According to 2.17, the camp of the Levites was in a central position for marching. The Levites formed a protective barrier around the Tabernacle, thus separating it from the lay tribes both for camping and for marching (see also 1.53; 3.23, 29, 35, 38). In chapter 2 no distinction was made between the marching positions of the different Levite clans. But that is changed here in chapter 10. During a march the Gershonite and Merarite clans, who carried the Tabernacle, were not positioned in the middle between the second camp of Reuben and third camp of Ephraim, but already between the first camp of Judah (verses 14-16) and the second camp of Reuben (verses 18-20). In this way these Levite clans were already in a position to set up the Tabernacle at the next camping site in time before the holy objects themselves would arrive, carried by the Kohathites (verse 21). The place for most of these objects was inside the Tabernacle. So chapter 10 is more specific about the position of the Levites clans than chapter 2, probably because the text is now more concerned with the details of marching from site to site (so Budd, page 110).

And when the tabernacle was taken down, the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari, who carried the tabernacle, set out: The Gershonites and Merarites were responsible for dismantling and carrying the Tabernacle when the Israelites moved from site to site (see 3.25-26, 36-37; 4.25-26, 31-32). Instead of And when, New Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation use the conjunction “Then,” since it is clear in the Hebrew text that they dismantled the Tabernacle after the camp of Judah began to march. For tabernacle, which renders the Hebrew word mishkan (literally “dwelling-place”), see 1.50. The verbs was taken down and set out refer to repetitive actions, so Good News Translation says “would be taken down” and “would start out.” In languages that do not use passive verbs, this verse may be rendered as follows:

• Then the Gershonites and Merarites, who carried the Tabernacle, would take it down and start out.

Quoted with permission from de Regt, Lénart J. and Wendland, Ernst R. A Handbook on Numbers. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .