1 And it cometh to pass, after the plague, that Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, and unto Eleazar son of Aaron the priest, saying,
2 `Take up the sum of all the company of the sons of Israel, from a son of twenty years and upward, by the house of their fathers, every one going out to the host in Israel.'
3 And Moses speaketh -- Eleazar the priest also -- with them, in the plains of Moab, by Jordan, `near' Jericho, saying,
4 `From a son of twenty years and upward,' as Jehovah hath commanded Moses and the sons of Israel who are coming out from the land of Egypt.
5 Reuben, first-born of Israel -- sons of Reuben: `of' Hanoch `is' the family of the Hanochite; of Pallu the family of the Palluite;
6 of Hezron the family of the Hezronite; of Carmi the family of the Carmite.
7 These `are' families of the Reubenite, and their numbered ones are three and forty thousand and seven hundred and thirty.
8 And the son of Pallu `is' Eliab;
9 and the sons of Eliab `are' Nemuel and Dathan and Abiram; this `is that' Dathan and Abiram, called ones of the company, who have striven against Moses and against Aaron in the company of Korah, in their striving against Jehovah,
10 and the earth openeth her mouth, and swalloweth them and Korah, in the death of the company, in the fire consuming the two hundred and fifty men, and they become a sign;
11 and the sons of Korah died not.
12 Sons of Simeon by their families: of Nemuel `is' the family of the Nemuelite; of Jamin the family of the Jaminite; of Jachin the family of the Jachinite;
13 of Zerah the family of the Zarhite; of Shaul the family of the Shaulite.
14 These `are' families of the Simeonite, two and twenty thousand and two hundred.
15 Sons of Gad by their families: of Zephon `is' the family of the Zephonite; of Haggi the family of the Haggite; of Shuni the family of the Shunite;
16 of Ozni the family of the Oznite; of Eri the family of the Erite:
17 of Arod the family of the Arodite; of Areli the family of the Arelite.
18 These `are' families of the sons of Gad, by their numbered ones, forty thousand and five hundred.
19 Sons of Judah `are' Er and Onan; and Er dieth -- Onan also -- in the land of Canaan.
20 And sons of Judah, by their families, are: of Shelah the family of the Shelanite; of Pharez the family of the Pharzite; of Zerah the family of the Zarhite;
21 and sons of Pharez are: of Hezron the family of the Hezronite; of Hamul the family of the Hamulite.
22 These `are' families of Judah, by their numbered ones, six and seventy thousand and five hundred.
23 Sons of Issachar by their families; `of' Tola `is' the family of the Tolaite; of Pua the family of the Punite;
24 of Jashub the family of the Jashubite; of Shimron the family of the Shimronite.
25 These `are' families of Issachar, by their numbered ones, four and sixty thousand and three hundred.
26 Sons of Zebulun by their families: of Sered `is' the family of the Sardite; of Elon the family of the Elonite; of Jahleel the family of the Jahleelite.
27 These `are' families of the Zebulunite by their numbered ones, sixty thousand and five hundred.
28 Sons of Joseph by their families `are' Manasseh and Ephraim.
29 Sons of Manasseh: of Machir `is' the family of the Machirite; and Machir hath begotten Gilead; of Gilead `is' the family of the Gileadite.
30 These `are' sons of Gilead: `of' Jeezer `is' the family of the Jeezerite; of Helek the family of the Helekite;
31 and `of' Asriel the family of the Asrielite; and `of' Shechem the family of the Shechemite;
32 and `of' Shemida the family of the Shemidaite; and `of' Hepher the family of the Hepherite.
33 And Zelophehad son of Hepher had no sons but daughters, and the names of the daughters of Zelophehad `are' Mahlah, and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.
34 These `are' families of Manasseh, and their numbered ones `are' two and fifty thousand and seven hundred.
35 These `are' sons of Ephraim by their families: of Shuthelah `is' the family of the Shuthelhite; of Becher the family of the Bachrite; of Tahan the family of the Tahanite.
36 And these `are' sons of Shuthelah: of Eran the family of the Eranite.
37 These `are' families of the sons of Ephraim, by their numbered ones, two and thirty thousand and five hundred. These `are' sons of Joseph by their families.
38 Sons of Benjamin by their families: of Bela `is' the family of the Belaite; of Ashbel the family of the Ashbelite; of Ahiram the family of the Ahiramite;
39 of Shupham the family of the Shuphamite; of Hupham the family of the Huphamite.
40 And sons of Bela are Ard and Naaman: `of Ard is' the family of the Ardite: of Naaman the family of the Naamite.
41 These `are' sons of Benjamin by their families, and their numbered ones `are' five and forty thousand and six hundred.
42 These `are' sons of Dan by their families: of Shuham `is' the family of the Shuhamite; these `are' families of Dan by their families;
43 all the families of the Shuhamite, by their numbered ones, `are' four and sixty thousand and four hundred.
44 Sons of Asher by their families: of Jimna `is' the family of the Jimnite; of Jesui the family of the Jesuite; of Beriah the family of the Beriite.
45 Of sons of Beriah: of Heber `is' the family of the Heberite; of Malchiel the family of the Malchielite.
46 And the name of the daughter of Asher `is' Sarah.
47 These `are' families of the sons of Asher, by their numbered ones, three and fifty thousand and four hundred.
48 Sons of Naphtali by their families: of Jahzeel `is' the family of the Jahzeelite; of Guni the family of the Gunite;
49 of Jezer the family of the Jezerite; of Shillem the family of the Shillemite.
50 These `are' families of Naphtali by their families, and their numbered ones `are' five and forty thousand and four hundred.
51 These `are' numbered ones of the sons of Israel, six hundred thousand, and a thousand, seven hundred and thirty.
52 And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying,
53 `To these is the land apportioned by inheritance, by the number of names;
54 to the many thou dost increase their inheritance, and to the few thou dost diminish their inheritance; `to' each according to his numbered ones is given his inheritance.
55 `Only by lot is the land apportioned, by the names of the tribes of their fathers they inherit;
56 according to the lot is their inheritance apportioned between many and few.'
57 And these `are' numbered ones of the Levite by their families: of Gershon `is' the family of the Gershonite; of Kohath the family of the Kohathite; of Merari the family of the Merarite.
58 These `are' families of the Levite: the family of the Libnite, the family of the Hebronite, the family of the Mahlite, the family of the Mushite, the family of the Korathite. And Kohath hath begotten Amram,
59 and the name of Amram's wife is Jochebed, daughter of Levi, whom `one' hath born to Levi in Egypt; and she beareth to Amram Aaron, and Moses, and Miriam their sister.
60 And born to Aaron Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar;
61 and Nadab dieth -- Abihu also -- in their bringing near strange fire before Jehovah.
62 And their numbered ones are three and twenty thousand, every male from a son of a month and upwards, for they have not numbered themselves in the midst of the sons of Israel; for an inheritance hath not been given to them in the midst of the sons of Israel.
63 These `are' those numbered by Moses and Eleazar the priest, who have numbered the sons of Israel in the plains of Moab, by Jordan, `near' Jericho;
64 and among these there hath not been a man of those numbered by Moses, and Aaron the priest, who numbered the sons of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai,
65 for Jehovah said of them, `They do certainly die in the wilderness;' and there hath not been left of them a man save Caleb son of Jephunneh, and Joshua son of Nun.
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.