Lectionary Calendar
Sunday, April 19th, 2026
the Third Sunday after Easter
Attention!
Take your personal ministry to the Next Level by helping StudyLight build churches and supporting pastors in Uganda.
Click here to join the effort!

Read the Bible

THE MESSAGE

Numbers 4:15

"When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holy furnishings and all the holy articles, and the camp is ready to set out, the Kohathites are to come and do the carrying. But they must not touch the holy things or they will die. The Kohathites are in charge of carrying all the things that are in the Tent of Meeting.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Altar;   Ark;   Candlestick;   Levites;   Priest;   Shewbread (Showbread);   Tabernacle;   Thompson Chain Reference - Kohath;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Ark of the Covenant;   Levites, the;   Priests;   Tabernacle;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Kohath;   Levites;   Tabernacle;   Uzzah;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Eleazar;   Tabernacle;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Burden;   Oil;   Touch;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Eleazar;   Uzzah;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Kohath;   Levites;   Perez-Uzza;   Priest;   Punishments;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Kohathites;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Burden;   Kohath, Kohathites;   Moses;   Numbers, Book of;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Badgers' Skins;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Table;   Uzzah;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Aaron;   Koliath;   Tabernacle;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Le'vites;   Priest;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Burden;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Priesthood, the;   Hebrew Monarchy, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Burden;   Die;   Priests and Levites;   Punishments;   Tabernacle;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Ark of the Covenant;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
"When Aharon and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary, and all the furniture of the sanctuary, as the camp moves forward; after that, the sons of Kehat shall come to carry it: but they shall not touch the sanctuary, lest they die. These things are the burden of the sons of Kehat in the Tent of Meeting.
King James Version
And when Aaron and his sons have made an end of covering the sanctuary, and all the vessels of the sanctuary, as the camp is to set forward; after that, the sons of Kohath shall come to bear it: but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die. These things are the burden of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation.
Lexham English Bible
And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the vessels of the sanctuary when the camp sets out, the descendants of Kohath will come after to carry these, but they must not touch the sanctuary, or they will die. These are the load of the descendants of Kohath in the tent of assembly.
New Century Version
"When the Israelites are ready to move, and when Aaron and his sons have covered the holy furniture and all the holy things, the Kohathites may go in and carry them away. In this way they won't touch the holy things and die. It is the Kohathites' job to carry the things that are in the Meeting Tent.
New English Translation
"When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, when the camp is ready to journey, then the Kohathites will come to carry them; but they must not touch any holy thing, or they will die. These are the responsibilities of the Kohathites with the tent of meeting.
Amplified Bible
"When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all its furniture, as the camp sets out, after all that [is done, but not before], the sons of Kohath shall come to carry them [using the poles], so that they do not touch the holy things, and die. These are the things in the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle) which the sons of Kohath are to carry.
New American Standard Bible
"When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holy objects and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, when the camp is to set out, after that the sons of Kohath shall come to carry them by the poles, so that they will not touch the holy objects and die. These are the things in the tent of meeting that the sons of Kohath are to carry.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And when Aaron and his sonnes haue made an ende of couering the Sanctuarie, and al the instruments of the Sanctuarie, at the remouing of the host, afterward the sonnes of Kohath shall come to beare it, but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they dye. This is the charge of the sonnes of Kohath in the Tabernacle of the Congregation.
Legacy Standard Bible
When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holy objects and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, when the camp is to set out, after that the sons of Kohath shall come to carry them, so that they will not touch the holy objects and die. These are the things in the tent of meeting which the sons of Kohath are to carry.
Contemporary English Version
When the camp is ready to be moved, the Kohathites will be responsible for carrying the sacred objects and the furnishings of the sacred tent. But Aaron and his sons must have already covered those things so the Kohathites won't touch them and die.
Complete Jewish Bible
When Aharon and his sons have finished covering the holy furnishings and all the holy utensils, when the camp is about to move forward, then the descendants of K'hat are to come and carry them. But they are not to touch the holy things, so that they won't die. These things are the responsibility of the descendants of K'hat in the tent of meeting.
Darby Translation
And when Aaron and his sons have ended covering the sanctuary, and all the utensils of the sanctuary, when the camp setteth forward, then afterwards the sons of Kohath shall come to carry it; but they shall not touch the holy things, lest they die. This is what the sons of Kohath have to carry in the tent of meeting.
Easy-to-Read Version
"Aaron and his sons must finish covering all the holy things in the Holy Place. Then the men from the Kohath family can go in and begin carrying these things. In this way they will not touch the holy things and die.
English Standard Version
And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, as the camp sets out, after that the sons of Kohath shall come to carry these, but they must not touch the holy things, lest they die. These are the things of the tent of meeting that the sons of Kohath are to carry.
George Lamsa Translation
And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the vessels of the sanctuary, as the camp is to march after that, the sons of Kohath shall come in to bear it, that they may not touch any holy thing, lest they die. These things are to be borne by the sons of Kohath in the service of the tabernacle of the congregation.
Good News Translation
lass="passage-text">
Christian Standard Bible®
“Aaron and his sons are to finish covering the holy objects and all their equipment whenever the camp is to move on. The Kohathites will come and carry them, but they are not to touch the holy objects or they will die. These are the transportation duties of the Kohathites regarding the tent of meeting.
