Numbers 4:12

And they shall take all the instruments of ministry, wherewith they minister in the sanctuary, and put them in a cloth of blue, and cover them with a covering of badgers’ skins, and shall put them on a bar:

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
take	וְלָקְחוּ֩ ve.la.ke.Chu	H3947	to take (in the widest variety of applications) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential perfect, 3rd person common plural
instruments	כְּלֵ֨י ke.Lei	H3627	something prepared · noun, common masculine plural construct
ministry	הַשָּׁרֵ֜ת ha.sha.Ret	H8335	service (in the Temple) · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
minister	יְשָֽׁרְתוּ ye.sha.re.tu-	H8334	to attend as a menial or worshipper · verb, piel imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural
sanctuary	בַּקֹּ֗דֶשׁ ba.Ko.desh	H6944	a sacred place or thing · preposition with the article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
put	וְנָֽתְנוּ֙ ve.na.te.Nu	H5414	to give · conjunction + verb, qal sequential perfect, 3rd person common plural
cloth	בֶּ֣גֶד Be.ged	H899	a covering · noun, common masculine singular construct
blue	תְּכֵ֔לֶת te.Khe.let	H8504	the cerulean mussel · noun, common feminine singular absolute
cover	וְכִסּ֣וּ ve.khi.Su	H3680	properly · conjunction + verb, piel sequential perfect, 3rd person common plural
covering	בְּמִכְסֵ֖ה be.mikh.Seh	H4372	a covering · preposition + noun, common masculine singular construct
badgers’	תָּ֑חַשׁ Ta.chash	H8476	a (clean) animal with fur · noun, common masculine singular absolute
skins	ע֣וֹר or	H5785	skin (as naked) · noun, common masculine singular construct
put	וְנָתְנ֖וּ ve.na.te.Nu	H5414	to give · conjunction + verb, qal sequential perfect, 3rd person common plural
bar	הַמּֽוֹט ha.Mot	H4132	a wavering · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

1 Chronicles 9:29 Some of them also were appointed to oversee the vessels, and all the instruments of the sanctuary, and the fine flour, and the wine, and the…
Exodus 25:9 According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye mak…
Exodus 31:10 And the cloths of service, and the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister in the priest’s office,
Numbers 3:8 And they shall keep all the instruments of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the charge of the children of Israel, to do the service o…
Numbers 4:7 And upon the table of shewbread they shall spread a cloth of blue, and put thereon the dishes, and the spoons, and the bowls, and covers to…
Numbers 4:9 And they shall take a cloth of blue, and cover the candlestick of the light, and his lamps, and his tongs, and his snuffdishes, and all the…
2 Kings 25:14-15 And the pots, and the shovels, and the snuffers, and the spoons, and all the vessels of brass wherewith they ministered, took they away.
2 Chronicles 4:11 And Huram made the pots, and the shovels, and the basons. And Huram finished the work that he was to make for king Solomon for the house of…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Numbers 4:1-20

We have here a second muster of the tribe of Levi. As that tribe was taken out of all Israel to be God's peculiar, so the middle-aged men of that tribe were taken from among the rest to be actually employed in the service of the tabernacle. Now observe, I. Who were to be taken into this number. All the males from thirty years old to fifty. Of the other tribes, those that were numbered to go forth to war were from twenty years old and upward, but of the Levites only from thirty to fifty; for the service of God requires the best of our strength, and the prime of our time, which cannot be better spent than to the honour of him who is the first and best. And a man may make a good soldier much so…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Numbers 4:12

instruments of ministry--the official dress of the priests (Exo 31:10).

John Gill on Numbers 4:12

And they shall take all the instruments of ministry, wherewith they minister in the sanctuary,.... The garments in which the priests, ministered in the sanctuary, which were laid up in proper places, and which they only wore when in service: and put them in a cloth of blue, and cover them with a covering of badgers' skins; all wrapped up in one bundle: and shall put them on a bar; the same sort of carriage on which the candlestick and its vessels were borne; see Gill on Numbers 4:10.

John Calvin on Numbers 4:4–end

Numbers 4:4-20, 24-28, 31-33 4. This shall be the service of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation, about the most holy things: 4. Istud erit opus filiorum Cehath in tabernaculo conventionis Sancti sanctorum. 5. And when the camp setteth forward, Aaron shall come, and his sons, and they shall take down the covering vail, and cover the ark of testimony with it: 5. Veniet autem Aharon et filii ejus quando transferenda erunt castra, et deponent velum tentorii, et operient illo arcata testimonii. 6. And shall put thereon the covering of badgers' skins, and shall spread over it a cloth wholly of blue, and shall put in the staves thereof. 6. Potentque super illam operimen…

Dictionary and topics

Blue — Generally associated with purple (Ex. 25:4; 26:1, 31, 36, etc.). It is supposed to have been obtained from a shellfish of the Mediterranean, the Helix ianthina of Linnaeus. The robe of the high…
David — Beloved, the eighth and youngest son of Jesse, a citizen of Bethlehem. His father seems to have been a man in humble life. His mother’s name is not recorded. Some think she was the Nahash of 2 Sam.…
Kohathites — The descendants of Kohath. They formed the first of the three divisions of the Levites (Ex. 6:16, 18; Num. 3:17). In the journeyings of the Israelites they had the charge of the most holy portion of…
Priest — The Heb. kohen, Gr. hierus, Lat. sacerdos, always denote one who offers sacrifices. At first every man was his own priest, and presented his own sacrifices before God. Afterwards that office devolved…
Skin, Coats made of — (Gen. 3:21). Skins of rams and badgers were used as a covering for the tabernacle (Ex. 25:5; Num. 4:8-14).
Badger · Skins of, used for covering of the tabernacle — Skins of, used for covering of the tabernacle
Church · SANCTUARY — SANCTUARY
Colors · B — B
Levites, The · Services of: Taking down, putting up, and carrying the tabernacle, &c — Services of: Taking down, putting up, and carrying the tabernacle, &c
Priests · Services of: Covering the sacred things of the sanctuary before removal — Services of: Covering the sacred things of the sanctuary before removal
Skin · For covering the tabernacle — For covering the tabernacle

Numbers 4:12

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Numbers 4:1-20

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Numbers 4:12

John Gill on Numbers 4:12

John Calvin on Numbers 4:4–end

Dictionary and topics

Numbers 4:12

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Numbers 4:1-20

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Numbers 4:12

John Gill on Numbers 4:12

John Calvin on Numbers 4:4–end

Dictionary and topics

Keil & Delitzsch on Numbers 4:11-12

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Numbers 4:4-20

Rashi on Numbers 4:12