| Scripture |
Expanded Comments |
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| 1 And Jehovah spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, |
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| 2 Take the sum of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, by their families, by their fathers’ houses, |
Sons of Kohath – Meaning "Ally" or "Comrade"; type of the Ancient Worthies. F129
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| 3 from thirty years old and upward even until fifty years old, all that enter upon the service, to do the work in the tent of meeting. |
From thirty years – The time when a Jew became of age, and therefore when John and Jesus began their ministries. B58; R561:6*
No Levite was permitted to engage in the work of the Tabernacle under the age of 30. R1161:2
Not until Jesus attained the age of 30 was he the full-grown man, ready for sacrifice. R1682:5
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| 4 This is the service of the sons of Kohath in the tent of meeting, about the most holy things: |
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| 5 when the camp setteth forward, Aaron shall go in, and his sons, and they shall take down the veil of the screen, and cover the ark of the testimony with it. |
Aaron – Type of The Christ. T38
Shall come – This should not be misunderstood to mean that he and the underpriests never went in thither during succeeding days; but only once a year for the purpose of atonement. T91
And his sons – Representing the members of Christ's Body. T36
The covering vail – Type of the death of the human body. T22
And cover the ark – Type of The Christ. T121
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| 6 and shall put thereon a covering of sealskin, and shall spread over it a cloth all of blue, and shall put in the staves thereof. |
Of badgers' skins – Typifying that spiritual things are hidden from the unconsecrated. T127; R1365:1
Wholly of blue – Symbol of faithfulness. T30
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| 7 And upon the table of showbread they shall spread a cloth of blue, and put thereon the dishes, and the spoons, and the bowls and the cups wherewith to pour out; and the continual bread shall be thereon: |
Upon the table – Type of the Church as a whole, including Jesus. T115
Shewbread – Representing the Word of God, spiritual food. T115; R5621:6
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| 8 and they shall spread upon them a cloth of scarlet, and cover the same with a covering of sealskin, and shall put in the staves thereof. |
A cloth of scarlet – Symbol of the blood of the ransom. T34, T109
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| 9 And they shall take a cloth of blue, and cover the lampstand of the light, and its lamps, and its snuffers, and its snuffdishes, and all the oil vessels thereof, wherewith they minister unto it: |
The candlestick – Type of the complete Church. T115
Of the light – Type of the spirit of truth. T116
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| 10 and they shall put it and all the vessels thereof within a covering of sealskin, and shall put it upon the frame. |
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| 11 And upon the golden altar they shall spread a cloth of blue, and cover it with a covering of sealskin, and shall put in the staves thereof: |
The golden altar – Type of the Church in the present sacrificing condition. T120
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| 12 and they shall take all the vessels of ministry, wherewith they minister in the Holy, and put them in a cloth of blue, and cover them with a covering of sealskin, and shall put them on the frame. |
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| 13 And they shall take away the ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth thereon: |
A purple cloth – Symbol of royalty. T34
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| 14 and they shall put upon it all the vessels thereof, wherewith they minister about it, the firepans, the fleshhooks, and the shovels, and the basins, all the vessels of the altar; and they shall spread upon it a covering of sealskin, and put in the staves thereof. |
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| 15 And when Aaron and his sons have made an end of covering the Holy, and all the furniture of the Holy, as the camp is to set forward; after that, the sons of Kohath shall come to bear it: but they shall not touch the holy thing, lest they die. These things are the burden of the sons of Kohath in the tent of meeting. |
Shall not touch – None except those who are walking in the footsteps of Jesus could have a deep, full appreciation of the divine plan. R4876:1, R1365:1, R2002:5
Lest they die – Because these things illustrated something greater and more important to come later. T12
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| 16 And the charge of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall be the oil for the light, and the sweet incense, and the continual meal-offering, and the anointing oil, the charge of all the tabernacle, and of all that therein is, the Holy, and the furniture thereof. |
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| 17 And Jehovah spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, |
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| 18 Cut ye not off the tribe of the families of the Kohathites from among the Levites; |
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| 19 but thus do unto them, that they may live, and not die, when they approach unto the most holy things: Aaron and his sons shall go in, and appoint them every one to his service and to his burden; |
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| 20 but they shall not go in to see the holy thing even for a moment, lest they die. |
But they – Representing justified believers. T19
Not go in to see – The curtains were kept down. They were forbidden to look in when the priest lifted the curtain and passed under it. R3053:6
Only New Creatures can enter into and see spiritual things. R3054:1
The holy things – Typifying the things of the New Creature, begotten of the Spirit. T19
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| 21 And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, |
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| 22 Take the sum of the sons of Gershon also, by their fathers’ houses, by their families; |
