At the tent of meeting the
Gershonites were responsible for the care of the tabernacle and tent, its
coverings, the curtain at the entrance to the tent of meeting, the curtains of the
courtyard, the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard surrounding the
tabernacle and altar, and the ropes—and everything related to their use. Numbers 3:25-26
The leader of the families of
the Kohathite clans was Elizaphan son of Uzziel. They were responsible for the care of the ark, the
table, the lampstand, the altars, the articles of the sanctuary used in
ministering, the curtain, and everything related to their use. Numbers
3:30-31
The Merarites were appointed
to take care of the frames of the tabernacle, its crossbars, posts, bases, all
its equipment, and everything related to their use, as well as the posts of
the surrounding courtyard with their bases, tent pegs and ropes. Numbers 3:36-37
These three
clans were subsets of the Levite tribe.
Their job was to move the tabernacle and all the furnishings from place
to place when God moved the camp. They
then carried those items through the wilderness to the next location. The tabernacle had a lot of heavy parts and
it required thousands to get it done.
Only the men
30-50 years old could participate. The
Kohathites had 2,750. The Gershonites
had 2,630. The Merarites had 3,200. That’s a total of 8,580 carrying the pieces
of the tabernacle, then assembling them at the next location.