Numbers 1

The Census of Israel's Warriors

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

2 "²Take a ^[a]census of all the congregation of the sons of Israel, by their families, by their fathers' households, according to the number of names, every male, head by head

3 from ³twenty years old and upward, whoever is able to go out to war in Israel, you and Aaron shall ^[b]number them by their armies.

4 "With you, moreover, there shall be a man of each tribe, ⁴each one head of his father's household.

5 "These then are the names of the men who shall stand with you: ⁵of Reuben, Elizur the son of Shedeur;

6 of Simeon, Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai;

7 of Judah, ⁶Nahshon the son of Amminadab;

8 of Issachar, Nethanel the son of Zuar;

9 of Zebulun, Eliab the son of Helon;

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

11 of Benjamin, Abidan the son of Gideoni;

12 of Dan, Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai;

13 of Asher, Pagiel the son of Ochran;

14 of Gad, Eliasaph the son of ⁷Deuel;

15 of Naphtali, Ahira the son of Enan.

16 "These are they who were ⁸called of the congregation, the leaders of their fathers' tribes; they were the ⁹heads of ^[c]divisions of Israel."

17 So Moses and Aaron took these men who had been designated by name,

18 and they assembled all the congregation together on the ¹⁰first of the second month. Then they registered by ¹¹ancestry in their families, by their fathers' households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, head by head,

19 just as ¹²the LORD had commanded Moses. So he numbered them in the wilderness of Sinai.

20 ¹³Now the sons of Reuben, Israel's firstborn, their genealogical registration by their families, by their fathers' households, according to the number of names, head by head, every male from twenty years old and upward, whoever was able to go out to war,

21 their numbered men of the tribe of Reuben were 46,500 * * * *.

22 ¹⁴Of the sons of Simeon, their genealogical registration by their families, by their fathers' households, their numbered men, according to the number of names, head by head, every male from twenty years old and upward, ¹⁵whoever was able to go out to war,

23 their numbered men of the tribe of Simeon were 59,300 * * * *.

24 ¹⁶Of the sons of Gad, their genealogical registration by their families, by their fathers' households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, whoever was able to go out to war,

25 their numbered men of the tribe of Gad were 45,650 * * * *.

26 ¹⁷Of the sons of Judah, their genealogical registration by their families, by their fathers' households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, whoever was able to go out to war,

27 their numbered men of the tribe of Judah were 74,600 * * *.

28 ¹⁸Of the sons of Issachar, their genealogical registration by their families, by their fathers' households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, whoever was able to go out to war,

29 their numbered men of the tribe of Issachar were 54,400 * * *.

30 ¹⁹Of the sons of Zebulun, their genealogical registration by their families, by their fathers' households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, whoever was able to go out to war,

31 their numbered men of the tribe of Zebulun were 57,400 * * * *.

32 ²⁰Of the sons of Joseph, namely, of the sons of Ephraim, their genealogical registration by their families, by their fathers' households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, whoever was able to go out to war,

33 their numbered men of the tribe of Ephraim were 40,500 * * *.

34 ²¹Of the sons of Manasseh, their genealogical registration by their families, by their fathers' households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, whoever was able to go out to war,

35 their numbered men of the tribe of Manasseh were 32,200 * * *.

36 ²²Of the sons of Benjamin, their genealogical registration by their families, by their fathers' households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, whoever was able to go out to war,

37 their numbered men of the tribe of Benjamin were 35,400 * * * *.

38 ²³Of the sons of Dan, their genealogical registration by their families, by their fathers' households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, whoever was able to go out to war,

39 their numbered men of the tribe of Dan were 62,700 * * * *.

40 ²⁴Of the sons of Asher, their genealogical registration by their families, by their fathers' households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, whoever was able to go out to war,

41 their numbered men of the tribe of Asher were 41,500 * * * *.

42 ²⁵Of the sons of Naphtali, their genealogical registration by their families, by their fathers' households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, whoever was able to go out to war,

43 their numbered men of the tribe of Naphtali were 53,400 * * * *.

44 These are the ones who were numbered, whom Moses and Aaron numbered, with the leaders of Israel, twelve * men, each of whom was of his father's household.