Literal Translation
And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary, and all the sanctuary vessels as the camp pulls up stakes , then afterward the sons of Kohath shall come to bear. And they shall not touch the holy thing, that they may not die. These are the burden of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Now whan Aaron and his sonnes haue done this, and haue couered the Sanctuary & all the ornametes therof, whan the hoost breaketh vp, then shal the children of Rahath go in, that they maye beare it, and the Sanctuary shall they not touche, lest they dye. This is the charge of the childre of Rahath in the Tabernacle of wytnesse.
American Standard Version
And when Aaron and his sons have made an end of covering the sanctuary, and all the furniture of the sanctuary, as the camp is set forward; after that, the sons of Kohath shall come to bear it: but they shall not touch the sanctuary, lest they die. These things are the burden of the sons of Kohath in the tent of meeting.
Bible in Basic English
And after the holy place and all its vessels have been covered up by Aaron and his sons, when the tents of the people go forward, the sons of Kohath are to come and take it up; but the holy things may not be touched by them for fear of death.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And when Aaron & his sonnes haue made an ende of couering the sanctuarie, and all the vessels of the sanctuarie, agaynst that the hoast remoue, then the sonnes of Caath shall come in for to beare: but they shall not touche any holye thyng, lest they dye. And this is the charge of the sonnes of Caath, in the tabernacle of the congregation.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And when Aaron and his sons have made an end of covering the holy furniture, and all the holy vessels, as the camp is to set forward--after that, the sons of Kohath shall come to bear them; but they shall not touch the holy things, lest they die. These things are the burden of the sons of Kohath in the tent of meeting.
King James Version (1611)
And when Aaron and his sonnes haue made an end of couering the Sanctuary, and all the vessels of the Sanctuary, as the campe is to set forward; after that, the sonnes of Kohath shall come to beare it: but they shal not touch any holy thing, lest they die. These things are the burden of the sonnes of Kohath in the Tabernacle of the Congregation.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Aaron and his sons shall finish covering the holy things, and all the holy vessels, when the camp begins to move; and afterwards the sons of Caath shall go in to take up the furniture; but shall not touch the holy things, lest they die: these shall the sons of Caath bear in the tabernacle of witness.
English Revised Version
And when Aaron and his sons have made an end of covering the sanctuary, and all the furniture of the sanctuary, as the camp is to set forward; after that, the sons of Kohath shall come to bear it: but they shall not touch the sanctuary, lest they die. These things are the burden of the sons of Kohath in the tent of meeting.
Berean Standard Bible
When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holy objects and all their equipment, as soon as the camp is ready to move, the Kohathites shall come and do the carrying. But they must not touch the holy objects, or they will die. These are the transportation duties of the Kohathites regarding the Tent of Meeting.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And whanne Aaron and hise sones han wlappid the seyntuarie, and alle vessels therof, in the mouyng of tentis, thanne the sones of Caath schulen entre, that thei bere the thingis wlappid, and touche not the vessels of the seyntuarie, lest thei dien.
Young's Literal Translation
`And Aaron hath finished -- his sons also -- covering the sanctuary, and all the vessels of the sanctuary, in the journeying of the camp, and afterwards do the sons of Kohath come in to bear [it], and they do not come unto the holy thing, that they have died; these [things are] the burden of the sons of Kohath in the tent of meeting.
Update Bible Version
And when Aaron and his sons have made an end of covering the sanctuary, and all the furniture of the sanctuary, as the camp is set forward; after that, the sons of Kohath shall come to bear it: but they shall not touch the sanctuary, or they will die. These things are the burden of the sons of Kohath in the tent of meeting.
Webster's Bible Translation
And when Aaron and his sons have made an end of covering the sanctuary, and all the vessels of the sanctuary, as the camp is to move forward; after that, the sons of Kohath shall come to bear [it]: but they shall not touch [any] holy thing, lest they die. These [things are] the burden of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation.
World English Bible
"When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary, and all the furniture of the sanctuary, as the camp moves forward; after that, the sons of Kohath shall come to carry it: but they shall not touch the sanctuary, lest they die. These things are the burden of the sons of Kohath in the Tent of Meeting.
New King James Version
And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, when the camp is set to go, then the sons of Kohath shall come to carry them; but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die. "These are the things in the tabernacle of meeting which the sons of Kohath are to carry.
New Living Translation
The camp will be ready to move when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the sacred articles. The Kohathites will come and carry these things to the next destination. But they must not touch the sacred objects, or they will die. So these are the things from the Tabernacle that the Kohathites must carry.
New Life Bible
Aaron and his sons will finish covering the holy objects and all the things of the meeting tent, as the people move on. After that the sons of Kohath will come to carry them. In this way they will not touch the holy objects and die. These are the things in the meeting tent which the sons of Kohath are to carry.
New Revised Standard
When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, as the camp sets out, after that the Kohathites shall come to carry these, but they must not touch the holy things, or they will die. These are the things of the tent of meeting that the Kohathites are to carry.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
So shall Aaron and his sons make an end of covering the sanctuary, and all the utensils of the sanctuary, when the camp is to set forward, then after that, shall the sons of Kohath enter to bear it, but they must not put forth a touch unto that which, is holy, else should they die, these, shall be the burden of the sons of Kohath in the tent of meeting.
Douay-Rheims Bible
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:
Revised Standard Version
And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, as the camp sets out, after that the sons of Kohath shall come to carry these, but they must not touch the holy things, lest they die. These are the things of the tent of meeting which the sons of Kohath are to carry.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holy objects and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, when the camp is to set out, after that the sons of Kohath shall come to carry them, so that they will not touch the holy objects and die. These are the things in the tent of meeting which the sons of Kohath are to carry.

