For the Lord had spoken... — Better, And the Lord spake... (Numbers 3:1; Numbers 3:5-6; Numbers 3:14-15). It is true that the Levites were not included in the earlier numbering, and consequently that they must have been exempted by divine direction. It does not appear, however, that there is a reference to any previous command respecting the Levites, or that the specific destination of the Levites had been previously declared.
Related Commentaries of Numbers 1:48
Numbers 1:48
48 For the LORD had spoken unto Moses, saying,