The number of registered men from the Merari clan among the Levites at Mount Sinai.
The number 6200 appears in Numbers 3:34, where it indicates the total count of male members one month old and upward from the Merari clan – the third of Levi’s three sons’ lineages (Gershon, Kohath, and Merari). Merari’s sons were responsible for the tabernacle’s structural elements: the planks, bars, pillars, bases, and all related equipment (Num 3:36–37). The counting of the Levites was carried out separately from the rest of Israel because they were chosen for service at the sanctuary instead of all the firstborn among the people. The number 6200 can be broken down into the components 6 and 2, where 6 is often linked to human labor and creation (humankind was created on the sixth day), while 2 may symbolize testimony and partnership – yet the number itself is not attributed any independent symbolic value beyond its concrete occurrence in the census text. The three Levitical clans—Gershon, Kohath, and Merari—each had specific duties related to the transport and maintenance of the tabernacle. The Merari clan was given the heaviest parts: the boards, pillars, and bases (Num 3:36–37; 4:31–33). According to rabbinic tradition, carts and oxen were given specifically to the Merarites because of the weight of these items (Num 7:8). The registration of Levites from one month old and upward differs from the rest of the Israelite census (from 20 years old and upward) because the Levites were not counted as warriors, but as sanctuary servants who were to replace the firstborn throughout Israel (Num 3:11–13). In total, 22,000 Levites were registered (Num 3:39), divided among Gershon (7,500), Kohath (8,600), and Merari (6,200). The Merari clan was thus the smallest of the three Levitical clans.*