Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version The Merarite clans: Mahli and Mushi. These were the Levite clans, according to their families. New Living Translation The clans descended from Merari were named after two of his descendants, Mahli and Mushi. These were the Levite clans, listed according to their family groups. English Standard Version And the sons of Merari by their clans: Mahli and Mushi. These are the clans of the Levites, by their fathers’ houses. Berean Standard Bible And the sons of Merari by their clans were Mahli and Mushi. These were the clans of the Levites, according to their families. Berean Literal Bible And the sons of Merari by their clans: Mahli and Mushi. These are the clans of Levi, by the houses of their fathers. King James Bible And the sons of Merari by their families; Mahli, and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to the house of their fathers. New King James Version And the sons of Merari by their families: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites by their fathers’ houses. New American Standard Bible and the sons of Merari by their families: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their fathers’ households. NASB 1995 and the sons of Merari by their families: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their fathers’ households. NASB 1977 and the sons of Merari by their families: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their fathers’ households. Legacy Standard Bible and the sons of Merari by their families: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their fathers’ households. Amplified Bible and the [two] sons of Merari by their families: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites by their fathers’ households. Berean Annotated Bible And the sons of Merari (bitter) by their clans were Mahli (sick) and Mushi (yielding). These were the clans of the Levites, according to their families. Christian Standard Bible Merari’s sons by their clans were Mahli and Mushi. These were the Levite clans by their ancestral families. Holman Christian Standard Bible Merari’s sons by their clans were Mahli and Mushi. These were the Levite clans by their ancestral houses. American Standard Version And the sons of Merari by their families: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their fathers' houses. Contemporary English Version And Merari's sons were Mahli and Mushi. These were the sons and grandsons of Levi, and they had become the leaders of the Levite clans. English Revised Version And the sons of Merari by their families; Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their fathers' houses. GOD'S WORD® Translation Mahli and Mushi were the sons of Merari. Their families were named after them. These were the households of Levite families. International Standard Version Merari's descendants according to their families were Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the descendants of Levi according to their ancestral house. NET Bible The sons of Merari by their families were Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites by their clans. New Heart English Bible The sons of Merari by their families: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their fathers' houses. Webster's Bible Translation And the sons of Merari by their families; Mahli, and Mushi: these are the families of the Levites, according to the house of their fathers. Majority Text Translations Majority Standard BibleAnd the sons of Merari by their clans were Mahli and Mushi. These were the clans of the Levites, according to their families. World English Bible The sons of Merari by their families: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their fathers’ houses. Literal Translations Literal Standard VersionAnd the sons of Merari by their families: Mahli and Mushi; these are the families of the Levites, by the house of their fathers. Berean Literal Bible And the sons of Merari by their clans: Mahli and Mushi. These are the clans of Levi, by the houses of their fathers. Young's Literal Translation And the sons of Merari by their families are Mahli and Mushi; these are the families of the Levites, by the house of their fathers. Smith's Literal Translation And the sons of Merari according to their families: Mahli, and Mushi; these they of the families of the Levites according to the house of their fathers. Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleThe sons of Merari: Moholi and Musi. Catholic Public Domain Version The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. New American Bible The sons of Merari, by their clans, were Mahli and Mushi. These were the clans of the Levites by their ancestral houses. New Revised Standard Version The sons of Merari by their clans: Mahli and Mushi. These are the clans of the Levites, by their ancestral houses. Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleAnd the sons of Merari by their families: Mahali and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to the house of their fathers. Peshitta Holy Bible Translated And the sons of Merari for their tribes: Makhli and Mushi; these are the families of Levi according to the house of their fathers. OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917And the sons of Merari by their families: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their fathers' houses. Brenton Septuagint Translation and the sons of Merari according to their families, Mooli and Musi; these are the families of the Levites according to the houses of their families. Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context The Registration of the Levites…19The sons of Kohath by their clans were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. 20And the sons of Merari by their clans were Mahli and Mushi. These were the clans of the Levites, according to their families. Cross References And the sons of Merari by their clans Numbers 4:29-33 As for the sons of Merari, you are to number them by their clans and families, / from thirty to fifty years old, counting everyone who comes to serve in the work of the Tent of Meeting. / This is the duty for all their service at the Tent of Meeting: to carry the frames of the tabernacle with its crossbars, posts, and bases, … 1 Chronicles 23:6-7 Then David divided the Levites into divisions according to the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. / The Gershonites: Ladan and Shimei. 1 Chronicles 6:16-18 The sons of Levi: Gershom, Kohath, and Merari. / These are the names of the sons of Gershom: Libni and Shimei. / The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. were Mahli and Mushi. Exodus 6:19 The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. These were the clans of the Levites according to their records. 1 Chronicles 6:19 The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the clans of the Levites listed according to their fathers: 1 Chronicles 23:21-23 The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli: Eleazar and Kish. / Eleazar died without having any sons; he had only daughters. Their cousins, the sons of Kish, married them. / The sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder, and Jeremoth—three in all. These were the clans of the Levites, Numbers 18:20-24 Then the LORD said to Aaron, “You will have no inheritance in their land, nor will you have any portion among them. I am your portion and your inheritance among the Israelites. / Behold, I have given to the Levites all the tithes in Israel as an inheritance in return for the work they do, the service of the Tent of Meeting. / No longer may the Israelites come near to the Tent of Meeting, or they will incur guilt and die. … Deuteronomy 18:1-2 The Levitical priests—indeed the whole tribe of Levi—shall have no portion or inheritance with Israel. They are to eat the food offerings to the LORD; that is their inheritance. / Although they have no inheritance among their brothers, the LORD is their inheritance, as He promised them. Deuteronomy 10:8-9 At that time the LORD set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to serve Him, and to pronounce blessings in His name, as they do to this day. / That is why Levi has no portion or inheritance among his brothers; the LORD is his inheritance, as the LORD your God promised him. according to their families. Joshua 21:1-3 Now the family heads of the Levites approached Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of the other tribes of Israel / at Shiloh in the land of Canaan and said to them, “The LORD commanded through Moses that we be given cities in which to live, together with pasturelands for our livestock.” / So by the command of the LORD, the Israelites gave the Levites these cities and their pasturelands out of their own inheritance: Numbers 35:1-8 Again the LORD spoke to Moses on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho: / “Command the Israelites to give, from the inheritance they will possess, cities for the Levites to live in and pasturelands around the cities. / The cities will be for them to live in, and the pasturelands will be for their herds, their flocks, and all their other livestock. … 1 Chronicles 6:54-61 Now these were the territories assigned to the descendants of Aaron from the Kohathite clan for their settlements, because the first lot fell to them: / They were given Hebron in the land of Judah and its surrounding pasturelands. / But the fields and villages around the city were given to Caleb son of Jephunneh. … Exodus 6:16-19 These were the names of the sons of Levi according to their records: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. Levi lived 137 years. / The sons of Gershon were Libni and Shimei, by their clans. / The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. Kohath lived 133 years. … 1 Chronicles 6:1-3 The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. / The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. / The children of Amram: Aaron, Moses, and Miriam. The sons of Aaron: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 1 Chronicles 24:20-31 Now these were the rest of the descendants of Levi: From the sons of Amram: Shubael; from the sons of Shubael: Jehdeiah. / As for Rehabiah, from his sons: The first was Isshiah. / From the Izharites: Shelomoth; from the sons of Shelomoth: Jahath. … Exodus 28:1-4 “Next, have your brother Aaron brought to you from among the Israelites, along with his sons Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar, to serve Me as priests. / Make holy garments for your brother Aaron, to give him glory and splendor. / You are to instruct all the skilled craftsmen, whom I have filled with a spirit of wisdom, to make garments for Aaron’s consecration, so that he may serve Me as priest. … Treasury of Scripture And the sons of Merari by their families; Mahli, and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to the house of their fathers. Numbers 3:33 Of Merari was the family of the Mahlites, and the family of the Mushites: these are the families of Merari. Exodus 6:19 And the sons of Merari; Mahali and Mushi: these are the families of Levi according to their generations. 1 Chronicles 6:19,29,44-47 The sons of Merari; Mahli, and Mushi. And these are the families of the Levites according to their fathers… Jump to Previous Clans Families Fathers House Households Houses Levites Mahli Merari Merar'i Merarite Mushi OrderJump to Next Clans Families Fathers House Households Houses Levites Mahli Merari Merar'i Merarite Mushi OrderNumbers 3 1. The sons of Aaron5. The Levites are given to the priests instead of the firstborn 14. Are numbered by their families 21. The families, number, and charge of the Gershonites 27. Of the Kohathites 33. Of the Merarites 38. The place and charge of Moses and Aaron 40. The firstborn are freed by the Levites 44. The balances are refunded And the sons of Merari by their clans The sons of Merari, one of the three main divisions of the Levites, were responsible for the care of the tabernacle's structural components, such as the frames, bars, pillars, and bases. This division highlights the organizational structure God established for the Levites, emphasizing the importance of order and responsibility in worship. The Levites were set apart for service to God, and each clan had specific duties, reflecting the principle of stewardship and service in the community of faith. were Mahli and Mushi. These were the clans of the Levites, according to their families. Persons / Places / Events 1. MerariOne of the three sons of Levi, Merari is the patriarch of the Merarite clan. The Merarites were responsible for the care of the frames of the tabernacle, its crossbars, posts, bases, and all its equipment. 2. Mahli and Mushi The sons of Merari, who became the heads of their respective clans within the tribe of Levi. Their descendants were part of the Levitical priesthood, serving in the tabernacle and later in the temple. 3. Levites The tribe of Levi was set apart for religious duties and service to the tabernacle. They were not given a territorial inheritance like the other tribes of Israel but were instead given cities to dwell in. 4. Clans of the Levites The Levites were divided into three main clans: the Gershonites, the Kohathites, and the Merarites. Each clan had specific duties related to the tabernacle. 5. Tabernacle The portable dwelling place for the presence of God among the Israelites during their journey through the wilderness. It was a central place of worship and sacrifice. Teaching Points The Importance of Every Role in God's WorkThe Merarites, though not as prominent as the priests, had essential duties. Every role in the body of Christ is vital, and we should value and honor each person's contribution to the church. Faithfulness in Service The Merarites' responsibilities required diligence and faithfulness. In our own lives, we are called to be faithful in whatever tasks God has entrusted to us, no matter how small they may seem. Generational Faithfulness Mahli and Mushi continued the legacy of their father, Merari. This highlights the importance of passing down faith and service to the next generation, ensuring that God's work continues. Unity in Diversity The Levites, though divided into different clans with various duties, worked together for the common purpose of worship. Similarly, the church is made up of diverse members who must work in unity for the glory of God. Bible Study Questions and Answers 1. What is the meaning of Numbers 3:20?2. How does Numbers 3:20 highlight the importance of family roles in ministry? 3. What responsibilities did the Merarite clans have according to Numbers 3:20? 4. How can we apply the Merarites' dedication to our church service today? 5. Compare the Merarites' duties with other Levite clans in Numbers 3. What differences exist? 6. How does Numbers 3:20 encourage us to support our church leaders and workers? 7. What is the significance of Numbers 3:20 in the context of Levitical duties? 8. How does Numbers 3:20 reflect the organization of the Israelite tribes? 9. Why are the sons of Merari specifically mentioned in Numbers 3:20? 10. What are the top 10 Lessons from Numbers 3? 11. In Joshua 14:3-4, how does the Levites' lack of a territorial inheritance align with other biblical passages that mention Levitical cities and lands? 