Numbers - 3:32



32 Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall be prince of the princes of the Levites, with the oversight of those who keep the requirements of the sanctuary.

Verse In-Depth

Explanation and meaning of Numbers 3:32.

Differing Translations

Compare verses for better understanding.
And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall be chief over the chief of the Levites, and have the oversight of them that keep the charge of the sanctuary.
And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall be prince of the princes of the Levites, and have the oversight of them that keep the charge of the sanctuary.
And the prince of the princes of the Levites, Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, shall be over them that watch for the guard of the sanctuary.
And the prince of princes of the Levites was Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest: he had the oversight of them that kept the charge of the sanctuary.
And to the prince of the princes of the Levites, Eleazar son of Aaron the priest, is the oversight of the keepers of the charge of the sanctuary.
Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, will be head over all the Levites and overseer of those responsible for the care of the holy place.
Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest being prince of the princes of the Levites, and having the oversight of them that keep the charge of the sanctuary.
Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall be chief of the leaders of the Levites, with the oversight of those who keep the requirements of the sanctuary.
But the leader of the leaders of the Levites, Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, shall be over those who watch over the care of the Sanctuary.
Porro princeps principum Levitarum erit Eleazar filius Aharon sacerdotis: praefectura custodientium custodiam sanctitatis erit el.

*Minor differences ignored. Grouped by changes, with first version listed as example.


Historical Commentaries

Scholarly Analysis and Interpretation.

And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest,.... Who was of the first of these families, the Amramites:
shall be chief over the chief of the Levites; over the three chiefs of the three houses of the Levites, who were Eliasaph the son of Lael, the chief of the Gershonites; and Elizaphan the son of Uzziel, the chief of the Kohathites; and Zuriel the son of Abihail, the chief of the Merarites:
and have the oversight of them that keep the charge of the sanctuary; the Kohathites, who had the care of the things belonging to the holy and most holy places; and these were particularly under the inspection of Eleazar, because they were things the priests had a, special concern in; see Numbers 4:32.

chief--rather, "chiefs" of the Levites. Three persons are mentioned as chiefs of these respective divisions [Numbers 3:24, Numbers 3:30, Numbers 3:35]. And Eleazar presided over them; whence he is called "the second priest" (2-Kings 25:18); and in the case of the high priest's absence from illness or other necessary occasions, he performed the duties (1-Kings 4:4).

As the priests also formed part of the Kohathites, their chief is mentioned as well, viz., Eleazar the eldest son of Aaron the high priest, who was placed over the chiefs of the three Levitical families, and called פּקדּה, oversight of the keepers of the charge of the sanctuary," i.e., authority, superior, of the servants of the sanctuary.

Chief - Next under the high - priest; whence he is called the second priest, 2-Kings 25:18, and in case of the high - priest's absence by sickness or other necessary occasions, he was to perform his work, and he had a superiority over all the rest of the priests and Levites. The chief of the Levites - That is, over those three persons, who were each the chief of their several families, Numbers 3:24, Numbers 3:31, Numbers 3:34.

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