29 Of the sons H1121 of Manasseh: H4519 of Machir, H4353 the family H4940 of the Machirites: H4354 and Machir H4353 begat H3205 Gilead: H1568 of Gilead H1568 come the family H4940 of the Gileadites. H1569
The sons H1121 of Manasseh; H4519 Ashriel, H844 whom she bare: H3205 (but his concubine H6370 the Aramitess H761 bare H3205 Machir H4353 the father H1 of Gilead: H1568 And Machir H4353 took H3947 to wife H802 the sister of Huppim H2650 and Shuppim, H8206 whose sister's H269 name H8034 was Maachah;) H4601 and the name H8034 of the second H8145 was Zelophehad: H6765 and Zelophehad H6765 had daughters. H1323 And Maachah H4601 the wife H802 of Machir H4353 bare H3205 a son, H1121 and she called H7121 his name H8034 Peresh; H6570 and the name H8034 of his brother H251 was Sheresh; H8329 and his sons H1121 were Ulam H198 and Rakem. H7552 And the sons H1121 of Ulam; H198 Bedan. H917 These were the sons H1121 of Gilead, H1568 the son H1121 of Machir, H4353 the son H1121 of Manasseh. H4519 And his sister H269 Hammoleketh H4447 bare H3205 Ishod, H379 and Abiezer, H44 and Mahalah. H4244 And the sons H1121 of Shemida H8061 were, Ahian, H291 and Shechem, H7928 and Likhi, H3949 and Aniam. H593
And the children H1121 of Machir H4353 the son H1121 of Manasseh H4519 went H3212 to Gilead, H1568 and took H3920 it, and dispossessed H3423 the Amorite H567 which was in it. And Moses H4872 gave H5414 Gilead H1568 unto Machir H4353 the son H1121 of Manasseh; H4519 and he dwelt H3427 therein.
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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.