Num 26.1-65 tells us about another census. The first one was before the wilderness in Chapter 1, and the second one is here of all the tribes except for Levi. Yehovah is counting his sheep after a “wolf attack.” There is a very important concept being brought out here. It is not so important that you have a testimony that you “came out of Egypt (sin).” Almost all of the ones listed in that list in Chapter 1 died, except for Caleb and Joshua. What is important is to have a testimony that we are going into the land, or the Olam Haba, and that list is in this chapter, a picture of the Lamb’s Book of Life. Receiving the promise is better than the first list. We should never be satisfied to be “in the camp” which means you may have said a sinner’s prayer, been baptized, joined a congregation and call ourselves a believer. We need to know the Lord in a redemptive way (Jer 9.23) and get up and walk in the Torah (the words of Moses) everyday, and move forward, not backward (Jer 7.21-26). If a person does not walk, you will be left behind in the wilderness (John 14.15; Matt 7.21-23; 1 John 2.3-4). The census here will tell us how they will allot the land according to their inheritance once they enter.
v 1…Then it came about after the plague, that the Lord spoke to Moses and Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, saying,
v 2…”Take a census of all the congregation from twenty years old and upward, by their father’s households, whoever is able to go out to war in Israel.”
v 3…So Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke with them in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho (opposite of it), saying,
v 4…Take a census of the people from twenty years old and upward as the Lord has commanded Moses.” Now the sons of Israel who came out of the land of Egypt were;
v 5…Reuben (see, a son), Israel’s first born, the sons of Reuben; of Hanoch (dedication), the family of the Hanochites, of Pallu (distinguished), the family of the Palluites;
v 6…of Hezron (surrounded by a wall), the family of the Hezronites; of Carmi (my vineyard), the family of the Carmites.
v 7…These are the families of the Reubenites, and those who were numbered of them, 43,730.
v 8…And the son of Pallu, Eliab (God is father).
v 9…And the sons of Eliab, Nemuel and Dathan and Abiram. These are the Dathan and Abiram who were called by the congregation, who contended against Moses and against Aaron in the company of Korah, when they contended against the Lord,
v 10…and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up along with Korah, when that company died, when the fire devoured 250 men, so that they became a warning (example, sign).
v 11…The sons of Korah, however, did not die (their father’s legacy did not stop them, and they became a family of psalmists who wrote Psalm 42, 44, 46, 47, 48, 49, 84, 85, 87, 88).
v 12…The sons of Simeon (to hear and obey) according to their families: of Nemuel, the family of the Nemuelites; of Jamin, the family of the Jaminites; of Jachin (establish), the family of the Jachinites;
v 13…of Zerah, the family of the Zerahites; of Shaul (desired), the family of the Shaulites.
v 14…These are the families of the Simeonites, 22,200.
v 15…The sons of Gad (troop) according to their families: of Zephon (treasure), the family of the Zephonites; of Haggi (festival), the family of the Haggites; of Shuni, the family of the Shunites,
v 16…of Ozni (my ear), the family of the Oznites; of Eri (watchful), the family of the Erites;
v 17…of Arod (I shall subdue), the family of the Arodites; of Areli, the family of the Arelites.
v 18…These are the families of the sons of Gad according to those who were numbered, 40,500.
v 19…The sons of Judah (praise) were Er and Onan, but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan.
v 20…And the sons of Judah according to their families were: of Shelah, the family of the Shelahites; of Perez (breach), the family of the Perezites; of Zerah (arm), the family of the Zerahites.
v 21…And the sons of Perez were: of Hezron, the family of the Hezronites; of Hamul (spared), the family of the Hamulites.
v 22…These are the families of Judah according to those who were numbered of them, 76,500.
v 23…The sons of Issachar (my reward) according to their families: of Tola, the family of the Tolaites; of Puvah, the family of the Punites;
v 24…of Jashub (in Gen 46.13 some have said this is “Job” but it is not, the names are not spelled the same in Hebrew), the family of the Jashubites; of Shimron (watch, height), the family of the Shimronites.
v 25…These are the families of Issachar according to those who were numbered, 64,300.
v 26…The sons of Zebulon (exalted) according to their families: of Sered (fear), the family of the Seredites; of Elon (mighty), the family of the Elonites; of Jahleel (God waits), the family of the Jahleelites.
v 27…These are the families of the Zebulonites according to those who were numbered of them, 60,500.
v 28…The sons of Joseph (he will add) according to their families: Manasseh (to forget) and Ephraim (fruitful).
v 29…The sons of Manasseh: of Machir, the family of the Machirites, and Machir became the father of Gilead of Gilead, the family of the Gileads.
v 30…These are the sons of Gilead: of Iezer, the family of the Iezerites; of Helek, the family of the Helekites;
v 31…and of Asriel (I shall be a prince of God), the family of the Asrielites; and of Shechem (shoulder), the family of the Shechemites;
v 32…and of Shemida, the family of the Shemidaites; and of Hepher (well), the family of the Hepherites.
