Numbers 3:28

King James Version

²⁸In the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, were eight thousand and six hundred, keeping the charge of the sanctuary.

Numbers 3:28

English Standard Version

²⁸According to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, there were 8,600, keeping guard over the sanctuary.

²⁸Counting every male from a month old and upward, there were 8,600. They were responsible for the care^[a] of the sanctuary.

Numbers 3:28 tn The construction here is a little different. The Hebrew text uses the participle in construct plural: שֹׁמְרֵי (shom^ere, 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.

²⁸The number of all the males a month old or more^(A) was 8,600.^[a] The Kohathites were responsible^(B) for the care of the sanctuary.^(C)

King James Version (KJV)

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English Standard Version (ESV)

New English Translation (NET)

New International Version (NIV)