Numbers 4:4

Summary

Numbers 4:4 introduces the specific duties assigned to the Kohathite clan within the Tent of Meeting, focusing on their responsibility for "the holy of holies," meaning the most sacred objects among the sanctuary furnishings.

Key words

• zot ("this", H2063) — feminine demonstrative pronoun, points forward to the noun 'avodat and functions as the subject of the nominal sentence.
• 'avodat ("service of", H5656H) — feminine singular noun in construct state, opening a construct chain that links it to "the sons of Kohath"; denotes assigned labor or duty.
• bene ("sons/descendants of", H1121G) — masculine plural construct, continuing the chain 'avodat bene-Qehat, "the service of the sons of Kohath."
• 'ohel mo'ed ("tent of meeting", H0168G + H4150I) — construct phrase naming the sanctuary structure where the service takes place, marked by the preposition be ("in").
• qodesh ha-qodashim ("holy [thing] of the holy things", H6944G + H9009 + H6944G) — a construct chain using the same root twice, the first term singular construct governing the second, definite, plural form; this repetition of the root produces a superlative sense, "the holiest things" or "the holy of holies."

What the text says

The verse is a nominal (verbless) sentence: zot ("this") functions as subject, and 'avodat bene-Qehat ("the service of the sons of Kohath") as predicate, stating what this service consists of. The prepositional phrase be-'ohel mo'ed ("in the tent of meeting") locates where this service occurs. The final phrase, qodesh ha-qodashim, stands in apposition, specifying the object or scope of that service: the most sacred items.

The construction qodesh ha-qodashim repeats the noun qodesh ("holy thing", H6944G) in singular construct form followed by its own definite plural, a common Biblical Hebrew device for expressing intensity or superlativity — literally "holy-thing of the holy-things." This grammatical doubling is what conveys the sense of "most holy" without any adjective of degree.

Differences between versions

The LXX renders 'avodat ("service", singular) as τὰ ἔργα ("the works", plural), shifting from a single abstract duty to multiple concrete tasks. The LXX also punctuates the sentence so that "in the tent of meeting" and "holy of holies" appear as two separate items rather than the Hebrew's single apposed construct phrase. The Vulgate ("cultus... tabernaculum foederis, et Sanctum sanctorum") similarly lists "tabernacle" and "Holy of holies" as two coordinated objects joined by "et" ("and"), rather than preserving the Hebrew's prepositional structure ("in the tent of meeting") followed by an appositional specification of duty regarding "the holy of holies."