Numbers 3:31

וּמִשְׁמַרְתָּם הָאָרֹן וְהַשֻּׁלְחָן וְהַמְּנֹרָה וְהַֽמִּזְבְּחֹת וּכְלֵי הַקֹּדֶשׁ אֲשֶׁר יְשָׁרְתוּ בָּהֶם וְהַמָּסָךְ וְכֹל עֲבֹדָתֽוֹ׃

✦ Hebrew interlinear

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✦ The same verse in five languages

Hebrew

וּמִשְׁמַרְתָּ֗ם הָאָרֹ֤ן וְהַשֻּׁלְחָן֙ וְהַמְּנֹרָ֣ה וְהַֽמִּזְבְּחֹ֔ת וּכְלֵ֣י הַקֹּ֔דֶשׁ אֲשֶׁ֥ר יְשָׁרְת֖וּ בָּהֶ֑ם וְהַ֨מָּסָ֔ךְ וְכֹ֖ל עֲבֹדָתֽוֹ׃

Greek (Septuagint)

καὶ ἡ φυλακὴ αὐτῶν ἡ κιβωτὸς καὶ ἡ τράπεζα καὶ ἡ λυχνία καὶ τὰ θυσιαστήρια, καὶ τὰ σκεύη τοῦ ἁγίου ὅσα λειτουργοῦσιν ἐν αὐτοῖς, καὶ τὸ κατακάλυμμα καὶ πάντα τὰ ἔργα αὐτῶν.

Greek text from Swete's edition, CC BY-SA 4.0

Latin (Vulgate)

et custodient arcam, mensamque et candelabrum, altaria et vasa sanctuarii, in quibus ministratur, et velum, cunctamque hujuscemodi supellectilem.

Spanish

Su tarea será cuidar el arca, la mesa, el candelabro, los altares, los utensilios sagrados con los que ministran, la cortina y todo su servicio.

Classic Spanish (Reina-Valera 1909)

Y á cargo de ellos estará el arca, y la mesa, y el candelero, y los altares, y los vasos del santuario con que ministran, y el velo, con todo su servicio.

English

Their duties were the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the articles of the sanctuary used with them, and the curtain — all the service for these items.

✦ What the text says

Summary

The verse lists the objects placed under a group's mishmarTam ("their duty/charge", H4931): the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the holy vessels, the screen, and "all its service" (H5656). It defines the scope of responsibility by enumerating sacred furnishings rather than describing actions.

Key words

mishmarTam ("their duty", H4931) — feminine singular construct noun with 3rd person masculine plural suffix ("their"); construct form (rule: "X of...") links the noun to the implied group bearing the charge, setting up the entire list that follows as the content of that charge.
'aRon ("ark", H0727) — masculine singular noun with definite article; the first and most prominent item listed under the charge.
yesharetu ("they will serve", H8334) — Piel (intensive stem) imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural; the imperfect aspect marks ongoing or repeated future action, describing the continuous ministering activity associated with the holy vessels rather than a single event.
ba.Hem ("in/by them", H9003+H9038) — preposition with 3rd masculine plural suffix, referring back to the keley haQodesh ("vessels of the holy place", H3627+H6944), specifying that the service is performed with these objects.
avodaTo ("its service", H5656) — feminine singular construct noun with 3rd masculine singular suffix; closes the list by generalizing beyond named items to "all" (Khol, H3605) associated service, broadening the scope of the charge.

What the text says

The sentence structure is a list governed by the initial construct noun mishmarTam, "their duty," which is grammatically completed by a chain of definite nouns joined with the conjunction ve- ("and", H9002): the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, and the holy vessels. This paratactic structure — noun after noun linked by simple conjunctions — creates an inventory rather than a narrative, itemizing what falls under the stated charge without describing how each item functions individually.

The relative clause 'aSher yesharetu baHem ("which they will serve by them", H0834A + H8334 + H9003/H9038) is attached specifically to keley haQodesh ("vessels of the holy place"), using a Piel imperfect verb to indicate an ongoing, repeated action performed with those vessels. The list continues with the screen (haMasakh, H4539) and closes with the phrase khol avodaTo ("all its service", H3605 + H5656), a construct chain that generalizes the preceding specific items into a comprehensive category, using a 3rd masculine singular suffix ("its") rather than plural, which shifts the referent to a singular collective sense.

Differences between versions

The LXX renders mishmarTam as φυλακὴ αὐτῶν ("their guard/watch"), a term emphasizing custodial oversight, while the Vulgate uses custodient ("they will guard"), a verb rather than a noun, restructuring the Hebrew's nominal opening into a verbal clause. The Hebrew yesharetu baHem ("they will serve by/in them") appears in the LXX as λειτουργοῦσιν ἐν αὐτοῖς ("they minister in them") and in the Vulgate as the passive ministratur ("it is ministered"), shifting from active plural subject to an impersonal passive construction.

This explanation describes the text using linguistic data; it adds no doctrine or confessional interpretation.