CONTEXT
PART
7A: Records & Laws
Ch.26:
[Records] The Second Census
•
on the Plains of Moab before
entering the Land
Ch.27:
[Law] All about Succession -
Zelophehad's Daughters
•
deprived daughters, new
laws and Moses' successor
Ch.28:
[Law] The Calendar of Remembrance Established
•
the daily, monthly and special
annual offerings
Ch.29:
[Law] Three Special Times
•
Trumpets, Atonement, Tabernacles
Ch.30:
[Law]
Vows
•
dealing with different sorts
of vows
|
FRAMEWORKS:
Numbers 26: The Second Census
v.1-4
The Second Census instructed
v.4-62
Israel numbered by Tribes
v.63-65
Summary
[Notes:
For
the reader who may wish to scan over this chapter, we have simply
emboldened those passages of particular interest. Note the purpose
of the census [v.2 AND v.53,54], the significance
of the census [v.64,65], and thus the number of available
fighting men [v.51] so it is little wonder they vanquished little
local warlords!]
v.1-4
The Second Census instructed
v.1
After
the plague the Lord said to Moses and Eleazar son of Aaron, the
priest,
v.2
“Take
a census of the whole Israelite community by families—all those
twenty years old or more who are able to serve in the
army of Israel.”
v.3
So
on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho, Moses
and Eleazar the priest spoke with them and said,
v.4
“Take
a census of the men twenty years old or more, as the Lord commanded
Moses.”
[Notes:
Observe
the timing: after all the previous generation had died in the
wilderness, and a plague had wiped out over twenty-four thousand
for their unfaithfulness with the Midianites. Observe the location:
on the Plains of Moab to the east of the Jordan. Observe the purpose:
to see how many fighting men there were in Israel.]
v.4-62
Israel numbered by Tribes
These
were the Israelites who came out of Egypt:
5 The
descendants of Reuben, the firstborn son of Israel,
were:
through
Hanok, the Hanokite clan;
through
Pallu, the Palluite clan;
6 through
Hezron, the Hezronite clan;
through
Karmi, the Karmite clan.
7 These
were the clans of Reuben; those numbered were 43,730.
8 The
son of Pallu was Eliab,
v.9 and
the sons of Eliab were Nemuel, Dathan and Abiram. The same Dathan
and Abiram were the community officials who rebelled against Moses
and Aaron and were among Korah's followers when they rebelled
against the Lord .
v.10 The
earth opened its mouth and swallowed them along with Korah, whose
followers died when the fire devoured the 250 men. And they served
as a warning sign.
11 The
line of Korah, however, did not die out.
12 The
descendants of Simeon by their clans were:
through
Nemuel, the Nemuelite clan;
through
Jamin, the Jaminite clan;
through
Jakin, the Jakinite clan;
13 through
Zerah, the Zerahite clan;
through
Shaul, the Shaulite clan.
14 These
were the clans of Simeon; those numbered were 22,200.
15 The
descendants of Gad by their clans were:
through
Zephon, the Zephonite clan;
through
Haggi, the Haggite clan;
through
Shuni, the Shunite clan;
16 through
Ozni, the Oznite clan;
through
Eri, the Erite clan;
17 through
Arodi, the
Arodite clan;
through
Areli, the Arelite clan.
18 These
were the clans of Gad; those numbered were 40,500.
19 Er
and Onan were sons of Judah , but they died in
Canaan.
20 The
descendants of Judah by their clans were:
through
Shelah, the Shelanite clan;
through
Perez, the Perezite clan;
through
Zerah, the Zerahite clan.
21 The
descendants of Perez were:
through
Hezron, the Hezronite clan;
through
Hamul, the Hamulite clan.
22 These
were the clans of Judah; those numbered were 76,500.
23 The
descendants of Issachar by their clans were:
through
Tola, the Tolaite clan;
through
Puah, the Puite
clan;
24 through
Jashub, the Jashubite clan;
through
Shimron, the Shimronite clan.
25 These
were the clans of Issachar; those numbered were 64,300.
26 The
descendants of Zebulun by their clans were:
through
Sered, the Seredite clan;
through
Elon, the Elonite clan;
through
Jahleel, the Jahleelite clan.
27 These
were the clans of Zebulun; those numbered were 60,500.
28 The
descendants of Joseph by their clans through
Manasseh and Ephraim were:
29 The
descendants of Manasseh :
through
Makir, the Makirite clan (Makir was the father of Gilead);
through
Gilead, the Gileadite clan.
