Numbers 1:1-43

The Census

1 The LORD spoke to Moses in the tent of meeting in the Desert of Sinai on the first day of the second month of the second year after the Israelites came out of Egypt. He said:

2 “Take a census of the whole Israelite community by their clans and families, listing every man by name, one by one.

3 You and Aaron are to count according to their divisions all the men in Israel who are twenty years old or more and able to serve in the army.

4 One man from each tribe, each of them the head of his family, is to help you.

5 These are the names of the men who are to assist 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 Okran;

14 from Gad, Eliasaph son of Deuel;

15 from Naphtali, Ahira son of Enan.”

16 These were the men appointed from the community, the leaders of their ancestral tribes. They were the heads of the clans of Israel.

17 Moses and Aaron took these men whose names had been specified,

18 and they called the whole community together on the first day of the second month. The people registered their ancestry by their clans and families, and the men twenty years old or more were listed by name, one by one,

19 as the LORD commanded Moses. And so he counted them in the Desert of Sinai:

20 From the descendants of Reuben the firstborn son of Israel: All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, one by one, according to the records of their clans and families.

21 The number from the tribe of Reuben was 46,500.

22 From the descendants of Simeon: All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were counted and listed by name, one by one, according to the records of their clans and families.

23 The number from the tribe of Simeon was 59,300.

24 From the descendants of Gad: All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families.

25 The number from the tribe of Gad was 45,650.

26 From the descendants of Judah: All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families.

27 The number from the tribe of Judah was 74,600.

28 From the descendants of Issachar: All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families.

29 The number from the tribe of Issachar was 54,400.

30 From the descendants of Zebulun: All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families.

31 The number from the tribe of Zebulun was 57,400.

32 From the sons of Joseph: From the descendants of Ephraim: All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families.

33 The number from the tribe of Ephraim was 40,500.

34 From the descendants of Manasseh: All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families.

35 The number from the tribe of Manasseh was 32,200.

36 From the descendants of Benjamin: All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families.

37 The number from the tribe of Benjamin was 35,400.

38 From the descendants of Dan: All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families.

39 The number from the tribe of Dan was 62,700.

40 From the descendants of Asher: All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families.

41 The number from the tribe of Asher was 41,500.

42 From the descendants of Naphtali: All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families.

43 The number from the tribe of Naphtali was 53,400.

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Numbers 1:1-43 Meaning and Commentary

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.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

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Cross References 73

1. S Exodus 27:21; S Exodus 40:2
2. S Exodus 19:1
3. ver 18; Exodus 40:17
4. S Exodus 6:14
5. Exodus 30:11-16; Numbers 26:2
6. ver 18
7. Numbers 3:40
8. Exodus 4:14; Numbers 17:3
9. S Exodus 30:14
10. ver 20; Numbers 26:2; Joshua 5:4; 1 Chronicles 5:18
11. S Leviticus 24:11; S Joshua 7:1
12. ver 16; Numbers 7:2; Numbers 30:1; Numbers 31:26
13. Exodus 18:21; Numbers 34:18; Deuteronomy 1:15; Joshua 22:14
14. Numbers 17:2
15. S Genesis 29:32; Deuteronomy 33:6; Revelation 7:5
16. Numbers 2:10; Numbers 7:30; Numbers 10:18
17. ver 22; Numbers 25:14
18. Numbers 2:12; Numbers 7:36,41; Numbers 10:19
19. ver 26; S Genesis 29:35; Psalms 78:68
20. Exodus 6:23; Numbers 7:12; Ruth 4:20; 1 Chronicles 2:10; Matthew 1:4; Luke 3:32
21. S Genesis 30:18; Numbers 10:15
22. Numbers 2:5; Numbers 7:18
23. ver 30; Numbers 10:16
24. Numbers 2:7; Numbers 7:24
25. ver 32
26. Numbers 2:18; Numbers 7:48,53; Numbers 10:22
27. ver 34; Numbers 10:23
28. Numbers 2:20; Numbers 7:54
29. Numbers 10:24
30. Numbers 2:22; Numbers 7:60; Psalms 68:27
31. ver 38
32. Numbers 2:25; Numbers 7:66; Numbers 10:25
33. ver 40; Numbers 10:26
34. Numbers 2:27; Numbers 7:72
35. ver 24; Numbers 10:20
36. Numbers 2:14; Numbers 7:42
37. ver 42; Numbers 10:27
38. Numbers 2:29; Numbers 7:78
39. S Exodus 18:25
40. Numbers 32:28
41. S ver 4; Exodus 18:21; Numbers 7:2
42. ver 1
43. Ezra 2:59; Hebrews 7:3
44. ver 2
45. S Exodus 30:14
46. Exodus 30:12; Numbers 26:63; Numbers 31:49
47. S Genesis 29:32; S Genesis 46:9; Numbers 26:5-11; Revelation 7:5
48. S Genesis 10:15
49. Numbers 26:7
50. S Genesis 29:33; Numbers 26:12-14; Revelation 7:7
51. Numbers 26:14
52. S Genesis 30:11; Numbers 26:15-18; S Joshua 13:24-28; Revelation 7:5
53. Genesis 46:16; Numbers 26:18; 1 Chronicles 5:11
54. S ver 7; Genesis 29:35; Numbers 26:19-22; Matthew 1:2; Revelation 7:5
55. Numbers 26:22
56. S Genesis 30:18; Numbers 26:23-25; Revelation 7:7
57. S Genesis 30:18
58. Numbers 26:25
59. S Genesis 30:20; Numbers 26:26-27; Revelation 7:8
60. Numbers 26:27
61. Genesis 49:26
62. S Genesis 41:52; Numbers 26:35-37
63. Numbers 26:37; 1 Chronicles 7:20
64. S Genesis 41:51; Numbers 26:28-34; Revelation 7:6
65. S Genesis 35:18; Numbers 26:38-41; 2 Chronicles 17:17; Jeremiah 32:44; Obadiah 1:19; Revelation 7:8
66. Numbers 26:41
67. Genesis 30:6; Numbers 26:42-43; Deuteronomy 33:22
68. Numbers 26:43
69. S Genesis 30:13; Numbers 26:44; Numbers 26:44-47; Revelation 7:6
70. Numbers 26:47
71. S Genesis 30:8; Numbers 26:48-50; Revelation 7:6
72. Numbers 26:50
73. S Exodus 1:1-4