Discovery BoxNumbers 7:3-9 
Context7:3 They brought 1 their offering before the Lord, six covered carts 2 and twelve oxen – one cart for every two of the leaders, and an ox for each one; and they presented them in front of the tabernacle.
7:4 Then the Lord spoke to Moses: 7:5 “Receive these gifts 3 from them, that they may be 4 used in doing the work 5 of the tent of meeting; and you must give them to the Levites, to every man 6 as his service requires.” 7
7:6 So Moses accepted the carts and the oxen and gave them to the Levites. 7:7 He gave two carts and four oxen to the Gershonites, as their service required; 7:8 and he gave four carts and eight oxen to the Merarites, as their service required, under the authority 8 of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest. 7:9 But to the Kohathites he gave none, because the service of the holy things, which they carried 9 on their shoulders, was their responsibility. 10
1 tn Heb “and they brought.”
2 sn For a discussion and drawings, see W. S. McCullough, IDB 1:540. But see also D. J. Wiseman, IBD 1:254.
3 tn The object is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied.
4 tn The verb is the perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive; following the imperative, this could be given an independent volitive translation (“they shall be”), but more fittingly a subordinated translation expressing the purpose of receiving the gifts.
5 tn The sentence uses the infinitive construct expressing purpose, followed by its cognate accusative: “[that they may be] for doing the work of” (literally, “serving the service of”).
6 tn The noun אִישׁ (’ish) is in apposition to the word “Levites,” and is to be taken in a distributive sense: “to the Levites, [to each] man according to his service.”
7 tn The expression כְּפִי (kÿfi) is “according to the mouth of.” Here, it would say “according to the mouth of his service,” which would mean “what his service calls for.”
8 tn Heb “hand.”
9 tn The verb is the imperfect tense, but it describes their customary activity – they had to carry, they used to carry.
10 tn Heb “upon them,” meaning “their duty.”
