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Numbers 26

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1After the plague, Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, saying,

2“Take a census of all the congregation of the children of Israel, from twenty years old and upward, by their fathers’ houses, all who are able to go out to war in Israel.”

3Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke with them in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying,

4“Take a census, from twenty years old and upward; as Yahweh commanded Moses and the children of Israel.” These are those that came out of the land of Egypt.

5Reuben, the firstborn of Israel; the sons of Reuben: of Hanoch, the family of the Hanochites; of Pallu, the family of the Palluites;

6of Hezron, the family of the Hezronites; of Carmi, the family of the Carmites.

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

8The sons of Pallu: Eliab.

9The sons of Eliab: Nemuel, and Dathan, and Abiram. These are that Dathan and Abiram, who were called by the congregation, who rebelled against Moses and against Aaron in the company of Korah, when they rebelled against Yahweh,

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

11Notwithstanding, the sons of Korah didn’t die.

12The sons of Simeon after their families: of Nemuel, the family of the Nemuelites; of Jamin, the family of the Jaminites; of Jachin, the family of the Jachinites;

13of Zerah, the family of the Zerahites; of Shaul, the family of the Shaulites.

14These are the families of the Simeonites, twenty-two thousand two hundred.

15The sons of Gad after their families: of Zephon, the family of the Zephonites; of Haggi, the family of the Haggites; of Shuni, the family of the Shunites;

16of Ozni, the family of the Oznites; of Eri, the family of the Erites;

17of Arod, the family of the Arodites; of Areli, the family of the Arelites.

18These are the families of the sons of Gad according to those who were numbered of them, forty thousand and five hundred.

19The sons of Judah: Er and Onan. Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan.

20The sons of Judah after their families were: of Shelah, the family of the Shelanites; of Perez, the family of the Perezites; of Zerah, the family of the Zerahites.

21The sons of Perez were: of Hezron, the family of the Hezronites; of Hamul, the family of the Hamulites.

22These are the families of Judah according to those who were numbered of them, seventy-six thousand five hundred.

23The sons of Issachar after their families: of Tola, the family of the Tolaites; of Puvah, the family of the Punites;

24of Jashub, the family of the Jashubites; of Shimron, the family of the Shimronites.

25These are the families of Issachar according to those who were numbered of them, sixty-four thousand three hundred.

26The sons of Zebulun after their families: of Sered, the family of the Seredites; of Elon, the family of the Elonites; of Jahleel, the family of the Jahleelites.

27These are the families of the Zebulunites according to those who were numbered of them, sixty thousand five hundred.

28The sons of Joseph after their families: Manasseh and Ephraim.

29The sons of Manasseh: of Machir, the family of the Machirites; and Machir became the father of Gilead; of Gilead, the family of the Gileadites.

30These are the sons of Gilead: of Iezer, the family of the Iezerites; of Helek, the family of the Helekites;

31and Asriel, the family of the Asrielites; and Shechem, the family of the Shechemites;

32and Shemida, the family of the Shemidaites; and Hepher, the family of the Hepherites.

33Zelophehad the son of Hepher had no sons, but daughters: and the names of the daughters of Zelophehad were Mahlah, and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.

34These are the families of Manasseh. Those who were numbered of them were fifty-two thousand seven hundred.

35These are the sons of Ephraim after their families: of Shuthelah, the family of the Shuthelahites; of Becher, the family of the Becherites; of Tahan, the family of the Tahanites.

36These are the sons of Shuthelah: of Eran, the family of the Eranites.

37These are the families of the sons of Ephraim according to those who were numbered of them, thirty-two thousand five hundred. These are the sons of Joseph after their families.

38The sons of Benjamin after their families: of Bela, the family of the Belaites; of Ashbel, the family of the Ashbelites; of Ahiram, the family of the Ahiramites;

39of Shephupham, the family of the Shuphamites; of Hupham, the family of the Huphamites.

40The sons of Bela were Ard and Naaman: the family of the Ardites; of Naaman, the family of the Naamites.

41These are the sons of Benjamin after their families; and those who were numbered of them were forty-five thousand six hundred.

42These are the sons of Dan after their families: of Shuham, the family of the Shuhamites. These are the families of Dan after their families.

43All the families of the Shuhamites, according to those who were numbered of them, were sixty-four thousand four hundred.

