The Census and Its Regulations.
The Muster of the People
1And the Lord spake unto Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai, while the people were still encamped below the mountain, in the Tabernacle of the Congregation, from the place above the mercy-seat, between the cherubs, where He had promised to reveal His glory and to communicate with Moses, Ex. 25, 22, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying, 2Take ye, Moses and his assistants, the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel after their families, the large divisions of the tribes known by the name of some prominent leader, Ex. 6, 14, by the house of their fathers, which was a subdivision of the former, with the number of their names, numbered and recorded individually, every male by their polls, for these only were entered into the lists, Ex. 30, 14; 3from twenty years old and upward, all that are able to go forth to war in Israel. Thou and Aaron shall number them by their armies, muster them in such divisions, because they were to be organized as the armies of Jehovah, carry arms in waging war in His interest. 4And with you, as assistants for this special purpose, there shall be a man of every tribe; every one head of the house of his fathers, holding at least this rank among the people. 5And these are the names of the men that shall stand with you: Of the tribe of Reuben: Elizur, the son of Shedeur. 6Of Simeon: Shelumiel, the son of Zurishaddai. 7Of Judah: Nahshon, the son of Amminadab. 8Of Issachar: Nethaneel, the son of Zuar. 9Of Zebulun: Eliab, the son of Helon. 10Of the children of Joseph, who were divided into two sections, or tribes, the one division taking the place of the Levites, who were not numbered with the tribes: of Ephraim: Elishama, the son of Ammihud; of Manasseh: Gamaliel, the son of Pedahzur. 11Of Benjamin: Abidan, the son of Gideoni. 12Of Dan: Ahiezer, the son of Ammishaddai. 13Of Asher: Pagiel, the son of Ocran. 14Of Gad: Eliasaph, the son of Deuel. 15Of Naphtali: Ahira, the son of Enan. 16These were the renowned of the congregation, princes of the tribes of their fathers, heads of thousands in Israel, for that division of the people known technically as “family” numbered at least a thousand households. 17And Moses and Aaron took these men which are expressed by their names, distinguished by being selected by the Lord Himself; 18and they assembled all the congregation together on the first day of the second month; and they, the people, declared their pedigrees, stated exactly from whom they were descended, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, by their polls. 19As the Lord commanded Moses, so he numbered them in the Wilderness of Sinai. 20And the children of Reuben, Israel’s eldest son, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; 21those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Reuben, were forty and six thousand and five hundred. 22Of the children of Simeon, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, those that were numbered of them, according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; 23those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Simeon, were fifty and nine thousand and three hundred. 24Of the children of Gad, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; 25those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Gad, were forty and five thousand six hundred and fifty. 26Of the children of Judah, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; 27those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Judah, were threescore and fourteen thousand and six hundred. 28Of the children of Issachar, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; 29those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Issachar, were fifty and four thousand and four hundred. 30Of the children of Zebulun, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; 31those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Zebulun, were fifty and seven thousand and four hundred. 32Of the children of Joseph, namely, of the children of Ephraim, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; 33those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Ephraim, were forty thousand and five hundred. 34Of the children of Manasseh, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; 35those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Manasseh, were thirty and two thousand and two hundred. 36Of the children of Benjamin, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; 37those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Benjamin, were thirty and five thousand and four hundred. 38Of the children of Dan, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; 39those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Dan, were threescore and two thousand and seven hundred. 40Of the children of Asher, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; 41those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Asher, were forty and one thousand and five hundred. 42Of the children of Naphtali, throughout their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; 43those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Naphtali, were fifty and three thousand and four hundred. 44These are those that were numbered, which Moses and Aaron numbered, and the princes of Israel, being twelve men; each one was for the house of his fathers. 45So were all those that were numbered of the children of Israel, by the house of their fathers, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war in Israel; 46even all they that were numbered were six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty, or, in figures, 603,550, a number which tallies exactly with that given about nine months before, when the Sanctuary money was required, Ex. 38, 25. 26.
The Levites Set Aside for God’s Service
47But the Levites after the tribe of their fathers were not numbered among them, they were not included in this census. 48For the Lord had spoken unto Moses, saying, 49Only thou shalt not number the tribe of Levi, they were not to be mustered and organized for war, neither take the sum of them among the children of Israel; 50but thou shalt appoint the Levites over the Tabernacle of Testimony, and over all the vessels thereof, and over all things that belong to it; they were to have all these things in their charge and be responsible for their safe-keeping; they shall bear the Tabernacle and all the vessels thereof, carry them from one encampment to the next, and they shall minister unto it, and shall encamp round about the Tabernacle, in carrying out the charge entrusted to them. 51And when the Tabernacle setteth forward, the Levites shall take it down, for it was constructed with this object in mind; and when the Tabernacle is to be pitched, the Levites shall set it up; and the stranger that cometh nigh, he who does not belong to the tribe of Levi, shall be put to death. 52And the children of Israel shall pitch their tents, every man by his own camp, in that section of the encampment assigned to his tribe, and every man by his own standard, the flag, or banner, which showed the location of his tribe, throughout their hosts. 53But the Levites shall pitch round about the Tabernacle of Testimony, that there be no wrath upon the congregation of the children of Israel; for the anger of the Lord would surely strike every unauthorized person that dared to transgress the Lord’s commandment in coming near to the Tabernacle; and the Levites shall keep the charge of the Tabernacle of Testimony. 54And the children of Israel did according to all that the Lord commanded Moses; so did they. Note that it appears throughout: God is a God of order, 1 Cor. 14, 40, and it pleases Him if the matters pertaining to His service are carried out according to a well-arranged plan.