Numbers 1

Numbers 1:1 Yahveh[1] spoke to Moses in the open country[2] of Sinai, in the conference tent, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they had come out of the land[3] of Egypt, and this is what he said,

Numbers 1:2 “Take a head count of all the congregation[4] of the people of Israel, by clans, by fathers’ houses, by the number of names, every male, head by head.

Numbers 1:3 From twenty years old and upward, all in Israel who can go to war, you and Aaron will list them, by their armies.”[5]

Numbers 1:4 And there will be with you a man, a man from each tribe, each man being the head of the house of his fathers.

Numbers 1:5 And these are the names of the men who will stand with you. From Reuben, Elitsur, the son of Shedeur;

Numbers 1:6 from Simeon, Shelumiel, the son of Zurishaddai;

Numbers 1:7 from Judah, Nachshon the son of Amminadab;

Numbers 1:8 from Issachar, Nethanel the son of Zuar;

Numbers 1:9 from Zebulun, Eliab the son of Helon;

Numbers 1:10 from the sons of Joseph, from Ephraim, Elishama the son of Ammihud, and from Manasseh, Gamliel the son of Pedahzur;

Numbers 1:11 from Benjamin, Abidan, the son of Gideoni;

Numbers 1:12 from Dan, Achiezer the son of Ammishaddai;

Numbers 1:13 from Asher, Pagiel the son of Ochran;

Numbers 1:14 from Gad, Elyasaph, the son of Deuel;

Numbers 1:15 from Naphtali, Achira the son of Enan.”

Numbers 1:16 These were the ones called out from the congregation, the leaders of their ancestral tribes, the heads of the clans of Israel.

Numbers 1:17 Moses and Aaron took these men who had been designated by their names,

Numbers 1:18 and on the first day of the second month, they collected.[6] the whole congregation together, who registered themselves by clans, by patriarchal families, according to the number of names from twenty years old and higher, head by head,

Numbers 1:19 just like the Yahveh had commanded Moses. So, he listed them in the open country of Sinai.

Numbers 1:20 The people of Reuben, Israel’s firstborn, referencing their historical lineage, by their clans, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of names, head by head, every male from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go to war:

Numbers 1:21 those mustered from the tribe of Reuben were 46,500.

Numbers 1:22 Of the sons of Simeon, referencing their historical lineage, by their clans, by their patriarchal houses, those of them who were mustered, according to the number of names, head by head, every male from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go to war:

Numbers 1:23 those mustered of the tribe of Simeon were 59,300.

Numbers 1:24 Of the sons of Gad, referencing their historical lineage, by their clans, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go to war:

Numbers 1:25 those mustered of the tribe of Gad were 45,650.

Numbers 1:26 Of the sons of Judah, referencing their historical lineage, by their clans, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war:

Numbers 1:27 those mustered of the tribe of Judah were 74,600.

Numbers 1:28 Of the sons of Issachar, referencing their historical lineage, by their clans, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war:

Numbers 1:29 those mustered of the tribe of Issachar were 54,400.

Numbers 1:30 Of the sons of Zebulun, referencing their historical lineage, by their clans, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war:

Numbers 1:31 those mustered of the tribe of Zebulun were 57,400.

Numbers 1:32 Of the sons of Joseph, namely, of the sons of Ephraim, referencing their historical lineage, by their clans, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war:

Numbers 1:33 those mustered of the tribe of Ephraim were 40,500.

Numbers 1:34 Of the sons of Manasseh, referencing their historical lineage, by their clans, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war:

Numbers 1:35 those mustered of the tribe of Manasseh were 32,200.

Numbers 1:36 Of the sons of Benjamin, referencing their historical lineage, by their clans, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war:

Numbers 1:37 those mustered of the tribe of Benjamin were 35,400.

Numbers 1:38 Of the sons of Dan, referencing their historical lineage, by their clans, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war:

Numbers 1:39 those mustered of the tribe of Dan were 62,700.

