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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadPaul Kretzmann Commentary - Numbers 26:1 - 26:51
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The Muster of the Host
v. 1. And it came to pass after the plague, which struck the people on account of the idolatrous, adulterous practices introduced by the Midianites and Moabites, that the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, saying,
v. 2. Take the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, this being the formal census before entering into the Land of Promise, from twenty years old and upward, throughout their fathers' house, all that are able to go to war in Israel, as it was done in the Wilderness of Sinai, chaps. 1 and 2.
v. 3. And Moses and Eleazar, the priest, spake with them, with regard to this mustering, in the Plains of Moab by Jordan, on the eastern side, near Jericho, saying,
v. 4. Take 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. This is the heading or introduction to the enumeration of the people by their tribes.
v. 5. Reuben, 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;
v. 6. of Hezron, the family of the Hezronites; of Carmi, the family of the Carmites.
v. 7. These are the families of the Reubenites; and they that were numbered of them were forty and three thousand and seven hundred and thirty (43,730).
v. 8. And the sons of Pallu: Eliab.
v. 9. And 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;
v. 10. and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up together with Korah when that company died, when the two Reubenites with their families, together with Korah and his servants or immediate followers, were swallowed by the abyss, what time the fire devoured two hundred and fifty men; and they became a sign, Num_16:38; 1Co_10:6.
v. 11. Notwithstanding the children of Korah died not, for they had not joined their father in his rebellion. Samuel, the prophet, was a member of this family, 1Ch_6:22-28, as was Heman, the singer, 1Ch_25:5.
v. 12. The 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;
v. 13. of Zerah, the family of the Zarhites; of Shaul, the family of the Shaulites.
v. 14. These are the families of the Simeonites, twenty and two thousand and two hundred (22,200). Note that the family of Obed, Gen_46:10, had become extinct, that Nemuel is equivalent with Jemuel, Exo_6:15, and Zohar with Zerah, Gen_46:10.
v. 15. The 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;
v. 16. of Ozni (or Ezbon, Gen_46:16), the family of the Oznites; of Eri, the family of the Erites;
v. 17. of Arod, the family of the Arodites; of Areli, the family of the Arelites.
v. 18. These are the families of the children of Gad according to those that were numbered of them, forty thousand and five hundred (40,500).
v. 19. The sons of Judah were Er and Onan; and Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan, Genesis 38.
v. 20. And 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.
v. 21. And the sons of Pharez were: of Hezron, the family of the Hezronites; of Hamul, the family of the Hamulites.
v. 22. These are the families of Judah according to those that were numbered of them, threescore and sixteen thousand and five hundred (76,500). Cf Gen_38:6 ff; Gen_46:12; 1Ch_2:3-5.
v. 23. of the sons of Issachar after their families: of Tola, the family of the Tolaites; of Pua (or, Phuvah), the family of the Punites;
v. 24. of Jashub (or. Job), the family of the Jashubites; of Shimron, the family of the Shimronites.
v. 25. These are the families of Issachar according to those that were numbered of them, threescore and four thousand and three hundred (64,300).
v. 26. of 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.
v. 27. These are the families of the Zebulunites according to those that were numbered of them, threescore thousand and five hundred (60,500). Cf Gen_46:14. While the three tribes under Reuben had decreased, due, probably, to the same transgressions and their punishments, all those under Judah had increased.
v. 28. The sons of Joseph after their families were Manasseh and Ephraim, both of whom had been elevated to the position of heads of tribes, Genesis 48.
v. 29. of the sons of Manasseh: of Machir, the family of the Machirites; and Machir begat Gilead; of Gilead come the family of the Gileadites.
v. 30. These are the sons of Gilead: of Jeezer (or Abiezer, Jos_17:2), the family of the Jeezerites; of Helek, the family of the Helekites;
v. 31. and of Asriel, the family of the Asrielites; and of Shechem, the family of the Shechemites;
v. 32. and of Shemida, the family of the Shemidaites; and of Hepher, the family of the Hepherites.
v. 33. And Zeiophehad, the son of Hepher, had no sons, but daughters; and the names of the daughters of Zeiophehad were Mahlah, and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.
v. 34. These are the families of Manasseh, and those that were numbered of them, fifty and two thousand and seven hundred (52,700).
v. 35. These are the sons of Ephraim after their families: of Shuthe-lah, the family of the Shuthalhites; of Becher (or Bered), the family of the Bach-rites; of Tahan, the family of the Tahanites.
v. 36. And these are the sons of Shu-thelah: of Eran, the family of the Eranites.
v. 37. These are the families of the sons of Ephraim according to those that were numbered of them, thirty and two thousand and five hundred (32,500). These are the sons of Joseph after their families.
v. 38. The sons of Benjamin after their families: of Bela, the family of the Belaites; of Ashbel, the family of the Ashbelites; of Ahiram (or Ehi, Gen_46:21; or Aharah, 1Ch_8:1), the family of the Ahiramites;
v. 39. of Shupham, the family of the Shuphamites; of Hupham, the family of the Huphamites (Muppim and Huppim, Gen_46:21).
v. 40. And the sons of Bela were Ard and Naaman: of Ard, the family of the Ardites; and of Naaman, the family of the Naamites.
v. 41. These are the sons of Benjamin after their families; and they that were numbered of them were forty and five thousand and six hundred (45,600). Note that the same man may have borne different names, or that grandsons appear as sons, since some of the men did not found distinct families.
v. 42. These are the sons of Dan after their families: of Shuham, the family of the Shuhamites (Hushim, Gen_46:23). These are the families of Dan after their families. Only the most numerous and influential families are enumerated.
v. 43. All the families of the Shuhamites, according to those that were numbered of them, were threescore and four thousand and four hundred (64,400).
v. 44. of 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.
v. 45. of the sons of Beriah: of Heber, the family of the Heberites; of Malchiel, the family of the Malchielites.
v. 46. And the name of the daughter of Asher was Sarah. In this case, three families were founded by sons, and two by grandsons.
v. 47. These 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 (53,400).
v. 48. of the sons of Naphtali after their families: of Jahzeel, the family of the Jahzeelites; of Guni, the family of the Gunites;
v. 49. of Jezer, the family of the Jezerites; of Shillem, the family of the Shillemites.
v. 50. These are the families of Naphtali according to their families; and they that were numbered of them were forty and five thousand and four hundred (45,400). Cf Gen_46:24; 1Ch_7:30.
v. 51. These were the numbered of the children of Israel, six hundred thousand and a thousand seven hundred and thirty (601,730). "A comparison of the totals here and in Chapter 1 shows a small loss. The people which had grown so rapidly in Egypt had scarcely held its own through the wilderness, with its sins and judgments. That one generation merely filled the gaps made vacant by the death of that which preceded it shows that other than merely natural causes were at work in the wasting of the earlier generations and confirms the history of the wilderness life. " (Gosman. )