Numbers 3 — Hebrew and Greek compared
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Same 14 Similar 17 Different 8 Divergent 4 Disparate 8
Disparate in this chapter: 3:9, 3:10, 3:26, 3:32, 3:34, 3:36, 3:38, 3:49
Each verse is rendered independently from the Hebrew (Rabbinic reading tradition) and from the Greek (Saints reading tradition). The badge classifies the relationship between the two readings; the note beneath records the source document’s comparison and attributed interpretation. Each column retains its own verse references where numbering differs.
Priesthood Profiles
3:1 Same
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
3:1 These are the generations of Aaron and Moses on the day when YHWH spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai.
Greek · Saints priority
3:1 These are the generations of Aaron and Moses on the day when the Lord spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai.
Rabbinic reception: Rashi calls Aaron’s sons also Moses’ descendants because Moses taught them Torah, treating teaching as a form of parenthood.
Source: Rashi, Numbers 3:1
3:2 Same
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
3:2 These are the names of Aaron’s sons: Nadab the firstborn, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
Greek · Saints priority
3:2 These are the names of Aaron’s sons: Nadab the firstborn, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
3:3 Similar
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
3:3 These are the names of Aaron’s sons, the anointed priests whose hands were filled for priestly service.
Greek · Saints priority
3:3 These are the names of Aaron’s sons, the anointed priests whose hands were consecrated for priestly service.
The Hebrew ordination idiom is “fill the hand”; Greek uses “complete/consecrate the hands.” Neither phrase alone establishes a later sacramental system.
3:4 Different
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
3:4 Nadab and Abihu died before YHWH when they offered unauthorized fire before YHWH in the wilderness of Sinai. They had no sons. Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests in the presence of Aaron their father.
Greek · Saints priority
3:4 Nadab and Abihu died before the Lord when they offered alien fire before the Lord in the wilderness of Sinai. They had no children. Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests with Aaron their father.
Sons / children; in Aaron’s presence / with Aaron. The deaths and continuing priesthood agree.
The Purpose of the Levites
3:5 Same
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
3:5 YHWH spoke to Moses, saying:
Greek · Saints priority
3:5 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
3:6 Similar
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
3:6 Bring the tribe of Levi near and stand them before Aaron the priest, so that they may serve him.
Greek · Saints priority
3:6 Take the tribe of Levi and stand them before Aaron the priest, and they shall minister to him.
The service is to Aaron in both texts.
3:7 Different
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
3:7 They shall keep his charge and the charge of the whole congregation before the Tent of Meeting, performing the service of the Dwelling.
Greek · Saints priority
3:7 They shall keep his charges and the charges of the sons of Israel before the Tent of Testimony, performing the work of the Tent.
Whole congregation / sons of Israel, and the distinct sanctuary designations.
3:8 Different
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
3:8 They shall keep all the furnishings of the Tent of Meeting and the charge of the sons of Israel, performing the service of the Dwelling.
Greek · Saints priority
3:8 They shall keep all the furnishings of the Tent of Testimony and the charges of the sons of Israel, according to all the work of the Tent.
The scope of custody agrees; sanctuary vocabulary and the final construction differ.
3:9 Disparate
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
3:9 Give the Levites to Aaron and his sons. They are wholly given to him from the sons of Israel.
Greek · Saints priority
3:9 Give the Levites to Aaron and his sons, the priests. They are given to Me as a gift from the sons of Israel.
The concluding recipient is “him” in Hebrew but “Me” in Greek: Aaron / God. Greek also identifies the sons as priests. The initial assignment to Aaron remains in both.
3:10 Disparate
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
3:10 Appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall guard their priesthood. Any unauthorized person who approaches shall be put to death.
Greek · Saints priority
3:10 Appoint Aaron and his sons over the Tent of Testimony. They shall guard their priesthood, everything concerning the altar, and what is inside the curtain. An outsider who touches shall die.
Greek expands priestly jurisdiction and specifies touching; Hebrew specifies approaching and being put to death. These affect the stated sanctuary boundary and prohibited act.
3:11 Same
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
3:11 YHWH spoke to Moses, saying:
Greek · Saints priority
3:11 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
3:12 Divergent
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
3:12 Look, I have taken the Levites from among the sons of Israel in place of every firstborn who opens the womb among the sons of Israel. The Levites shall be Mine.
