Numbers 26:1-11

1 It happened after the plague, that the LORD spoke to Moshe and to El`azar the son of Aharon the Kohen, saying,

2 Take the sum of all the congregation of the children of Yisra'el, from twenty years old and upward, by their fathers' houses, all who are able to go forth to war in Yisra'el.

3 Moshe and El`azar the Kohen spoke with them in the plains of Mo'av by the Yarden at Yericho, saying,

4 [Take the sum of the people], from twenty years old and upward; as the LORD commanded Moshe and the children of Yisra'el, that came forth out of the land of Mitzrayim.

5 Re'uven, the firstborn of Yisra'el; the sons of Re'uven: [of] Hanokh, the family of the Hanokhi; of Pallu, the family of the Palluites;

6 of Hetzron, the family of the Hetzroni; of Karmi, the family of the Karmi.

7 These are the families of the Re'uveni; and those who were numbered of them were forty-three thousand seven hundred thirty.

8 The sons of Pallu: Eli'av.

9 The sons of Eli'av: Nemu'el, and Datan, and Aviram. These are that Datan and Aviram, who were called of the congregation, who strove against Moshe and against Aharon in the company of Korach, when they strove against the LORD,

10 and the eretz opened its mouth, and swallowed them up together with Korach, when that company died; what time the fire devoured two hundred fifty men, and they became a sign.

11 Notwithstanding, the sons of Korach didn't die.

Numbers 26:1-11 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO NUMBERS 26

In this chapter an order is given to number the people of Israel a second time, Nu 26:1-4 and the account begins with Reuben, the firstborn, and the families that sprung from him, and the number of them, Nu 26:5-7 and Dathan and Abiram being of this tribe, the affair of them and Korah is afresh related, Nu 26:8-11, then the tribe of Simeon, its families and number, Nu 26:12-14, next the tribe of Gad, and their families and number, Nu 26:15-18, after that the tribe of Judah, its families and number, Nu 26:19-22 then follows the tribe of Issachar, its families and number, Nu 26:23-25, next to that the tribe of Zebulun, its families and number, Nu 26:26,27 then the sons of Joseph, and first Manasseh, his families and number, Nu 26:28-34 and then the tribe of Ephraim, its families and number, Nu 26:35-37, after that the tribe of Benjamin, its families and number, Nu 26:38-41 next the tribe of Dan, its families and number, Nu 26:42,43 and which is followed by the tribe of Asher, its families and number, Nu 26:44-47, and the muster is closed with the tribe of Naphtali, its families and number, Nu 26:48-50, and the sum total of all the numbers is given, Nu 26:51 and then follows another order to divide the land of Canaan by lot, when conquered, to the several tribes, according to their names and number, Nu 26:52-56 and an account is given of the number of the Levites and their families, their number being taken not with the other tribes, but by themselves, and which is summed up, Nu 26:57-62 and the chapter is concluded with observing, that it appeared upon this numbering of the people, that there were but two persons living of those that were first numbered among the children of Israel, Nu 26:63-65.