Numbers 10:21
Then the Kohathites set out, transporting the holy objects; the tabernacle was to be set up before their arrival.
Then the Kohathites set out,

Descendants of Kohath carried the most holy furnishings of the sanctuary according to the order God gave through Moses. Their place in the march followed the Gershonites and Merarites, who transported the tabernacle’s framework, curtains, and coverings.

Num 4:15 When Aaron and his sons have finished covering…
1Ch 15:2 “No one but the Levites may carry the ark of God”…
Deu 10:8 At that time the LORD set apart the tribe of Levi…

transporting the holy objects;

Aaron and his sons had first covered the ark, table, lampstand, altars, and other sacred instruments so that the Kohathites would not see or touch the holy things and die. The Kohathites bore these covered objects on poles upon their shoulders, honoring the holiness of the God who dwelt among His people.

Num 4:19-20 In order that they may live and not die when they come…
Num 3:31 Their duties were the ark, the table, the lampstand,…
Heb 9:2-5 A tabernacle was prepared. In its first room were…

the tabernacle was to be set up before their arrival.

The Gershonites and Merarites reached the new campsite ahead of them and erected the tabernacle structure, providing its appointed place for the holy furnishings. Israel’s worship was therefore established in orderly obedience, with the dwelling place of God at the center of the camp.

Num 1:51 Whenever the tabernacle is to move, the Levites…
Exo 40:2 On the first day of the first month, set up the tabernacle…
Exo 40:17-18 So the tabernacle was set up on the first day…

Persons / Places / Events
1. Kohathites
A Levitical clan responsible for carrying the most sacred objects of the tabernacle, such as the Ark of the Covenant, the table, the lampstand, and the altars. They were descendants of Kohath, one of Levi's sons.

2. Holy Things
Refers to the sacred objects used in the worship and service of God within the tabernacle. These items were considered extremely holy and were to be handled with utmost care and reverence.

3. Tabernacle
The portable dwelling place for the divine presence of God among the Israelites during their journey through the wilderness. It was a central place of worship and sacrifice.

4. Israelites' Journey
The context of this verse is the Israelites' journey through the wilderness towards the Promised Land. This journey was marked by the movement of the tabernacle and the presence of God leading them.

5. Wilderness
The setting for the Israelites' journey, representing both physical and spiritual challenges. It was a place of testing, growth, and reliance on God's provision and guidance.
Teaching Points
Reverence for the Holy
The Kohathites' role underscores the importance of treating what is holy with reverence and care. In our lives, we should approach God and His Word with the same respect and awe.

Order and Obedience
The structured movement of the tabernacle and its furnishings teaches us the value of order and obedience in our spiritual walk. God is a God of order, and following His instructions leads to blessing and peace.

God's Presence
The tabernacle was a symbol of God's presence among His people. Today, we are reminded that God dwells within us through the Holy Spirit, and we should live in a way that honors His presence.

Preparation and Readiness
The setting up of the tabernacle before the Kohathites' arrival illustrates the need for preparation and readiness in our spiritual lives. We should be prepared to serve and worship God at all times.
Bible Study Questions
1. What does the role of the Kohathites in carrying the holy things teach us about the importance of reverence in our worship today?

2. How can we apply the principle of order and obedience seen in the Israelites' journey to our daily walk with God?

3. In what ways does the tabernacle as a symbol of God's presence challenge us to live differently, knowing that God dwells within us?

4. How can we ensure that we are spiritually prepared and ready to serve God in our daily lives?

5. Reflect on a time when you experienced God's presence in a powerful way. How did it impact your faith and actions? How can you seek to experience His presence more regularly?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Exodus 25-31
These chapters provide detailed instructions for the construction of the tabernacle and the sacred objects, emphasizing their holiness and the importance of following God's commands precisely.

1 Chronicles 15
This passage describes how David organized the Levites, including the Kohathites, to transport the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, highlighting the continued importance of their role.

Hebrews 9
This New Testament passage reflects on the tabernacle and its furnishings as a foreshadowing of Christ's ultimate sacrifice and the heavenly sanctuary.
God Would have Order Observed Among His People At All TimesW. Attersoll.Numbers 10:14-28
The Divine Standard to be MaintainedC. H. Mackintosh.Numbers 10:14-28
People
Aaron, Abidan, Ahiezer, Ahira, Ammihud, Amminadab, Ammishaddai, Asher, Benjamin, Dan, Deuel, Eliab, Eliasaph, Elishama, Elizur, Enan, Gad, Gamaliel, Gershon, Gershonites, Gideoni, Helon, Hobab, Issachar, Kohathites, Manasseh, Merari, Merarites, Moses, Nahshon, Naphtali, Nethaneel, Ocran, Pagiel, Pedahzur, Raguel, Reuben, Reuel, Shedeur, Shelumiel, Simeon, Zebulun, Zuar, Zurishaddai
Places
Paran, Sinai
Topics
Arrival, Arrived, Bearers, Bearing, Carrying, Forward, Holy, Journeyed, Kohathites, Ko'hathites, Moved, Objects, Raised, Ready, Sanctuary, Tabernacle, Whilst
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Numbers 10:14

