Numbers 26

1 After the plague, 26 1 ADONAI said to Moshe and El'azar, the son of Aharon the cohen,
2 "Take a census of the entire assembly of the people of Isra'el twenty years old and over, by their ancestral clans, all who are subject to military service in Isra'el."
3 Moshe and El'azar the cohen spoke with them on the plains of Mo'av by the Yarden across from Yericho, explaining,
4 "Those twenty years old and over who came out of the land of Egypt, as ADONAI ordered Moshe and the people of Isra'el."
5 [The census results begin with] Re'uven, the firstborn of Isra'el. The descendants of Re'uven were: of Hanokh, the family of the Hanokhi; of Pallu, the family of the Pallu'i;
6 of Hetzron, the family of the Hetzroni; and of Karmi the family of the Karmi.
7 These were the the families of the Re'uveni; of them were counted 43,730.
8 The sons of Pallu: Eli'av;
9 and the sons of Eli'av: N'mu'el, Datan and Aviram. These are the same Datan and Aviram, men of reputation in the community, who rebelled against Moshe and Aharon in Korach's group, when they rebelled against ADONAI;
10 and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up together with Korach when that group died, and the fire consumed 250 men, and they became a warning sign.
11 (However, the sons of Korach did not die.)
12 The descendants of Shim'on, by their families, were: of N'mu'el, the family of the N'mu'eli; of Yamin, the family of the Yamini; of Yakhin, the family of the Yakhini;
13 of Zerach, the family of the Zarchi; and of Sha'ul, the family of the Sha'uli.
14 These were the families of the Shim'oni, 22,200.
15 The descendants of Gad, by their families, were: of Tz'fon, the family of the Tz'foni; of Haggi, the family of the Haggi; of Shuni, the family of the Shuni;
16 of Ozni, the family of the Ozni; of 'Eri, the family of the 'Eri;
17 of Arod, the family of the Arodi; and of Ar'eli, the family of the Ar'eli.
18 These were the families of the sons of Gad, according to those counted of them, 40,500.
19 The sons of Y'hudah: First 'Er and Onan, but 'Er and Onan died in the land of Kena'an.
20 The sons of Y'hudah who had descendants were: of Shelah, the family of the Shelani; of Peretz, the family of the Partzi; and of Zerach, the family of the Zarchi.
21 The sons of Peretz were: of Hetzron, the family of the Hetzroni; and of Hamul, the family of the Hamuli.
22 These were the families of Y'hudah, according to those counted of them, 76,500.
23 The descendants of Yissakhar, by their families, were: of Tola, the family of the Tola'i; of Puvah, the family of the Puni;
24 of Yashuv, the family of the Yashuvi; and of Shimron, the family of the Shimroni.
25 These were the families of Yissakhar, according to those counted of them, 64,300.
26 The descendants of Z'vulun, by their families, were: of Sered, the family of the Sardi; of Elon, the family of the Eloni; and of Yachle'el, the family of the Yachle'eli.
27 These were the families of the Z'vuloni, according to those counted of them, 60,500.
28 The sons of Yosef, by their families, were M'nasheh and Efrayim.
29 The descendants of M'nasheh were: of Makhir, the family of the Makhiri. Makhir was the father of Gil'ad; of Gil'ad, the family of the Gil'adi.
30 These are the descendants of Gil'ad: of I'ezer, the family of the I'ezri; of Helek, the family of the Helki;
31 of Asri'el, the family of the Asri'eli; of Sh'khem, the family of the Shikhmi;
32 of Sh'mida, the family of the Sh'mida'i; and of Hefer, the family of the Hefri.
33 Tz'lof'chad the son of Hefer had no sons but daughters; the names of the daughters of Tz'lof'chad were Machlah, No'ah, Hoglah, Milkah and Tirtzah.
34 These were the families of M'nasheh; of them were counted 52,700.
35 These are the descendants of Efrayim, by their families: of Shutelach, the family of the Shutalchi; of Bekher, the family of the Bakhri; and of Tachan, the family of the Tachani.
36 These are the descendants of Shutelach: of 'Eran, the family of the 'Erani.
37 These were the families of the descendants of Efrayim, according to those of them that were counted, 32,500. These were the descendants of Yosef, by their families.
38 The descendants of Binyamin, by their families were: of Bela, the family of the Bal'i; of Ashbel, the family of the Ashbeli; of Achiram, the family of the Achirami;
39 of Sh'fufam, the family of the Shufami; and of Hufam, the family of the Hufami.
40 The sons of Bela were Ard and Na'aman; [of Ard,] the family of the Ardi; and of Na'aman, the family of the Na'ami.
41 These were the descendants of Binyamin, by their families; of them were counted 45,600.
42 The descendants of Dan, by their families, were: of Shucham, the family of the Shuchami. These are the families of Dan, by their families.
43 All the families of the Shuchami, according to those of them that were counted, were 64,400.
44 The descendants of Asher, by their families: of Yimnah, the family of the Yimnah; of Yishvi, the family of the Yishvi; and of B'ri'ah, the family of the B'ri'i.
45 Of the descendants of B'ri'ah: of Hever, the family of the Hevri; and of Malki'el, the family of the Malki'eli.
46 The name of Asher's daughter was Serach.
47 These were the families of the descendants of Asher, according to those of them that were counted, 53,400.
48 The descendants of Naftali, by their families: of Yachtze'el, the families of the Yachtze'eli; of Guni, the family of the Guni;
49 of Yetzer, the family of the Yitzri; and of Shillem, the family of the Shillemi.
50 These are the families of Naftali according to their families; those of them that were counted were 45,400.
51 Thus those who were counted of the people of Isra'el numbered 601,730.
52 ADONAI said to Moshe,
53 "The land is to be parceled out among these as a possession to be inherited, according to the number of names.
54 To those families with more persons you are to give a greater inheritance, and to those with fewer you are to give a smaller inheritance - each family's inheritance is to be given according to the number counted in it.
55 However, the land is to be awarded by lot. They will inherit according to the names of the tribes of their ancestors,
56 but the inheritance is to be parceled out by lot between the families with more and those with fewer."
57 Those counted among the Levi, by their families, were: of Gershon, the family of the Gershuni, of K'hat, the family of the K'hati; and of M'rari, the family of the M'rari.
58 These are the families of Levi: the family of the Livni, the family of the Hevroni, the family of the Machli, the family of the Mushi and the family of the Korchi. K'hat was the father of 'Amram.
59 The name of 'Amram's wife was Yokheved the daughter of Levi, who was born to Levi in Egypt; and she bore to 'Amram Aharon, Moshe and their sister Miryam.
60 To Aharon were born Nadav, Avihu, El'azar and Itamar;
61 but Nadav and Avihu died when they offered unauthorized fire before ADONAI.
62 Those males one month old or more counted of the Levi were 23,000. These were not included in the census of the people of Isra'el, because no land for inheritance was given to them among the people of Isra'el.
63 These are the ones counted by Moshe and El'azar the cohen, who took a census of the people of Isra'el in the plains of Mo'av by the Yarden across from Yericho.
64 But there was not a man among them who had also been included in the census of Moshe and Aharon the cohen when they enumerated the people of Isra'el in the Sinai Desert;
65 because ADONAI had said of them, "They will surely die in the desert." So there was not left even one of them, except Kalev the son of Y'funeh and Y'hoshua the son of Nun.

