Verse Lens · Context pointer
Numbers 18:4 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 4. 4And they shall be joined unto thee, and keep the charge of the tabernacle of the congregation, for all the service of the tabernacle: and a stranger shall not come nigh unto you.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Role in This Section
Numbers 18:4 within “Priests and Levites Bear Distinct Sanctuary Responsibility,” keeps sacred office tied to this named burden or boundary; in lightly modernized wording, the clause reads: they shall be joined to you, and keep the charge of the tabernacle of the congregation, for all the service of the tabernacle: and a stranger shall not come nigh to you.
Read It With
- Numbers 18:1–7
Read Numbers 18:4 with 18:1–7. It within “Priests and Levites Bear Distinct Sanctuary Responsibility,” keeps sacred office tied to this named burden or boundary; in lightly modernized wording, the clause reads: they shall be joined to you, and keep the charge of the tabernacle of the congregation, for all the service of the tabernacle: and a stranger shall not come nigh to you. The complete unit establishes this contextual meaning: Aaron, his sons, and his ancestral house bear sanctuary responsibility; Levites assist and guard but may not approach holy vessels or altar, while priesthood is described as a gift and unauthorized approach faces death.
Continue in Context
Read the complete section for the connected explanation and how it should shape life. This verse is a doorway into that passage, not a saying that stands alone.
Read Numbers 18:1–7 — Priests and Levites Bear Distinct Sanctuary ResponsibilitySources used for this context pointer
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact reader-facing KJV wording, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage for this thought unit.
Exact location: Numbers 18:1–7, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Numbers
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible Project
Open Scriptures, release 2.2, 2021
Supports: Hebrew wording, morphology, names, numbers, speeches, poems, legal clauses, older-English controls, and translation limits.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v.2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Num.xml, Masoretic words and morphology for 18:1–7
Open source ↗