20 And the sons H1121 of Judah H3063 after their families H4940 were; of Shelah, H7956 the family H4940 of the Shelanites: H8024 of Pharez, H6557 the family H4940 of the Pharzites: H6558 of Zerah, H2226 the family H4940 of the Zarhites. H2227
And the sons H1121 of Judah; H3063 Er, H6147 and Onan, H209 and Shelah, H7956 and Pharez, H6557 and Zerah: H2226 but Er H6147 and Onan H209 died H4191 in the land H776 of Canaan. H3667 And the sons H1121 of Pharez H6557 were Hezron H2696 and Hamul. H2538
Then said H559 Judah H3063 to Tamar H8559 his daughter in law, H3618 Remain H3427 a widow H490 at thy father's H1 house, H1004 till Shelah H7956 my son H1121 be grown: H1431 for he said, H559 Lest peradventure he die H4191 also, as his brethren H251 did. And Tamar H8559 went H3212 and dwelt H3427 in her father's H1 house. H1004
And she put H5493 her widow's H491 garments H899 off H5493 from her, and covered her H3680 with a vail, H6809 and wrapped herself, H5968 and sat in H3427 an open H5869 place, H6607 which is by the way H1870 to Timnath; H8553 for she saw H7200 that Shelah H7956 was grown, H1431 and she was not given H5414 unto him to wife. H802
And Judah H3063 acknowledged H5234 them, and said, H559 She hath been more righteous H6663 than I; because that I gave H5414 her not to Shelah H7956 my son. H1121 And he knew her H3045 again H3254 no more. And it came to pass in the time H6256 of her travail, H3205 that, behold, twins H8380 were in her womb. H990 And it came to pass, when she travailed, H3205 that the one put out H5414 his hand: H3027 and the midwife H3205 took H3947 and bound H7194 upon his hand H3027 a scarlet thread, H8144 saying, H559 This came out H3318 first. H7223 And it came to pass, as he drew back H7725 his hand, H3027 that, behold, his brother H251 came out: H3318 and she said, H559 How hast thou broken forth? H6555 this breach H6556 be upon thee: therefore his name H8034 was called H7121 Pharez. H6557 And afterward H310 came out H3318 his brother, H251 that had the scarlet thread H8144 upon his hand: H3027 and his name H8034 was called H7121 Zarah. H2226
Now these are the generations H8435 of Pharez: H6557 Pharez H6557 begat H3205 Hezron, H2696 And Hezron H2696 begat H3205 Ram, H7410 and Ram H7410 begat H3205 Amminadab, H5992 And Amminadab H5992 begat H3205 Nahshon, H5177 and Nahshon H5177 begat H3205 Salmon, H8009 And Salmon H8012 begat H3205 Boaz, H1162 and Boaz H1162 begat H3205 Obed, H5744 And Obed H5744 begat H3205 Jesse, H3448 and Jesse H3448 begat H3205 David. H1732
The sons H1121 of Judah; H3063 Er, H6147 and Onan, H209 and Shelah: H7956 which three H7969 were born H3205 unto him of the daughter H1323 of Shua H7774 H1340 the Canaanitess. H3669 And Er, H6147 the firstborn H1060 of Judah, H3063 was evil H7451 in the sight H5869 of the LORD; H3068 and he slew H4191 him. And Tamar H8559 his daughter in law H3618 bare H3205 him Pharez H6557 and Zerah. H2226 All the sons H1121 of Judah H3063 were five. H2568 The sons H1121 of Pharez; H6557 Hezron, H2696 and Hamul. H2538 And the sons H1121 of Zerah; H2226 Zimri, H2174 and Ethan, H387 and Heman, H1968 and Calcol, H3633 and Dara: H1873 five H2568 of them in all. And the sons H1121 of Carmi; H3756 Achar, H5917 the troubler H5916 of Israel, H3478 who transgressed H4603 in the thing accursed. H2764 And the sons H1121 of Ethan; H387 Azariah. H5838
The sons H1121 of Shelah H7956 the son H1121 of Judah H3063 were, Er H6147 the father H1 of Lecah, H3922 and Laadah H3935 the father H1 of Mareshah, H4762 and the families H4940 of the house H1004 of them that wrought H5656 fine linen, H948 of the house H1004 of Ashbea, H791
And at Jerusalem H3389 dwelt H3427 certain of the children H1121 of Judah, H3063 and of the children H1121 of Benjamin. H1144 Of the children H1121 of Judah; H3063 Athaiah H6265 the son H1121 of Uzziah, H5818 the son H1121 of Zechariah, H2148 the son H1121 of Amariah, H568 the son H1121 of Shephatiah, H8203 the son H1121 of Mahalaleel, H4111 of the children H1121 of Perez; H6557
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Numbers 26
Commentary on Numbers 26 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 26
Nu 26:1-51. Israel Numbered.
