Numbers 26

After the plague was over, the LORD spoke to Moses and to Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest. He said:

1And it came to pass after the plague, that the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, saying,

NoteThe plague was the outbreak described in the previous chapter, which killed 24,000 Israelites. Eleazar had taken over as high priest after his father Aaron's death; the census is being run by the two men now leading the nation.

2"Count all the people of Israel, family group by family group. Count every man twenty years old and older who is able to serve in Israel's army."

2Take the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, from twenty years old and upward, throughout their fathers’ house, all that are able to go to war in Israel.

NoteA census in the ancient world was chiefly a military and tax register. This one counts only men of fighting age, twenty and over, grouped by 'father's house', the household unit descended from a common male ancestor. Women, children, and (as verse 62 explains) the tribe of Levi are counted separately or not at all. An earlier census of the same kind opens the book of Numbers; this second one takes stock of the generation that will actually enter Canaan.

3So Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke to the people on the plains of Moab, by the Jordan River across from Jericho. They said:

3And Moses and Eleazar the priest spake with them in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho, saying,

NoteThe plains of Moab are the flat land on the east bank of the Jordan, opposite Jericho, the last camp before the river crossing. Israel has been there since the end of the forty years in the wilderness.

4"Count the people, every man twenty years old and older, as the LORD commanded Moses." These were the Israelites who had come out of the land of Egypt:

4Take the sum of the people, from twenty years old and upward; as the LORD commanded Moses and the children of Israel, which went forth out of the land of Egypt.

5Reuben was the oldest son of Israel. These were his descendants: from Hanoch came the Hanochite clan; from Pallu came the Palluite clan;

5Reuben, the eldest son of Israel: the children of Reuben; Hanoch, of whom cometh the family of the Hanochites: of Pallu, the family of the Palluites:

Note'Israel' here is the man Jacob, renamed Israel, whose twelve sons give the tribes their names. The lists that follow work down three levels: tribe (Reuben), then clan (the Hanochites), then household. A clan was named after the ancestor it traced itself to, and the '-ite' ending simply means 'the people of'. The lists matter because land in Canaan was about to be assigned by these units, and a family's claim depended on being on the register.

6from Hezron came the Hezronite clan; from Carmi came the Carmite clan.

6Of Hezron, the family of the Hezronites: of Carmi, the family of the Carmites.

7These were the clans of Reuben. The men counted from them numbered 43,730.

7These are the families of the Reubenites: and they that were numbered of them were forty and three thousand and seven hundred and thirty.

8The son of Pallu was Eliab.

8And the sons of Pallu; Eliab.

9The sons of Eliab were Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. This is the same Dathan and Abiram, men chosen by the community, who fought against Moses and Aaron along with Korah's followers when they rebelled against the LORD.

9And the sons of Eliab; Nemuel, and Dathan, and Abiram. This is that Dathan and Abiram, which were famous in the congregation, who strove against Moses and against Aaron in the company of Korah, when they strove against the LORD:

Note'Chosen by the community' means these were men with official standing, delegates of the assembly, not fringe agitators. The revolt of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, a challenge to Moses' leadership and to Aaron's exclusive priesthood, is told in Numbers 16.

10The ground opened its mouth and swallowed them, along with Korah, when that group of followers died and the fire burned up 250 men. They became a warning sign to others.

10And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up together with Korah, when that company died, what time the fire devoured two hundred and fifty men: and they became a sign.

NoteIn that account the ground split open under Dathan and Abiram's tents, and fire consumed the 250 men who had brought incense to press their claim to the priesthood. 'A warning sign' translates a word meaning a marker or standard set up where others can see it.

11Even so, Korah's sons did not die.

11Notwithstanding the children of Korah died not.

NoteThis matters for the register: Korah's line was not wiped out, so a Korahite clan still exists and appears in verse 58. Later books name descendants of Korah among the temple singers.

12These were the descendants of Simeon by clan: from Nemuel came the Nemuelite clan; from Jamin came the Jaminite clan; from Jachin came the Jachinite clan;

12The sons of Simeon after their families: of Nemuel, the family of the Nemuelites: of Jamin, the family of the Jaminites: of Jachin, the family of the Jachinites:

13from Zerah came the Zerahite clan; from Shaul came the Shaulite clan.

13Of Zerah, the family of the Zarhites: of Shaul, the family of the Shaulites.

14These were the clans of Simeon. They numbered 22,200 men.