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Numbers 10:11-14

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Library
November 17. "The Ark of the Covenant of the Lord Went Before Them" (Num. x. 33).
"The ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them" (Num. x. 33). God does give us impressions but not that we should act on them as impressions. If the impression be from God, He will Himself give sufficient evidence to establish it beyond the possibility of a doubt. How beautifully we read, in the story of Jeremiah, of the impression that came to him respecting the purchase of the field of Anathoth, but Jeremiah did not act upon this impression until after the following day, when his uncle's
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

Hobab
'And Moses said unto Hobab ... Come thou with us, and we will do thee good: for the Lord hath spoken good concerning Israel.'--NUM. x. 29. There is some doubt with regard to the identity of this Hobab. Probably he was a man of about the same age as Moses, his brother- in-law, and a son of Jethro, a wily Kenite, a Bedouin Arab. Moses begs him to join himself to his motley company, and to be to him in the wilderness 'instead of eyes.' What did Moses want a man for, when he had the cloud? What do we
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Hallowing of Work and of Rest
'And it came to pass, when the ark set forward, that Moses said, Rise up, Lord, and let Thine enemies be scattered; and let them that hate Thee flee before Thee. 36. And when it rested, he said, Return, O Lord, unto the many thousands of Israel.'--Num. x. 35, 36. The picture suggested by this text is a very striking and vivid one. We see the bustle of the morning's breaking up of the encampment of Israel. The pillar of cloud, which had lain diffused and motionless over the Tabernacle, gathers itself
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Publication of the Gospel
The Lord gave the word: great was the company of those that published it [or of the preachers] P erhaps no one Psalm has given greater exercise to the skill and patience of commentators and critics, than the sixty-eighth. I suppose the difficulties do not properly belong to the Psalm, but arise from our ignorance of various circumstances to which the Psalmist alludes; which probably were, at that time, generally known and understood. The first verse is the same with the stated form of benediction
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 2

Letter Lv. Replies to Questions of Januarius.
Or Book II. of Replies to Questions of Januarius. (a.d. 400.) Chap. I. 1. Having read the letter in which you have put me in mind of my obligation to give answers to the remainder of those questions which you submitted to me a long time ago, I cannot bear to defer any longer the gratification of that desire for instruction which it gives me so much pleasure and comfort to see in you; and although encompassed by an accumulation of engagements, I have given the first place to the work of supplying
St. Augustine—The Confessions and Letters of St

How the Humble and the Haughty are to be Admonished.
(Admonition 18.) Differently to be admonished are the humble and the haughty. To the former it is to be insinuated how true is that excellence which they hold in hoping for it; to the latter it is to be intimated how that temporal glory is as nothing which even when embracing it they hold not. Let the humble hear how eternal are the things that they long for, how transitory the things which they despise; let the haughty hear how transitory are the things they court, how eternal the things they
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

The Second Coming of Christ.
^A Matt. XXIV. 29-51; ^B Mark XIII. 24-37; ^C Luke XXI. 25-36. ^b 24 But in those days, ^a immediately after the { ^b that} ^a tribulation of those days. [Since the coming of Christ did not follow close upon the destruction of Jerusalem, the word "immediately" used by Matthew is somewhat puzzling. There are, however, three ways in which it may be explained: 1. That Jesus reckons the time after his own divine, and not after our human, fashion. Viewing the word in this light, the passage at II. Pet.
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Country of Jericho, and the Situation of the City.
Here we will borrow Josephus' pencil, "Jericho is seated in a plain, yet a certain barren mountain hangs over it, narrow, indeed, but long; for it runs out northward to the country of Scythopolis,--and southward, to the country of Sodom, and the utmost coast of the Asphaltites." Of this mountain mention is made, Joshua 2:22, where the two spies, sent by Joshua, and received by Rahab, are said to "conceal themselves." "Opposite against this, lies a mountain on the other side Jordan, beginning from
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica

And thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, too little to be among the thousands of Judah
"And thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, too little to be among the thousands of Judah, out of thee shall come forth unto Me (one) [Pg 480] to be Ruler in Israel; and His goings forth are the times of old, the days of eternity." The close connection of this verse with what immediately precedes (Caspari is wrong in considering iv. 9-14 as an episode) is evident, not only from the [Hebrew: v] copulative, and from the analogy of the near relation of the announcement of salvation to the prophecy of disaster
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Numbers
Like the last part of Exodus, and the whole of Leviticus, the first part of Numbers, i.-x. 28--so called,[1] rather inappropriately, from the census in i., iii., (iv.), xxvi.--is unmistakably priestly in its interests and language. Beginning with a census of the men of war (i.) and the order of the camp (ii.), it devotes specific attention to the Levites, their numbers and duties (iii., iv.). Then follow laws for the exclusion of the unclean, v. 1-4, for determining the manner and amount of restitution
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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