The sons of Gershon – Meaning "Refugees" or "Rescued"; type of those of mankind saved during the Millennium. F129
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| 23 from thirty years old and upward until fifty years old shalt thou number them; all that enter in to wait upon the service, to do the work in the tent of meeting. |
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| 24 This is the service of the families of the Gershonites, in serving and in bearing burdens: |
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| 25 they shall bear the curtains of the tabernacle, and the tent of meeting, its covering, and the covering of sealskin that is above upon it, and the screen for the door of the tent of meeting, |
For the door – Typifying the death of the human will. T22
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| 26 and the hangings of the court, and the screen for the door of the gate of the court, which is by the tabernacle and by the altar round about, and their cords, and all the instruments of their service, and whatsoever shall be done with them: therein shall they serve. |
Of the court – Typifying the condition of justification. T19
Gate of the court – "I am the way" (John 14:6); I am the door" (John 10:9). There is only one way of access to God. T18
And by the altar – The Brazen altar, type of the ransom sacrifice. T22
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| 27 At the commandment of Aaron and his sons shall be all the service of the sons of the Gershonites, in all their burden, and in all their service; and ye shall appoint unto them in charge all their burden. |
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| 28 This is the service of the families of the sons of the Gershonites in the tent of meeting: and their charge shall be under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. |
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| 29 As for the sons of Merari, thou shalt number them by their families, by their fathers’ houses; |
The sons of Merari – Meaning "Bitterness"; type of the Great Company, saved so as by fire through bitter experiences. F129
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| 30 from thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old shall thou number them, every one that entereth upon the service, to do the work of the tent of meeting. |
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| 31 And this is the charge of their burden, according to all their service in the tent of meeting: the boards of the tabernacle, and the bars thereof, and the pillars thereof, and the sockets thereof, |
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| 32 and the pillars of the court round about, and their sockets, and their pins, and their cords, with all their instruments, and with all their service: and by name ye shall appoint the instruments of the charge of their burden. |
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| 33 This is the service of the families of the sons of Merari, according to all their service, in the tent of meeting, under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. |
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| 34 And Moses and Aaron and the princes of the congregation numbered the sons of the Kohathites by their families, and by their fathers’ houses, |
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| 35 from thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entered upon the service, for work in the tent of meeting: |
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| 36 and those that were numbered of them by their families were two thousand seven hundred fifty. |
Those that were numbered – 17,160 Levites to 5 priests (Exod. 28: 1), showing much larger proportion saved in next age compared with Gospel age priests. R443:1
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| 37 These are they that were numbered of the families of the Kohathites, all that did serve in the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the commandment of Jehovah by Moses. |
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| 38 And those that were numbered of the sons of Gershon, their families and by their fathers’ houses, |
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| 39 from thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entered upon the service, for work in the tent of meeting, |
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| 40 even those that were numbered of them, by their families, by their fathers’ houses, were two thousand six hundred thirty. |
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| 41 These are they that were numbered of the families of the sons of Gershon, all that did serve in the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the commandment of Jehovah. |
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| 42 And those that were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, by their families, by their fathers’ houses, |
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| 43 from thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entered upon the service, for work in the tent of meeting, |
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| 44 even those that were numbered of them by their families, were three thousand two hundred. |
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| 45 These are they that were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the commandment of Jehovah by Moses. |
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| 46 All those that were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron and the princes of Israel numbered, by their families, and by their fathers’ houses, |
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| 47 from thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entered in to do the work of service, and the work of bearing burdens in the tent of meeting, |
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| 48 even those that were numbered of them, were eight thousand five hundred eighty. |
Of them – Of the Levites, representing all believers. T 118
Were 8,580 – Of whom only five, or one in 1,716, were sacrificing priests; possibly this is also typical. T118
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| 49 According to the commandment of Jehovah they were numbered by Moses, every one according to his service, and according to his burden: thus were they numbered of him, as Jehovah commanded Moses. |
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