14These are the families of the Simeonites, twenty and two thousand and two hundred.

15These were the descendants of Gad by clan: from Zephon came the Zephonite clan; from Haggi came the Haggite clan; from Shuni came the Shunite clan;

15The children of Gad after their families: of Zephon, the family of the Zephonites: of Haggi, the family of the Haggites: of Shuni, the family of the Shunites:

16from Ozni came the Oznite clan; from Eri came the Erite clan;

16Of Ozni, the family of the Oznites: of Eri, the family of the Erites:

17from Arod came the Arodite clan; from Areli came the Arelite clan.

17Of Arod, the family of the Arodites: of Areli, the family of the Arelites.

18These were the clans of the sons of Gad. The men counted from them numbered 40,500.

18These are the families of the children of Gad according to those that were numbered of them, forty thousand and five hundred.

19Two of Judah's sons were Er and Onan, and they died in the land of Canaan.

19The sons of Judah were Er and Onan: and Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan.

NoteThe story of Er and Onan is in Genesis 38. Because both died childless, Judah's line ran on through his other sons, which is why they head no clan here.

20These were the descendants of Judah by clan: from Shelah came the Shelanite clan; from Perez came the Perezite clan; from Zerah came the Zerahite clan.

20And the sons of Judah after their families were; of Shelah, the family of the Shelanites: of Pharez, the family of the Pharzites: of Zerah, the family of the Zarhites.

21These were the descendants of Perez: from Hezron came the Hezronite clan; from Hamul came the Hamulite clan.

21And the sons of Pharez were; of Hezron, the family of the Hezronites: of Hamul, the family of the Hamulites.

22These were the clans of Judah. The men counted from them numbered 76,500.

22These are the families of Judah according to those that were numbered of them, threescore and sixteen thousand and five hundred.

23These were the descendants of Issachar by clan: from Tola came the Tolaite clan; from Puvah came the Punite clan;

23Of the sons of Issachar after their families: of Tola, the family of the Tolaites: of Pua, the family of the Punites:

24from Jashub came the Jashubite clan; from Shimron came the Shimronite clan.

24Of Jashub, the family of the Jashubites: of Shimron, the family of the Shimronites.

25These were the clans of Issachar. The men counted from them numbered 64,300.

25These are the families of Issachar according to those that were numbered of them, threescore and four thousand and three hundred.

26These were the descendants of Zebulun by clan: from Sered came the Seredite clan; from Elon came the Elonite clan; from Jahleel came the Jahleelite clan.

26Of the sons of Zebulun after their families: of Sered, the family of the Sardites: of Elon, the family of the Elonites: of Jahleel, the family of the Jahleelites.

27These were the clans of Zebulun. The men counted from them numbered 60,500.

27These are the families of the Zebulunites according to those that were numbered of them, threescore thousand and five hundred.

28The sons of Joseph, and the clans that came from them, were Manasseh and Ephraim.

28The sons of Joseph after their families were Manasseh and Ephraim.

29These were the descendants of Manasseh: from Machir came the Machirite clan. Machir was the father of Gilead, and from Gilead came the Gileadite clan.

29Of the sons of Manasseh: of Machir, the family of the Machirites: and Machir begat Gilead: of Gilead come the family of the Gileadites.

NoteGilead is both a man's name and the name of the hill country east of the Jordan that his descendants settled. The two uses run together throughout the Hebrew Bible.

30These were the descendants of Gilead: from Iezer came the Iezerite clan; from Helek came the Helekite clan;

30These are the sons of Gilead: of Jeezer, the family of the Jeezerites: of Helek, the family of the Helekites:

31from Asriel came the Asrielite clan; from Shechem came the Shechemite clan;

31And of Asriel, the family of the Asrielites: and of Shechem, the family of the Shechemites:

32from Shemida came the Shemidaite clan; from Hepher came the Hepherite clan.

32And of Shemida, the family of the Shemidaites: and of Hepher, the family of the Hepherites.

33Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, had no sons, only daughters. His daughters were named Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.

33And Zelophehad the son of Hepher had no sons, but daughters: and the names of the daughters of Zelophehad were Mahlah, and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.

NoteDaughters are named in these lists only when something legally turns on them. Because Zelophehad had no son, his family's share of land had no male heir, and his daughters petition Moses about it two chapters later, a case that changed the inheritance rules. Their names are recorded here to establish the claim.

