Numbers 26:53-63

53 The land shall be parted to these, by the number of names into their possessions; (The land shall be divided into possessions for these tribes, according to the number of names listed;)

54 thou shalt give the greater part to [the] more men, and the less(er) part to [the] fewer men; possession shall be given to all by themselves, as they be numbered now; (thou shalt give the larger part to the larger group of people, and the smaller part to the smaller group of people; a possession shall be given to each by themselves, as they now be numbered, that is, in proportion to their number;)

55 so only that (the) lot part the land to lineages and to families.

56 Whatever thing befalleth by lot, either more (men), either fewer men, take that.

57 Also this is the number of the sons of Levi by their families; Gershon, of whom is the family of Gershonites; Kohath, of him the family of Kohathites; Merari, of him the family of Merarites.

58 These were the families of Levi; the family of Libni, the family of Hebron, the family of Mahli, the family of Mushi, the family of Korah. And soothly Kohath begat Amram,

59 which had a wife, Jochebed, the daughter of Levi, which daughter was born to him in Egypt. This Jochebed engendered to her husband Amram, (his two) sons, Aaron and Moses, and Marie, the sister of them. (who had a wife, Jochebed, who was the daughter of Levi, and she was born to him in Egypt. This Jochebed bare for her husband Amram, his two sons, Aaron and Moses, and their sister, Miriam.)

60 Nadab, and Abihu, and Eleazar, and Ithamar were begotten of Aaron;

61 of which Nadab and Abihu were dead, when they had offered alien fire before the Lord. (and Nadab and Abihu died, when they offered unholy fire before the Lord.)

62 And all that were numbered of this lineage were three and twenty thousand of male kind, from a month and above, which were not numbered among the sons of Israel, neither possession was given to them with other men. (And all who were listed, or registered, in this tribe were twenty-three thousand males, from one month of age and older, but they were not listed with the other Israelites, nor was any possession given to them among the other people.)

63 This is the number of the sons of Israel, that be described of Moses and Eleazar, [the] priest, in the field places of Moab, over Jordan, against Jericho; (These were all the Israelites listed by Moses and Eleazar, the priest, on the plains of Moab, across the Jordan River, opposite Jericho;)

Numbers 26:53-63 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.