Numbers 26:1

1 After the plague had ended, the LORD said to Moses and to Eleazar son of Aaron the priest,

Numbers 26:1 Meaning and Commentary

Numbers 26:1

And it came to pass after the plague
Related in the preceding chapter; how long after is not certain, perhaps before the war with Midian, exhorted to in the latter part of the foregoing chapter, and of which an account is given, ( Numbers 31:1-54 ) :

that the Lord spake unto Moses;
out of the tabernacle, or out of the cloud:

and unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest;
the Lord had been used to speak to Moses and to Aaron; but now Aaron being dead, and Eleazar his son succeeding him in the priesthood, is joined with Moses, and the order here given is directed to them both:

saying:
as follows.

Numbers 26:1 In-Context

1 After the plague had ended, the LORD said to Moses and to Eleazar son of Aaron the priest,

2 “From the whole community of Israel, record the names of all the warriors by their families. List all the men twenty years old or older who are able to go to war.”

3 So there on the plains of Moab beside the Jordan River, across from Jericho, Moses and Eleazar the priest issued these instructions to the leaders of Israel:

4 “List all the men of Israel twenty years old and older, just as the LORD commanded Moses.” This is the record of all the descendants of Israel who came out of Egypt.

5 These were the clans descended from the sons of Reuben, Jacob’s oldest son: The Hanochite clan, named after their ancestor Hanoch. The Palluite clan, named after their ancestor Pallu.

Footnotes

• [a]. The initial phrase in verse 26:1 is numbered 25:19 in Hebrew text.