34These were the clans of Manasseh. The men counted from them numbered 52,700.

34These are the families of Manasseh, and those that were numbered of them, fifty and two thousand and seven hundred.

35These were the descendants of Ephraim by clan: from Shuthelah came the Shuthelahite clan; from Becher came the Becherite clan; from Tahan came the Tahanite clan.

35These are the sons of Ephraim after their families: of Shuthelah, the family of the Shuthalhites: of Becher, the family of the Bachrites: of Tahan, the family of the Tahanites.

36These were the descendants of Shuthelah: from Eran came the Eranite clan.

36And these are the sons of Shuthelah: of Eran, the family of the Eranites.

37These were the clans of the sons of Ephraim. The men counted from them numbered 32,500. All these clans were the descendants of Joseph.

37These are the families of the sons of Ephraim according to those that were numbered of them, thirty and two thousand and five hundred. These are the sons of Joseph after their families.

38These were the descendants of Benjamin by clan: from Bela came the Belaite clan; from Ashbel came the Ashbelite clan; from Ahiram came the Ahiramite clan;

38The sons of Benjamin after their families: of Bela, the family of the Belaites: of Ashbel, the family of the Ashbelites: of Ahiram, the family of the Ahiramites:

39from Shupham came the Shuphamite clan; from Hupham came the Huphamite clan.

39Of Shupham, the family of the Shuphamites: of Hupham, the family of the Huphamites.

40The sons of Bela were Ard and Naaman: from Ard came the Ardite clan; from Naaman came the Naamite clan.

40And the sons of Bela were Ard and Naaman: of Ard, the family of the Ardites: and of Naaman, the family of the Naamites.

41These were the descendants of Benjamin by clan. The men counted from them numbered 45,600.

41These are the sons of Benjamin after their families: and they that were numbered of them were forty and five thousand and six hundred.

42These were the descendants of Dan by clan: from Shuham came the Shuhamite clan. These were the clans of Dan.

42These are the sons of Dan after their families: of Shuham, the family of the Shuhamites. These are the families of Dan after their families.

43All of them belonged to the Shuhamite clans. The men counted from them numbered 64,400.

43All the families of the Shuhamites, according to those that were numbered of them, were threescore and four thousand and four hundred.

44These were the descendants of Asher by clan: from Imnah came the Imnite clan; from Ishvi came the Ishvite clan; from Beriah came the Beriite clan.

44Of the children of Asher after their families: of Jimna, the family of the Jimnites: of Jesui, the family of the Jesuites: of Beriah, the family of the Beriites.

45These were the descendants of Beriah: from Heber came the Heberite clan; from Malchiel came the Malchielite clan.

45Of the sons of Beriah: of Heber, the family of the Heberites: of Malchiel, the family of the Malchielites.

46Asher also had a daughter, and her name was Serah.

46And the name of the daughter of Asher was Sarah.

NoteSerah is the only daughter named in the whole census. The reason is not given; the Hebrew simply records her, and later Jewish tradition made much of the silence.

47These were the clans of the sons of Asher. The men counted from them numbered 53,400.

47These are the families of the sons of Asher according to those that were numbered of them; who were fifty and three thousand and four hundred.

48These were the descendants of Naphtali by clan: from Jahzeel came the Jahzeelite clan; from Guni came the Gunite clan;

48Of the sons of Naphtali after their families: of Jahzeel, the family of the Jahzeelites: of Guni, the family of the Gunites:

49from Jezer came the Jezerite clan; from Shillem came the Shillemite clan.

49Of Jezer, the family of the Jezerites: of Shillem, the family of the Shillemites.

50These were the clans of Naphtali, listed clan by clan. The men counted from them numbered 45,400.

50These are the families of Naphtali according to their families: and they that were numbered of them were forty and five thousand and four hundred.

51The total number of Israelite men counted was 601,730.

51These were the numbered of the children of Israel, six hundred thousand and a thousand seven hundred and thirty.

NoteThe comparable total at the first census, taken about forty years earlier at Sinai, was 603,550, so the nation ends the wilderness years at almost exactly the strength it began them with, though, as verses 64–65 note, made up of entirely different men.

52Then the LORD spoke to Moses. He said:

52And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

53"The land is to be divided among these people as their share to keep, based on the number of names counted.

53Unto these the land shall be divided for an inheritance according to the number of names.

