Numbers 1:4

_AND WITH YOU THERE SHALL BE A MAN OF EVERY TRIBE; EVERY ONE HEAD OF THE HOUSE OF HIS FATHERS._ With you there shall be a man ... - (see the note at Numbers 1:2.) The social condition of the Israelites in the wilderness bore a close resemblance to that of the nomad tribes of the East in the present day. The head of the tribe was a hereditary dignity, vested in the oldest son, or some other to whom the right of primogeniture was transferred, and under whom were other inferior heads, also hereditary, among the different branches of the tribe. The Israelites being divided into twelve tribes, there were twelve chiefs appointed to assist in taking the census of the people....

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....

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

AND WITH YOU THERE SHALL BE A MAN OF EVERY TRIBE,.... Excepting Levi, of which Moses and Aaron were, to assist in taking the account, and to see that it was an exact and perfect one: EVERYONE HEAD OF THE HOUSE OF HIS FATHERS; and prince of the tribe he belonged to, as appears from Numbers 1:16 and Numbers 7:2, where an account is given of the same persons as princes of the tribes that offered at the dedication of the altar, who here assisted in the taking this account; the Targum of Jonathan calls them each a prince, as Prince Elizur, c....

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

MAN. Hebrew. _'ish._ See App-14. EVERY TRIBE. Hence twelve, and, with Moses and Aaron, fourteen. So the twelve apostles, with Paul and Barnabas. fourteen....

Moses is directed to number the fighting men of Israel with the help of twelve princes....

B. GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS ON THE CENSUS vv. 2-4 TEXT 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; 3. From 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. 4. And with you there shall be a man of every tribe; every one head of the house of his fathers. PARAPHRASE Numbers 1:2. Take a head count of all the congregation of the children of Israel by their families, by their fathers-' house-holds, according to the number of names; each male, head by head; 3. from twenty years of age and up, whoever is able to go to war in Israel; you and Aaron shall count them according to the