Numbers 1:17-43

B. THE COUNTING, TRIBE BY TRIBE vv. 17-43
TEXT

Numbers 1:17. And Moses and Aaron took these men Which are expressed by their names: 18. And they assembled all the congregation together on the first day of the second month, and they declared their pedigrees 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. 19. As the Lord commanded Moses, so he numbered them in the wilderness of Sinai. 20. And 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; 21. Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Reuben were forty and six thousand and five hundred.

22. Of 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 their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; 23. Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Simeon, were fifty and nine thousand and three hundred.
24.

Of 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; 25. Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Gad, were forty and five thousand six hundred and fifty.

26. Of 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; 27. Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Judah, were threescore and fourteen thousand and six hundred.
28. Of the children of Issachar, by their generations, after then 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; 29. Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Issachar, were fifty and four thousand and four hundred.
30. Of 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; 31. Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Zebulun, were fifty and seven thousand and four hundred.
32. Of 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; 33. Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Ephraim, were forty thousand and five hundred.
34. Of 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; 35. Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Manasseh, were thirty and two thousand and two hundred.
36. Of 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; 37. Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Benjamin, were thirty and five thousand and four hundred.
38. Of 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; 39. Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Dan, were threescore and two thousand and seven hundred.
40. Of 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; 41. Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Asher, were forty and one thousand and five hundred.
42. Of 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; 43. Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Naphtali, were fifty and three thousand and four hundred.

PARAPHRASE

Numbers 1:17. And Moses and Aaron took these men who have been named. 18. They gathered the entire congregation of people in one place, on the first day of the second month. Then they registered themselves by families, by their fathers-' houses, from twenty years of age and over, head by head, 19. As the Lord had commanded Moses. So they were counted in the wilderness of Sinai:

20. The children of Reuben, firstborn son of Israel, their generations, according to their families by their fathers-' houses, by the number of names, head by head, every male twenty years old and over, all who were able to go to war21. the total for the tribe of Reuben was 46,500. [Again, the formula for the text may be applied, tribe by tribe, through Numbers 1:43, refer to the KJV already given.]

COMMENTARY

Apparently the census is completed in one day, which would -require fine-' preparation in advance. We had been given an approximation of the figure in Exodus 12:37, and an exact number in Exodus 38:26. However, the figures might have been Supplied by Moses after the date of reference, in a later composition of the book; or, the first and earlier reference may have been a well-calculated estimate. We are not to suppose that the named princes made their counts alone; this would have been an impossible chore. The totals no doubt resulted when the numbers of individual families were simply added together and combined at graduating levels within the tribes, until a final sum might be reckoned as the composite of all smaller subgroups.

The impressive totals listed for each tribe, as well as that for the nation as a whole, have been subjected to harsh critical comments, Butzer, IB, simply affirms that No fertile land, let alone a desert, could have provided sufficient nourishment for such a mobile population, nor indeed could it have journeyed as ch. 33 relates.. The artificiality of the numbers here is evidenced by the fact that half the tribes are below, and half above, the fifty-thousand mark. His conclusion had been previously stated: The result is quite unhistorical. (pp. 145, 146).

In response, we must notice that the text nowhere affirms that the people lived upon the products of the land through which they moved, and in which they were to live for forty years. Apparently he is unwilling to allow the record to speak for itself: that God miraculously provided a great quantity of manna and meat as necessary to the host. Discount this provision, and his argument becomes plausible; but so it is with every critical argument calling God's powers into question. It seems reasonable to conclude that the Israelites did not live on manna alone; doubtless they ate of their sizeable herds and flocks, and gained some sustenance, however limited, from the land.
With reference to the thought that the numbers divide equally above and below the fifty-thousand mark, we may ask why the arbitrary figure is chosen at all. It has absolutely no significance in itself, and sounds more like the contrived argument of one who has already made up his mind than that of one who is attempting objectivity.
Gray had posed the problem of sustenance in the desert (ICC, p. 12), based upon a quotation from Robinson that a body of two millions of men could not subsist there a week without drawing their supplies of water, as well as of provisions, from a great distance. To Robinson's words Gray adds, By a miracle, no doubt, this multitude might have been sustained; but it ought to be observed that the miracles actually recorded are not on an adequate scale. (to care for such needs), (Ibid)., The presumptions of such a conclusion are clear: that we are told of every occasion which God provided essential food and water for the people; that we are aware of every source of water then available; and that their actual requirements are now to be compared to the contemporary extravagances with which we are familiar. We are speaking of a slave people who are quite accustomed to subsisting on a bare minimum of necessities. They are now relatively inactive, further reducing the necessary input of food and water.

QUESTIONS AND RESEARCH ITEMS

22.

Why is the tribe of Joseph divided into two: Manasseh and Ephraim?

23.

Find a reasonable formula for computing an estimate of the total population of Israel, based upon the known factors here.

24.

Arrange the tribes in order of their numerical count, from the largest to the least. Can you establish any relationship between this head count and the area or location each tribe was given in the Promised Land in Joshua 13; Joshua 14; Joshua 15; Joshua 16; Joshua 17; Joshua 18; Joshua 19?

25.

What value is there in repeating the exact formula for each tribe in the census?

26.

Suggest some plans Moses, Aaron and the tribal heads might have used to organize the people for the census.