And these are they that were numbered of the Levites after their families: of Gershon, the family of the Gershonites: of Kohath, the family of the Kohathites: of Merari, the family of the Merarites.
These are the Levites who were counted, organized by their family groups: from Gershon came the Gershonite family, from Kohath came the Kohathite family, and from Merari came the Merarite family.
This verse begins the census count of the Levite tribe, listing the three main family divisions that came from Levi's three sons.
📚 Historical Context
In the Book of Numbers, this verse is part of a second census of the Israelites taken in the wilderness, as they neared the end of their forty-year journey and prepared to conquer the Promised Land. The Levites were a tribe set apart by God for sacred duties, such as caring for the tabernacle, and this listing organizes them into their three main family clans, Gershonites, Kohathites, and Merarites, to ensure proper service and inheritance. This reflects the importance of structure and divine assignment in ancient Israelite society.
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