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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadPaul Kretzmann Commentary - Numbers 1:1 - 1:46
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The Muster of the People
v. 1. And the Lord spake unto Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai, while the people were still encamped below the mountain,in the Tabernacle of the Congregation, from the place above the mercy-seat, between the cherubs, where He had promised to reveal His glory and to communicate with Moses, Exo_25:22, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying",
v. 2. Take ye, Moses and his assistants, the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel after their families, the large divisions of the tribes known by the name of some prominent leader, Exo_6:14, by the house of their fathers, which was a subdivision of the former, with the number of their names, numbered and recorded individually, every male by their polls, for these only were entered into the lists, Exo_30:14;
v. 3. from twenty years old and upward, all that are able to go forth to war in Israel. Thou and Aaron shall number them by their armies, muster them in such divisions, because they were to be organized as the armies of Jehovah, carry arms in waging war in His interest.
v. 4. And with you, as assistants for this special purpose, there shall be a man of every tribe; every one head of the house of his fathers, holding at least this rank among the people.
v. 5. And these are the names of the men that shall stand with you: of the tribe of Reuben: Elizur, the son of Shedur.
v. 6. of Simeon: Shelumiel, the son of Zurishaddai.
v. 7. of Judah: Nahshon, the son of Amminadab.
v. 8. of Issachar: Nethaneel, the son of Zuar.
v. 9. of Zebulunr Eliab, the son of Helon.
v. 10. of the children of Joseph, who were divided into two sections, or tribes, the one division taking the place of the Levites, who were not numbered with the tribes: of Ephraim: Elishama, the son of Ammihud; of Manasseh: Gamaliel, the son of Pedahzur.
v. 11. of Benjamin: Abidan, the son of Gideoni.
v. 12. of Dan; Ahiezer, the son of Ammishaddai.
v. 13. of Asher: Pagiel, the son of Ocran.
v. 14. of Gad: Eliasaph, the son of Deuel.
v. 15. of Naphtali: Ahira, the son of Enan.
v. 16. These were the renowned of the congregation, princes of the tribes of their fathers, heads of thousands in Israel, for that division of the people known technically as "family" numbered at least a thousand households.
v. 17. And Moses and Aaron took these men which are expressed by their names, distinguished by being selected by the Lord Himself;
v. 18. and they assembled all the congregation together on the first day of the second month; and they, the people, declared their pedigrees, stated exactly from whom they were descended, 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.
v. 19. As the Lord commanded Moses, so he numbered them in the Wilderness of Sinai.
v. 20. And the children of Reuben, Israel's eldest 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 that were able to go forth to war:
v. 21. those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Reuben, were forty and six thousand and five hundred.
v. 22. of the children of Simeon, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, those that were numbered of them, according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war:
v. 23. those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Simeon, were fifty and nine thousand and three hundred.
v. 24. of 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 that were able to go forth to war:
v. 25. those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Gad, were forty and five thousand six hundred and fifty.
v. 26. of 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 that were able to go forth to war:
v. 27. those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Judah, were threescore and fourteen thousand and six hundred.
v. 28. of 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 that were able to go forth to war:
v. 29. those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Issachar, were fifty and four thousand and four hundred.
v. 30. of 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 that were able to go forth to war:
v. 31. those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Zebulun, were fifty and seven thousand and four hundred.
v. 32. of 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 that were able to go forth to war:
v. 33. those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Ephraim, were forty thousand and five hundred.
v. 34. of 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 that were able to go forth to war:
v. 35. those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Manasseh, were thirty and two thousand and two hundred.
v. 36. of 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 that were able to go forth to war:
v. 37. those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Benjamin, were thirty and five thousand and four hundred.
v. 38. of 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 that were able to go forth to war:
v. 39. those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Dan, were threescore and two thousand and seven hundred.
v. 40. of 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 that were able to go forth to war:
v. 41. those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Asher, were forty and one thousand and five hundred.
v. 42. of 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 that were able to go forth to war:
v. 43. those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Naphtali, were fifty and three thousand and four hundred.
v. 44. These are those that were numbered, which Moses and Aaron numbered, and the princes of Israel, being twelve men; each one was for the house of his fathers.
v. 45. So were all those that were numbered of the children of Israel, by the house of their fathers, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war in Israel:
v. 46. even all they that were numbered were six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty, or, in figures, 603,550, a number which tallies exactly with that given about nine months before, when the Sanctuary money was required, Exo_38:25-26.