45 So all the numbered men of the sons of Israel by their fathers' households, from twenty years old and upward, whoever was able to go out to war in Israel,

46 even all the numbered men were ²⁶ 603,550 * * * * * * *.

Levites Exempted

47 ²⁷The Levites, however, were not numbered among them by their fathers' tribe.

48 For the LORD had spoken to Moses, saying,

49 "Only the tribe of Levi ²⁸you shall not number, nor shall you take their ^[d]census among the sons of Israel.

50 "But you shall ²⁹appoint the Levites over the ^[e]tabernacle of the testimony, and over all its furnishings and over all that belongs to it. They shall carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings, and they shall take care of it; they shall also camp around the ^[f]tabernacle.

51 "³⁰So when the tabernacle is to set out, the Levites shall take it down; and when the tabernacle encamps, the Levites shall set it up. But ³¹the ^[g]layman who comes near shall be put to death.

52 "³²The sons of Israel shall camp, each man by his own camp, and each man by his own standard, according to their armies.

53 "³³But the Levites shall camp around the tabernacle of the testimony, so that there will be ³⁴no wrath on the congregation of the sons of Israel. ³⁵So the Levites shall keep charge of the tabernacle of the testimony."

54 Thus the sons of Israel did; according to all which the LORD had commanded Moses, so they did.

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. Exodus 40:2, 17
• 2. Exodus 12:37; Exodus 38:25, 26; Numbers 26:2
• 3. Exodus 30:14; Exodus 38:26
• 4. Exodus 18:21, 25; Numbers 1:16; Deuteronomy 1:15
• 5. Genesis 29:32; Exodus 1:2; Deuteronomy 33:6; Revelation 7:5
• 6. Ruth 4:20; 1 Chronicles 2:10; Luke 3:32
• 7. Numbers 2:14
• 8. Exodus 18:21; Numbers 7:2; Numbers 16:2; Numbers 26:9
• 9. Exodus 18:25
• 10. Numbers 1:1
• 11. Ezra 2:59; Hebrews 7:3
• 12. 2 Samuel 24:1
• 13. Numbers 26:5-7
• 14. Numbers 26:12-14
• 15. Psalms 144:1
• 16. Genesis 30:11; Numbers 26:15-18; Joshua 4:12; Jeremiah 49:1
• 17. Genesis 29:35; Numbers 26:19-22; 2 Samuel 24:9; Psalms 78:68; Matthew 1:2
• 18. Numbers 26:23-25
• 19. Numbers 26:26, 27
• 20. Numbers 26:35-37; Deuteronomy 33:13-17; Jeremiah 7:15; Obadiah 19
• 21. Numbers 26:28-34
• 22. Genesis 49:27; Numbers 26:38-41; 2 Chronicles 17:17; Revelation 7:8
• 23. Genesis 30:6; Genesis 46:23; Numbers 2:25; Numbers 26:42, 43
• 24. Numbers 26:44-47
• 25. Numbers 26:48-50
• 26. Exodus 12:37; Exodus 38:26; Numbers 2:32; Numbers 26:51
• 27. Numbers 2:33; Numbers 3:14-39; Numbers 4:49; Numbers 26:57-64
• 28. Numbers 26:62
• 29. Exodus 38:21; Numbers 3:6-8, 25-37; Numbers 4:15, 25-27, 31, 32
• 30. Numbers 4:1-33
• 31. Numbers 3:10, 38; Numbers 4:15, 19, 20
• 32. Numbers 2:2, 34
• 33. Num 3:23, 29, 35, 38
• 34. Leviticus 10:6; Numbers 16:46; Numbers 18:5
• 35. Numbers 8:24; Numbers 18:2-4; 1 Chronicles 23:32

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit "sum"
• [b]. Lit "muster," and so throughout the ch
• [c]. Lit "thousands;" or "clans"
• [d]. Lit "sum"
• [e]. Lit "dwelling place," and so throughout the ch
• [f]. Lit "dwelling place," and so throughout the ch
• [g]. Lit "stranger"

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.