël

Derivation: from 8280 and 410;

he will rule as God; Jisraël, a symbolical name of Jacob; also (typically) of his posterity

KJV: Israel.

יִשְׂרָאֵל

n.pr.m — Israel

יִשְׂרָאֵל 2507 n.pr.m. et gent. Israel (Ēl persisteth, persevereth)

1. n.pr.m. second name of Jacob

2. n.pr.gent. name of Hebrew nation

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