The Kohathites carry the holy things (the ark of the covenant, the table of showbread, the lampstand, and the golden and bronze altar). This is described in Numbers 4:4–20. The Gershonites were to dismantle and carry all the curtains and coverings of the tabernacle, as well as the curtains that surrounded the courtyard. The service of the Gershonites is thus regarded as inferior to that of the Kohathites.
25 they shall carry the curtains of the tabernacle and the tent of meeting with its covering and the covering of goatskin that is on top of it and the screen for the entrance of the tent of meeting