How does Numbers 4 protect the sons of Caath while assigning them work carrying the sanctuary?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

Aaron and his sons must wrap the sanctuary and its vessels before the sons of Caath enter to carry them. They must assign each man his work and burden, and the carriers must not touch the holy vessels or look at them before wrapping, lest they die.

Chapter breakdown

Numbers 4 gives the age and time of Levite service, duties and burdens. The Lord tells Moses and Aaron to count the sons of Caath among the Levites by houses and families. They must count those thirty years old and upward to fifty who go in to stand and minister in the tabernacle of the covenant. The following rules describe Caath’s service.

When the camp is to move, Aaron and his sons must enter the tabernacle of the covenant and the holy of holies. They must take down the veil before the door and wrap the ark of the testimony in it. They must add a cover of violet skins, spread a cloth entirely of violet over it, and put in the bars.

They must wrap the table of proposition in a violet cloth, placing with it the censers, little mortars, cups and bowls for pouring drink offerings. The loaves must remain on it. They must spread a scarlet cloth over it, then cover it with violet skins and put in the bars.

They must cover the candlestick in violet cloth with its lamps, tongs, snuffers and all the oil vessels needed to dress the lamps. Over everything they must put a cover of violet skins and put in the bars. They must wrap the golden altar in violet cloth, cover it with violet skins, and put in the bars. All the vessels used in sanctuary ministry must likewise be wrapped in violet cloth, covered with violet skins, and fitted with the bars.

They must clean the ashes from the altar and wrap it in purple cloth. With it they must put all its ministry vessels: firepans, fleshhooks, forks, pothooks and shovels. They must cover all the altar’s vessels together with violet skins and put in the bars.

Only after Aaron and his sons have wrapped the sanctuary and its vessels for moving the camp may Caath’s sons enter to carry the wrapped things. They must not touch the sanctuary’s vessels, lest they die. These are Caath’s burdens in the tabernacle of the covenant. Eleazar son of Aaron the priest is over them. His charge includes the oil for the lamps, sweet incense, the sacrifice always offered, anointing oil, and everything belonging to the tabernacle’s service and the sanctuary’s vessels.

The Lord tells Moses and Aaron not to destroy the people of Caath from among the Levites. To let them live rather than die by touching the holies of holies, Aaron and his sons must go in, assign each man his work, and divide the burdens each must carry. Others must not look out of curiosity at the sanctuary’s things before they are wrapped, or they will die.

The Lord tells Moses to count Gerson’s sons by houses, families and kindreds, thirty years old and upward to fifty, who go in to minister in the tabernacle of the covenant. Their duty is to carry the tabernacle curtains, roof of the covenant, other covering, violet covering over everything, and hanging at the tabernacle entry. They also carry the court curtains and entry veil before the tabernacle, everything belonging to the altar, cords and ministry vessels. They must carry at Aaron and his sons’ command, with each man knowing his assigned burden. The Gersonites’ service in the tabernacle is under Ithamar son of Aaron the priest.

Merari’s sons must be counted by families and fathers’ houses, thirty years old and upward to fifty, who enter the duties of ministry and the service of the covenant of the testimony. Their burdens are the tabernacle boards, bars, pillars and sockets, and the surrounding court pillars with sockets, pins and cords. They must receive all the vessels and furniture by account and carry them. The Merarites’ service in the tabernacle of the covenant is under Ithamar son of Aaron the priest.

Moses, Aaron and the princes of the synagogue count Caath’s sons by kindreds and fathers’ houses. Those thirty years old and upward to fifty who enter tabernacle ministry number 2,750. Moses and Aaron number these people of Caath according to the Lord’s word through Moses.

Gerson’s sons are counted by kindreds and fathers’ houses, thirty years old and upward to fifty, who go in to minister in the tabernacle of the covenant. They number 2,630, counted by Moses and Aaron according to the Lord’s word. Merari’s sons are likewise counted by kindreds and fathers’ houses, thirty years old and upward to fifty, who go in to fulfil the tabernacle’s rites. They number 3,200, reckoned by Moses and Aaron according to the Lord’s command through Moses.

The total Levites taken by name by Moses, Aaron and Israel’s princes, by kindreds and fathers’ houses, thirty years old and upward to fifty, who minister in the tabernacle and carry its burdens, is 8,580. Moses reckons each according to office and burden, as the Lord commanded him.

The story inside

The carrying rules separate preparation from carrying and state why that matters. Aaron and his sons wrap the objects before Caath’s sons enter. The carriers must not touch the sanctuary’s vessels, lest they die. God then tells Moses and Aaron not to destroy Caath’s people and directs Aaron and his sons to assign each man his work and load so they may live. The rule against curious viewing applies before the things are wrapped. This is a command for preserving the people while doing the work; the chapter does not narrate an accidental touch, a completed journey without deaths or an unrecorded explanation of the objects’ power.

Lessons worth keeping

1
The order of the work is required. Wrapping comes before the carriers enter, and Aaron and his sons assign the burdens; preparation cannot simply be left to the carriers.
2
The three branches have named loads and supervisors. Caath’s wrapped objects are under Eleazar, while Gerson and Merari serve under Ithamar, with fabrics, coverings and structural parts listed separately.
3
The count is tied to age and assigned service. The chapter records those thirty to fifty years old by kindred and house, then by office and burden, with totals of 2,750, 2,630 and 3,200 making 8,580. It does not give a reason based on strength or retirement policy.

