Numbers 7:9

Summary

The verse states that Moses did not give wagons or oxen to the descendants of Kohath, because their assigned service concerning the holy objects required them to carry these items on their shoulders. The Hebrew grammar frames this as a causal explanation for their exclusion from the cart distribution mentioned in surrounding verses.

Key words

• na.Tan ("he gave", H5414G) — qal perfect, 3rd masculine singular; marks a completed action (Moses' act of giving, or not giving) and anchors the negated clause lo' na.Tan ("he did not give").
• ki ("for", H3588A) — a subordinating/causal particle introducing the reason for the preceding negation; it links the withholding of transport items directly to the nature of Kohath's duties.
• 'a.vo.Dat ("[the] service of", H5656H) — feminine singular construct noun, grammatically bound to ha.Kodesh ("the holy thing[s]", H6944G); together they form the phrase "the service of the holy things," designating a specific category of cultic labor.
• 'a.leHem ("[was] on them", H5921A + H9038) — preposition with 3rd masculine plural suffix, indicating that the burden or responsibility rests upon the Kohathites specifically.
• yi.Sa.'u ("they carried", H5375H) — qal imperfect, 3rd masculine plural; the imperfect aspect expresses habitual or prescribed action ("they would carry" / "they were to carry"), rather than a single completed event.

What the text says

The verse opens with a fronted prepositional phrase, ve.li.v.Nei Kehat ("and to the sons of Kohath"), placing the subject of concern before the verb lo' na.Tan ("he did not give"). This word order emphasizes the Kohathites as the topic before stating what was withheld from them. The causal clause beginning with ki explains why: their 'a.vo.Dat ha.Kodesh ("service of the holy things") was 'a.leHem ("upon them"), meaning this duty was specifically assigned to them.

The final clause, ba.Katef yi.Sa.'u ("on the shoulder they carried/would carry"), uses the imperfect verb form yi.Sa.'u, which in this context expresses a customary or required action rather than a one-time event — the Kohathites' manner of transport is presented as their ongoing method of service, distinct from other groups who used carts. The construct phrase 'a.vo.Dat ha.Kodesh tightly links "service" to "the holy thing," indicating that the object of their labor was specifically the sacred items, not general labor.

Differences between versions

The Vulgate adds explicit nouns not present in the Hebrew: plaustra et boves ("wagons and oxen"), specifying what was not given, whereas the Hebrew simply says lo' na.Tan ("he did not give") without naming the object. The LXX renders 'a.vo.Dat ha.Kodesh as τὰ λειτουργήματα τοῦ ἁγίου ("the liturgical services/duties of the holy [place]"), using a plural abstract noun where the Hebrew has a singular construct noun phrase. The LXX also reads ἔχουσιν ("they have") in place of the causal structure "because the service was upon them," slightly shifting the logical connection expressed by ki ("for") in the Hebrew.