Numbers 4:13
New International Version
“They are to remove the ashes from the bronze altar and spread a purple cloth over it.

New Living Translation
“They must remove the ashes from the altar for sacrifices and cover the altar with a purple cloth.

English Standard Version
And they shall take away the ashes from the altar and spread a purple cloth over it.

Berean Standard Bible
Then they shall remove the ashes from the bronze altar, spread a purple cloth over it,

King James Bible
And they shall take away the ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth thereon:

New King James Version
Also they shall take away the ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth over it.

New American Standard Bible
Then they shall clean away the ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth over it.

NASB 1995
“Then they shall take away the ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth over it.

NASB 1977
“Then they shall take away the ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth over it.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then they shall take away the ashes from the altar and spread a purple cloth over it.

Amplified Bible
Then they shall clean away the ashes from the altar [of burnt offering], and spread a purple cloth over it.

Christian Standard Bible
“They are to remove the ashes from the bronze altar, spread a purple cloth over it,

Holman Christian Standard Bible
They are to remove the ashes from the bronze altar, spread a purple cloth over it,

American Standard Version
And they shall take away the ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth thereon:

Contemporary English Version
They are to remove the ashes from the bronze altar and cover it with a purple cloth.

English Revised Version
And they shall take away the ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth thereon:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"After they take the ashes away, they will spread a purple cloth over the altar.

Good News Translation
They shall remove the greasy ashes from the altar and spread a purple cloth over it.

International Standard Version
They are also to remove the ashes on the altar and spread a purple cloth over it.

Majority Standard Bible
Then they shall remove the ashes from the bronze altar, spread a purple cloth over it,

NET Bible
Also, they must take away the ashes from the altar and spread a purple cloth over it.

New Heart English Bible
They shall take away the ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth on it.

Webster's Bible Translation
And they shall take away the ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth upon it:

World English Bible
“They shall take away the ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth on it.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and have removed the ashes of the altar, and have spread a garment of purple over it,

Young's Literal Translation
and have removed the ashes of the altar, and have spread over it a garment of purple;

Smith's Literal Translation
And they shall anoint the altar, and spread upon it a purple garment:
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
They shall cleanse the altar also from the ashes, and shall wrap it up in a purple cloth,

Catholic Public Domain Version
Moreover, they shall cleanse the altar of ashes, and they shall wrap it in a purple garment,

New American Bible
After cleansing the altar of its ashes, they shall spread a purple cloth over it.

New Revised Standard Version
They shall take away the ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth over it;
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And they shall take apart the altar, and spread a purple cloth over it;

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And they shall remove the altar and they shall cover over it with a robe of purple.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And they shall take away the ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth thereon.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And he shall put the covering on the altar, and they shall cover it with a cloth all of purple.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Duties of the Kohathites
12They are to take all the utensils for serving in the sanctuary, place them in a blue cloth, cover them with fine leather, and put them on the carrying frame. 13Then they shall remove the ashes from the bronze altar, spread a purple cloth over it, 14and place on it all the vessels used to serve there: the firepans, meat forks, shovels, and sprinkling bowls—all the equipment of the altar. They are to spread over it a covering of fine leather and insert the poles.…

Cross References
Exodus 27:3
Make all its utensils of bronze—its pots for removing ashes, its shovels, its sprinkling bowls, its meat forks, and its firepans.

Leviticus 6:10-11
And the priest shall put on his linen robe and linen undergarments, and he shall remove from the altar the ashes of the burnt offering that the fire has consumed and place them beside it. / Then he must take off his garments, put on other clothes, and carry the ashes outside the camp to a ceremonially clean place.

Hebrews 9:4
containing the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. Inside the ark were the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant.

Exodus 30:1-10
“You are also to make an altar of acacia wood for the burning of incense. / It is to be square, a cubit long, a cubit wide, and two cubits high. Its horns must be of one piece. / Overlay with pure gold the top and all the sides and horns, and make a molding of gold around it. ...

1 Kings 7:48
Solomon also made all the furnishings for the house of the LORD: the golden altar; the golden table on which was placed the Bread of the Presence;

2 Chronicles 4:19
Solomon also made all the furnishings for the house of God: the golden altar; the tables on which was placed the Bread of the Presence;

Revelation 8:3-5
Then another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, along with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. / And the smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, rose up before God from the hand of the angel. / Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it to the earth; and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.

Exodus 37:25-28
He made the altar of incense out of acacia wood. It was square, a cubit long, a cubit wide, and two cubits high. Its horns were of one piece. / And he overlaid with pure gold the top and all the sides and horns. Then he made a molding of gold around it. / He made two gold rings below the molding on opposite sides to hold the poles used to carry it. ...

1 Samuel 2:28
And out of all the tribes of Israel I selected your father to be My priest, to offer sacrifices on My altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod in My presence. I also gave to the house of your father all the food offerings of the Israelites.

2 Chronicles 29:18
Then they went in to King Hezekiah and reported, “We have cleansed the entire house of the LORD, the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the table of the showbread with all its utensils.

Leviticus 16:12-13
Then he must take a censer full of burning coals from the altar before the LORD, and two handfuls of finely ground fragrant incense, and take them inside the veil. / He is to put the incense on the fire before the LORD, and the cloud of incense will cover the mercy seat above the Testimony, so that he will not die.

1 Kings 6:20-22
The inner sanctuary was twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and twenty cubits high. He overlaid the inside with pure gold, and he also overlaid the altar of cedar. / So Solomon overlaid the inside of the temple with pure gold, and he extended gold chains across the front of the inner sanctuary, which was overlaid with gold. / So he overlaid with gold the whole interior of the temple, until everything was completely finished. He also overlaid with gold the entire altar that belonged to the inner sanctuary.

2 Chronicles 13:11
Every morning and every evening they present burnt offerings and fragrant incense to the LORD. They set out the rows of showbread on the ceremonially clean table, and every evening they light the lamps of the gold lampstand. We are carrying out the requirements of the LORD our God, while you have forsaken Him.

Exodus 40:26-27
Moses placed the gold altar in the Tent of Meeting, in front of the veil, / and he burned fragrant incense on it, just as the LORD had commanded him.

Luke 1:9-11
he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. / And at the hour of the incense offering, the whole congregation was praying outside. / Just then an angel of the Lord appeared to Zechariah, standing at the right side of the altar of incense.


Treasury of Scripture

And they shall take away the ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth thereon:

Numbers 4:6-9,11,12
And shall put thereon the covering of badgers' skins, and shall spread over it a cloth wholly of blue, and shall put in the staves thereof…

Exodus 27:3-5
And thou shalt make his pans to receive his ashes, and his shovels, and his basons, and his fleshhooks, and his firepans: all the vessels thereof thou shalt make of brass…

Exodus 39:1,41
And of the blue, and purple, and scarlet, they made cloths of service, to do service in the holy place, and made the holy garments for Aaron; as the LORD commanded Moses…

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Altar Ashes Bronze Burned Cleanse Cloth Garment Purple Remove Removed Spread Thereon Waste
Numbers 4
1. The age at which the Levites were to serve, and the duration of the service
4. The duty of the Kohathites
16. The charge of Eleazar
17. The office of the priests
21. The duty of the Gershonites
29. Of the Merarites
34. The number of the Kohathites
38. Of the Gershonites
42. And of the Merarites














Then they shall remove
This phrase indicates a specific action to be undertaken by the Levites, particularly the Kohathites, who were responsible for the most sacred duties in the Tabernacle. The Hebrew root for "remove" is "sur," which implies a careful and deliberate action. This removal signifies a cleansing process, a necessary preparation for the altar's continued use in worship. It reflects the importance of purity and order in the service of God, reminding believers of the need for spiritual cleansing in their own lives.

the ashes
The ashes are the remnants of the burnt offerings, symbolizing the consumption of the sacrifice by fire, which represents God's acceptance. In Hebrew, "deshen" refers to the ashes or fat, indicating what is left after the offering is made. The removal of ashes is a metaphor for the removal of sin and impurity, a theme echoed throughout Scripture, emphasizing the need for continual renewal and sanctification in the believer's life.

from the bronze altar
The bronze altar, or "mizbeach nechosheth" in Hebrew, was the place of sacrifice located in the outer court of the Tabernacle. Bronze, a symbol of judgment and endurance, underscores the altar's role in atonement and reconciliation with God. Historically, the altar was central to Israelite worship, serving as a constant reminder of the need for sacrifice and the seriousness of sin. For Christians, it prefigures the ultimate sacrifice of Christ on the cross.

spread a purple cloth over it
The act of spreading a purple cloth over the altar is rich in symbolism. Purple, derived from the Hebrew "argaman," was a color associated with royalty and wealth, often used in the garments of kings and priests. Covering the altar with a purple cloth signifies the honor and reverence due to God, as well as the sacredness of the objects used in His worship. It also points to the majesty and kingship of Christ, who fulfills the sacrificial system and reigns as the eternal King.

(13) And they shall take away the ashes from the altar.--In Exodus 27:3 we find a direction to make pans for removing the ashes from the brazen altar, and also to make all the brazen vessels mentioned in the next verse.

Verse 13. - Take away the ashes. This is omitted by the Septuagint. The Hebrew word for "ashes is of somewhat doubtful meaning, being only used here and in Exodus 27:3; Psalm 20:3 (see margin). Being connected with the word "fat," it may perhaps mean the grease or dripping from the burnt offerings. The Targum of Palestine renders it "cinders." As the altar was hollow, and was filled with earth or stones when used, there would be no need to cleanse it from ashes; if this be the meaning of the word, the command would rather have been to collect the living embers before the altar was removed, in order to keep alive the sacred fire. That this fire was never allowed to go out may be looked upon as certain.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Then they shall remove the ashes
וְדִשְּׁנ֖וּ (wə·ḏiš·šə·nū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Conjunctive perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 1878: To be fat, to fatten, to anoint, to satisfy, to remove, ashes

from the bronze altar,
הַמִּזְבֵּ֑חַ (ham·miz·bê·aḥ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4196: An altar

spread
וּפָרְשׂ֣וּ (ū·p̄ā·rə·śū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 6566: To break apart, disperse

a purple
אַרְגָּמָֽן׃ (’ar·gā·mān)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 713: Purple, red-purple

cloth
בֶּ֖גֶד (be·ḡeḏ)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 899: A covering, clothing, treachery, pillage

over it,
עָלָ֔יו (‘ā·lāw)
Preposition | third person masculine singular
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against


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OT Law: Numbers 4:13 They shall take away the ashes (Nu Num.)
Numbers 4:12
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