Numbers 2

The LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron. He said:

1And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,

NoteIn the King James Version, "LORD" printed in capitals stands wherever the Hebrew has the personal name of Israel's God (the four letters usually written YHWH), which Jewish tradition avoids pronouncing aloud. "Lord" in ordinary type renders a different, ordinary word meaning master.

2Each man of Israel is to camp under his own flag, with the banners of his father's family. They are to camp around the Tent of Meeting, at a distance from it.

2Every man of the children of Israel shall pitch by his own standard, with the ensign of their father’s house: far off about the tabernacle of the congregation shall they pitch.

Note"Standard" and "banners" (KJV "standard" and "ensign") are the emblems or poles each group camped and marched under, like military colors; the text never says what they looked like. A "father's house" is an extended family tracing itself to a common ancestor, the unit into which a tribe was divided. The "tabernacle of the congregation" (Tent of Meeting) is the portable tent-sanctuary described in Exodus, taken down, carried, and pitched again at the center of the camp wherever the people stopped.

3On the east side, toward the sunrise, the men under the flag of the camp of Judah are to camp, division by division. Nahshon son of Amminadab is to be the leader of the people of Judah.

3And on the east side toward the rising of the sun shall they of the standard of the camp of Judah pitch throughout their armies: and Nahshon the son of Amminadab shall be captain of the children of Judah.

NoteThe camp is laid out by compass directions around the tent, and east, the side the tent's entrance faced, is listed first. "Division" (KJV "armies" and "host") translates a Hebrew word for an army or fighting company: these are military groupings as well as family ones. The "captain" or leader is the recognized chief of a tribe, the man who spoke and acted for it.

4His division, the men counted for it, numbered 74,600.

4And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were threescore and fourteen thousand and six hundred.

NoteThe figures given throughout this chapter count only men aged twenty and over who were fit to serve in war, as set out in chapter 1. Women, children, and men too old for service are not included, so the actual size of each camp was far larger.

5Those who camp next to him are to be the tribe of Issachar. Nethaneel son of Zuar is to be the leader of the people of Issachar.

5And those that do pitch next unto him shall be the tribe of Issachar: and Nethaneel the son of Zuar shall be captain of the children of Issachar.

6His division, the men counted for it, numbered 54,400.

6And his host, and those that were numbered thereof, were fifty and four thousand and four hundred.

7Then comes the tribe of Zebulun. Eliab son of Helon is to be the leader of the people of Zebulun.

7Then the tribe of Zebulun: and Eliab the son of Helon shall be captain of the children of Zebulun.

8His division, the men counted for it, numbered 57,400.

8And his host, and those that were numbered thereof, were fifty and seven thousand and four hundred.

9All the men counted in the camp of Judah, division by division, numbered 186,400. These are to set out first.

9All that were numbered in the camp of Judah were an hundred thousand and fourscore thousand and six thousand and four hundred, throughout their armies. These shall first set forth.

NoteThe order of setting out is a marching order. Judah's group of three tribes went ahead, the others followed in the sequence given, and the whole people moved as one organized column rather than a crowd.

10On the south side is to be the flag of the camp of Reuben, arranged by their divisions. The leader of the people of Reuben is to be Elizur son of Shedeur.

10On the south side shall be the standard of the camp of Reuben according to their armies: and the captain of the children of Reuben shall be Elizur the son of Shedeur.

11His division, the men counted for it, numbered 46,500.

11And his host, and those that were numbered thereof, were forty and six thousand and five hundred.

12Those who camp beside him are to be the tribe of Simeon. The leader of the people of Simeon is to be Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai.

12And those which pitch by him shall be the tribe of Simeon: and the captain of the children of Simeon shall be Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai.

13His division, the men counted for it, numbered 59,300.

13And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were fifty and nine thousand and three hundred.

14Then comes the tribe of Gad. The leader of the people of Gad is to be Eliasaph son of Reuel.

14Then the tribe of Gad: and the captain of the sons of Gad shall be Eliasaph the son of Reuel.

NoteThe King James text calls Gad's leader "Eliasaph the son of Reuel"; elsewhere (Numbers 1:14; 7:42; 10:20) the same man's father is called Deuel. In Hebrew handwriting the letters d and r are nearly identical, so one spelling is a copyist's slip, which one is original is not settled.

15His division, the men counted for it, numbered 45,650.

15And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were forty and five thousand and six hundred and fifty.

16All the men counted in the camp of Reuben, division by division, numbered 151,450. They are to set out second.

