Study Desk

The Census

The Lord spoke to Moses in the tent of meeting^(a) in the Desert of Sinai^(b) on the first day of the second month^(c) of the second year after the Israelites came out of Egypt.^(d) He said:

"Take a census^(e) of the whole Israelite community by their clans and families,^(f) listing every man by name,^(g) one by one.

You and Aaron^(h) are to count according to their divisions all the men in Israel who are twenty years old or more⁽ⁱ⁾ and able to serve in the army.^(j)

One man from each tribe,^(k) each of them the head of his family,^(l) is to help you.^(m)

These are the names⁽ⁿ⁾ of the men who are to assist you: from Reuben,^(o) Elizur son of Shedeur;^(p)

from Simeon,^(q) Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai;^(r)

from Judah,^(s) Nahshon son of Amminadab;^(t)

from Issachar,^(u) Nethanel son of Zuar;^(v)

from Zebulun,^(w) Eliab son of Helon;^(x)

from the sons of Joseph: from Ephraim,^(y) Elishama son of Ammihud;^(z) from Manasseh,^(aa) Gamaliel son of Pedahzur;^(ab)

from Benjamin,^(ac) Abidan son of Gideoni;^(ad)

from Dan,^(ae) Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai;^(af)

from Asher,^(ag) Pagiel son of Okran;^(ah)

from Gad,^(ai) Eliasaph son of Deuel;^(aj)

from Naphtali,^(ak) Ahira son of Enan.^(al)"

These were the men appointed from the community, the leaders^(am) of their ancestral tribes.^(an) They were the heads of the clans of Israel.^(ao)

Moses and Aaron took these men whose names had been specified,

and they called the whole community together on the first day of the second month.^(ap) The people registered their ancestry^(aq) by their clans and families,^(ar) and the men twenty years old or more^(as) were listed by name, one by one,

as the Lord commanded Moses. And so he counted^(at) them in the Desert of Sinai:

From the descendants of Reuben^(au) the firstborn son^(av) of Israel: All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, one by one, according to the records of their clans and families.

The number from the tribe of Reuben^(aw) was 46,500.

From the descendants of Simeon:^(ax) All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were counted and listed by name, one by one, according to the records of their clans and families.

The number from the tribe of Simeon was 59,300.^(ay)

From the descendants of Gad:^(az) All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families.

The number from the tribe of Gad^(ba) was 45,650.

From the descendants of Judah:^(bb) All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families.

The number from the tribe of Judah^(bc) was 74,600.

From the descendants of Issachar:^(bd) All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families.

The number from the tribe of Issachar^(be) was 54,400.^(bf)

From the descendants of Zebulun:^(bg) All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families.

The number from the tribe of Zebulun was 57,400.^(bh)

From the sons of Joseph:^(bi) From the descendants of Ephraim:^(bj) All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families.

The number from the tribe of Ephraim^(bk) was 40,500.

From the descendants of Manasseh:^(bl) All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families.

The number from the tribe of Manasseh was 32,200.

From the descendants of Benjamin:^(bm) All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families.

The number from the tribe of Benjamin^(bn) was 35,400.

From the descendants of Dan:^(bo) All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families.

The number from the tribe of Dan was 62,700.^(bp)

From the descendants of Asher:^(bq) All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families.

The number from the tribe of Asher^(br) was 41,500.

From the descendants of Naphtali:^(bs) All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families.

The number from the tribe of Naphtali^(bt) was 53,400.^(bu)

These were the men counted by Moses and Aaron^(bv) and the twelve leaders of Israel, each one representing his family.

All the Israelites twenty years old or more^(bw) who were able to serve in Israel's army were counted according to their families.^(bx)

The total number was 603,550.^(by)

The ancestral tribe of the Levites,^(bz) however, was not counted^(ca) along with the others.

The Lord had said to Moses:

"You must not count the tribe of Levi or include them in the census of the other Israelites.

Instead, appoint the Levites to be in charge of the tabernacle^(cb) of the covenant law^(cc)—over all its furnishings^(cd) and everything belonging to it. They are to carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings; they are to take care of it and encamp around it.

Whenever the tabernacle^(ce) is to move,^(cf) the Levites are to take it down, and whenever the tabernacle is to be set up, the Levites shall do it.^(cg) Anyone else who approaches it is to be put to death.^(ch)

The Israelites are to set up their tents by divisions, each of them in their own camp under their standard.^(ci)

The Levites, however, are to set up their tents around the tabernacle^(cj) of the covenant law so that my wrath will not fall^(ck) on the Israelite community. The Levites are to be responsible for the care of the tabernacle of the covenant law.^(cl)"

The Israelites did all this just as the Lord commanded Moses.

The Arrangement of the Tribal Camps

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron:

"The Israelites are to camp around the tent of meeting some distance from it, each of them under their standard^(a) and holding the banners of their family."

On the east, toward the sunrise, the divisions of the camp of Judah are to encamp under their standard. The leader of the people of Judah is Nahshon son of Amminadab.^(b)

His division numbers 74,600.

The tribe of Issachar^(c) will camp next to them. The leader of the people of Issachar is Nethanel son of Zuar.^(d)

His division numbers 54,400.

The tribe of Zebulun will be next. The leader of the people of Zebulun is Eliab son of Helon.^(e)

His division numbers 57,400.

All the men assigned to the camp of Judah, according to their divisions, number 186,400. They will set out first.^(f)

On the south^(g) will be the divisions of the camp of Reuben under their standard. The leader of the people of Reuben is Elizur son of Shedeur.^(h)

His division numbers 46,500.

The tribe of Simeon⁽ⁱ⁾ will camp next to them. The leader of the people of Simeon is Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai.^(j)

His division numbers 59,300.

The tribe of Gad^(k) will be next. The leader of the people of Gad is Eliasaph son of Deuel.^[a](l)

His division numbers 45,650.

All the men assigned to the camp of Reuben,^(m) according to their divisions, number 151,450. They will set out second.

Then the tent of meeting and the camp of the Levites⁽ⁿ⁾ will set out in the middle of the camps. They will set out in the same order as they encamp, each in their own place under their standard.

On the west^(o) will be the divisions of the camp of Ephraim^(p) under their standard. The leader of the people of Ephraim is Elishama son of Ammihud.^(q)

His division numbers 40,500.

The tribe of Manasseh^(r) will be next to them. The leader of the people of Manasseh is Gamaliel son of Pedahzur.^(s)

His division numbers 32,200.

The tribe of Benjamin^(t) will be next. The leader of the people of Benjamin is Abidan son of Gideoni.^(u)

His division numbers 35,400.

All the men assigned to the camp of Ephraim,^(v) according to their divisions, number 108,100. They will set out third.^(w)

On the north^(x) will be the divisions of the camp of Dan under their standard.^(y) The leader of the people of Dan is Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai.^(z)

His division numbers 62,700.

The tribe of Asher will camp next to them. The leader of the people of Asher is Pagiel son of Okran.^(aa)

His division numbers 41,500.

The tribe of Naphtali^(ab) will be next. The leader of the people of Naphtali is Ahira son of Enan.^(ac)

His division numbers 53,400.

All the men assigned to the camp of Dan number 157,600. They will set out last,^(ad) under their standards.

These are the Israelites, counted according to their families.^(ae) All the men in the camps, by their divisions, number 603,550.^(af)

The Levites, however, were not counted^(ag) along with the other Israelites, as the Lord commanded Moses.

So the Israelites did everything the Lord commanded Moses; that is the way they encamped under their standards, and that is the way they set out, each of them with their clan and family.