Reuben Simeon Judah Dan Naphtali Gad

Asher Issachar Zebulun Ephraim Manasseh Benjamin

'Israel on the March'

hen the time came for the people to continue their journey the signal to strike camp was given (by the priests blowing an alarm on two trumpets of beaten silver) which were not like the Shofar (rams horn). Judging from representations later found on Jewish coins and carved on the Arch of Titus in Rome it was possible that these were long straight metal tubes about 4 feet long with flared ends. A series of short blasts would be the signal for the tribes to move in pre-arranged order.

The Shofar or ram's horn(Left) and the alarm trumpet of beaten silver (Right)

Jewish Tradition

Packing Up The Holy Furniture

Kohathites

The Kohathites were given the task of carrying the holy furniture of the tabernacle. When camp was to be struck the dismantling and packing of these sacred objects was the task of Aaron and his sons. The Kohathites themselves were not allowed to touch the actual furniture or even look at it for a moment lest they die.

Num 4:1-16 "Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying: "Take a census of the sons of Kohath from among the children of Levi, by their families, by their fathers' house, "from thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old, all who enter the service to do the work in the tabernacle of meeting. "This is the service of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of meeting, relating to the most holy things: "When the camp prepares to journey, Aaron and his sons shall come, and they shall take down the covering veil and cover the ark of the Testimony with it. Then they shall put on it a covering of badger skins, and spread over that a cloth entirely of blue; and they shall insert its poles. "On the table of showbread they shall spread a blue cloth, and put on it the dishes, the pans, the bowls, and the pitchers for pouring; and the showbread shall be on it. They shall spread over them a scarlet cloth, and cover the same with a covering of badger skins; and they shall insert its poles. "And they shall take a blue cloth and cover the lampstand of the light, with its lamps, its wick-trimmers, its trays, and all its oil vessels, with which they service it. "Then they shall put it with all its utensils in a covering of badger skins, and put it on a carrying beam. "Over the golden altar they shall spread a blue cloth, and cover it with a covering of badger skins; and they shall insert its poles. Then they shall take all the utensils of service with which they minister in the sanctuary, put them in a blue cloth, cover them with a covering of badger skins, and put them on a carrying beam. Also they shall take away the ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth over it. They shall put on it all its implements with which they minister there-- the firepans, the forks, the shovels, the basins, and all the utensils of the altar-- and they shall spread on it a covering of badger skins, and insert its poles. "And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, when the camp is set to go, then the sons of Kohath shall come to carry them; but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die. These are the things in the tabernacle of meeting which the sons of Kohath are to carry. The appointed duty of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest is the oil for the light, the sweet incense, the daily grain offering, the anointing oil, the oversight of all the tabernacle, of all that is in it, with the sanctuary and its furnishings."

The object of special attention was of course the Ark of the Covenant. First of all the priests took down the veil and used it to cover the ark. After this it was covered with badger skins and last of all a cloth of solid blue was spread over it. The Levites then carried it out on its poles.

The other items also received three different coverings but on them the waterproof badger skin covering was to be on the outside. It was only the holy ark that stood out in blue that all the people might be able to identify it as the Lord led them.

After the covering procedures were completed the Kohathites removed the various items under the supervision of the priest, Eleazer, who had charge of the sanctuary and was responsible for the Levites who worked there.

Gershonites

It was then the turn of the Gershonites to work on disassembling the tabernacle objects. They were to remove the curtains and coverings from the roof of the holy place together with all the hangings of the linen fence:

Num 4:24-28 "This is the service of the families of the Gershonites, in serving and carrying: "They shall carry the curtains of the tabernacle and the tabernacle of meeting with its covering, the covering of badger skins that is on it, the screen for the door of the tabernacle of meeting, the screen for the door of the gate of the court, the hangings of the court which are around the tabernacle and altar, and their cords, all the furnishings for their service and all that is made for these things: so shall they serve. "Aaron and his sons shall assign all the service of the sons of the Gershonites, all their tasks and all their service. And you shall appoint to them all their tasks as their duty. "This is the service of the families of the sons of Gershon in the tabernacle of meeting. And their duties shall be under the authority of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.

This was done under the supervision of Aaron's son, Ithamar.

Merarites

The Merarites disassembled the frames of the tabernacle with its boards and bars. Then they removed all the posts and the pegs and cords that had supported the linen fence around the outer court.

THE MARCH

By this time the whole people were ready to journey in a very organized fashion.

The Ark led the way.

First of all the Ark of the Covenant as the symbol of God's leadership was lifted. The poles rested on the shoulders of the Kohathites who then marched at the head of the column with the ark held high. Some interesting Scriptures are:

Num 10:33-36 So they departed from the mountain of the LORD on a journey of three days; and the ark of the covenant of the LORD went before them for the three days' journey, to search out a resting place for them. And the cloud of the LORD was above them by day when they went out from the camp. So it was, whenever the ark set out, that Moses said: "Rise up, O LORD! Let Your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate You flee before You. And when it rested, he said: "Return, O LORD, to the many thousands of Israel."

Josh 3:3-4 and they commanded the people, saying, "When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests, the Levites, bearing it, then you shall set out from your place and go after it. Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure. Do not come near it, that you may know the way by which you must go, for you have not passed this way before."

On the journey the pillar of cloud led them and the Kohathites carrying the ark followed. The tribe of Judah, first of all took up its position and marched behind the ark on the right hand side. Following them towards the center was Issachar and on the left, Zebulun.

Then came the Levite families of Gershon and Merari who were drawing on ox-carts all the structure and coverings of the tabernacle. The Gershonites were given two covered carts pulled by four oxen while the Merarites for their heavier load had four carts and eight oxen.

They were followed by Reuben, Simeon and Gad. After them came the Kohathites carrying on their shoulders the holy articles of furniture (excluding the ark). Therefore, on the march the tabernacle furniture was central with the remaining six tribes following behind as you can see in the illustration.