Q
Re: Numbers 1:51. Why does the stranger who approaches have to be put to death?
A
In Numbers 1:47-54 Moses was explaining that the Lord had given the descendants of Levi the exclusive responsibility for the tabernacle and its furnishings. And even among them, different families had different assignments (Numbers 3-4). No one else was allowed to handle any part of the tabernacle, or even go near it, on pain of death. This was to preserve its holiness. The word “stranger” in Numbers 1:51 refers to anyone who was not a Levite.