Greek · Saints priority
3:12 Look, I have taken the Levites from among the sons of Israel in place of every firstborn who opens the womb among the sons of Israel. They shall be their ransom, and the Levites shall be Mine.
Greek explicitly calls the substitute Levites a ransom (lytra); the substitution itself is already present in Hebrew.
3:13 Same
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
3:13 For every firstborn is Mine. On the day I struck down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated to Myself every firstborn in Israel, human and livestock alike. They shall be Mine. I am YHWH.
Greek · Saints priority
3:13 For every firstborn is Mine. On the day I struck down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated to Myself every firstborn in Israel, human and livestock alike. They shall be Mine. I am the Lord.
Levite Census
3:14 Same
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
3:14 YHWH spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying:
Greek · Saints priority
3:14 The Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying:
3:15 Divergent
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
3:15 Register the sons of Levi by their ancestral houses and clans. Register every male from one month old and upward.
Greek · Saints priority
3:15 Register the sons of Levi by their ancestral houses, divisions, and families. Register every male from one month old and upward.
Greek includes both divisions and families in the enrollment formula.
3:16 Divergent
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
3:16 Moses registered them at the mouth of YHWH, as he was commanded.
Greek · Saints priority
3:16 Moses and Aaron registered them by the voice of the Lord, as the Lord instructed them.
Greek includes Aaron and makes the instruction plural.
3:17 Same
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
3:17 These were the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
Greek · Saints priority
3:17 These were the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
3:18 Similar
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
3:18 These are the names of Gershon’s sons by their clans: Libni and Shimei.
Greek · Saints priority
3:18 These are the names of Gershon’s sons by their divisions: Libni and Shimei.
Clan / division is a recurring organizational equivalent here.
3:19 Similar
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
3:19 The sons of Kohath by their clans: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
Greek · Saints priority
3:19 The sons of Kohath by their divisions: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
3:20 Similar
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
3:20 The sons of Merari by their clans: Mahli and Mushi. These are the clans of Levi by their ancestral houses.
Greek · Saints priority
3:20 The sons of Merari by their divisions: Mahli and Mushi. These are the divisions of the Levites by their ancestral houses.
Gershon: The Western Camp
3:21 Similar
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
3:21 To Gershon belonged the Libnite clan and the Shimeite clan. These are the Gershonite clans.
Greek · Saints priority
3:21 To Gershon belonged the division of Libni and the division of Shimei. These are the divisions of Gershon.
3:22 Same
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
3:22 Those registered, counting every male from one month old and upward, numbered seven thousand five hundred.
Greek · Saints priority
3:22 Those registered, counting every male from one month old and upward, numbered seven thousand five hundred.
3:23 Different
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
3:23 The Gershonite clans shall camp behind the Dwelling, toward the west.
Greek · Saints priority
3:23 The sons of Gershon shall camp behind the Tent, toward the sea.
Clans / sons and Dwelling / Tent differ in wording. Both Hebrew yammah and Greek thalassa express the western direction as seaward.
3:24 Similar
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
3:24 The leader of the ancestral house of the Gershonites is Eliasaph son of Lael.
Greek · Saints priority
3:24 The ruler of the ancestral house of the division of Gershon is Eliasaph son of Lael.
3:25 Divergent
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
3:25 The charge of the sons of Gershon in the Tent of Meeting is the Dwelling, the tent, its covering, and the screen at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting,
Greek · Saints priority
3:25 The charge of the sons of Gershon in the Tent of Testimony is the Tent, the covering, and the covering at the door of the Tent of Testimony,
Hebrew distinguishes the Dwelling and the tent in the inventory. Greek has one Tent item before the coverings; the difference is not filled in from Hebrew.
3:26 Disparate
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
3:26 The hangings of the courtyard, the screen at the courtyard entrance surrounding the Dwelling and the altar, and its cords for all its service.
Greek · Saints priority
3:26 The hangings of the courtyard, the curtain at the gate of the courtyard by the Tent, and the remaining things for all its work.
Hebrew names the altar and cords; Greek omits the altar here and has “remaining things” for the final cargo. The inventory and its precision differ.
Kohath: The Southern Camp
3:27 Similar
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
3:27 To Kohath belonged the Amramite, Izharite, Hebronite, and Uzzielite clans. These are the Kohathite clans.
