Numbers 2

Numbers 2:1 Yahveh spoke to Moses and Aaron, and this is what he said,

Numbers 2:2 “The sons of Israel will camp each by his own standard, with the flags of their fathers’ houses. They will camp around the conference tent[1] at a distance.

Numbers 2:3 Those to camp on the east side toward the sunrise will be of the standard of the camp of Judah by their companies, the general from the people of Judah being Nachshon the son of Amminadab,

Numbers 2:4 his company as mustered being 74,600.

Numbers 2:5 Those to camp next to him will be the tribe of Issachar, the general from the sons of Issachar being Nethanel, the son of Tsuar,

Numbers 2:6 his company as mustered being 54,400.

Numbers 2:7 Tribe of Zebulun: and the general from the sons of Zebulun is Eliab, the son of Chelon,

Numbers 2:8 his company as mustered being 57,400.

Numbers 2:9 All those mustered of the camp on Judah’s side, by their companies, were 186,400. They will set out first on the march.

Numbers 2:10 “On the south side will be the standard of the camp of Reuben by their companies, the general from the sons of Reuben being Elitsur the son of Shedeur,

Numbers 2:11 his company as mustered being 46,500.

Numbers 2:12 And those to camp next to him will be the tribe of Simeon, the general from the sons of Simeon being Shelumiel the son of Tsurishaddai,

Numbers 2:13 his company as mustered being 59,300.

Numbers 2:14 Then the tribe of Gad, the general from the sons of Gad being Elyasaph the son of Deuel,

Numbers 2:15 his company as listed being 45,650.

Numbers 2:16 All those mustered from the camp of Reuben, by their companies, were 151,450. They will set out second.

Numbers 2:17 “Then the conference tent will set out, with the camp of the Levites in the middle of the camps; as they camp, so they will set out, each in position, standard by standard.

Numbers 2:18 “On the west side will be the standard of the camp of Ephraim by their companies, the general from the sons of Ephraim being Elishama the son of Ammihud,

Numbers 2:19 his company as mustered being 40,500.

Numbers 2:20 And next to him will be the tribe of Manasseh, the general from the sons of Manasseh being Gamaliel the son of Pedahtsur,

Numbers 2:21 his company as mustered being 32,200.

Numbers 2:22 Then the tribe of Benjamin, the general from the sons of Benjamin being Abidan, the son of Gideoni,

Numbers 2:23 his company as mustered being 35,400.

Numbers 2:24 All those mustered of the camp of Ephraim, by their companies, were 108,100. They will set out third on the march.

Numbers 2:25 “On the north side will be the standard of the camp of Dan by their companies, the general from the sons of Dan being Achiezer the son of Ammishaddai,

Numbers 2:26 his company as mustered being 62,700.

Numbers 2:27 And those to camp next to him will be the tribe of Asher, the general from the people of Asher being Pagiel, the son of Ochran,

Numbers 2:28 his company as mustered being 41,500.

Numbers 2:29 Then the tribe of Naphtali, the general from the sons of Naphtali being Achira the son of Enan,

Numbers 2:30 his company as mustered being 53,400.

Numbers 2:31 All those mustered of the camp of Dan were 157,600. They will set out last, standard by standard.”

Numbers 2:32 These are the sons of Israel as mustered by their fathers’ houses. All those mustered in the camps by their companies were 603,550.

Numbers 2:33 But the Levites were not mustered among the sons of Israel, as Yahveh commanded Moses.

Numbers 2:34 This is what the sons of Israel did. In accordance with all that Yahveh commanded Moses, they followed this pattern of camping by their standards and set out, each one in his clan according to his father’s house.

[1] ‎ אֹֽהֶל־מוֹעֵ֖ד = conference tent. Numbers 1:1; 2:2, 17; 3:7, 8, 25, 38; 4:3, 4, 15, 23, 25, 28, 30, 31, 33, 35, 37, 39, 41, 43, 47; 6:10, 13, 18; 7:5, 89; 8:9, 15, 19, 22, 24, 26; 9:2, 3, 7, 13; 10:3, 10; 11:16; 12:4; 14:10; 15:3; 16:2, 18, 19, 42, 43, 50; 17:4; 18:4, 6, 21, 22, 23, 31; 19:4; 20:6; 25:6; 27:2; 28:2; 29:39; 31:54.

Numbers 2 quotes:

“It is not enough for the Lord to number the people. Now they must be ordered and arranged, both to order the camp in its resting and to arrange it for the day of march. The same Lord who delights in ordering days and nights (Gen. 1) now takes joy in the arrangement of God’s people, both to sit and to move.”

Boyce, Richard Nelson. Leviticus and Numbers. 1st ed, Westminster John Knox Press, 2008. p. 114.

“The opening section of Numbers describes a radically different ideal. Here, God is supreme and his word honoured. Worship is a priority, life is structured and families matter. Here are people aware of their distinctive identity, strengthened by their corporate solidarity, rejoicing in their spiritual continuity and confident of their promised security. This portraiture of orderly, interdependent corporate life has much to say to fragmenting cultures in a new millennium. With our modern, individualistic preference for ‘believing without belonging’, it challenges today’s churches and units of Christian organizations to be models of loving, supportive, mutually enriching life and service.”

Brown Raymond. The Message of Numbers : Journey to the Promised Land. InterVarsity Press 2002. p. 34.

“… the Lord told Moses how to arrange the tribes when they camped and when they marched (2:1-34). What is striking about both situations is that the symbols of God’s presence had the highest visibility. When Israel stopped, the sanctuary was to rest in the middle of the square encampment (2:2). When the people marched, persons carrying the ark were to lead three tribes, those bearing the tabernacle three tribes, and those conveying the tabernacle furnishings six tribes (2:17). God’s presence could never be forgotten or taken for granted. God’s presence meant He led both from a distance and close at hand.”

House, Paul R. Leviticus/Numbers. Broadman & Holman, 1999. p. 58.

How clear the sense of nation and tribe must have been! The people had no problem in defining their roots, since on a daily basis they saw all the tribal flags and family banners arranged in ever-widening arcs around the Tent of Meeting.

The design of the camp also clearly showed God’s intention for the nation! The camp faced inward toward the Tent of Meeting; it consciously gathered around the place where the glory of the Lord visibly showed its presence. Flowing outward from the Tent of Meeting was the strength and guidance that the Lord provided. Looking inward the camp was designed to focus the religious life of the people toward the Tent of Meeting. In other words the whole scene showed that their lives were to be focused on the Tent of Meeting and the gracious God who was present there.”

Kuske Paul W. Numbers. Northwestern Pub. House 1990. p. 30.

The NUMBERS shelf in Jeff’s library

Tag: Numbers 2

Numbers 2

Numbers 2

Numbers 2 quotes:

Numbers 2 links: