Numbers 1:48

New Century Version

the Lord had told Moses:

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
For the LORD spoke to Moshe, saying,

King James Version
For the Lord had spoken unto Moses, saying,

Lexham English Bible
And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

New English Translation
The Lord had said to Moses,

Amplified Bible
For the LORD had said to Moses,

New American Standard Bible
For the LORD had spoken to Moses, saying,

Geneva Bible (1587)
For the Lord had spoken vnto Moses, and said,

Legacy Standard Bible
Yahweh had spoken to Moses, saying,

Contemporary English Version
because the Lord had said to Moses:

Complete Jewish Bible
lass="passage-text">

Darby Translation
For Jehovah had spoken to Moses, saying,

Easy-to-Read Version
The Lord had told Moses:

English Standard Version
For the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

George Lamsa Translation
Because the LORD had spoken to Moses, saying,

Good News Translation
lass="passage-text">

Christian Standard Bible®
For the Lord had told Moses:

Literal Translation
And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And the LORDE spake vnto Moses, and saide:

American Standard Version
For Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,

Bible in Basic English
For the Lord said to Moses,

Bishop's Bible (1568)
For the Lorde spake vnto Moyses, saying:

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying:

King James Version (1611)
For the Lord had spoken vnto Moses, saying,

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

English Revised Version
For the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

Berean Standard Bible
For the LORD had said to Moses:

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And the Lord spak to Moises, and seide, `Nyle thou noumbre the lynage of Leuy,

Young's Literal Translation
seeing Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying,

Update Bible Version
For Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

Webster's Bible Translation
For the LORD had spoken to Moses, saying,

World English Bible
For Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

New King James Version
for the LORD had spoken to Moses, saying:

New Living Translation
For the Lord had said to Moses,

New Life Bible
For the Lord had told Moses,

New Revised Standard
The Lord had said to Moses:

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
For Yahweh spake unto Moses saying:

Douay-Rheims Bible
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

Revised Standard Version
For the LORD said to Moses,

New American Standard Bible (1995)
For the LORD had spoken to Moses, saying,

Contextual Overview

⁴⁷ The families from the tribe of Levi were not listed with the others, because ⁴⁸ the Lord had told Moses: ⁴⁹ "Do not count the tribe of Levi or include them with the other Israelites. ⁵⁰ Instead put the Levites in charge of the Holy Tent of the Agreement and everything that is with it. They must carry the Holy Tent and everything in it, and they must take care of it and make their camp around it. ⁵¹ Any time the Holy Tent is moved, the Levites must take it down, and any time it is set up, the Levites must do it. Anyone else who goes near the Holy Tent will be put to death. ⁵² The Israelites will make their camps in separate divisions, each family near its flag. ⁵³ But the Levites must make their camp around the Holy Tent of the Agreement so that I will not be angry with the Israelites. The Levites will take care of the Holy Tent of the Agreement." ⁵⁴ So the Israelites did everything just as the Lord commanded Moses.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Gill's Notes on the Bible

For the Lord had spoken unto Moses,.... Not to number the Levites, when he gave him the orders to number the rest of the tribes: this is observed, lest it should be thought that this was what Moses did of himself, out of affection to the tribe he was of, and to spare it, that it might not be obliged to go forth to war when others did; not that they were forbid to engage in war, or that it was unlawful for them so to do, for when necessity required, and they were of themselves willing to engage in it, they might, as appears in the case of the Maccabees, but they might not be forced into it; they were, as Josephus e says, exempted from it; and so all concerned in religious service, both among Heathens and Christians, have always been excused bearing arms:

saying; as follows.

e Antiqu. l. 3. c. 12. sect. 4.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

When a census of the tribe of Levi takes place. Numbers 3:15; Numbers 26:62, “all” the males are counted from a month old and upward, and not, as in the other tribes, those only who were of age for service in the field.

Numbers 1:48

had spoken - Render spake. The formal appointment is only now made, in reward for their zeal Exodus 32:26-29, though reference to their future office appears previously in Leviticus 25:32 ff, and they had already acted as assistants to the priests (compare Exodus 38:21).