16All that were numbered in the camp of Reuben were an hundred thousand and fifty and one thousand and four hundred and fifty, throughout their armies. And they shall set forth in the second rank.

17Then the Tent of Meeting is to move out, with the camp of the Levites in the middle of the camps. They are to move out in the same order in which they camp, each man in his own place, under their flags.

17Then the tabernacle of the congregation shall set forward with the camp of the Levites in the midst of the camp: as they encamp, so shall they set forward, every man in his place by their standards.

NoteThe Levites were the tribe assigned to the tent itself. They camped in an inner ring immediately around it, inside the square formed by the four larger camps, and on the march they traveled in the middle of the column, carrying the tent and its fittings.

18On the west side is to be the flag of the camp of Ephraim, arranged by their divisions. The leader of the people of Ephraim is to be Elishama son of Ammihud.

18On the west side shall be the standard of the camp of Ephraim according to their armies: and the captain of the sons of Ephraim shall be Elishama the son of Ammihud.

NoteEphraim and Manasseh were the two sons of Joseph (Genesis 48). Joseph is not listed as a tribe in his own right; his two sons each count as one instead. That is why the list still reaches twelve marching tribes even though Levi has been set aside for work at the tent.

19His division, the men counted for it, numbered 40,500.

19And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were forty thousand and five hundred.

20Beside him is to be the tribe of Manasseh. The leader of the people of Manasseh is to be Gamaliel son of Pedahzur.

20And by him shall be the tribe of Manasseh: and the captain of the children of Manasseh shall be Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur.

21His division, the men counted for it, numbered 32,200.

21And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were thirty and two thousand and two hundred.

22Then comes the tribe of Benjamin. The leader of the people of Benjamin is to be Abidan son of Gideoni.

22Then the tribe of Benjamin: and the captain of the sons of Benjamin shall be Abidan the son of Gideoni.

23His division, the men counted for it, numbered 35,400.

23And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were thirty and five thousand and four hundred.

24All the men counted in the camp of Ephraim, division by division, numbered 108,100. They are to move out third.

24All that were numbered of the camp of Ephraim were an hundred thousand and eight thousand and an hundred, throughout their armies. And they shall go forward in the third rank.

25The flag of the camp of Dan is to be on the north side, arranged by their divisions. The leader of the people of Dan is to be Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai.

25The standard of the camp of Dan shall be on the north side by their armies: and the captain of the children of Dan shall be Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai.

26His division, the men counted for it, numbered 62,700.

26And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were threescore and two thousand and seven hundred.

27Those who camp beside him are to be the tribe of Asher. The leader of the people of Asher is to be Pagiel son of Ocran.

27And those that encamp by him shall be the tribe of Asher: and the captain of the children of Asher shall be Pagiel the son of Ocran.

28His division, the men counted for it, numbered 41,500.

28And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were forty and one thousand and five hundred.

29Then comes the tribe of Naphtali. The leader of the people of Naphtali is to be Ahira son of Enan.

29Then the tribe of Naphtali: and the captain of the children of Naphtali shall be Ahira the son of Enan.

30His division, the men counted for it, numbered 53,400.

30And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were fifty and three thousand and four hundred.

31All the men counted in the camp of Dan numbered 157,600. They are to move out last, under their flags.

31All they that were numbered in the camp of Dan were an hundred thousand and fifty and seven thousand and six hundred. They shall go hindmost with their standards.

32These are the Israelites who were counted, listed by their fathers' families. All those counted in the camps, division by division, numbered 603,550.

32These are those which were numbered of the children of Israel by the house of their fathers: all those that were numbered of the camps throughout their hosts were six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty.

Note603,550 is the total of men eligible for war only; a population including women, children, and the elderly would run well over two million, a very large number for a group moving through desert country. The Hebrew word translated "thousand" ('elef) can also mean a clan or a military contingent, and readers have long differed over whether these figures are plain numbers, tallies of units, or something else. The text presents them simply as counts.

33But the Levites were not counted along with the rest of the Israelites, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

33But the Levites were not numbered among the children of Israel; as the LORD commanded Moses.

NoteThe Levites were left out of this military census because they were not liable for war service: they were assigned to guard, dismantle, carry, and set up the tent-sanctuary (Numbers 1:47-53). They were counted separately, and by a different rule, in chapter 3.

34The Israelites did everything the LORD commanded Moses. So they camped under their flags, and so they set out, each man with his family group, listed by his father's family.

34And the children of Israel did according to all that the LORD commanded Moses: so they pitched by their standards, and so they set forward, every one after their families, according to the house of their fathers.