1Well, after the plague, Jehovah spoke to Moses and EliEzer (the Priest) and said, 2‘Take a census of the gathering of the children of Israel. Count all those who are twenty years old and upwards that serve as soldiers for Israel, by family lines.’ 3So, it was there at ArabOth of Moab, near the Jordan and Jericho, that Moses and EliEzer the Priest [took the census] 4and counted all [the soldiers] who were twenty years old and older, just as Jehovah had commanded Moses. And these are the [family lines] of Israel that came out of Egypt: 5Reuben was the firstborn of Israel. His descendants were Enoch and his family, PhalLu and his family of PhalLuites, 6Asron and his family of Asronites, and Charmi and his family. 7So, the [army of] the descendants of Reuben was numbered at forty-three thousand, seven hundred and thirty. 8The descendants of PhalLu were EliAb 9and his sons, NamuEl, Dathan, and AbiRam. [Dathan and AbiRam] were the famous men among the gathering who joined KorAh in opposing Moses and Aaron, and rebelling against Jehovah. 10Then the ground opened its mouth and swallowed them along with KorAh; and their followers perished when fire destroyed all two hundred and fifty as a sign [from God]. 11However, KorAh’s sons weren’t killed. 12The descendants of Symeon were NamuEl and his family of NamuElites, JaMin and his family of JaMinites, JaChin and his family of JaChinites, 13Zara and his family of Zaraites, and Saul and his family of Saulites. 14So, the [army of] the descendants of Symeon was numbered at twenty-two thousand, two hundred. 15The descendants of Judah were Er and AuNan (who both died in the land of CanaAn), 16Selom and his family of Selomites, Phares and his family of Pharesites, and Zara and his family of Zaraites. 17Phares’ sons were Asron and his family of Asronites, and JaMun and his family of JaMunites. 18So, the [army of] the descendants of Judah was numbered at seventy-six thousand, five hundred. 19The descendants of IsSachar and their family lines were Thola and his family of Tholaites, Phua and his family of Phuaites, 20JaSub and his family of JaSubites, and SamRam and his family of SamRamites. 21So, the [army of] the descendants of IsSachar was numbered at sixty-four thousand, four hundred. 22The descendants of ZebuLon and their family lines were Sared and his family of Saredites, AlLon and his family of AlLonites, and AlLel and his family of AlLelites. 23So, the [army of] the descendants of ZebuLon was numbered at sixty thousand, five hundred. 24The descendants of Gad and their family lines were Saphon and his family of Saphonites, Angi and his family of Angites, Suni and his family of Sunites, 25Azeni and his families of Azenites and Addites, 26AroAdi and his family of AroAdites, and AriEl and his family of AriElites. 27So, the [army of] the descendants of Gad was numbered at forty-four thousand, five hundred. 28The descendants of Asher and their family lines were JaMin and his family of JaMinites, JoShua and his family of JoShuites, BarJa and his family of BarJaites, 29Chober and his family of Choberites, and MelchiEl and his family of MelchiElites. 30(Asher’s daughter’s name was Sara). 31So, the [army of] the descendants of Asher was numbered at forty-three thousand, four hundred. 32Joseph had two sons, ManasSeh and EphraIm, and each had his own family line. 33The descendants of ManasSeh and their family lines were Machir and his family of Machirites. Machir’s son was GalaAd, and he was the father of the GalaAdites. 34The descendants of GalaAd were AchiEzer and his family of AchiEzerites, Cheleg and his family of Chelegites, 35EsriEl and his family of EsriElites, Sychem and his family of Sychemites, 36SymaEr and his family of SymaErites, Opher and his family of Opherites. 37Opher’s son SalpaAd had no sons, just daughters. His daughter’s names were SalpaAd, Mala, Nua, Egla, Melcha, and Thersa. 38So, the [army of] the descendants of ManasSeh was numbered at fifty-two thousand, seven hundred. 39The descendants of EphraIm were SuthaLa and his family of SuthaLanites and Tanach and his family of Tanachites. 40SuthaLa was the father of Eden and his family of Edenites. 41So, the [army of] the descendants of EphraIm was numbered at thirty-two thousand, five hundred. These were the families of the children of Joseph and their family lines. 42The descendants of BenJamin and their family lines were Bale and his family of Balites, Asuber and his family of Asuberites, JaChiran and his family of JaChiranites, 43and Sophan and his family of Sophanites. 44Bale’s sons were Adar and NoEman. Adar started his family of Adarites and NoEman started his family of NoEmanites. 45So, the [army of] the descendants of BenJamin and their family lines was numbered at thirty-five thousand, five hundred. 46The descendants of Dan were SaMei and his family of SaMeites. So, the [army of] the descendants of Dan 47through SaMei and his family line was numbered at sixty-four thousand, four hundred. 48The descendants of NaphTali and their family lines were AsiEl and his family of AsiElites, Gaun and his family of Gaunites, 49Jeser and his family of Jeserites, and SelLem and his family of SelLemites. 50So, the [army of] the descendants of NaphTali was numbered at forty thousand, three hundred. 51So all together, there were six hundred-and-one thousand, seven hundred and thirty, who were counted among [the army] of the children of Israel, 52Then Jehovah spoke to Moses and said, 53‘This is how the land must be divided: The inheritances should be allotted by [family] names, 54and the larger groups should be given larger inheritances, while the smaller groups should be given smaller inheritances. So, use this census to divide the inheritances. 55The land must be divided by these names and assigned by lottery, and each of the family lines and tribes must be given an assignment [of land]. 56Then divide [the land] into smaller and larger portions. 57Now, the descendants of Levi and their family lines were Gedson and his family of Gedsonites, CaAth and his family of CaAthites, MeraRi and his family of MeraRites, 58and Lobi and his families of Lobenites, Hebronites, Coreites, and Musites. CaAth’s son was AmRam. 59His wife’s name was JoChabed, and she was the daughter of Levi. She gave birth to these [grandsons] of Levi while she was in Egypt: AmRam, Aaron, Moses, and their sister Miriam. 60Aaron’s sons were Nadab, AbiUd, EliEzer, and IthaMar, 61but Nadab and AbiUd died when they offered unauthorized fire to Jehovah while they were in the Sinai Desert. 62There were twenty-three thousand males among [Aaron’s family line] who were a month old and older. However, they weren’t counted among the children of Israel, because they were to receive no inheritance among them. 63This was the census that was conducted by Moses and EliEzer (the Priest) in ArabOth of Moab, near the Jordan River and Jericho. 64However, none among them had been counted in the [earlier] census of the children of Israel that was taken by Moses and Aaron in the Sinai Desert, 65for Jehovah told them that they were going to die in the desert, and none were left except Caleb (the son of JePhonNe) and JoShua (the son of NaWeh).
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 ISRAEL NUMBERED. (Num. 26:1-51)
after the plague--That terrible visitation had swept away the remnant of the old generation, to whom God sware in His wrath that they should not enter Canaan (
Ps 95:11).
2 Take the sum of all the congregation--The design of this new census, after a lapse of thirty-eight years, was primarily to establish the vast multiplication of the posterity of Abraham in spite of the severe judgments inflicted upon them; secondarily, it was to preserve the distinction of families and to make arrangements, preparatory to an entrance into the promised land, for the distribution of the country according to the relative population of the tribes.
7 These are the families of the Reubenites--the principal households, which were subdivided into numerous smaller families. Reuben had suffered great diminution by Korah's conspiracy and other outbreaks [
Num 16:1].
10 the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up together with Korah--rather, "the things of Korah." (See on
Num 16:35; compare
Ps 106:17).
11 Notwithstanding the children of Korah died not--Either they were not parties to their father's crime, or they withdrew from it by timely repentance. His descendants became famous in the time of David, and are often mentioned in the Psalms [
Ps 42:1;
Ps 44:1;
Ps 45:1;
Ps 46:1;
Ps 47:1;
Ps 48:1;
Ps 49:1;
Ps 84:1;
Ps 85:1;
Ps 87:1;
Ps 88:1], also in
1Chr 6:22,
1Chr 6:38.
12 The sons of Simeon--It is supposed that this tribe had been pre-eminent in the guilt of Baal-peor and had consequently been greatly reduced in numbers.
Thus God's justice and holiness, as well as His truth and faithfulness, were strikingly displayed: His justice and holiness in the sweeping judgments that reduced the ranks of some tribes; and His truth and faithfulness in the extraordinary increase of others so that the posterity of Israel continued a numerous people.
53 the land shall be divided according to the number of names--The portion of each tribe was to be greater or less, according to its populousness.
54 To many thou shalt give the more inheritance--that is, to the more numerous tribes a larger allotment shall be granted.
according to those that were numbered--the number of persons twenty years old at the time of the census being made, without taking into account either the increase of those who might have attained that age, when the land should be actually distributed, or the diminution from that amount, occasioned during the war of invasion.
55 the land shall be divided by lot--The appeal to the lot did not place the matter beyond the control of God; for it is at His disposal (
Pro 16:33), and He has fixed to all the bounds of their habitation. The manner in which the lot was taken has not been recorded. But it is evident that the lot was cast for determining the section of the country in which each tribe should be located--not the quantity of their possessions. In other words, when the lot had decided that a particular tribe was to be settled in the north or the south, the east or the west, the extent of territory was allocated according to the rule (
Num 26:54).
58 families of the Levites--The census of this tribe was taken separately, and on a different principle from the rest. (See
Exod 6:16-
Exod 6:19).
62 twenty and three thousand--so that there was an increase of a thousand (
Num 3:39).
males from a month old and upward--(See on
Num 3:14).
64 among these there was not a man . . . numbered . . . in the wilderness of Sinai--The statement in this verse must not be considered absolute. For, besides Caleb and Joshua, there were alive at this time Eleazar and Ithamar, and in all probability a considerable number of Levites, who had no participation in the popular defections in the wilderness. The tribe of Levi, having neither sent a spy into Canaan, nor being included in the enumeration at Sinai, must be regarded as not coming within the range of the fatal sentence; and therefore it would exhibit a spectacle not to be witnessed in the other tribes of many in their ranks above sixty years of age.
Tribes Chap. 1 Chap. 26 Increase Decrease
Reuben 46,500 43,730 -- 2,770
Simeon 59,300 22,200 -- 37,100
Gad 45,650 40,500 -- 5,150
Judah 74,600 76,500 1,900 --
Issachar 54,400 64,300 9,900 --
Zebulun 57,400 60,500 3,100 --
Ephraim 40,500 32,500 -- 8,000
Manasseh 32,200 52,700 20,500 --
Benjamin 35,400 45,600 10,200 --
Dan 62,700 64,400 1,700 --
Asher 41,500 53,400 11,900 --
Naphtali 53,400 45,400 -- 8,000
Total 603,550 601,730 59,200 61,020
Total decrease 1,820