Contextual Overview

1 God spoke to Moses and Aaron. He said, "Number the Kohathite line of Levites by clan and family. Count all the men from thirty to fifty years of age, all who enter the ministry to work in the Tent of Meeting. 4 "This is the assigned work of the Kohathites in the Tent of Meeting: care of the most holy things. 5"When the camp is ready to set out, Aaron and his sons are to go in and take down the covering curtain and cover the Chest of The Testimony with it. Then they are to cover this with a dolphin skin, spread a solid blue cloth on top, and insert the poles. 7"Then they are to spread a blue cloth on the Table of the Presence and set the Table with plates, incense dishes, bowls, and jugs for drink offerings. The bread that is always there stays on the Table. They are to cover these with a scarlet cloth, and on top of that spread the dolphin skin, and insert the poles. 9"They are to use a blue cloth to cover the light-giving Lampstand and the lamps, snuffers, trays, and the oil jars that go with it. Then they are to wrap it all in a covering of dolphin skin and place it on a carrying frame. 11 "They are to spread a blue cloth over the Gold Altar and cover it with dolphin skins and place it on a carrying frame. 12 "They are to take all the articles used in ministering in the Sanctuary, wrap them in a blue cloth, cover them with dolphin skins, and place them on a carrying frame. 13"They are to remove the ashes from the Altar and spread a purple cloth over it. They are to place on it all the articles used in ministering at the Altar—firepans, forks, shovels, bowls; everything used at the Altar—place them on the Altar, cover it with the dolphin skins, and insert the poles. 15 "When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holy furnishings and all the holy articles, and the camp is ready to set out, the Kohathites are to come and do the carrying. But they must not touch the holy things or they will die. The Kohathites are in charge of carrying all the things that are in the Tent of Meeting. 16 "Eleazar son of Aaron the priest, is to be in charge of the oil for the light, the fragrant incense, the regular Grain-Offering, and the anointing oil. He is to be in charge of the entire Dwelling and everything in it, including its holy furnishings and articles."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

after that: Numbers 7:9, Numbers 10:21, Deuteronomy 31:9, Joshua 4:10, 2 Samuel 6:13, 1 Chronicles 15:2, 1 Chronicles 15:15

they shall: Numbers 3:38, Exodus 19:12, 1 Samuel 6:19, 2 Samuel 6:6, 2 Samuel 6:7, 1 Chronicles 13:9, 1 Chronicles 13:10, Hebrews 12:18-29