Greek · Saints priority
3:27 To Kohath belonged the Amramite, Izharite, Hebronite, and Uzzielite divisions. These are the divisions of Kohath.
3:28 Different
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
3:28 Counting every male from one month old and upward, there were eight thousand six hundred, keeping charge of the sanctuary.
Greek · Saints priority
3:28 Counting every male from one month old and upward, there were eight thousand six hundred, keeping charge of the holy things.
Sanctuary / holy things changes the wording of the charge; the number agrees. Neither main text is silently corrected to make the chapter totals add up.
3:29 Different
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
3:29 The clans of the sons of Kohath shall camp on the south side of the Dwelling.
Greek · Saints priority
3:29 The divisions of the sons of Kohath shall camp beside the Tent toward the southwest.
Hebrew south / Greek lips, the southwest wind or quarter, as at 2:10.
3:30 Similar
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
3:30 The leader of the ancestral house of the Kohathite clans is Elizaphan son of Uzziel.
Greek · Saints priority
3:30 The ruler of the ancestral house of the divisions of Kohath is Elizaphan son of Uzziel.
3:31 Different
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
3:31 Their charge is the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the sanctuary utensils with which service is performed, the screen, and all its service.
Greek · Saints priority
3:31 Their charge is the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the holy utensils with which they minister, the covering, and all their work.
Screen / covering; the Hebrew and Greek attach the final service expression differently.
3:32 Disparate
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
3:32 The chief of the Levite leaders is Eleazar son of Aaron the priest, with oversight of those keeping charge of the sanctuary.
Greek · Saints priority
3:32 The ruler over the rulers of the Levites is Eleazar son of Aaron the priest, appointed to keep charge of the holy things.
Hebrew describes oversight of the custodians; Greek directly assigns custody of the holy things. This changes the expressed supervisory relationship.
Merari: The Northern Camp
3:33 Similar
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
3:33 To Merari belonged the Mahlite clan and the Mushite clan. These are the clans of Merari.
Greek · Saints priority
3:33 To Merari belonged the division of Mahli and the division of Mushi. These are the divisions of Merari.
3:34 Disparate
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
3:34 Those registered, counting every male from one month old and upward, numbered six thousand two hundred.
Greek · Saints priority
3:34 Those registered, counting every male from one month old and upward, numbered six thousand fifty.
The main texts give different populations: Hebrew 6,200 / Rahlfs–Hanhart 6,050. The figures are preserved without reconciling them to verse thirty-nine.
3:35 Similar
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
3:35 The leader of the ancestral house of the Merarite clans is Zuriel son of Abihail. They shall camp on the north side of the Dwelling.
Greek · Saints priority
3:35 The ruler of the ancestral house of the division of Merari is Zuriel son of Abihail. They shall camp beside the Tent toward the north.
3:36 Disparate
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
3:36 The appointed charge of the sons of Merari is the frames of the Dwelling, its bars, pillars, and bases, all its furnishings, and all its service,
Greek · Saints priority
3:36 The appointed charge of the sons of Merari is the capitals of the Tent, its bars, pillars, and bases, all their furnishings, and their work,
Hebrew frames/boards (qerashim) / Greek capitals or column heads (kephalides): the named structural cargo differs.
3:37 Same
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
3:37 The pillars around the courtyard, their bases, pegs, and cords.
Greek · Saints priority
3:37 The pillars around the courtyard, their bases, pegs, and cords.
Moses and Aaron: The Eastern Camp
3:38 Disparate
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
3:38 Those camping before the Dwelling, eastward, before the Tent of Meeting toward sunrise, are Moses, Aaron, and his sons, keeping charge of the sanctuary on behalf of the sons of Israel. Any unauthorized person who approaches shall be put to death.
Greek · Saints priority
3:38 Those camping before the Tent of Testimony on the east are Moses, Aaron, and his sons, keeping charge of the sanctuary on behalf of the sons of Israel. An outsider who touches shall die.
As in verse ten, approaching and execution / touching and death alter the expressed prohibition. Greek also shortens the description of the eastern location.
3:39 Similar
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
3:39 All those registered among the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron registered at the mouth of YHWH by their clans, every male from one month old and upward, were twenty-two thousand.
