Numbers 26:1-13

A Second Census Required

26:1 ¹ After the plague the Lord said to Moses and to Eleazar son of Aaron the priest, ²  26:2 “Take a census of the whole community of Israelites, from twenty years old and upward, by their clans, ³  everyone who can serve in the army of Israel.” ⁴  26:3 So Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke with them in the plains of Moab, by the Jordan River ⁵  across from Jericho. ⁶  They said, 26:4 “Number the people ⁷  from twenty years old and upward, just as the Lord commanded Moses and the Israelites who went out from the land of Egypt.”

Reuben

26:5 Reuben was the firstborn of Israel. The Reubenites: from ⁸  Hanoch, the family of the Hanochites; from Pallu, the family of the Palluites; 26:6 from Hezron, the family of the Hezronites; from Carmi, the family of the Carmites. 26:7 These were the families of the Reubenites; and those numbered of them were 43,730. ⁹  26:8 Pallu’s descendant ¹⁰  was Eliab. 26:9 Eliab’s descendants were Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. It was Dathan and Abiram who as leaders of the community rebelled against Moses and Aaron with the followers ¹¹  of Korah when they rebelled against the Lord. 26:10 The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and Korah at the time that company died, when the fire consumed 250 men. So they became a warning. 26:11 But the descendants of Korah did not die.

Simeon

26:12 The Simeonites by their families: from Nemuel, the family of the Nemuelites; from Jamin, the family of the Jaminites; from Jakin, the family of the Jakinites; 26:13 from Zerah, ¹²  the family of the Zerahites; and from Shaul, the family of the Shaulites.

[26:1]  ¹ sn The breakdown of ch. 26 for outlining purposes will be essentially according to the tribes of Israel. The format and structure is similar to the first census, and so less comment is necessary here.

[26:1]  ² tc The MT has also “saying.”

[26:2]  ³ tn Heb “house of their fathers.”

[26:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “everyone who goes out in the army in Israel.”

[26:3]  ⁵ tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity (also in v. 62).

[26:3]  ⁶ map For the location of Jericho see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.

[26:4]  ⁷ tn “Number the people” is added here to the text for a smooth reading.

[26:5]  ⁸ tc The Hebrew text has no preposition here, but one has been supplied in the translation for clarity. Cf. vv. 23, 30, 31, 32.

[26:7]  ⁹ sn The Reubenites had decreased from 46,500 to 43,730.

[26:8]  ¹⁰ tc The MT has “and the sons of Pallu.”

[26:9]  ¹¹ tn Or “company” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV); Heb “congregation.”

[26:13]  ¹² tc This is “Zohar” in Exod 6:15 and Gen 46:10.