The duties of the Kohathites come first because they handled the most holy objects (see 3:27–32). This might be because Aaron and the priests came from this clan (1 Chronicles 6:2–3). Their tasks included carrying, setting up, and folding up these holy and very important coverings and furnishings.
The items entrusted to Kohath's descendants were very valuable. These included:
the ark of the Testimony,
the table of the Bread of the Presence,
the lampstand (Hebrew menorah),
the gold incense altar, and
the altar for sacrifices.
Exodus 25–30 first describes these objects. But Numbers shows how the Hebrews used them in daily life. The Kohathites carried these items on poles or in frames. They could not touch them or enter the sanctuary to look at them, or they would die.