These things: Numbers 3:30, Numbers 3:31

Reciprocal: Exodus 37:4 - staves Exodus 37:5 - General Numbers 1:50 - thou shalt Numbers 3:8 - General Numbers 4:4 - General Numbers 4:5 - Aaron shall come Numbers 4:20 - they shall Numbers 4:24 - burdens Numbers 4:47 - every one Numbers 4:49 - every one Numbers 18:2 - but thou Numbers 18:3 - neither Deuteronomy 10:8 - bear Joshua 3:3 - the priests 1 Samuel 4:4 - with the ark 2 Samuel 15:24 - bearing 1 Kings 8:3 - the priests took up 1 Chronicles 9:11 - the ruler 1 Chronicles 13:7 - carried the ark 1 Chronicles 15:13 - for that 2 Chronicles 5:4 - the Levites 2 Chronicles 35:3 - not be Revelation 11:19 - the ark

Cross-References

Leviticus 26:18
"And if none of this works in getting your attention, I'll discipline you seven times over for your sins. I'll break your strong pride: I'll make the skies above you like a sheet of tin and the ground under you like cast iron. No matter how hard you work, nothing will come of it: No crops out of the ground, no fruit off the trees.
Leviticus 26:21
"If you defy me and refuse to listen, your punishment will be seven times more than your sins: I'll set wild animals on you; they'll rob you of your children, kill your cattle, and decimate your numbers until you'll think you are living in a ghost town.
1 Kings 16:7
That's the way it was with Baasha: Through the prophet Jehu son of Hanani, God 's word came to him and his regime because of his life of open evil before God and his making God so angry—a chip off the block of Jeroboam, even though God had destroyed him.
Psalms 59:11
Don't make quick work of them, God , lest my people forget. Bring them down in slow motion, take them apart piece by piece. Let all their mean-mouthed arrogance catch up with them, Catch them out and bring them down —every muttered curse —every barefaced lie. Finish them off in fine style! Finish them off for good! Then all the world will see that God rules well in Jacob, everywhere that God's in charge.
Hosea 1:4
Then God told him: "Name him Jezreel. It won't be long now before I'll make the people of Israel pay for the massacre at Jezreel. I'm calling it quits on the kingdom of Israel. Payday is coming! I'm going to chop Israel's bows and arrows into kindling in the valley of Jezreel."
Matthew 26:52
Jesus said, "Put your sword back where it belongs. All who use swords are destroyed by swords. Don't you realize that I am able right now to call to my Father, and twelve companies—more, if I want them—of fighting angels would be here, battle-ready? But if I did that, how would the Scriptures come true that say this is the way it has to be?"
Revelation 14:9
A third Angel followed, shouting, warning, "If anyone worships the Beast and its image and takes the mark on forehead or hand, that person will drink the wine of God's wrath, prepared unmixed in his chalice of anger, and suffer torment from fire and brimstone in the presence of Holy Angels, in the presence of the Lamb. Smoke from their torment will rise age after age. No respite for those who worship the Beast and its image, who take the mark of its name."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And when Aaron and his sons had made an end of covering the sanctuary,.... Not the holy place, nor the most holy place, for these were not covered by them; but "the holy things" in them, as the Septuagint version, the ark, shewbread table, c. and all "the vessels of the sanctuary" all appertaining to those holy things, which are before mentioned. Jarchi interprets the "sanctuary", or the "holiness", of the ark and altar,

and all the vessels of the sanctuary; of the candlestick and the instruments of ministry:

as the camp is to set forward; which made the covering of them necessary, in order to their being carried as that moved:

after that the sons of Kohath shall come to bear [it]; or rather them, all the holy things, and their vessels, and that upon their shoulders:

but they shall not touch [any] holy thing; even in bearing them, neither the ark nor any other, only the staves and bar, on which they were carried: lest they die; by the immediate hand of God:

these [things are] the burden of the sons of Kohath, in the tabernacle of the congregation; the above things, the ark, &c. which they were to bear on their shoulders, and not make use of wagons to carry them.


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile