The following chart summarises the first five generations and families of Levi - the Israelite tribe which was responsible for the care of Moses' Tabernacle. God chose the tribe of Levi to serve the nation as priests and civil servants. Levi's great grandson, Aaron, was the nation's first High Priest. These are the 23rd to 27th generations descended from and including Adam. It is interesting to note that it was the younger generation men - Aaron and his two sons Eleazar and Ithamar - who supervised or managed the older generations of the tribe of Levi as far as Tabernacle responsibilities was concerned. Eleazar and Ithamar therefore supervised the families of their grandfather, and great-grandfather generations. The Tabernacle roles of Levi's descendants are shown on this chart.
18. And these are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families; Libni, and Shimei. 21. Of Gershon was the family of the Libnites, and the family of the Shimites: these are the families of the Gershonites. 22. Those that were numbered of them, according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, even those that were numbered of them were seven thousand and five hundred. 23. The families of the Gershonites shall pitch behind the tabernacle westward. 24. And the chief of the house of the father of the Gershonites shall be Eliasaph the son of Lael. 25. And the charge of the sons of Gershon in the tabernacle of the congregation shall be the tabernacle, and the tent, the covering thereof, and the hanging for the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, 26. And the hangings of the court, and the curtain for the door of the court, which is by the tabernacle, and by the altar round about, and the cords of it for all the service thereof. |
21. And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 22. Take also the sum of the sons of Gershon, throughout the houses of their fathers, by their families; 23. From thirty years old and upward until fifty years old shalt thou number them; all that enter in to perform the service, to do the work in the tabernacle of the congregation. 24. This is the service of the families of the Gershonites, to serve, and for the burdens: 25. And they shall bear the curtains of the tabernacle, and the tabernacle of the congregation, his covering, and the covering of the badgers' skins that is above upon it, and the hanging for the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 26. And the hangings of the court, and the hanging for the door of the gate of the court, which is by the tabernacle and by the altar round about, and their cords, and all the instruments of their service, and all that is made for them: so shall they serve. 27. At the appointment of Aaron and his sons shall be all the service of the sons of the Gershonites, in all their burdens, and in all their service: and ye shall appoint unto them in charge all their burdens. 28. This is the service of the families of the sons of Gershon in the tabernacle of the congregation: and their charge shall be under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. |
The census statistic for the males of the family of Gershon at the beginning of the Exodus period, when the tabernacle was built, was 2,630 members who were aged 30 years and over. There were also 7,500 males who were less than 30 years old. These figures were quoted earlier in this work, in Chapter 1.
As we attempt to re-make the curtains, we again use a "tabernacle" cubit measurement of 22 inches. The curtain coverings were draped over the framework of the tabernacle, and as the tabernacle was 660 inches long, 264 inches wide, and 220 inches high, we get a feel for the grand size of the coverings required, let alone the weight of the materials and the skill in craftsmanship required. Four coverings in all were draped over the tabernacle framework. These included the innermost curtain of linen, overlaid with a curtain of goats' skins, overlaid with a curtain of rams' skins dyed the colour of red, and the outermost curtain was made of badgers' skins (some interpret "badgers' skins" to be some form of Egyptian leather, maybe dolphin skins). The families of Gershon would have worked very hard to complete such a task. They would have worked very quickly too, as the completed tabernacle was erected, or "reared up" on the first day of the first month, in the second year after the Exodus from Egypt.
Bible Chronology Measure the Temple CONTENTS |
