Discovery BoxNumbers 3:28 
Context3:28 Counting every male from a month old and upward, there were 8,600. They were responsible for the care 1 of the sanctuary.
Numbers 3:31-32
Context3:31 Their responsibilities included the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, and the utensils of the sanctuary with which they ministered, 2 the curtain, and all their service. 3 3:32 Now the head of all the Levitical leaders 4 was Eleazar son of Aaron the priest. He was appointed over those who were responsible 5 for the sanctuary.
Numbers 3:47
Context3:47 collect 6 five shekels for each 7 one individually; you are to collect 8 this amount 9 in the currency of the sanctuary shekel (this shekel is twenty gerahs). 10
Numbers 7:86
Context7:86 The twelve gold pans full of incense weighed 10 shekels each, according to the sanctuary shekel; all the gold of the pans weighed 120 shekels.
Numbers 10:21
Context10:21 And the Kohathites set out, carrying the articles for the sanctuary; 11 the tabernacle was to be set up 12 before they arrived. 13
Numbers 18:5
Context18:5 You will be responsible for the care of the sanctuary and the care of the altar, so that there will be 14 no more wrath on the Israelites.
1 tn The construction here is a little different. The Hebrew text uses the participle in construct plural: שֹׁמְרֵי (shomÿrey, literally “keepers of”). The form specifies the duties of the 8,600 Kohathites. The genitive that follows this participle is the cognate מִשְׁמֶרֶת (mishmeret) that has been used before. So the expression indicates that they were responsible for the care of this part of the cult center. There is no reason to delete one of the forms (as does J. A. Paterson, Numbers, 42), for the repetition stresses the central importance of their work.
2 tn The verb is יְשָׁרְתוּ (yÿsharÿtu, “they will serve/minister”). The imperfect tense in this place, however, probably describes what the priests would do, what they used to do. The verb is in a relative clause: “which they would serve with them,” which should be changed to read “with which they would serve.”
3 tn The word is literally “its [their] service.” It describes all the implements that were there for the maintenance of these things.
4 tn The Hebrew construction has “the leader of the leaders of” (וּנְשִׂיא נְשִׂיאֵי, unÿsi’ nÿsi’ey).
5 tn Heb “the keepers of the responsibility” (שֹׁמְרֵי מִשְׁמֶרֶת, shomÿrey mishmeret). The participle is a genitive specifying the duty to which he was appointed (thing possessed); its cognate genitive emphasizes that their responsibility was over the holy place.
6 tn The verb again is the perfect tense in sequence; the meaning of “take” may be interpreted here with the sense of “collect.”
7 tn The idea is expressed simply by repetition: “take five, five, shekels according to the skull.” They were to collect five shekels for each individual.
8 tn The verb form now is the imperfect of instruction or legislation.
9 tn Heb “them,” referring to the five shekels.
10 sn The sanctuary shekel was first mentioned in Exod 30:13. The half-shekel of Exod 38:26 would then be 10 gerahs. Consequently, the calculations would indicate that five shekels was about two ounces of silver for each person. See R. B. Y. Scott, “Weights and Measures of the Bible,” BA 22 (1951): 22-40, and “The Scale-Weights from Ophel, 1963-1964,” PEQ 97 (1965): 128-39.
11 tn Heb “carrying the sanctuary,” a metonymy of whole for parts, representing all the holy objects that were located in the sanctuary.
12 tn The verb is the third person plural form; without an expressed subject it is treated as a passive.
13 tn Heb “against their coming.”
14 tn The clause is a purpose clause, and the imperfect tense a final imperfect.
