Verse Lens · Context pointer
Numbers 3:21 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 21. 21Of Gershon was the family of the Libnites, and the family of the Shimites: these are the families of the Gershonites.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Role in This Section
Numbers 3:21 within “Gershon Is Counted and Assigned Tent Fabrics,” marks this logistical step without making rank a measure of worth; in lightly modernized wording, the clause reads: Of Gershon was the family of the Libnites, and the family of the Shimites: these are the families of the Gershonites.
Read It With
- Numbers 3:14–26
Read Numbers 3:21 with 3:14–26. It within “Gershon Is Counted and Assigned Tent Fabrics,” marks this logistical step without making rank a measure of worth; in lightly modernized wording, the clause reads: Of Gershon was the family of the Libnites, and the family of the Shimites: these are the families of the Gershonites. The complete unit establishes this contextual meaning: Moses counts male Levites from one month old; Gershon's clans camp west and are assigned the tabernacle coverings, curtains, hangings, cords, and related service under Eliasaph.
Why It Needs Context
Numbers 3:21 within “Gershon Is Counted and Assigned Tent Fabrics,” marks this logistical step without making rank a measure of worth; in lightly modernized wording, the clause reads: Of Gershon was the family of the Libnites, and the family of the Shimites: these are the families of the Gershonites. Its responsible force depends on 3:14–26; isolated from “Gershon Is Counted and Assigned Tent Fabrics,” the verse's actor, action, reason, object, or transition could be mistaken for independent teaching.
Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Numbers 3:14–26 — Gershon Is Counted and Assigned Tent FabricsSources 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 3:14–26, 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 3:14–26
Open source ↗