Numbers 1

A Census of Israel's Warriors

1 The LORD spoke to Moses ¹in the wilderness of Sinai, ²in the tent of meeting, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying,

2 ³"Take a census of all the congregation of the people of Israel, by clans, ⁴by fathers' houses, according to the number of names, every male, head by head.

3 ⁵From twenty years old and upward, all in Israel who are able to go to war, you and Aaron shall list them, ⁶company by company.

4 And there shall be with you a man from each tribe, each man being the head of the house of his fathers.

5 And these are the names of the men who shall assist you. From Reuben, ⁷Elizur the son of Shedeur;

6 from Simeon, ⁸Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai;

7 from Judah, ⁹Nahshon the son of Amminadab;

8 from Issachar, ¹⁰Nethanel the son of Zuar;

9 from Zebulun, ¹¹Eliab the son of Helon;

10 from the sons of Joseph, from Ephraim, ¹²Elishama the son of Ammihud, and from Manasseh, ¹³Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur;

11 from Benjamin, ¹⁴Abidan the son of Gideoni;

12 from Dan, ¹⁵Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai;

13 from Asher, ¹⁶Pagiel the son of Ochran;

14 from Gad, Eliasaph the son of ¹⁷Deuel;

15 from Naphtali, ¹⁸Ahira the son of Enan."

16 These were the ones ¹⁹chosen from the congregation, ²⁰the chiefs of their ancestral tribes, the heads of the clans of Israel.

17 Moses and Aaron took these men ²¹who had been named,

18 and on the first day of the second month, they assembled the whole congregation together, who registered themselves by clans, by fathers' houses, according to the number of names from twenty years old and upward, head by head,

19 as the LORD commanded Moses. So he listed them in the wilderness of Sinai.

20 The people of ²²Reuben, Israel's firstborn, their generations, by their clans, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of names, head by head, every male from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go to war:

21 those listed of the tribe of Reuben were ²³ 46,500.

22 Of the people of Simeon, their generations, by their clans, by their fathers' houses, those of them who were listed, according to the number of names, head by head, every male from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go to war:

23 those listed of the tribe of Simeon were ²⁴ 59,300.

24 Of the people of Gad, their generations, by their clans, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go to war:

25 those listed of the tribe of Gad were ²⁵ 45,650.

26 Of the people of Judah, their generations, by their clans, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war:

27 those listed of the tribe of Judah were ²⁶ 74,600.

28 Of the people of Issachar, their generations, by their clans, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war:

29 those listed of the tribe of Issachar were ²⁷ 54,400.

30 Of the people of Zebulun, their generations, by their clans, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war:

31 those listed of the tribe of Zebulun were ²⁸ 57,400.

32 Of the people of Joseph, namely, of the people of Ephraim, their generations, by their clans, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war:

33 those listed of the tribe of Ephraim were ²⁹ 40,500.

34 Of the people of Manasseh, their generations, by their clans, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war:

35 those listed of the tribe of Manasseh were ³⁰ 32,200.

36 Of the people of Benjamin, their generations, by their clans, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war:

37 those listed of the tribe of Benjamin were ³¹ 35,400.

38 Of the people of Dan, their generations, by their clans, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war:

39 those listed of the tribe of Dan were ³² 62,700.

40 Of the people of Asher, their generations, by their clans, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war:

41 those listed of the tribe of Asher were ³³ 41,500.

42 Of the people of Naphtali, their generations, by their clans, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war:

43 those listed of the tribe of Naphtali were ³⁴ 53,400.

44 ³⁵These are those who were listed, whom Moses and Aaron listed with the help of the chiefs of Israel, twelve men, each representing his fathers' house.

45 So all those listed of the people of Israel, by their fathers' houses, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war in Israel--

46 all those listed were ³⁶ 603,550.

Levites Exempted

47 But ³⁷the Levites were not listed along with them by their ancestral tribe.

48 For the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

49 "Only the tribe of Levi you shall not list, and you shall not take a census of them among the people of Israel.

50 ³⁸But appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of the testimony, and over all its furnishings, and over all that belongs to it. They are to carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings, and they shall take care of it ³⁹and shall camp around the tabernacle.

51 ⁴⁰When the tabernacle is to set out, the Levites shall take it down, and when the tabernacle is to be pitched, the Levites shall set it up. ⁴¹And if any outsider comes near, he shall be put to death.

52 The people of Israel shall pitch their tents by their companies, each man in his own camp and ⁴²each man by his own standard.

53 But the Levites shall camp around the tabernacle of the testimony, so that there may be no ⁴³wrath on the congregation of the people of Israel. ⁴⁴And the Levites shall keep guard over the tabernacle of the testimony."

54 Thus did the people of Israel; they did according to all that the LORD commanded Moses.

Numbers 1 Commentary

Chapter 1

This book is called NUMBERS from the several numberings of the people contained in it. It extends from the giving of the law at Sinai, till their arrival in the plains of Jordan. An account is given of their murmuring and unbelief, for which they were sentenced to wander in the wilderness nearly forty years; also some laws, both, moral and ceremonial. Their trials greatly tended to distinguish the wicked and hypocrites from the faithful and true servants of God, who served him with a pure heart.

The numbering of the Israelites. (1-43) The number of the people. (44-46) The Levites not numbered with the rest. (47-54)

Verses 1-43 The people were numbered to show God's faithfulness in thus increasing the seed of Jacob, that they might be the better trained for the wars and conquest of Canaan, and to ascertain their families in order to the division of the land. It is said of each tribe, that those were numbered who were able to go forth to war; they had wars before them, though now they met with no opposition. Let the believer be prepared to withstand the enemies of his soul, though all may appear to be peace.

Verses 44-46 We have here the sum total. How much was required to maintain all these in the wilderness! They were all provided for by God every day. When we observe the faithfulness of God, however unlikely the performance of his promise may appear, we may take courage as to those which yet remain to be fulfilled to the church of God.

Verses 47-54 Care is here taken to distinguish the tribe of Levi, which, in the matter of the golden calf, had distinguished itself. Singular services shall be recompensed by singular honours. It was to the honour of the Levites, that to them was committed the care of the tabernacle and its treasures, in their camps and in their marches. It was for the honour of the holy things that none should see them, or touch them, but those who were called of God to the service. We all are unfit and unworthy to have fellowship with God, till called by his grace into the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord; and so, being the spiritual seed of that great High Priest, we are made priests to our God. Great care must be taken to prevent sin, for preventing sin is preventing wrath. Being a holy tribe, they were not reckoned among other Israelites. They that minister about holy things, should neither entangle themselves, nor be entangled, in worldly affairs. And let every believer seek to do what the Lord has commanded.

Cross References

• 1. Numbers 10:11, 12; Exodus 19:1
• 2. Exodus 25:22
• 3. Exodus 30:12; Exodus 38:26; 2 Samuel 24:2; 1 Chronicles 21:2; See Numbers 26:2-51
• 4. ver. 18, 20, 22; Numbers 3:47; 1 Chronicles 23:3, 24
• 5. Numbers 14:29; Exodus 30:14
• 6. Exodus 12:51
• 7. Numbers 7:30
• 8. Numbers 7:36
• 9. See Exodus 6:23
• 10. Numbers 7:18
• 11. Numbers 7:24
• 12. Numbers 7:48; 1 Chronicles 7:26
• 13. Numbers 7:54
• 14. Numbers 7:60
• 15. Numbers 7:66
• 16. Numbers 7:72
• 17. Numbers 7:42
• 18. Numbers 7:78
• 19. Numbers 26:9
• 20. Numbers 7:2; [Exodus 18:21, 25]; See 1 Chronicles 27:16-22
• 21. 1 Chronicles 12:31; 1 Chronicles 16:41; 2 Chronicles 28:15; 2 Chronicles 31:19; Ezra 8:20
• 22. For ver. 20-46, see Numbers 2:3-32
• 23. [Numbers 26:7]
• 24. [Numbers 26:14]
• 25. [Numbers 26:18]
• 26. [Numbers 26:22; 2 Samuel 24:9]
• 27. [Numbers 26:25]
• 28. [Numbers 26:27]
• 29. [Numbers 26:37]
• 30. [Numbers 26:34]
• 31. [Numbers 26:41]
• 32. [Numbers 26:43]
• 33. [Numbers 26:47]
• 34. [Numbers 26:50]
• 35. Numbers 26:64
• 36. Exodus 38:26; [Numbers 11:21; Numbers 26:51; Exodus 12:37]
• 37. Numbers 2:33; [Numbers 26:57, 58, 62]; See Numbers 3; Numbers 4; 1 Chronicles 6
• 38. Numbers 3:7, 8; Exodus 38:21; See Numbers 4:15-33
• 39. See Numbers 3:23-38
• 40. Numbers 10:17, 21
• 41. Numbers 3:10, 38; Numbers 18:22; [1 Samuel 6:19; 2 Samuel 6:6, 7; 1 Chronicles 13:10]
• 42. Numbers 2:2, 34
• 43. Numbers 8:19; Numbers 16:46; Numbers 18:5
• 44. Numbers 3:7, 8, 38; Numbers 8:26; Numbers 9:19, 23; Numbers 18:3-5; Numbers 31:30, 47; 1 Chronicles 23:32; [2 Chronicles 13:11]

Chapter Summary

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.