44The sons of Asher after their families: of Imnah, the family of the Imnites; of Ishvi, the family of the Ishvites; of Beriah, the family of the Berites.

45Of the sons of Beriah: of Heber, the family of the Heberites; of Malchiel, the family of the Malchielites.

46The name of the daughter of Asher was Serah.

47These are the families of the sons of Asher according to those who were numbered of them, fifty-three thousand and four hundred.

48The sons of Naphtali after their families: of Jahzeel, the family of the Jahzeelites; of Guni, the family of the Gunites;

49of Jezer, the family of the Jezerites; of Shillem, the family of the Shillemites.

50These are the families of Naphtali according to their families; and those who were numbered of them were forty-five thousand four hundred.

51These are those who were numbered of the children of Israel, six hundred one thousand seven hundred thirty.

52Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

53“To these the land shall be divided for an inheritance according to the number of names.

54To the more you shall give the more inheritance, and to the fewer you shall give the less inheritance. To everyone according to those who were numbered of him shall his inheritance be given.

55Notwithstanding, the land shall be divided by lot. According to the names of the tribes of their fathers they shall inherit.

56According to the lot shall their inheritance be divided between the more and the fewer.”

57These are those who were numbered of the Levites after their families: of Gershon, the family of the Gershonites; of Kohath, the family of the Kohathites; of Merari, the family of the Merarites.

58These are the families of Levi: the family of the Libnites, the family of the Hebronites, the family of the Mahlites, the family of the Mushites, the family of the Korahites. Kohath became the father of Amram.

59The name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed, the daughter of Levi, who was born to Levi in Egypt. She bore to Amram Aaron and Moses, and Miriam their sister.

60To Aaron were born Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.

61Nadab and Abihu died when they offered strange fire before Yahweh.

62Those who were numbered of them were twenty-three thousand, every male from a month old and upward; for they were not numbered among the children of Israel, because there was no inheritance given them among the children of Israel.

63These are those who were numbered by Moses and Eleazar the priest, who numbered the children of Israel in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho.

64But among these there was not a man of them who were numbered by Moses and Aaron the priest, who numbered the children of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai.

65For Yahweh had said of them, “They shall surely die in the wilderness.” There was not a man left of them, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.

Commentary

26:1-51 Moses did not number the people but when God commanded him. We have here the families registered, as well as the tribes. The total was nearly the same as when numbered at mount Sinai. Notice is here taken of the children of Korah; they died not, as the children of Dathan and Abiram; they seem not to have joined even their own father in rebellion. If we partake not of the sins of sinners, we shall not partake of their plagues.

Chapter 26 This book is called Numbers, from the numberings of the children of Israel, of which it gives an account. Once they were numbered at Mount Sinai, in the first year after they came out of Egypt, which we had an account of, ch. 1 and 2. And now a second time they were numbered in the plains of Moab, just before they entered Canaan, and of this we have an account in this chapter. We have, I. Orders given for the doing of it (v. 1-4). II. A register of the families and numbers of each tribe (v. 5–50), and the sum total (v. 51). III. Direction given to divide the land among them (v. 52–56). IV. The families and numbers of the Levites by themselves (v. 57–62). V. Notice taken of the fulfilling of the threatening in the death of all those that were first numbered (v. 63–65), and to this there seems to have been a special regard in the taking and keeping of this account.Verses 1-4 Observe here, 1. That Moses did not number the people but when God commanded him. David in his time did it without a command, and paid dearly for it. God was Israel’s king, and he would not have this act of authority done but by his express orders. Moses, perhaps, by this time, had heard of the blessing with which Balaam was constrained, sorely against his will, to bless Israel, and particularly the notice he took of their numbers; and he was sufficiently pleased with that general testimony borne to this instance of their strength and honour by an adversary, though he knew not their numbers exactly, till God now appointed him to take the sum of them. 2. Eleazar was joined in commission with him, as Aaron had been before, by which God honoured Eleazar before the elders of his people, and confirmed his succession. 3. It was presently after the plague that this account was ordered to be taken, to show that though God had in justice contended with them by that sweeping pestilence, yet he had not made a full end, nor would he utterly cast them off. God’s Israel shall not be ruined, though it be severely rebuked. 4. They were now to go by the same rule that they had gone by in the former numbering, counting those only that were able to go forth to war, for this was the service now before them.

26:2 Take the sum - They were numbered twice before, Exo 30:11,12 Nu 1:1,2. Now they are numbered a third time, to demonstrate the faithfulness of God, both in cutting all those off whom he had threatened to cut off, Nu 14:29, and in a stupendous increase of the people according to his promise, notwithstanding all their sins, and the sweeping judgments inflicted upon them; and to prepare the way for the equal division of the land, which they were now going to possess.

2. Take the sum of all the congregation—The design of this new census, after a lapse of thirty-eight years, was primarily to establish the vast multiplication of the posterity of Abraham in spite of the severe judgments inflicted upon them; secondarily, it was to preserve the distinction of families and to make arrangements, preparatory to an entrance into the promised land, for the distribution of the country according to the relative population of the tribes.

Verses 5-51 This is the register of the tribes as they were now enrolled, in the same order that they were numbered in ch. 1. Observe,I. The account that is here kept of the families of each tribe, which must not be understood of such as we call families, those that live in a house together, but such as were the descendants of the several sons of the patriarchs, by whose names, in honour of them, their posterity distinguished themselves and one another. The families of the twelve tribes are thus numbered:—Of Dan but one, for Dan had but one son, and yet that tribe was the most numerous of all except Judah, v. 42, 43. Its beginning was small, but its latter end greatly increased. Zebulun was divided into three families, Ephraim into four, Issachar into four, Naphtali into four, and Reuben into four; Judah, Simeon, and Asher, had five families apiece, Gad and Benjamin seven apiece, and Manasseh eight. Benjamin brought ten sons into Egypt (Gen. 46:21), but three of them, it seems either died childless or their families were extinct, for here we find seven only of those names preserved, and that whole tribe none of the most numerous; for Providence, in the building up of families and nations, does not tie itself to probabilities. The barren hath borne seven, and she that hath many children has waxed feeble, 1 Sa. 2:5.II. The numbers of each tribe. And here our best entertainment will be to compare these numbers with those when they were numbered at Mount Sinai. The sum total was nearly the same; they were now 1820 fewer than they were then; yet seven of the tribes had increased in number. Judah had increased 1900, Issachar 9900, Zebulun 3100, Manasseh 20, 500, Benjamin 10,200, Dan 1700, and Asher 11,900. But the other five had decreased more than to balance that increase. Reuben had decreased 2770, Simeon 37,100, Gad 5150, Ephraim 8000, and Naphtali 8000. In this account we may observe, 1. that all the three tribes that were encamped under the standard of Judah, who was the ancestor of Christ, had increased, for his church shall be edified and multiplied. 2. That none of the tribes had increased so much as that of Manasseh, which in the former account was the smallest of all the tribes, only 32,200, while here it is one of the most considerable; and that of his brother Ephraim, which there was numerous, is here one of the least.

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Translations8 · 5

AMHEVG እንዲህም ሆነ፤ መቅሠፍቱ ከሆነ በኋላ እግዚአብሔር ሙሴንና የካህኑን የአሮን ልጅ አልዓዛርን፦ አማርኛ ENGNIV After the plague the Lord said to Moses and Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest, English BCV ድሕሪ እቲ መቕሰፍቲ፥ እግዚኣብሄር ንሙሴን ንኣልኣዛር ወዲ ኻህን ኣሮንን፦ ትግርኛ GAZBIB Dha'icha sana booddee Waaqayyo Musee fi Ele'azaar ilma Aaron lubichaatiin, Afaan Oromoo BCV GIZ ወኮነ እምድኅረ መቅሠፍት ወነበቦሙ እግዚአብሔር ለሙሴ ወለእልዓዛር ካህን ወይቤሎሙ፦ giz GAZGAZ Dha'icha sana booddee Waaqayyo Musee fi Ele'azaar ilma Aaron lubichaatiin, Afaan Oromoo BCV aksum ድሕሪ እቲ መቕሰፍቲ፥ እግዚኣብሄር ንሙሴን ንኣልኣዛር ወዲ ኻህን ኣሮንን፦ ትግርኛ AMHNIV ከመቅሠፍቱ በኋላ እግዚአብሔር (ያህዌ) ሙሴንና የካህኑን የአሮንን ልጅ አልዓዛርን እንዲህ አላቸው፤ አማርኛ