Reflections on Numbers 26

Numbers 26 (Contemporary English Version)

1. After the LORD had stopped the deadly disease from killing the Israelites, he said to Moses and Eleazar son of Aaron,
   
2. "I want you to find out how many Israelites are in each family. And list every man twenty years and older who is able to serve in Israel's army."
   
3. Israel was now camped in the hills of Moab across the Jordan River from the town of Jericho. Moses and Eleazar told them
   
4. what the LORD had said about counting the men twenty years and older, just as Moses and their ancestors had done when they left Egypt.
   
5. There were 43,730 men from the tribe of Reuben, the oldest son of Jacob. These men were from the clans of Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.
   
6. (SEE 26:5)
   
7. (SEE 26:5)
   
8. Pallu was the father of Eliab
   
9. and the grandfather of Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. These are the same Dathan and Abiram who had been chosen by the people, but who followed Korah and rebelled against Moses, Aaron, and the LORD.
   
10. That's when the LORD made the earth open up and swallow Dathan, Abiram, and Korah. At the same time, fire destroyed two hundred fifty men as a warning to the other Israelites.
    
11. But the Korahite clan wasn't destroyed.
    
12. There were 22,200 men from the tribe of Simeon, they were from the clans of Nemuel, Jamin, Jachin, Zerah, and Shaul.
    
13. (SEE 26:12)
    
14. (SEE 26:12)
    
15. There were 40,500 men from the tribe of Gad, they were from the clans of Zephon, Haggi, Shuni, Ozni, Eri, Arod, and Areli.
    
16. (SEE 26:15)
    
17. (SEE 26:15)
    
18. (SEE 26:15)
    
19. There were 76,500 men from the tribe of Judah, they were from the clans of Shelah, Perez, Zerah, Hezron, and Hamul. Judah's sons Er and Onan had died in Canaan.
    
20. (SEE 26:19)
    
21. (SEE 26:19)
    
22. (SEE 26:19)
    
23. There were 64,300 men from the tribe of Issachar, they were from the clans of Tola, Puvah, Jashub, and Shimron.
    
24. (SEE 26:23)
    
25. (SEE 26:23)
    
26. There were 60,500 men from the tribe of Zebulun, they were from the clans of Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.
    
27. (SEE 26:26)
    
28. There were 52,700 men from the tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph, they were from the clan of Machir, the clan of Gilead his son, and the clans of his six grandsons: Iezer, Helek, Asriel, Shechem, Shemida, and Hepher. Zelophehad son of Hepher had no sons, but he had five daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.
    
29. (SEE 26:28)
    
30. (SEE 26:28)
    
31. (SEE 26:28)
    
32. (SEE 26:28)
    
33. (SEE 26:28)
    
34. (SEE 26:28)
    
35. There were 32,500 men from the tribe of Ephraim son of Joseph, they were from the clans of Shuthelah, Becher, Tahan, and Eran the son of Shuthelah.
    
36. (SEE 26:35)
    
37. (SEE 26:35)
    
38. There were 45,600 men from the tribe of Benjamin, they were from the clans of Bela, Ashbel, Ahiram, Shephupham, Hupham, as well as from Ard and Naaman, the two sons of Bela.
    
39. (SEE 26:38)
    
40. (SEE 26:38)
    
41. (SEE 26:38)
    
42. There were 64,400 men from the tribe of Dan, they were all from the clan of Shuham.
    
43. (SEE 26:42)
    
44. There were 53,400 men from the tribe of Asher, they were from the clans of Imnah, Ishvi, and Beriah, and from the two clans of Heber and Malchiel, the sons of Beriah. Asher's daughter was Serah.
    
45. (SEE 26:44)
    
46. (SEE 26:44)
    
47. (SEE 26:44)
    
48. There were 45,400 men from the tribe of Naphtali, they were from the clans of Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem.
    
49. (SEE 26:48)
    
50. (SEE 26:48)
    
51. The total number of Israelite men listed was 601,730.
    
52. The LORD said to Moses,
    
53. "Divide the land of Canaan among these tribes, according to the number of people in each one,
    
54. so the larger tribes have more land than the smaller ones.
    
55. I will show you what land to give each tribe, and they will receive as much land as they need, according to the number of people in it."
    
56. (SEE 26:55)
    
57. The tribe of Levi included the clans of the Gershonites, Kohathites, Merarites,
    
58. as well as the clans of Libni, Hebron, Mahli, Mushi, and Korah. Kohath the Levite was the father of Amram,
    
59. the husband of Levi's daughter Jochebed, who was born in Egypt. Amram and Jochebed's three children were Aaron, Moses, and Miriam.
    
60. Aaron was the father of Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
    
61. But Nadab and Abihu had died when they offered fire that was unacceptable to the LORD.
    
62. In the tribe of Levi there were 23,000 men and boys at least a month old. They were not listed with the other tribes, because they would not receive any land in Canaan.
    
63. Moses and Eleazar counted the Israelites while they were camped in the hills of Moab across the Jordan River from Jericho.
    
64. None of the people that Moses and Aaron had counted in the Sinai Desert were still alive,
    
65. except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. The LORD had said that everyone else would die there in the desert.
    
    

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    The Israelites were, at this point, in preparation mode to enter their land of promise. In reality, though, they were being prepared from the time they left Egypt 40 years earlier. The year they spent at Sinai prepared them spiritually and organizationally by providing them a foundation for their relationship with God - primarily a means of worshiping Him. It also outlined a covenant which was to serve as a constitution to guide them as a nation. Only a short time elapsed from their departure from Sinai and arrival at the southern border of Canaan. But from then, when they were sentenced to wander in the wilderness for the next 40 years due to their lack of faith to enter Canaan, we are given no account of their activities. The account jumps, then, to their arrival on the eastern border of Canaan and preparation to enter across the Jordan river.
    
    Prior to this census described in chapter 26, the Israelites had encountered three military skirmishes with surrounding nations which served as military preparation for their entry to Canaan, and now we read of a new census Moses was instructed by God to take of the people. This is the second census taken since leaving Egypt. The first was taken in the first year. This census, however, does not include any of the adults counted in the first one. All of them, except for two, had died in the intervening years. Although the total count was only slightly smaller in this second census (601,730 compared to 603,550), it represented 40 years without any population growth. God had blessed them with amazing reproduction to have recovered this well, but we can only imagine how large their numbers would have been had their faith not faltered.
    
    The primary purpose of this census was to determine the size of land inheritance each tribe would receive in the new land. The location of their inheritance would be determined later by drawing lots. Both the lot and the population size were determined by the Lord.