God commands Moses to number the people, 1-4. The princes of the tribes, 5-16. The number of every tribe, 17-46. The Levites are exempted for the service of the Lord, 47-54.
1 And the LORD spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the Tabernacle of the Congregation, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying, 2 "Take 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 poll. 3 From twenty years old and upward, all who are able to go forth to war in Israel, you and Aaron shall number them by their armies. 4 And with you there shall be a man of every tribe. Each is a head of the house of his fathers. 5 And these are the names of the men who shall stand with you: of the tribe of Reuben, Elizur the son of Shedeur; 6 Of Simeon, Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai; 7 Of Judah, Nahshon the son of Amminadab; 8 Of Issachar, Nethaneel the son of Zuar; 9 Of Zebulun, Eliab the son of Helon; 10 Of the children of Joseph, of Ephraim, Elishama the son of Ammihud, and of Manasseh, Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur; 11 Of Benjamin, Abidan the son of Gideoni; 12 Of Dan, Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai; 13 Of Asher, Pagiel the son of Ocran; 14 Of Gad, Eliasaph the son of Deuel; 15 Of Naphtali, Ahira the son of Enan. 16 These were the renowned of the congregation, princes of the tribes of their fathers, heads of thousands in Israel."
17 And Moses and Aaron took these men who are expressed by their names. 18 And they assembled all the congregation on the first day of the second month and declared their ancestry 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 who were able to go forth to war— 21 Those who were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Reuben, were forty-six thousand and five hundred.
22 Of the children of Simeon—by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, those who were numbered of them according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go forth to war— 23 Those who were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Simeon, were fifty-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 who were able to go forth to war— 25 Those who were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Gad, were forty-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 who were able to go forth to war— 27 Those who were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Judah, were seventy-four thousand and six hundred.
28 Of 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 who were able to go forth to war— 29 Those who were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Issachar, were fifty-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 who were able to go forth to war— 31 Those who were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Zebulun, were fifty-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 who were able to go forth to war— 33 Those who 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 who were able to go forth to war— 35 Those who were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Manasseh, were thirty-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 who were able to go forth to war— 37 Those who were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Benjamin, were thirty-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 who were able to go forth to war— 39 Those who were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Dan, were sixty-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 who were able to go forth to war— 41 Those who were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Asher, were forty-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 who were able to go forth to war— 43 Those who were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Naphtali, were fifty-three thousand and four hundred.
44 These are those who were numbered, which Moses and Aaron numbered, and the princes of Israel, being twelve men. Each one was for the house of his fathers. 45 Thus all those who were numbered of the children of Israel, by the house of their fathers, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go forth to war in Israel, 46 Even all those who were numbered were six hundred and three thousand five hundred and fifty.
47 But the Levites, after the tribe of their fathers, were not numbered among them. 48 For the LORD had spoken to Moses, saying, 49 "Only you shall not number the tribe of Levi, neither take the sum of them among the children of Israel. 50 But you shall appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of testimony, over all its vessels, and over all things that belong to it. They shall bear the tabernacle and all its vessels, and they shall minister to it and encamp around the tabernacle. 51 And when the tabernacle moves forward, the Levites shall take it down. And when the tabernacle is to be pitched, the Levites shall set it up. And the stranger who comes near shall be put to death. 52 And the children of Israel shall each pitch their tents by his own camp and each by his own standard throughout their hosts. 53 But the Levites shall pitch around the tabernacle of testimony so that there may be no wrath upon the congregation of the children of Israel. And the Levites shall keep the charge of the tabernacle of testimony." 54 And the children of Israel did according to all that the LORD commanded Moses. And they did so.
Matthew Henry Commentary - Numbers, Chapter 1[➚]