1. after the plague—That terrible visitation had swept away the remnant of the old generation, to whom God sware in His wrath that they should not enter Canaan (Ps 95:11).
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.
7. These are the families of the Reubenites—the principal households, which were subdivided into numerous smaller families. Reuben had suffered great diminution by Korah's conspiracy and other outbreaks [Nu 16:1].
10. the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up together with Korah—rather, "the things of Korah." (See on Nu 16:35; compare Ps 106:17).
11. Notwithstanding the children of Korah died not—Either they were not parties to their father's crime, or they withdrew from it by timely repentance. His descendants became famous in the time of David, and are often mentioned in the Psalms [Ps 42:1; 44:1; 45:1; 46:1; 47:1; 48:1; 49:1; 84:1; 85:1; 87:1; 88:1], also in 1Ch 6:22, 38.
12. The sons of Simeon—It is supposed that this tribe had been pre-eminent in the guilt of Baal-peor and had consequently been greatly reduced in numbers.
Thus God's justice and holiness, as well as His truth and faithfulness, were strikingly displayed: His justice and holiness in the sweeping judgments that reduced the ranks of some tribes; and His truth and faithfulness in the extraordinary increase of others so that the posterity of Israel continued a numerous people.
53. the land shall be divided according to the number of names—The portion of each tribe was to be greater or less, according to its populousness.
54. To many thou shalt give the more inheritance—that is, to the more numerous tribes a larger allotment shall be granted.
according to those that were numbered—the number of persons twenty years old at the time of the census being made, without taking into account either the increase of those who might have attained that age, when the land should be actually distributed, or the diminution from that amount, occasioned during the war of invasion.
55. the land shall be divided by lot—The appeal to the lot did not place the matter beyond the control of God; for it is at His disposal (Pr 16:33), and He has fixed to all the bounds of their habitation. The manner in which the lot was taken has not been recorded. But it is evident that the lot was cast for determining the section of the country in which each tribe should be located—not the quantity of their possessions. In other words, when the lot had decided that a particular tribe was to be settled in the north or the south, the east or the west, the extent of territory was allocated according to the rule (Nu 26:54).
58. families of the Levites—The census of this tribe was taken separately, and on a different principle from the rest. (See Ex 6:16-19).
62. twenty and three thousand—so that there was an increase of a thousand (Nu 3:39).
males from a month old and upward—(See on Nu 3:14).
64. among these there was not a man … numbered … in the wilderness of Sinai—The statement in this verse must not be considered absolute. For, besides Caleb and Joshua, there were alive at this time Eleazar and Ithamar, and in all probability a considerable number of Levites, who had no participation in the popular defections in the wilderness. The tribe of Levi, having neither sent a spy into Canaan, nor being included in the enumeration at Sinai, must be regarded as not coming within the range of the fatal sentence; and therefore it would exhibit a spectacle not to be witnessed in the other tribes of many in their ranks above sixty years of age.