BibleWord.ai› Bible› Numbers› Chapter 3› Verse 41

Numbers 3:41

Old Testament Law (Torah) ASV (1901)

What does Numbers 3:41 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And thou shalt take the Levites for me (I am Jehovah) instead of all the first-born among the children of Israel; and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstlings among the cattle of the children of Israel:” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And thou shalt take the Levites for me (I am Jehovah) instead of all the first-born among the children of Israel; and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstlings among the cattle of the children of Israel:
Numbers 3:41 — American Standard Version

Context — Numbers 3

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
38And those that encamp before the tabernacle eastward, before the tent of meeting toward the sunrising, 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, whom Moses and Aaron numbered at the commandment of Jehovah, by their families, all the males from a month old and upward, were twenty and two thousand.
40And Jehovah said unto Moses, Number all the first-born 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 Jehovah) instead of all the first-born 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 Jehovah commanded him, all the first-born among the children of Israel.
43And all the first-born males according to 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 Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
← Numbers 3:40Numbers 3:42 →
← Full Chapter 3 Numbers Overview

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And thou shall take the Levites for me, etc.] For his service, to minister to his priests, and serve in his tabernacle: I [am] the Lord; who has a right to all, and can claim who he pleases for himself in a special manner, and therefore could and did take the Levites to himself: instead of the firstborn among the children of Israel; these he had taken to him before, and ordered to be sanctified unto him, and for whom a redemption price was paid to his priests for the support of them, and the tabernacle service, and now it was his will to make an exchange of these for the Levites: and the cattle of the Levites, instead of all the firstling among the cattle of the children of Israel: every…”
Read attributed excerpt →
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“the cattle of the Levites--These, which they kept to graze on the glebes and meadows in the suburbs of their cities, to supply their families with dairy produce and animal food, were also taken as an equivalent for all the firstlings of the cattle which the Israelites at that time possessed. In consequence of this exchange the firstlings were not brought then, as afterwards, to the altar and the priests. Next: Numbers Chapter 4”
Read attributed excerpt →
Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“Instead of the first - born - Such as are now alive of them, but those which should be born of them hereafter are otherwise disposed. Of the Levites - Not that they were to be taken from the Levites, or to be sacrificed to God, any more than the Levites themselves were; but they together with the Levites were to be presented before the Lord by way of acknowledgment, that the Levites might be set apart for God's service, and their cattle for themselves as God's ministers, and for their support in God's work. Numbers 3:46”
Read attributed excerpt →
Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“Num 3:12, Num 3:45, Num 8:16, Num 18:15; Exo 24:5, Exo 24:6, Exo 32:26-29; Mat 20:28; Ti1 2:6 Numbers 3:43”
Read attributed excerpt →

Related study paths

Read Numbers 3 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification