Numbers 1:2

_TAKE YE THE SUM OF ALL THE CONGREGATION OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, AFTER THEIR FAMILIES, BY THE HOUSE OF THEIR FATHERS, WITH THE NUMBER OF THEIR NAMES, EVERY MALE BY THEIR POLLS;_ No JFB commentary on this verse....

1-43 The people were numbered to show God's faithfulness in thus increasing the seed of Jacob, that they might be the better trained for the wars and conquest of Canaan, and to ascertain their families in order to the division of the land. It is said of each tribe, that those were numbered who were able to go forth to war; they had wars before them, though now they met with no opposition. Let the believer be prepared to withstand the enemies of his soul, though all may appear to be peace....

Verse Numbers 1:2. _TAKE YE THE SUM, C._] God, having established the commonwealth of Israel by just and equitable laws, ordained every thing relative to the due performance of his own worship, erected his tabernacle, which was his throne, and the place of his residence among the people, and consecrated his priests who were to minister before him he now orders his subjects to be mustered, 1. That they might see he had not forgotten his promise to Abraham, but was multiplying his posterity. 2. That they might observe due order in their march toward the promised land. 3. That the tribes and families might be properly distinguished; that all litigations concerning property, inheritance, c., might, in all future times, be prevented. 4. That the promise concerning the Messiah might be known to have its due accomplishment, when in the fulness of time God shoul

A month had passed away since the setting up of the tabernacle Exodus 40:2, Exodus 40:17 : and the Sinaitic legislation was now complete (compare Leviticus 27:34). A census (“sum”) was commanded, to be based not upon any fresh registration of individuals, but upon that which had accompanied the previous collection of the offerings. Compare Exodus 30:11, etc.; Exodus 38:25. The offerings had been probably tendered by the people in groups, and if certificates of registration were furnished to suc

THE CENSUS OF SINAI (Numbers 1:1). EXPOSITION THE CENSUS DIVINELY COMMANDED (Numbers 1:1). NUMBERS 1:1 IN THE TABERNACLE OF THE CONGREGATION—where the Lord spake with Moses "face to face" (Exodus 33:11), and where all the laws of Leviticus had been given (Leviticus 1:1). ON the first day of the second month, in the second yea

TAKE YE THE SUM OF ALL THE CONGREGATION OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL,.... Excepting the Levites; nor were any account taken of the mixed multitude that came out of Egypt with the children of Israel, only of them; and this account was taken, partly to observe the fulfilment of the divine promise to Abraham concerning the multiplication of his seed, and partly that it might be observed, that at the end of thirty eight years from hence, when they were numbered again, there were but three left of this large number, their carcasses falling in the wilderness because of their sins; and chiefly, as Aben Ezra observes, this sum was now taken to fix their standards, and for their better and more orderly journeying and encampment; for on the twentieth of this month they set forward on their journey from hence, Numbers 10:11; the word for the order is in the plural number, take ye, being give

SECOND MONTH That is, May; also (Numbers 1:18)....

ANALYSIS AND ANNOTATIONS I. THE PREPARATION FOR THE JOURNEY 1. The People Numbered CHAPTER 1 _ 1. The command to number (Numbers 1:1)_ 2. The appointed helpers for the work (Numbers 1:5) 3. The congregation assembled (Numbers 1:17) 4. The twelve tribes numbered (Numbers 1:20) 5. The Levites separated unto the tabernacle service (Numbers 1:47) It was exactly one month after the erection of the tabernacle that the Lord gave the commandment to Moses to number the people. This is seen by comparing

NUMBERS 1:1 (from P, which is used uninterruptedly as far as Numbers 10:28). THE NUMBERING OF THE SECULAR TRIBES. The date of this census is about eleven months after the arrival at Mt. Sinai (Exodus 19:1), and exactly a month after the erection of the Tabernacle (Exodus 40:17). The numbering, which was to proceed by _families_ (_i.e._ by clans) and by _father_-'_ s houses_ (_i.e._ by families), was to embrace all men over twenty (who might be thought capable of bearing arms). In the undertaking, Moses and Aaron were to be assisted by a representative of each of the tribes. Since the method by which a large propo

TAKE YE. Compare Exodus 30:11; Exodus 30:12; Exodus 38:25. In Exodus, moral law (prophet); Leviticus, ritual law (priest); Numbers, commonwealth law (king). SUM. Three numberings. Exodus 30:11; Exodus 30:12 (Compare Num 38:25, Num 38:26); here; and 26. CONGREGATION. See note on Genesis 28:3. CHILDREN. sons. Hebrew. _banim,_ from _banah,_ to build, because the family thus built up. Compare...