30 These
were the descendants of Gilead:
through
Iezer, the Iezerite clan;
through
Helek, the Helekite clan;
31 through
Asriel, the Asrielite clan;
through
Shechem, the Shechemite clan;
32 through
Shemida, the Shemidaite clan;
through
Hepher, the Hepherite clan.
v.33 (Zelophehad
son of Hepher had no sons; he had only daughters, whose names
were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milkah and Tirzah.)
34 These
were the clans of Manasseh; those numbered were 52,700.
35 These
were the descendants of Ephraim by their clans:
through
Shuthelah, the Shuthelahite clan;
through
Beker, the Bekerite clan;
through
Tahan, the Tahanite clan.
36 These
were the descendants of Shuthelah:
through
Eran, the Eranite clan.
37 These
were the clans of Ephraim; those numbered were 32,500.
These
were the descendants of Joseph by their clans.
38 The
descendants of Benjamin by their clans were:
through
Bela, the Belaite clan;
through
Ashbel, the Ashbelite clan;
through
Ahiram, the Ahiramite clan;
39 through
Shupham, the
Shuphamite clan;
through
Hupham, the Huphamite clan.
40 The
descendants of Bela through Ard and Naaman were:
through
Ard, the Ardite
clan;
through
Naaman, the Naamite clan.
41 These
were the clans of Benjamin; those numbered were 45,600.
42 These
were the descendants of Dan by their clans:
through
Shuham, the Shuhamite clan.
These
were the clans of Dan:
43 All
of them were Shuhamite clans; and those numbered were 64,400.
44 The
descendants of Asher by their clans were:
through
Imnah, the Imnite clan;
through
Ishvi, the Ishvite clan;
through
Beriah, the Beriite clan;
45 and
through the descendants of Beriah:
through
Heber, the Heberite clan;
through
Malkiel, the Malkielite clan.
46 (Asher
had a daughter named Serah.)
47 These
were the clans of Asher; those numbered were 53,400.
48 The
descendants of Naphtali by their clans were:
through
Jahzeel, the Jahzeelite clan;
through
Guni, the Gunite clan;
49 through
Jezer, the Jezerite clan;
through
Shillem, the Shillemite clan.
50 These
were the clans of Naphtali; those numbered were 45,400.
v.51
The
total number of the men of Israel was 601,730.
v.52
The
Lord said to Moses,
v.53
“The
land is to be allotted to them as an inheritance based on the
number of names.
v.54
To
a larger group give a larger inheritance, and to a smaller group
a smaller one;
each is to receive its inheritance according to the number of
those listed.
v.55
Be
sure that the land is distributed by lot. What each group inherits
will be according to the names for its ancestral tribe.
v.56
Each
inheritance is to be distributed by lot among the larger and smaller
groups.”
[Notes:
For
clarification of who went where in the Land, it is laid down that
the bigger tribes received bigger areas of land.]
57 These
were the Levites who were counted by their clans:
through
Gershon, the Gershonite clan;
through
Kohath, the Kohathite clan;
through
Merari, the Merarite clan.
58 These
also were Levite clans:
the
Libnite clan,
the
Hebronite clan,
the
Mahlite clan,
the
Mushite clan,
the
Korahite clan.
(Kohath
was the forefather of Amram;
59 the
name of Amram's wife was Jochebed, a descendant of Levi, who was
born to the Levites
in Egypt. To Amram she bore Aaron, Moses and their sister Miriam.
60 Aaron
was the father of Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.
61 But
Nadab and Abihu died when they made an offering before the Lord
with unauthorized fire.)
62 All
the male Levites a month old or more numbered 23,000. They were
not counted along with the other Israelites because they received
no inheritance among them.
v.63-65
Summary
v.63
These
are the ones counted by Moses and Eleazar the priest when they
counted the Israelites on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across
from Jericho.
v.64
Not
one of them was among those counted by Moses and Aaron the priest
when they counted the Israelites in the Desert of Sinai.
v.65
For
the Lord had told those Israelites they would surely die in the
wilderness, and not one of them was left except Caleb son of Jephunneh
and Joshua son of Nun.
[Notes:
Observe
it is now Moses & Eleazar who handle the administration now
that Aaron has gone. The point is clearly made that this is a
new nation. When Moses is shortly to go, the only people over
the age of sixty will be Joshua and Caleb.]