Numbers 26
65 verses
The second census, conducted after the plague, numbers 601,730 fighting men (a slight decrease from the 603,550 of the first census, likely accounting for plague deaths), and the text emphasizes that 'among these there was not a man of those counted by Moses and Aaron in the Desert of Sinai' (except Caleb and Joshua), establishing that the entire first generation has been removed and a new generation stands ready to enter Canaan. The census is presented tribe by tribe with genealogical precision, reinforcing the narrative's concern with lineage and continuity; despite the wilderness's ravages, the tribal structure remains intact and the people's genealogical memory preserved. The land distribution is to be 'by lot' (goral) and 'proportional to the number of names,' establishing a principle of randomness (the lot) combined with demographic justice (larger tribes receive larger allotments), a mechanism that ensures divine determination of boundaries while acknowledging practical demographic realities. The exclusion of the Levites from numbered fighting men (they are counted separately, numbering 23,000) and from the land inheritance (they receive cities and pasurelands instead) reiterates the pattern established in Numbers 1 and 3, making the Levites' separation structural throughout the wilderness narrative. The preservation of Caleb's name ('Except for Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun, these are the only ones left') models the promise that the faithful who trust the LORD will survive the wilderness's trials and enter the land, making Numbers 26 simultaneously a memorial to the dead and a celebration of the living who will inherit the covenant promises. The chapter's demographic and genealogical precision transforms abstract covenant theology into concrete family and tribal continuity, teaching that the covenant is fulfilled not through individuals' efforts but through generational succession and the preservation of Israel's peoplehood across time.
VERSES IN THIS CHAPTER
1
And it came to pass after the plague, that the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, saying,
0 0Open verse page →
2
Take the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, from twenty years old and upward, throughout their fathers’ house, all that are able to go to war in Israel.
0 0Open verse page →
3
And Moses and Eleazar the priest spake with them in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho, saying,
0 0Open verse page →
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.
0 0Open verse page →
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:
0 2Open verse page →
6
Of Hezron, the family of the Hezronites: of Carmi, the family of the Carmites.
0 0Open verse page →
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.
0 0Open verse page →
8
And the sons of Pallu; Eliab.
0 0Open verse page →
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:
0 0Open verse page →
10
And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up together with Korah, when that company died, what time the fire devoured two hundred and fifty men: and they became a sign.
0 1Open verse page →
11
Notwithstanding the children of Korah died not.
0 0Open verse page →
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:
0 0Open verse page →
13
Of Zerah, the family of the Zarhites: of Shaul, the family of the Shaulites.
0 0Open verse page →
14
These are the families of the Simeonites, twenty and two thousand and two hundred.
0 0Open verse page →
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:
0 0Open verse page →
16
Of Ozni, the family of the Oznites: of Eri, the family of the Erites:
0 0Open verse page →
17
Of Arod, the family of the Arodites: of Areli, the family of the Arelites.
0 0Open verse page →
God is faithful in every circumstance.. The contrast between human weakness and divine strength is so vivid in this pass...
18
These are the families of the children of Gad according to those that were numbered of them, forty thousand and five hundred.
1 0Open verse page →
19
The sons of Judah were Er and Onan: and Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan.
0 0Open verse page →
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.
0 0Open verse page →
21
And the sons of Pharez were; of Hezron, the family of the Hezronites: of Hamul, the family of the Hamulites.
0 0Open verse page →
22
These are the families of Judah according to those that were numbered of them, threescore and sixteen thousand and five hundred.
0 0Open verse page →
23
Of the sons of Issachar after their families: of Tola, the family of the Tolaites: of Pua, the family of the Punites:
0 0Open verse page →
24
Of Jashub, the family of the Jashubites: of Shimron, the family of the Shimronites.
0 0Open verse page →
25
These are the families of Issachar according to those that were numbered of them, threescore and four thousand and three hundred.
0 0Open verse page →
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.
0 0Open verse page →
27
These are the families of the Zebulunites according to those that were numbered of them, threescore thousand and five hundred.
0 0Open verse page →
28
The sons of Joseph after their families were Manasseh and Ephraim.
0 0Open verse page →
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.
0 0Open verse page →
30
These are the sons of Gilead: of Jeezer, the family of the Jeezerites: of Helek, the family of the Helekites:
0 0Open verse page →
31
And of Asriel, the family of the Asrielites: and of Shechem, the family of the Shechemites:
0 0Open verse page →
32
And of Shemida, the family of the Shemidaites: and of Hepher, the family of the Hepherites.
0 0Open verse page →
33
And Zelophehad the son of Hepher had no sons, but daughters: and the names of the daughters of Zelophehad were Mahlah, and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.
0 0Open verse page →
34
These are the families of Manasseh, and those that were numbered of them, fifty and two thousand and seven hundred.
0 0Open verse page →
35
These are the sons of Ephraim after their families: of Shuthelah, the family of the Shuthalhites: of Becher, the family of the Bachrites: of Tahan, the family of the Tahanites.
0 0Open verse page →
36
And these are the sons of Shuthelah: of Eran, the family of the Eranites.
0 0Open verse page →
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. These are the sons of Joseph after their families.
0 0Open verse page →
38
The sons of Benjamin after their families: of Bela, the family of the Belaites: of Ashbel, the family of the Ashbelites: of Ahiram, the family of the Ahiramites:
0 0Open verse page →
39
Of Shupham, the family of the Shuphamites: of Hupham, the family of the Huphamites.
0 0Open verse page →
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.
0 0Open verse page →
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.
0 0Open verse page →
42
These are the sons of Dan after their families: of Shuham, the family of the Shuhamites. These are the families of Dan after their families.
0 0Open verse page →
43
All the families of the Shuhamites, according to those that were numbered of them, were threescore and four thousand and four hundred.
0 0Open verse page →
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.
0 0Open verse page →
45
Of the sons of Beriah: of Heber, the family of the Heberites: of Malchiel, the family of the Malchielites.
0 0Open verse page →
46
And the name of the daughter of Asher was Sarah.
0 0Open verse page →
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.
0 0Open verse page →
48
Of the sons of Naphtali after their families: of Jahzeel, the family of the Jahzeelites: of Guni, the family of the Gunites:
0 0Open verse page →
49
Of Jezer, the family of the Jezerites: of Shillem, the family of the Shillemites.
0 0Open verse page →
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.
0 0Open verse page →
51
These were the numbered of the children of Israel, six hundred thousand and a thousand seven hundred and thirty.
0 0Open verse page →
52
And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
0 0Open verse page →
53
Unto these the land shall be divided for an inheritance according to the number of names.
0 0Open verse page →
54
To many thou shalt give the more inheritance, and to few thou shalt give the less inheritance: to every one shall his inheritance be given according to those that were numbered of him.
0 0Open verse page →
55
Notwithstanding the land shall be divided by lot: according to the names of the tribes of their fathers they shall inherit.
0 0Open verse page →
56
According to the lot shall the possession thereof be divided between many and few.
0 0Open verse page →
57
And these are they that were numbered of the Levites after their families: of Gershon, the family of the Gershonites: of Kohath, the family of the Kohathites: of Merari, the family of the Merarites.
0 0Open verse page →
58
These are the families of the Levites: the family of the Libnites, the family of the Hebronites, the family of the Mahlites, the family of the Mushites, the family of the Korathites. And Kohath begat Amram.
0 0Open verse page →
59
And the name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed, the daughter of Levi, whom her mother bare to Levi in Egypt: and she bare unto Amram Aaron and Moses, and Miriam their sister.
0 0Open verse page →
60
And unto Aaron was born Nadab, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
0 0Open verse page →
61
And Nadab and Abihu died, when they offered strange fire before the Lord.
0 0Open verse page →
62
And those that were numbered of them were twenty and three thousand, all males from a month old and upward: for they were not numbered among the children of Israel, because there was no inheritance given them among the children of Israel.
0 0Open verse page →
63
These are they that were numbered by Moses and Eleazar the priest, who numbered the children of Israel in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho.
0 0Open verse page →
64
But among these there was not a man of them whom Moses and Aaron the priest numbered, when they numbered the children of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai.
0 0Open verse page →
65
For the Lord had said of them, They shall surely die in the wilderness. And there was not left a man of them, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.
0 0Open verse page →
COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS
No notes on this chapter yet. Be the first to write one!