Numbers 1:40 Of the sons of Asher, referencing their historical lineage, by their clans, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war:

Numbers 1:41 those mustered of the tribe of Asher were 41,500.

Numbers 1:42 Of the sons of Naphtali, referencing their historical lineage, by their clans, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war:

Numbers 1:43 those mustered of the tribe of Naphtali were 53,400.

Numbers 1:44 These are those who were mustered, whom Moses and Aaron mustered with the help of the generals of Israel, twelve men, each representing his father’s house.

Numbers 1:45 So all those mustered of the people of Israel, by their fathers’ houses, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war in Israel–

Numbers 1:46 all those mustered were 603,550.

Numbers 1:47 But the Levites were not mustered along with them by their ancestral tribe.

Numbers 1:48 Because Yahveh spoke to Moses, and this is what he said,

Numbers 1:49 “The tribe of Levi is the only exception you will not muster, and you will not take a head count of them among the sons of Israel.

Numbers 1:50 But appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of the reminder,[7] and over all its furniture, and over all that belongs to it. They are to carry the tabernacle and all its furniture, and they will take care of it and camp around it.

Numbers 1:51 When the tabernacle is set out, the Levites will take it down, and when the tabernacle is pitched, the Levites will set it up. And if any outsider comes near, that person will be put to death.

Numbers 1:52 The sons of Israel will camp by their companies, each man in his camp and each man by his standard.

Numbers 1:53 But the Levites will camp around the tabernacle of the reminder so that there may be no wrath on the congregation of the sons of Israel. And the Levites will keep guard over the tabernacle of the reminder.”

Numbers 1:54 This is what the sons of Israel did; they did according to all that Yahveh had commanded Moses.

[1] יָהְוֶה = Yahveh. Numbers 1:1, 19, 48, 54; 2:1, 33, 34; 3:1, 4, 5, 11, 13, 14, 16, 39, 40, 41, 42, 44, 45, 51; 4:1, 17, 21, 37, 41, 45, 49; 5:1, 4, 5, 6, 8, 11, 16, 18, 21, 25, 30; 6:1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 12, 14, 16, 17, 20, 21, 22, 24, 25, 26; 7:3, 4, 11; 8:1, 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12, 13, 20, 21, 22, 23; 9:1, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 13, 14, 18, 19, 20, 23; 10:1, 9, 10, 13, 29, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36; 11:1, 2, 3, 10, 11, 16, 18, 20, 23, 24, 25, 29, 31, 33; 12:2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 13, 14; 13:1, 3; 14:3, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 16, 18, 20, 21, 26, 28, 35, 37, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44; 15:1, 3, 4, 7, 8, 10, 13, 14, 15, 17, 19, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 28, 30, 31, 35, 36, 37, 39, 41; 16:3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20, 23, 28, 29, 30, 35, 36, 38, 40, 41, 42, 44, 46; 17:1, 7, 9, 10, 11, 13; 18:1, 6, 8, 12, 13, 15, 17, 19, 20, 24, 25, 26, 28, 29; 19:1, 2, 13, 20; 20:3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 12, 13, 16, 23, 27; 21:2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 14, 16, 34; 22:8, 13, 18, 19, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 31, 32, 34, 35; 23:3, 5, 8, 12, 16, 17, 21, 26; 24:1, 6, 11, 13; 25:3, 4, 10, 16; 26:1, 4, 9, 52, 61, 65; 27:3, 5, 6, 11, 12, 15, 16, 17, 18, 21, 22, 23; 28:1, 3, 6, 7, 8, 11, 13, 15, 16, 19, 24, 26, 27; 29:2, 6, 8, 12, 13, 36, 39, 40; 30:1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 12, 16; 31:1, 3, 7, 16, 21, 25, 28, 29, 30, 31, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 47, 50, 52, 54; 32:4, 7, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 20, 21, 22, 23, 27, 29, 31, 32; 33:2, 4, 38, 50; 34:1, 13, 16, 29; 35:1, 9, 34; 36:2, 5, 6, 10, 13.