12. Does the miraculous water from rock in Psalm 114:8 align with other biblical accounts of Moses striking a rock, or are there inconsistencies? 13. Exodus 6:14-27: Why does this genealogy conflict with or omit details found in other biblical genealogies? 14. How do we reconcile the timing of the New Moon feast in 1 Samuel 20:5 with other Old Testament passages referencing similar observances? What Does Numbers 3:20 Mean The sons of MerariNumbers 3:20 opens by naming “the sons of Merari.” Merari was the youngest of Levi’s three sons (Genesis 46:11; Exodus 6:16). By highlighting his line, Moses reminds Israel that every branch of the Levites matters in the Lord’s plan. Just as earlier verses list Gershon and Kohath (Numbers 3:17-18), so Merari’s line is carefully recorded. God counts and calls each family in His service (cf. Numbers 3:5-9; 1 Peter 2:9). By their clans The phrase “by their clans” shows how the tribe was organized. Clan units (see Numbers 4:34-45) made administration and accountability possible: • Every clan knew its place around the tabernacle (Numbers 2:17; 3:23, 29, 35). • Each clan received specific work, preventing confusion (Numbers 4:29-33). This structure reflects God’s character of order (1 Corinthians 14:40) and protects the sanctity of worship by keeping unauthorized people away (Numbers 3:10, 38). Mahli and Mushi The text then names Merari’s two sons: “were Mahli and Mushi.” Though only two, they fathered distinct sub-clans with vital roles: • Mahli’s line and Mushi’s line together formed the Merarite work crews (1 Chronicles 6:44-47; 23:21-23). • Their task was to transport and care for the heaviest parts of the tabernacle—frames, bases, pillars, and pegs (Numbers 3:36-37; 4:31-32). God assigns specific gifts and duties to every believer (Romans 12:4-8); Mahli and Mushi model quiet, necessary service that undergirds public worship. Clans of the Levites “These were the clans of the Levites” ties Merari back to the larger Levitical family: • Three major divisions—Gershonites, Kohathites, Merarites (Numbers 3:17). • All Levites replaced Israel’s firstborn for sacred service (Numbers 3:12-13, 45; Hebrews 12:23). • Each clan surrounded the tabernacle on a different side, forming a living wall of devotion (Numbers 3:23, 29, 35, 38). The verse therefore underscores unity in diversity: one tribe, many callings, single purpose—ministering before the Lord (Deuteronomy 10:8). According to their families Finally, “according to their families” stresses exact genealogy. Precise records: • Preserved purity of the priestly line (Ezra 2:61-63). • Ensured rightful inheritance and support (Numbers 18:21-24). • Affirmed that God remembers names and lineages (Malachi 3:16-17; 2 Timothy 2:19). For believers today, it reassures us that our heavenly Father knows our households, values faithfulness across generations, and assigns us meaningful work in His kingdom (Acts 16:31; Ephesians 2:10). summary Numbers 3:20 is more than a brief census note. By recording Mahli and Mushi as Merari’s sons, God: • Affirms every branch of the Levitical tribe. • Demonstrates orderly, clan-based ministry around the tabernacle. • Highlights humble yet indispensable service. • Guarantees accurate genealogy to safeguard worship. The verse teaches that the Lord sees, names, and appoints each family for His glory, calling His people to faithful, organized service in every generation. Hebrew And the sonsוּבְנֵ֧י (ū·ḇə·nê) Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine plural construct Strong's 1121: A son of Merari מְרָרִ֛י (mə·rā·rî) Noun - proper - masculine singular Strong's 4847: Merari -- a son of Levi by their clans לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָ֖ם (lə·miš·pə·ḥō·ṯām) Preposition-l | Noun - feminine plural construct | third person masculine plural Strong's 4940: A family, circle of relatives, a class, a species, sort, a tribe, people were Mahli מַחְלִ֣י (maḥ·lî) Noun - proper - masculine singular Strong's 4249: Mahli -- a Levite, also a son of Mushi and Mushi. וּמוּשִׁ֑י (ū·mū·šî) Conjunctive waw | Noun - proper - masculine singular Strong's 4187: Mushi -- 'sensitive', a Levite These אֵ֥לֶּה (’êl·leh) Pronoun - common plural Strong's 428: These, those were הֵ֛ם (hêm) Pronoun - third person masculine plural Strong's 1992: They the clans מִשְׁפְּחֹ֥ת (miš·pə·ḥōṯ) Noun - feminine plural construct Strong's 4940: A family, circle of relatives, a class, a species, sort, a tribe, people of the Levites, הַלֵּוִ֖י (hal·lê·wî) Article | Noun - proper - masculine singular Strong's 3881: Levites -- descendant of Levi according to their families. אֲבֹתָֽם׃ (’ă·ḇō·ṯām) Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine plural Strong's 1: Father Links Numbers 3:20 NIVNumbers 3:20 NLT Numbers 3:20 ESV Numbers 3:20 NASB Numbers 3:20 KJV Numbers 3:20 BibleApps.com Numbers 3:20 Biblia Paralela Numbers 3:20 Chinese Bible Numbers 3:20 French Bible Numbers 3:20 Catholic Bible OT Law: Numbers 3:20 The sons of Merari by their families: (Nu Num.) |
    |