Greek · Saints priority
3:39 All those registered among the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron registered by the voice of the Lord by their divisions, every male from one month old and upward, were twenty-two thousand.
The total agrees. Hebrew clan subtotals total 22,300; the Rahlfs–Hanhart subtotals total 22,150. Both differ from this 22,000 total. Hebrew’s special dots over “and Aaron” are not permission to erase the printed wording.
Rabbinic reception: Rashi explains the Hebrew excess of 300 as firstborn Levites who redeemed themselves and therefore could not substitute for other firstborn. This is an interpretive reconciliation; neither main text explicitly states it here.
Source: Rashi, Numbers 3:39
The Redemption of the Firstborn
3:40 Similar
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
3:40 YHWH said to Moses: Register every firstborn male among the sons of Israel from one month old and upward, and take the number of their names.
Greek · Saints priority
3:40 The Lord said to Moses, saying: Register every firstborn male among the sons of Israel from one month old and upward, and take their number by name.
3:41 Same
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
3:41 Take the Levites for Me—I am YHWH—in place of every firstborn among the sons of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites in place of every firstborn among the livestock of the sons of Israel.
Greek · Saints priority
3:41 Take the Levites for Me—I am the Lord—in place of every firstborn among the sons of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites in place of every firstborn among the livestock of the sons of Israel.
3:42 Similar
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
3:42 Moses registered every firstborn among the sons of Israel, as YHWH commanded him.
Greek · Saints priority
3:42 Moses registered every firstborn among the sons of Israel, as the Lord commanded.
3:43 Same
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
3:43 All the firstborn males, counted by name from one month old and upward, numbered twenty-two thousand two hundred seventy-three.
Greek · Saints priority
3:43 All the firstborn males, counted by name from one month old and upward, numbered twenty-two thousand two hundred seventy-three.
3:44 Same
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
3:44 YHWH spoke to Moses, saying:
Greek · Saints priority
3:44 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
3:45 Same
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
3:45 Take the Levites in place of every firstborn among the sons of Israel, and the Levites’ livestock in place of their livestock. The Levites shall be Mine. I am YHWH.
Greek · Saints priority
3:45 Take the Levites in place of every firstborn among the sons of Israel, and the Levites’ livestock in place of their livestock. The Levites shall be Mine. I am the Lord.
3:46 Similar
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
3:46 For the redemption of the two hundred seventy-three firstborn sons of Israel who exceed the number of Levites,
Greek · Saints priority
3:46 For the ransom of the two hundred seventy-three firstborn sons of Israel who exceed the number of Levites,
Both identify the excess firstborn requiring payment.
3:47 Different
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
3:47 Take five shekels per head, using the sanctuary shekel; the shekel is twenty gerahs.
Greek · Saints priority
3:47 Take five shekels per head, using the sacred didrachm; the shekel is twenty obols.
Greek supplies Greek monetary terms while also retaining shekel. These are ancient equivalence labels, not a warrant for modern currency conversion.
3:48 Similar
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
3:48 Give the silver to Aaron and his sons as the redemption payment for those who exceed their number.
Greek · Saints priority
3:48 Give the silver to Aaron and his sons as the ransom for those who exceed their number.
3:49 Disparate
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
3:49 Moses took the redemption silver from those who exceeded the number redeemed by the Levites.
Greek · Saints priority
3:49 Moses took the silver, the ransom of those in excess, for the redemption of the Levites.
Hebrew describes the surplus beyond those redeemed by Levite substitution; Greek’s final phrase grammatically names the Levites as the redemption’s object or reference. The awkward Greek is retained rather than silently rewritten from Hebrew.
3:50 Same
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
3:50 From the firstborn of the sons of Israel he took the silver: one thousand three hundred sixty-five sanctuary shekels.
Greek · Saints priority
3:50 From the firstborn of the sons of Israel he took the silver: one thousand three hundred sixty-five sanctuary shekels.
Both have 1,365 shekels, the product of 273 and five.
3:51 Similar
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
3:51 Moses gave the redemption silver to Aaron and his sons at the mouth of YHWH, as YHWH commanded Moses.
Greek · Saints priority
3:51 Moses gave the ransom of those in excess to Aaron and his sons by the voice of the Lord, as the Lord instructed Moses.
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Saints Translation · Companion comparison edition · working draft awaiting specialist review.