Numbers 2

1 And Jehovah spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,

2 The children of Israel shall encamp every one by his standard, with the ensign of their father's house; round about the tent of meeting, afar off, opposite to it shall they encamp.

3 And [for] those encamping eastward toward the sun-rising [there shall be] the standard of the camp of Judah according to their hosts; and the prince of the sons of Judah shall be Nahshon the son of Amminadab;

4 and his host, even those that were numbered of them, were seventy-four thousand six hundred.

5 And those that encamp next unto him shall be the tribe of Issachar; and the prince of the sons of Issachar shall be Nethaneel the son of Zuar;

6 and his host, even those that were numbered thereof, fifty-four thousand four hundred.

7 [With them shall be] the tribe of Zebulun; and the prince of the sons of Zebulun shall be Eliab the son of Helon;

8 and his host, even those that were numbered thereof, fifty-seven thousand four hundred.

9 All that were numbered of the camp of Judah were a hundred and eighty-six thousand four hundred, according to their hosts. They shall set forth first.

10 The standard of the camp of Reuben shall be southward according to their hosts; and the prince of the sons of Reuben shall be Elizur the son of Shedeur;

11 and his host, even those that were numbered thereof, forty-six thousand five hundred.

12 And those that encamp by him shall be the tribe of Simeon; and the prince of the sons of Simeon shall be Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai;

13 and his host, even those that were numbered of them, fifty-nine thousand three hundred.

14 And [with them shall be] the tribe of Gad; and the prince of the sons of Gad shall be Eliasaph the son of Reuel;

15 and his host, even those that were numbered of them, forty-five thousand six hundred and fifty.

16 All that were numbered of the camp of Reuben were a hundred and fifty-one thousand four hundred and fifty, according to their hosts. And they shall set forth second.

17 And the tent of meeting shall set forth, the camp of the Levites in the midst of the camps; as they encamp, so shall they set forth, every man in his place, according to their standards.

18 The standard of the camp of Ephraim according to their hosts shall be westward; and the prince of the sons of Ephraim shall be Elishama the son of Ammihud;

19 and his host, even those that were numbered of them, forty thousand five hundred.

20 And by him shall be the tribe of Manasseh; and the prince of the sons of Manasseh shall be Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur;

21 and his host, even those that were numbered of them, thirty-two thousand two hundred.

22 And [with them shall be] the tribe of Benjamin; and the prince of the sons of Benjamin shall be Abidan the son of Gideoni;

23 and his host, even those that were numbered of them, thirty-five thousand four hundred.

24 All that were numbered of the camp of Ephraim were a hundred and eight thousand one hundred, according to their hosts. And they shall set forth third.

25 The standard of the camp of Dan shall be northward according to their hosts; and the prince of the sons of Dan shall be Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai;

26 and his host, even those that were numbered of them, sixty-two thousand seven hundred.

27 And those that encamp by him shall be the tribe of Asher; and the prince of the sons of Asher shall be Pagiel the son of Ocran;

28 and his host, even those that were numbered of them, forty-one thousand five hundred.

29 And [with them shall be] the tribe of Naphtali; and the prince of the sons of Naphtali shall be Ahira the son of Enan;

30 and his host, even those that were numbered of them, fifty-three thousand four hundred.

31 All that were numbered of the camp of Dan were a hundred and fifty-seven thousand six hundred. They shall set forth last according to their standards.

32 These are those that were numbered of the children of Israel, according to their fathers' houses: all those that were numbered of the camps, according to their hosts, were six hundred and three thousand five hundred and fifty.

33 But the Levites were not numbered among the children of Israel; as Jehovah had commanded Moses.

34 And the children of Israel did according to all that Jehovah had commanded Moses: so they encamped according to their standards, and so they journeyed, every one according to their families, according to their fathers' houses.

Numbers 2 Commentary

Chapter 2

The order of the tribes in their tents.

- The tribes were to encamp about the tabernacle, which was to be in the midst of them. It was a token of God's gracious presence. Yet they were to pitch their tents afar off, in reverence to the sanctuary. The children of Israel put themselves in their posts, without murmuring or disputing; and as it was their safety, so it was their beauty. It is our duty and interest to be contented with the place allotted to us, and to endeavour to occupy it in a proper manner, without envying or murmuring; without ambition or covetousness. Thus the gospel church ought to be compact, according to the Scripture model, every one knowing and keeping his place; and then all that wish well to the church rejoice, beholding their order, ( Colossians 2:5 ) .

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO NUMBERS 2

This chapter contains the order of the encampment and march of the tribes of Israel in their proper places about the tabernacle; the general direction for the same is in Nu 1:1,2; the particulars follow; on the cast of the tabernacle the camp of Judah was to pitch, and under his standard the tribes of Issachar and Zebulun, Nu 1:3-9; on the south side of it the camp of Reuben, and under his standard the tribes of Simeon and Gad, Nu 1:10-16; then the tabernacle, with the camp of the Levites round it, were next, to stand or set forward, Nu 1:17; and on the west side the camp of Ephraim, and under his standard the tribes of Manasseh and Benjamin, Nu 1:18-24; and on the north side the camp of Dan, and under his standard the tribes of Asher and Naphtali, Nu 1:25-31; the sum total of the numbers of which camps are given, exclusive of the camp of Levi, Nu 1:32,33; and the chapter is concluded with observing, that all was done according to the commandment of God, Nu 1:34.