Test your recall

Why must Aaron and his sons wrap the vessels and assign Caath’s carriers their work before they carry the burdens?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 14344–14356
Numbers Chapter 4 The age and time of the Levites’ service: their offices and burdens. 4:1. And the Lord spoke to Moses, and Aaron, saying: 4:2. Take the sum of the sons of Caath from the midst of the Levites, by their houses and families. 4:3. 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. 4:4. This is the service of the sons of Caath:
Lines 14358–14364
4:5. 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, 4:6. 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.
Lines 14366–14371
4:7. 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: 4:8. 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.
Lines 14373–14386
4:9. They shall take also a cloth of violet wherewith they shall cover the candlestick with the lamps and tongs thereof and the snuffers and all the oil vessels, which are necessary for the dressing of the lamps: 4:10. And over all they shall put a cover of violet skins and put in the bars. 4:11. And they shall wrap up the golden altar also in a cloth of violet, and shall spread over it a cover of violet skins, and put in the bars. 4:12. All the vessels wherewith they minister in the sanctuary, they shall wrap up in a cloth of violet, and shall spread over it a cover of violet skins, and put in the bars.
Lines 14388–14394
4:13. They shall cleanse the altar also from the ashes, and shall wrap it up in a purple cloth, 4:14. And shall put it with all the vessels that they use in the ministry thereof, that is to say, firepans, fleshhooks and forks, pothooks and shovels. They shall cover all the vessels of the altar together with a covering of violet skins, and shall put in the bars.
Lines 14396–14406
4:15. And when Aaron and his sons have wrapped up the sanctuary and the vessels thereof at the removing of the camp, then shall the sons of Caath enter in to carry the things wrapped up: and they shall not touch the vessels of the sanctuary, lest they die. These are the burdens of the sons of Caath: in the tabernacle of the covenant: 4:16. And over them shall be Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, to whose charge pertaineth the oil to dress the lamps, and the sweet incense, and the sacrifice, that is always offered, and the oil of unction, and whatsoever pertaineth to the service of the tabernacle, and of all the vessels that are in the sanctuary.
Lines 14408–14418
4:17. And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying: 4:18. Destroy not the people of Caath from the midst of the Levites: 4:19. But do this to them, that they may live, and not die, by touching the holies of holies. Aaron and his sons shall go in, and they shall appoint every man his work, and shall divide the burdens that every man is to carry. 4:20. Let not others by any curiosity see the things that are in the sanctuary before they be wrapped up, otherwise they shall die.
Lines 14420–14443
4:21. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 4:22. Take the sum of the sons of Gerson also by their houses and families and kindreds. 4:23. From thirty years old and upward, unto fifty years old. Number them all that go in and minister in the tabernacle of the covenant. 4:24. This is the office of the family of the Gersonites: 4:25. To carry the curtains of the tabernacle and the roof of the covenant, the other covering, and the violet covering over all, and the hanging that hangeth in the entry of the tabernacle of the covenant, 4:26. The curtains of the court, and the veil in the entry that is before tabernacle. All things that pertain to the altar, the cords and the vessels of the ministry, 4:27. The sons of Gerson shall carry, by the commandment of Aaron and his sons: and each man shall know to what burden he must be assigned. 4:28. This is the service of the family of the Gersonites in the tabernacle of the covenant, and they shall be under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.
Lines 14445–14461
4:29. Thou shalt reckon up the sons of Merari also by the families and houses of their fathers, 4:30. From thirty years old and upward, unto fifty years old, all that go in to the office of their ministry, and to the service of the covenant of the testimony. 4:31. These are their burdens: They shall carry the boards of the tabernacle and the bars thereof, the pillars and their sockets, 4:32. The pillars also of the court round about, with their sockets and pins and cords. They shall receive by account all the vessels and furniture, and so shall carry them. 4:33. This is the office of the family of the Merarites, and their ministry in the tabernacle of the covenant: and they shall be under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.
Lines 14463–14473
4:34. So Moses and Aaron and the princes of the synagogue reckoned up the sons of Caath, by their kindreds and the houses of their fathers, 4:35. From thirty years old and upward, unto fifty years old, all that go in to the ministry of the tabernacle of the covenant: 4:36. And they were found two thousand seven hundred and fifty. 4:37. This is the number of the people of Caath that go in to the tabernacle of the covenant: these did Moses and Aaron number according to the word of the Lord by the hand of Moses.
Lines 14475–14496
4:38. The sons of Gerson also were numbered by the kindreds and houses of their fathers, 4:39. From thirty years old and upward, unto fifty years old, all that go in to minister in the tabernacle of the covenant: 4:40. And they were found two thousand six hundred and thirty. 4:41. This is the people of the Gersonites, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the word of the Lord. 4:42. The sons of Merari also were numbered by the kindreds and houses of their fathers, 4:43. From thirty years old and upward, unto fifty years old, all that go in to fulfil the rites of the tabernacle of the covenant: 4:44. And they were found three thousand two hundred. 4:45. This is the number of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron reckoned up according to the commandment of the Lord by the hand of Moses.
Lines 14498–14511
4:46. All that were reckoned up of the Levites, and whom Moses and Aaron and the princes of Israel took by name, by the kindreds and houses of their fathers, 4:47. From thirty years old and upward, until fifty years old, that go into the ministry of the tabernacle, and to carry the burdens, 4:48. Were in all eight thousand five hundred and eighty. 4:49. Moses reckoned them up according to the word of the Lord, every one according to their office and burdens, as the Lord had commanded him.