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 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 10:4

10:4 “But if they blow with one trumpet, then the leaders, the heads of the thousands of Israel, must come to you. ¹¹ 

Numbers 21:20

21:20 and from Bamoth to the valley that is in the country of Moab, near the top of Pisgah, which overlooks the wilderness. ¹² 

Numbers 23:28

23:28 So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, that looks toward the wilderness. ¹³ 

[1:4]  ¹ tn Heb “and with you.”

[1:4]  ² tn The construction uses the noun in a distributive sense: “a man, a man for a tribe,” meaning a man for each tribe.

[1:4]  ³ tn The clause expresses a distributive function, “a man” means “each man.”

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

[1:4]  ⁵ tn Heb “the house of his fathers.”

[1:16]  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.

[1:16]  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.

[1:16]  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).

[1:16]  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.

[4:2]  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).

[10:4]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “they shall assemble themselves.”

[21:20]  ²¹ tn Or perhaps as a place name, “Jeshimon.”

[23:28]  ²⁶ tn Or perhaps as a place name, “Jeshimon” (cf. 21:20).