[2] מִדְבָּר = open country. Leviticus 16:2, 13, 14, 15.

[3] אֶרֶץ = land, ground. Numbers 1:1; 3:13; 8:17; 9:1, 14; 10:9, 30; 11:31; 13:2, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 32; 14:2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 14, 16, 21, 23, 24, 30, 31, 34, 36, 37, 38; 15:2, 18, 19, 41; 16:13, 14, 32, 33, 34; 18:13, 20; 20:12, 17, 23, 24; 21:4, 22, 24, 26, 31, 34, 35; 22:5, 6, 11, 13; 26:4, 10, 19, 53, 55; 27:12; 32:1, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 17, 22, 29, 30, 32, 33; 33:1, 37, 38, 40, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55; 34:2, 12, 13, 17, 18, 29; 35:10, 14, 28, 32, 33, 34; 36:2.

[4] עֵדָה = congregation. Numbers 1:2, 16, 18, 53; 3:7; 4:34; 8:9, 20; 10:2, 3; 13:26; 14:1, 2, 5, 7, 10, 27, 35, 36; 15:24, 25, 26, 33, 35, 36; 16:2, 3, 5, 6, 9, 11, 16, 19, 21, 22, 24, 26, 40, 41, 42, 45, 46; 19:9; 20:1, 2, 8, 11, 22, 27, 29; 25:6, 7; 26:2, 9, 10; 27:2, 3, 14, 16, 17, 19, 20, 21, 22; 31:12, 13, 16, 26, 27, 43; 32:2, 4; 35:12, 24, 25.

[5] צָבָא = army, war, on duty. Numbers 1:3, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 45, 52; 2:3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 15, 16, 18, 19, 21, 23, 24, 25, 26, 28, 30, 32; 4:3, 23, 30, 35, 39, 43; 8:24, 25; 10:14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28; 26:2; 31:3, 4, 5, 6, 14, 21, 32, 36, 48, 53; 32:27; 33:1.

[6] קָהַל = collect. Numbers 1:18; 8:9; 10:7; 16:3, 19, 42; 20:2, 8, 10.

[7] עֵדוּת= reminder. Numbers 1:50, 53; 4:5; 7:89; 9:15; 10:11; 17:4, 7, 8, 10; 18:2.

Numbers 1 quotes:

“Numbers is structured by the positioning of the two census records, in Numbers 1 and Numbers 26, respectively. On this basis, chaps. 1-25 are speaking of the Exodus generation, and chaps. 26-36 of the next generation (Milgrom 1989: xiii-xv).”

Levine, Baruch A. Numbers 1-20 : A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary. First edition, Doubleday, 1993. p. 59.

“It would be a mistake, however, to hurry beyond these opening chapters in the hope of stumbling across something more interesting. Here are people in community, recalling their roots. All this may not be quite as far from the contemporary scene as it first appears. The fascination with family history and genealogy is fast becoming an obsession. Over 80,000 internet websites are devoted to it and, if the number of hits is anything to go by, the subject is second only to sex in popularity. People are interested in their past. These Israelite registers preserve the convictions and ideals of the world’s most significant people; here in narrative form is an exposition of their God-given theology of an ideal spiritual community.”

Brown Raymond. The Message of Numbers : Journey to the Promised Land. InterVarsity Press 2002. p. 26.

“When we call the fourth book of the Old Testament “Numbers,” we are following the Septuagint. (The Septuagint is a translation of the Old Testament Hebrew into Greek and was made about 285 B.c.) The Septuagint translators wished to indicate that the book records several numberings of the children of Israel.”

Kuske Paul W. Numbers. Northwestern Pub. House 1990. p. 5.

The NUMBERS shelf in Jeff’s library

Day: October 16, 2025

Numbers 1

Numbers 1

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