Note'Inheritance' here is a fixed technical term for the permanent share of land assigned to a family or tribe. It was not meant to be sold off permanently; it passed down the family line.

54Give a larger share of land to a larger group, and a smaller share to a smaller group. Each group is to receive a share that matches the number of men counted in it.

54To many thou shalt give the more inheritance, and to few thou shalt give the less inheritance: to every one shall his inheritance be given according to those that were numbered of him.

55Even so, the land must be divided by drawing lots. They will receive their shares according to the names of their fathers' tribes.

55Notwithstanding the land shall be divided by lot: according to the names of the tribes of their fathers they shall inherit.

NoteCasting lots meant drawing marked stones or sticks to settle a question, a way of deciding that no party could manipulate. The two rules stand side by side without being reconciled: size determines how much land a tribe gets, the lot determines which land.

56Whether a tribe is large or small, its land is to be handed out by drawing lots."

56According to the lot shall the possession thereof be divided between many and few.

57These were the Levites who were counted, listed by clan: from Gershon came the Gershonite clan; from Kohath came the Kohathite clan; from Merari came the Merarite clan.

57And these are they that were numbered of the Levites after their families: of Gershon, the family of the Gershonites: of Kohath, the family of the Kohathites: of Merari, the family of the Merarites.

NoteLevi's descendants are registered on a different basis from the other tribes, which is why their list comes after the totals rather than in tribal order.

58These were the family groups of the Levites: the Libnite clan, the Hebronite clan, the Mahlite clan, the Mushite clan, and the Korahite clan. Kohath was the father of Amram.

58These are the families of the Levites: the family of the Libnites, the family of the Hebronites, the family of the Mahlites, the family of the Mushites, the family of the Korathites. And Kohath begat Amram.

NoteThis second Levite list groups the clans differently from verse 57 and is not simply a subdivision of it; several of the names (Libnah, Hebron) are also place names in Canaan. The Hebrew preserves both lists without harmonising them.

59Amram's wife was named Jochebed. She was a daughter of Levi, born to Levi in Egypt. She gave birth to Aaron and Moses, and to their sister Miriam.

59And the name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed, the daughter of Levi, whom her mother bare to Levi in Egypt: and she bare unto Amram Aaron and Moses, and Miriam their sister.

Note'Daughter of Levi' need not mean Levi's immediate child; in Hebrew usage 'daughter of' or 'son of' can mean a descendant of a family or tribe. Read strictly, though, the verse says Levi fathered her in Egypt.

60Aaron's sons were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

60And unto Aaron was born Nadab, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

61Nadab and Abihu died when they offered fire before the LORD that he had not commanded.

61And Nadab and Abihu died, when they offered strange fire before the LORD.

NoteThe King James 'strange fire' does not mean odd or eerie. The Hebrew means fire that was foreign to the ritual, burning coals or incense taken from an unauthorised source, or offered at an unauthorised time. The incident is told in Leviticus 10.

62The Levites who were counted numbered 23,000. This included every male one month old and older. They were not counted with the rest of the Israelites, because they were given no share of the land among the Israelites.

62And those that were numbered of them were twenty and three thousand, all males from a month old and upward: for they were not numbered among the children of Israel, because there was no inheritance given them among the children of Israel.

NoteThe Levites are counted from one month old, not twenty, because they are not being registered as soldiers. They served at the sanctuary instead, and received no tribal territory; they lived in assigned towns and were supported by a share of the offerings.

63These are the people counted by Moses and Eleazar the priest, who counted the Israelites on the plains of Moab by the Jordan River across from Jericho.

63These are they that were numbered by Moses and Eleazar the priest, who numbered the children of Israel in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho.

64Not one of them was a man who had been counted by Moses and Aaron the priest when they counted the Israelites in the Desert of Sinai.

64But among these there was not a man of them whom Moses and Aaron the priest numbered, when they numbered the children of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai.

NoteThe point of the whole census: the fighting men registered at Sinai are all dead, apart from the two named below. This is the fulfillment of the sentence passed in Numbers 14 after the people refused to enter Canaan on the spies' report.

65For the LORD had said of that earlier group that they would surely die in the desert. Not one of them was left except Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua, the son of Nun.

65For the LORD had said of them, They shall surely die in the wilderness. And there was not left a man of them, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.

NoteCaleb and Joshua were the two scouts who had urged the people to go in. They alone from the old generation were exempted from the sentence.