CHAPTER 1
(1490 B.C.)
THE CENSUS
1And the LORD spoke unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the Tabernacle of the congregation, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying (unfortunately, the wilderness experience seems to be absolutely necessary, at least in some manner, for every Christian),
2Take ye the sum of all the congregation of the Children of Israel, after their families, by the house of their fathers, with the number of their names, every male by their polls (every person in Israel was numbered, and done so at the command of the Lord, even as every Believer presently is numbered by the Lord);
3From twenty years old and upward, all who are able to go forth to war in Israel: you and Aaron shall number them by their armies. (While the theme of Leviticus is worship, that of Numbers is warfare. This means that spiritual Israelites are to be warriors as well as worshippers. Paul said, War a good warfare [I Tim. 1:18]. In Exodus 30:11, it was commanded that whenever a census was taken of the men of Israel, a half shekel of silver [about half an ounce] had to be given to the Sanctuary for every man. Silver, in the Old Testament, was a type of Redemption, thereby stating that Israels power was not in her standing army, whatever that might have been, but rather the fact that she was bought by the blood of the Lamb.)
THE CENSUS TAKERS
4And with you there shall be a man of every Tribe; every one head of the house of his fathers (the head of each Tribe would be responsible for the census of that Tribe).
5And these are the names of the men who shall stand with you: of the Tribe of Reuben; Elizur the son of Shedeur.
6Of Simeon; Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai.
7Of Judah; Nahshon the son of Amminadab.
8Of Issachar; Nethaneel the son of Zuar.
9Of Zebulun; Eliab the son of Helon.
10Of the children of Joseph: of Ephraim; Elishama the son of Ammihud: of Manasseh; Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur.
11Of Benjamin; Abidan the son of Gideoni.
12Of Dan; Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai.
13Of Asher; Pagiel the son of Ocran.
14Of Gad; Eliasaph the son of Deuel.
15Of Naphtali; Ahira the son of Enan.
16These were the renowned of the congregation, Princes of the Tribes of their fathers, heads of thousands in Israel.
17And Moses and Aaron took these men which are expressed by their names (all of these men were chosen by God, and none by Moses or Aaron):
THE ASSEMBLY
18And they assembled all the congregation together on the first day of the second month, and they declared their pedigrees after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, by their polls (this was 13 months after they had left Egypt).
19As the LORD commanded Moses, so he numbered them in the wilderness of Sinai (they had been in the wilderness for 13 months).
REUBEN: 46,500
20And the Children of Reuben, Israels oldest son, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go forth to war (Fellowship with God means warfare with the world; hence 14 times in this Chapter occur the words, all who were able to go forth to war);
21Those who were numbered of them, even of the Tribe of Reuben, were forty and six thousand and five hundred.
SIMEON: 59,300
22Of the Children of Simeon, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, those who were numbered of them, according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go forth to war;
23Those who were numbered of them, even of the Tribe of Simeon, were fifty and nine thousand and three hundred.
GAD: 45,650
24Of the Children of Gad, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go forth to war;
25Those who were numbered of them, even of the Tribe of Gad, were forty and five thousand six hundred and fifty.
JUDAH: 74,600
26Of the Children of Judah, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go forth to war;
27Those who were numbered of them, even of the Tribe of Judah, were threescore and fourteen thousand and six hundred (Judah was the largest Tribe, and was the Tribe from which Jesus came [Gen. 49:10]).
ISSACHAR: 54,400
28Of the Children of Issachar, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go forth to war;
29Those who were numbered of them, even of the Tribe of Issachar, were fifty and four thousand and four hundred.
ZEBULUN: 57,400
30Of the Children of Zebulun, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go forth to war;
31Those who were numbered of them, even of the Tribe of Zebulun, were fifty and seven thousand and four hundred.
EPHRAIM: 40,500
32Of the Children of Joseph, namely, of the Children of Ephraim, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go forth to war;
33Those who were numbered of them, even of the Tribe of Ephraim, were forty thousand and five hundred.
MANASSEH: 32,200
34Of the Children of Manasseh, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go forth to war;
35Those who were numbered of them, even of the Tribe of Manasseh, were thirty and two thousand and two hundred.
BENJAMIN: 35,400
36Of the Children of Benjamin, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go forth to war;
37Those who were numbered of them, even of the Tribe of Benjamin, were thirty and five thousand and four hundred. (Christian conflict is not a warfare with personal doubts and fears as to ones Salvation, but it is a succession of battles with enemies of God within and without, i.e., sin and self Williams.)
DAN: 62,700
38Of the Children of Dan, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go forth to war;
39Those who were numbered of them, even of the Tribe of Dan, were threescore and two thousand and seven hundred.
ASHER: 41,500
40Of the Children of Asher, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go forth to war;
41Those who were numbered of them, even of the Tribe of Asher, were forty and one thousand and five hundred.
NAPHTALI: 53,400
42Of the Children of Naphtali, throughout their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go forth to war;
43Those that were numbered of them, even of the Tribe of Naphtali, were fifty and three thousand and four hundred.
GRAND TOTAL: 603,550
44These are those who were numbered, which Moses and Aaron numbered, and the Princes of Israel, being twelve men: each one was for the house of his fathers.
45So were all those who were numbered of the Children of Israel, by the house of their fathers, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go forth to war in Israel;
46Even all they who were numbered were six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty. (Of this first census, all perished because of unbelief, except two, Joshua and Caleb. The Holy Spirit, in I Cor., Chpt. 10, says that these facts are recorded to admonish those who think they stand to take heed lest they fall.)
LEVITES NOT NUMBERED
47But the Levites after the Tribe of their fathers were not numbered among them (this was the Priestly Tribe).
48For the LORD had spoken unto Moses, saying,
49Only you shall not number the Tribe of Levi, neither take the sum of them among the Children of Israel:
APPOINTMENT
50But you shall appoint the Levites over the Tabernacle of Testimony, and over all the vessels thereof, and over all things that belong to it: they shall bear the Tabernacle, and all the vessels thereof; and they shall minister unto it, and shall encamp round about the Tabernacle.
51And when the Tabernacle sets forward, the Levites shall take it down: and when the Tabernacle is to be pitched, the Levites shall set it up: and the stranger (Gentile) who comes near shall be put to death.
52And the Children of Israel shall pitch their tents, every man by his own camp, and every man by his own standard, throughout their hosts. (In the Tribes, Ephraim took the place of Joseph, and Manasseh took the place of Levi in the Twelve-Tribe arrangement of Israel. The Tribe of Levi was not counted, being chosen as the Ministers of the other Tribes, and without any definite allotment of land among the other Twelve Tribes.)
53But the Levites shall pitch round about the Tabernacle of Testimony, that there be no wrath upon the congregation of the Children of Israel: and the Levites shall keep the charge of the Tabernacle of Testimony. (The Levites were not included in the numbering, which means they were exempted by Divine direction. Their function was the Tabernacle, and in every capacity. When Israel camped, the Tribe of Levi pitched their tents around the Tabernacle, and were responsible for its protection. No one else of the other Tribes was to penetrate this cordon of protection, except to bring Sacrifices. All the Priesthood was of the Tribe of Levi; however, all Levites were not Priests, the latter group coming solely from the family of Aaron.)
54And the Children of Israel did according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so did they.