v 33…Now Zelophehad the son of Hepher had no sons, but only daughters; and the names of the daughters of Zelophehad were Mahlah (disease), Noah (rest), Hoglah, Milcah (queen) and TIrzah (favorable-they are mentioned here because a question of inheritance will come up in the next chapter).
v 34…These are the families of Manasseh; and those who were numbered of them were 52,700.
v 35…These are the sons of Ephraim according to their families: of Shuthelah, the family of the Shuthelahites; of Becher (first born), the family of the Becherites; of Tahan (camp), the family of the Tahanites.
v 36…And these are the sons of Shuthelah: of Eran (watcher), the family of the Eranites.
v 37…These are the families of the sons of Ephraim according to those who were numbered of them, 32,500. These are the sons of Joseph according to their families.
v 38…The sons of Benjamin (son of the days) according to their families: of Bela (destruction), the family of the Belaites; of Ashbel (fire lord), the family of the Ashbelites; of Ahiram, the family of the Ahitamites;
v 39…of Shephupham, the family of the Shephuphamites; of Hupham, the family of the Huphamites.
v 40…And the sons of Bela were Ard and Naaman; of Ard, the family of the Ardites; of Naaman, the family of the Naamites.
v 41…These are the sons of Benjamin according to their families; and those who were numbered of them, 45,600.
v 42…These are the sons of Dan (judge) according the their families: of Shuham (to be low), the family of the Shuhamites. These are the families of Dan according to their families.
v 43…All the families of the Shuhamites, according to those who were numbered of them were 64,400.
v 44…The sons of Asher (happy) according to their families: of Imnah (right hand), the family of the Imnahites; of Ishvi (he resembles me), the family of the Ishvites; of Beriah (in envy), the family of the Beriites.
v 45…Of the sons of Beriah: of Heber (to pass over), the family of the Heberites; of Malchiel (my God is king), the family of the Malchielites.
v 46…And the name of the daughter of Asher was Serah (princess).
v 47…These are the families of the sons of Asher according to those who were numbered of them, 53,400.
v 48…The sons of Naphtali (my wrestling) according to their families: of Jahzeel (God divides), the family of the Jahzeelites; of Guni (my defense), the family of the Gunites;
v 49…of Jezer (forming), the family of the Jezerites, of Shillem (repaid), the family of the Shillemites.
v 50…These are the families of Naphtali according to their families, and those who were numbered of them were 45,400.
v 51…These are those who were numbered of the sons of Israel, 601,730 (Levites excluded; this is 1,820 less than the census from 38 years ago; Reuben, Simeon, Gad, Ephraim and Naphtali decreased).
v 52…Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
v 53…”Among these the land shall be divided for an inheritance according to the number of the names.
v 54…To the larger group you shall increase their inheritance, and to the smaller group you shall diminish their inheritance; each shall be given their inheritance according to those who were numbered of them.
v 55…But the land shall be divided by lot (so it would appear to be determined by Yehovah and not let to the judgement of men). They shall receive their inheritance according to the names of the tribes of their fathers.
v 56…According to the selection by lot, their inheritance shall be divided between the larger and the smaller groups.”
v 57…And these are those who were numbered (n a separate census) of the Levites according to their families: of Gershon (stranger there), the family of the Gershonites; of Kohath (assembly), the family of the Kohathites; of Merari (bitter), the family of the Merarites.
v 58…These are the families of Levi: the family of the Libnites (white, from Gershon-3.21), the family of the Hebronites (Kohathites-3.19, the family of the Mahlites, the family of the Mushites (from Merari-3.20, 33), the family of the Kohathites. And Kohath became the father of Amram (exalted).
v 59…And the name of Amram’s wife was Jocheved (Yehovah is my glory), the daughter of Levi, who was born to Levi in Egypt; and she bore to Amram: Aaron (light-bearer) and Moses (delivers) and their sister Miriam (bitter sea, rebel).
v 60…And to Aaron were born Nadab (generous) and Abihu (he is my father), Eleazar (God helps) and Ithamar (palm coast).
v 61…But Nadab and Abihu died when they offered strange fire before the Lord (Lev 10.1-7).
v 62…And those who were numbered of them were 23,000 (1000 more than in the first census-3.39), every male from a month old and upward, for they were not numbered among the sons of Israel (for war) since no inheritance was given to them among the sons of Israel (they will fight a spiritual war-Num 4.3)
v 63…These are those who were numbered by Moses and Eleazar the priest (high priest), who numbered the sons of Israel in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at (opposite) Jericho.
v 64…But among these there was not a man of those numbered by Moses and Aaron the priest, who numbered the sons of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai.
v 65…For the Lord had said of them, “They shall surely die in the wilderness.” And not a man was left of them, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun (the two spies/tourists who brought a good report of the land)
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