Numbers 1:4

1:4 And to help you ¹  there is to be a man from each ²  tribe, each man ³  the head ⁴  of his family. ⁵ 

Numbers 1:16

The Census of the Tribes

1:16 These were the ones chosen ⁶  from the community, leaders ⁷  of their ancestral tribes. ⁸  They were the heads of the thousands ⁹  of Israel.

Numbers 3:20

3:20 The sons of Merari by their families were Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites by their clans.

Numbers 4:2

4:2 “Take a census ¹⁰  of the Kohathites from among the Levites, by their families and by their clans,

Numbers 4:22

4:22 “Also take a census of the Gershonites, by their clans and by their families.

Numbers 4:34

Summary

4:34 So Moses and Aaron and the leaders of the community numbered the Kohathites by their families and by clans,

Numbers 4:40

4:40 those of them numbered by their families, by their clans, were 2,630.

Numbers 14:23

14:23 they will by no means ¹¹  see the land that I swore to their fathers, nor will any of them who despised me see it.

Numbers 26:55

26:55 The land must be divided by lot; and they will inherit in accordance with the names of their ancestral tribes.

Numbers 27:10

27:10 and if he has no brothers, then you are to give his inheritance to his father’s brothers;

Numbers 30:3

Vows Made by Single Women

30:3 “If a young ¹²  woman who is still living ¹³  in her father’s house makes a vow to the Lord or places herself under an obligation,

Numbers 32:8

32:8 Your fathers did the same thing when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to see the land.

¹ tn Heb “and with you.”

² tn The construction uses the noun in a distributive sense: “a man, a man for a tribe,” meaning a man for each tribe.

³ tn The clause expresses a distributive function, “a man” means “each man.”

⁴ sn See J. R. Bartlett, “The Use of the Word ראשׁ as a Title in the Old Testament,” VT 19 (1969): 1-10.

⁵ tn Heb “the house of his fathers.”

⁶ tc The form has a Kethib-Qere problem, but the sentence calls for the Qere, the passive participle in the construct – “the called of….” These men were God’s choice, and not Moses’, or their own choice. He announced who they would be, and then named them. So they were truly “called” (קָרָא, qara’). The other reading is probably due to a copyist’s error.

⁷ tn The word is נָשִׂיא (nasi’, “exalted one, prince, leader”). Cf. KJV, ASV, NAB “princes.” These were men apparently revered or respected in their tribes, and so the clear choice to assist Moses with the leadership. See further, E. A. Speiser, “Background and Function of the Biblical na„sÃþá,” CBQ 25 (1963): 111-17.

⁸ tn Heb “exalted ones of the tribes of their fathers.” The earlier group of elders was chosen by Moses at the advice of his father-in-law. This group represents the few leaders of the tribes that were chosen by God, a more literate group apparently, who were the forerunners of the שֹׁטְּרִים (shottÿrim).

⁹ tc The Hebrew text has אַלְפֵי (’alfey, “thousands of”). There is some question over this reading in the MT, however. The community groups that have these leaders were larger tribes, but there is little certainty about the size of the divisions.

¹¹ tn Heb “lift up the head.” The form נָשֹׂא (naso’) is the Qal infinitive absolute functioning here as a pure verb form. This serves to emphasize the basic verbal root idea (see GKC 346 §113.bb).

¹⁶ tn The word אִם (’im) indicates a negative oath formula: “if” means “they will not.” It is elliptical. In a human oath one would be saying: “The Lord do to me if they see…,” meaning “they will by no means see.” Here God is swearing that they will not see the land.

²¹ tn The qualification comes at the end of the verse, and simply says “in her youth.”

²² tn The Hebrew text just has “in her father’s house” and not “who is still living,” but that is the meaning of the line.