Numbers 2

1 And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, and unto Aaron, saying,

2 `Each by his standard, with ensigns of the house of their fathers, do the sons of Israel encamp; over-against round about the tent of meeting they encamp.'

3 And those encamping eastward towards the sun-rising, [are of] the standard of the camp of Judah, by their hosts; and the prince of the sons of Judah [is] Nahshon, son of Amminadab;

4 and his host, and their numbered ones, [are] four and seventy thousand and six hundred.

5 And those encamping by him [are of] the tribe of Issachar; and the prince of the sons of Issachar [is] Nethaneel son of Zuar;

6 and his host, and its numbered ones, [are] four and fifty thousand and four hundred.

7 The tribe of Zebulun; and the prince of the sons of Zebulun [is] Eliab son of Helon;

8 and his host, and its numbered ones, [are] seven and fifty thousand and four hundred;

9 all those numbered of the camp of Judah [are] a hundred thousand, and eighty thousand, and six thousand, and four hundred, by their hosts; they journey first.

10 The standard of the camp of Reuben [is] southward, by their hosts; and the prince of the sons of Reuben [is] Elizur son of Shedeur;

11 and his host, and its numbered ones, [are] six and forty thousand and five hundred.

12 And those encamping by him [are of] the tribe of Simeon; and the prince of the sons of Simeon [is] Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai;

13 and his host, and their numbered ones, [are] nine and fifty thousand and three hundred.

14 And the tribe of Gad; and the prince of the sons of Gad [is] Eliasaph son of Reuel;

15 and his host, and their numbered ones, [are] five and forty thousand and six hundred and fifty.

16 All those numbered of the camp of Reuben [are] a hundred thousand, and one and fifty thousand, and four hundred and fifty, by their hosts; and they journey second.

17 And the tent of meeting -- the camp of the Levites -- hath journeyed in the midst of the camps; as they encamp so they journey, each at his station by their standards.

18 The standard of the camp of Ephraim, by their hosts, [is] westward; and the prince of the sons of Ephraim [is] Elishama son of Ammihud;

19 and his host, and their numbered ones, [are] forty thousand and five hundred.

20 And by him [is] the tribe of Manasseh; and the prince of the sons of Manasseh [is] Gamaliel son of Pedahzur;

21 and his host, and their numbered ones, [are] two and thirty thousand, and two hundred.

22 And the tribe of Benjamin; and the prince of the sons of Benjamin [is] Abidan son of Gideoni;

23 and his host, and their numbered ones, [are] five and thirty thousand and four hundred.

24 All those numbered of the camp of Ephraim [are] a hundred thousand, and eight thousand, and a hundred, by their hosts; and they journey third.

25 The standard of the camp of Dan [is] northward, by their hosts; and the prince of the sons of Dan [is] Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai;

26 and his host, and their numbered ones, [are] two and sixty thousand and seven hundred.

27 And those encamping by him [are of] the tribe of Asher; and the prince of the sons of Asher [is] Pagiel son of Ocran;

28 and his host, and their numbered ones, [are] one and forty thousand and five hundred.

29 And the tribe of Naphtali; and the prince of the sons of Naphtali [is] Ahira son of Enan;

30 and his host, and their numbered ones, [are] three and fifty thousand and four hundred.

31 All those numbered of the camp of Dan [are] a hundred thousand, and seven and fifty thousand, and six hundred; at the rear they journey, by their standards.

32 These [are] those numbered of the sons of Israel by the house of their fathers; all those numbered of the camps by their hosts [are] six hundred thousand, and three thousand, and five hundred and fifty.

33 And the Levites have not numbered themselves in the midst of the sons of Israel, as Jehovah hath commanded Moses.

34 And the sons of Israel do according to all that Jehovah hath commanded Moses; so they have encamped by their standards, and so they have journeyed; each by his families, by the house of his fathers.

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.