Numbers 26 Commentary

Chapter 26

Numbering of Israel in the plains of Moab. (1-51) The division of the land. (52-56) Number of the Levites. (57-62) None remaining of the first numbering. (63-65)

Verses 1-51 Moses did not number the people but when God commanded him. We have here the families registered, as well as the tribes. The total was nearly the same as when numbered at mount Sinai. Notice is here taken of the children of Korah; they died not, as the children of Dathan and Abiram; they seem not to have joined even their own father in rebellion. If we partake not of the sins of sinners, we shall not partake of their plagues.

Verses 52-56 In distributing these tribes, the general rule of equity is prescribed; that to many should be given more, and to fewer less. Though it seems left to the prudence of their prince, the matter at last must be settled by the providence of God, with which all must be satisfied.

Verses 57-62 Levi was God's tribe; therefore it was not numbered with the rest, but alone. It came not under the sentence, that none of them should enter Canaan excepting Caleb and Joshua.

Verses 63-65 The execution of the sentence passed on the murmurers, chap. 14:29 , is observable. There was not one man numbered now, who was numbered then, but Caleb and Joshua. Here appeared the righteousness of God, and his faithfulness to his threatenings. Especially observe the truth of God, in performing his promise to Caleb and Joshua. Death makes awful havoc of the human species, and causes surprising changes in families and nations; yet all is appointed in perfect wisdom, justice, and truth, by the Lord himself. This should stir us up to think upon the hateful nature of sin, the cause of all these devastations. We should renew our repentance, seek forgiveness, value the salvation of Christ, remember how frail we are, prepare for the summons of death, and fill up our days in serving our generation according to the will of God.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO NUMBERS 26

In this chapter an order is given to number the people of Israel a second time, Nu 26:1-4 and the account begins with Reuben, the firstborn, and the families that sprung from him, and the number of them, Nu 26:5-7 and Dathan and Abiram being of this tribe, the affair of them and Korah is afresh related, Nu 26:8-11, then the tribe of Simeon, its families and number, Nu 26:12-14, next the tribe of Gad, and their families and number, Nu 26:15-18, after that the tribe of Judah, its families and number, Nu 26:19-22 then follows the tribe of Issachar, its families and number, Nu 26:23-25, next to that the tribe of Zebulun, its families and number, Nu 26:26,27 then the sons of Joseph, and first Manasseh, his families and number, Nu 26:28-34 and then the tribe of Ephraim, its families and number, Nu 26:35-37, after that the tribe of Benjamin, its families and number, Nu 26:38-41 next the tribe of Dan, its families and number, Nu 26:42,43 and which is followed by the tribe of Asher, its families and number, Nu 26:44-47, and the muster is closed with the tribe of Naphtali, its families and number, Nu 26:48-50, and the sum total of all the numbers is given, Nu 26:51 and then follows another order to divide the land of Canaan by lot, when conquered, to the several tribes, according to their names and number, Nu 26:52-56 and an account is given of the number of the Levites and their families, their number being taken not with the other tribes, but by themselves, and which is summed up, Nu 26:57-62 and the chapter is concluded with observing, that it appeared upon this numbering of the people, that there were but two persons living of those that were first numbered among the children of Israel, Nu 26:63-65.

Numbers 26 Commentaries

Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.