Numbers 1:1-7

The Men of Israel Are Counted

1 The LORD spoke to Moses in the Tent of Meeting. It happened in the Desert of Sinai. The LORD spoke to him on the first day of the second month. It was the second year after the people of Israel came out of Egypt. The LORD said,

2 "Count all of the men of Israel. Make a list of them by their tribes and families. List every man by name. List them one by one.

3 Count all of the men who are able to serve in the army. They must be 20 years old or more. I want you and Aaron to make a list of them company by company.

4 One man from each tribe must help you. Those who help must be the heads of their families.

5 "Here are the names of the men who must help you. "From the tribe of Reuben will come Elizur, the son of Shedeur.

6 From the tribe of Simeon will come Shelumiel, the son of Zurishaddai.

7 From the tribe of Judah will come Nahshon, the son of Amminadab.

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Numbers 1:1-7 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO NUMBERS

This book has its name from the account it gives of the "numbers" of the children of Israel, twice taken particularly; which name it has with this Greeks and Latins, and so with the Syriac and Arabic versions; but with the Jews it is called sometimes "Vajedabber", from the first word of it, "and the Lord spake"; and sometimes "Bemidbar", from the fifth word of the first verse, "in the wilderness", and sometimes "Sepher Pikkudim"; or, as with Origen {a}, "Ammesphkodim", the book of musters or surveys. That it was written by Moses is not to be doubted; and is indeed suggested by our Lord himself, Joh 5:46 compared with Nu 3:14, and the references to it, in the New Testament, fully ascertain to us Christians the authenticity of it, as that of our Lord hinted at, and those of the apostle in 1Co 10:4, Heb 9:13,14. It contains an history of the affairs of the Israelites, and of their travel in the wilderness for the space of thirty eight years; though the principal facts it relates were done in the second year of their coming out of Egypt, and in the last of their being in the wilderness; and it is not merely historical, but gives a particular account of several laws, ceremonial and judicial, to be observed by the people of Israel, as well as has many things in it very instructive, both of a moral and evangelical nature.

\\INTRODUCTION TO NUMBERS 1\\

In this chapter orders are given to Moses to take the number of the children of Israel, from twenty years old and upwards, Nu 1:1-3; and the men that were to assist in this work, one of each tribe are mentioned by name, Nu 1:4-16; all which was accordingly done, Nu 1:17-19; and the particular numbers of each tribe are recorded, as they were taken, Nu 1:20-44; and the sum total is given, Nu 1:45,46; the Levites being excepted, who were employed about the tabernacle, and so not to be employed in military service, Nu 1:47-51; they encamped about that, while the Israelites pitched their tents every man by his own camp and standard, Nu 1:52-54.

{a} Apud Euseb. Hist. Ecclesiast. l. 6. c. 25.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible