Numbers 1

1 God spoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai at the Tent of Meeting on the first day of the second month in the second year after they had left Egypt. He said,

2 "Number the congregation of the People of Israel by clans and families, writing down the names of every male.

3 You and Aaron are to register, company by company, every man who is twenty years and older who is able to fight in the army.

4 Pick one man from each tribe who is head of his family to help you.

5 These are the names of the men who will help you: from Reuben: Elizur son of Shedeur

6 from Simeon: Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai

7 from Judah: Nahshon son of Amminadab

8 from Issachar: Nethanel son of Zuar

9 from Zebulun: Eliab son of Helon

10 from the sons of Joseph, from Ephraim: Elishama son of Ammihud from Manasseh: Gamaliel son of Pedahzur

11 from Benjamin: Abidan son of Gideoni

12 from Dan: Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai

13 from Asher: Pagiel son of Ocran

14 from Gad: Eliasaph son of Deuel

15 from Naphtali: Ahira son of Enan."

16 These were the men chosen from the congregation, leaders of their ancestral tribes, heads of Israel's military divisions.

17 Moses and Aaron took these men who had been named to help

18 and gathered the whole congregation together on the first day of the second month. The people registered themselves in their tribes according to their ancestral families, putting down the names of those who were twenty years old and older,

19 just as God commanded Moses. He numbered them in the Wilderness of Sinai.

20 The line of Reuben, Israel's firstborn: The men were counted off head by head, every male twenty years and older who was able to fight in the army, registered by tribes according to their ancestral families.

21 The tribe of Reuben numbered 46,500.

22 The line of Simeon: The men were counted off head by head, every male twenty years and older who was able to fight in the army, registered by clans and families.

23 The tribe of Simeon numbered 59,300.

24 The line of Gad: The men were counted off head by head, every male twenty years and older who was able to fight in the army, registered by clans and families.

25 The tribe of Gad numbered 45,650.

26 The line of Judah: The men were counted off head by head, every male twenty years and older who was able to fight in the army, registered by clans and families.

27 The tribe of Judah numbered 74,600.

28 The line of Issachar: The men were counted off head by head, every male twenty years and older who was able to fight in the army, registered by clans and families.

29 The tribe of Issachar numbered 54,400.

30 The line of Zebulun: The men were counted off head by head, every male twenty years and older who was able to fight in the army, registered by clans and families.

31 The tribe of Zebulun numbered 57,400.

32 The line of Joseph: From son Ephraim the men were counted off head by head, every male twenty years and older who was able to fight in the army, registered by clans and families.

33 The tribe of Ephraim numbered 40,500.

34 And from son Manasseh the men were counted off head by head, every male twenty years and older who was able to fight in the army, registered by clans and families.

35 The tribe of Manasseh numbered 32,200.

36 The line of Benjamin: The men were counted off head by head, every male twenty years and older who was able to fight in the army, registered by clans and families.

37 The tribe of Benjamin numbered 35,400.

38 The line of Dan: The men were counted off head by head, every male twenty years and older who was able to fight in the army, registered by clans and families.

39 The tribe of Dan numbered 62,700.

40 The line of Asher: The men were counted off head by head, every male twenty years and older who was able to fight in the army, registered by clans and families.

41 The tribe of Asher numbered 41,500.

42 The line of Naphtali: The men were counted off head by head, every male twenty years and older who was able to fight in the army, registered by clans and families.

43 The tribe of Naphtali numbered 53,400.

44 These are the numbers of those registered by Moses and Aaron, registered with the help of the leaders of Israel, twelve men, each representing his ancestral family.

45 The sum total of the People of Israel twenty years old and over who were able to fight in the army, counted by ancestral family, was 603,550.

46

47 The Levites, however, were not counted by their ancestral family along with the others.

48 God had told Moses,

49 "The tribe of Levi is an exception: Don't register them. Don't count the tribe of Levi; don't include them in the general census of the People of Israel.

50 Instead, appoint the Levites to be in charge of The Dwelling of The Testimony - over all its furnishings and everything connected with it. Their job is to carry The Dwelling and all its furnishings, maintain it, and camp around it.

51 When it's time to move The Dwelling, the Levites will take it down, and when it's time to set it up, the Levites will do it. Anyone else who even goes near it will be put to death.

52 "The rest of the People of Israel will set up their tents in companies, every man in his own camp under its own flag.

53 But the Levites will set up camp around The Dwelling of The Testimony so that wrath will not fall on the community of Israel. The Levites are responsible for the security of The Dwelling of The Testimony."

54 The People of Israel did everything that God commanded Moses. They did it all.

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.

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.