Deeper Commentary
Num 26:1 It happened after the plague, that Yahweh spoke to Moses
and to Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, saying-
Atonement money had to be paid whenever a census was taken (Ex.
30:12). Perhaps God wanted the people to appreciate more how they had been
saved by His grace after the awful apostacy of Num. 25. He wanted them to
reflect upon the atonement they had received, and that was one function of
ordering a census.
Num 26:2 Take a census of all the congregation of the children of Israel,
from twenty years old and upward, by their fathers’ families, all who are
able to go forth to war in Israel-
This numbering of the people just before they entered the promised
land perhaps looks forward to the way that God will be aware of the exact
number of those who will enter His Kingdom at the day of judgment when
Christ returns. Ps. 87:6 appears to speak of a ‘writing up of the people’
in the last day.
Num 26:3 Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke with them in the plains of
Moab by the Jordan at Jericho saying-
The purpose of the census may have been not so much to know numbers,
but to define the Israelites into clear family units; for it was God's
intention that each unit should have a specific inheritance in the land
they were now going to enter. We likewise will each have a specific,
unique nature of inheritance in the future Kingdom of God.
Num 26:4 Take a census, from twenty years old and upward; as Yahweh
commanded Moses and the children of Israel. These are those that came out
of the land of Egypt-
"Came out" is s.w. "brought forth". Israel were "brought forth" from
Egypt by God; they had been unwilling to leave Egypt, preferring to serve
the Egyptians rather than Yahweh (Ex. 14:12). God had as it were forced
through His project of saving Israel by bringing them out of Egypt. And He
had done so largely for the sake of Moses, by whose faith the Red Sea
parted and they were delivered (Heb. 11:28,29). Therefore Yahweh's
bringing Israel out of Egypt was what He did for Moses, and only thereby
for His people. We too are brought out of this world towards God's Kingdom
by His grace alone, with His consistently taking the initiative in our
hearts and life circumstances, in accord with the loving intercession of
the Lord Jesus [represented by Moses]. Thus Yahweh brought Israel out of
Egypt (Ex. 18:1; 19:1; Lev. 23:43; 25:55; Num. 26:4; 33:1,3,38; Dt.
4:45,46), but Moses did (Ex. 3:10,11).
Num 26:5 Reuben, the firstborn of Israel; the sons of Reuben: of Hanoch,
the family of the Hanochites; of Pallu, the family of the Palluites-
Num 26:6 of Hezron, the family of the Hezronites; of Carmi, the family of
the Carmites-
"Carmi" means "vinedresser", but there had been no viticulture
possible during the wilderness wanderings. He may have been named in faith
that this is what he would do once in the promised land. Or perhaps this
is an example of where names are given to people in later life, in
accordance with their secular work experience- and these stick with their
descendants. Names like Smith, Tanner etc. would be examples in English.
Hence people in the Bible often have various names.
Num 26:7 These are the families of the Reubenites; and those who were
numbered of them were forty-three thousand seven hundred and thirty-
1. Judah 74,600 rose to 76,500
2. Dan 62,700 rose to 64,400
3. Simeon 59,300 fell to 22,200
4. Zebulun 57,400 rose to 60,500
5. Issachar 54,400 rose to 64,300
6. Naphtali 53,400 fell to 45,400
7. Reuben 46,500 fell to 43,730
8. Gad 45,650 fell to 40,500
9. Asher 41,500 rose to 53,400
10. Ephraim 40,500 fell to 32,500
11. Benjamin 35,400 rose to 45,600
12. Manasseh 32,200 rose to 52,700
Total 603,550 in the first census, but 601,730 by the end of the 38 years
wanderings in Num. 26.
Num 26:8 The sons of Pallu: Eliab-
"Pallu", meaning severed / differentiated, is the word used to
describe how Israel were separated from amongst the Egyptians at the
Exodus (Ex. 8:22; 9:4; 11:7). Probably he picked up this name (see on :6)
in reference to this; perhaps he had been severed from the Egyptians in
some spectacular way.
Num 26:9 The sons of Eliab: Nemuel, and Dathan, and Abiram. These are that
Dathan and Abiram, who were renowned in the congregation, who strove
against Moses and against Aaron in the company of Korah, when they strove
against Yahweh-
Israel’s rejection of Moses was a rejection of the God who was
working through Moses to redeem them. Thus Korah and his followers “strove
against Moses... when they strove against Yahweh” (Num. 26:9 cp. 16:11).
Moses understood that when Israel murmured against him, they murmured
against Yahweh (Ex. 16:2,7; Num. 17:5; 21:5). They thrust Moses away from them (Acts 7:27,39) - yet the same word is used in Rom. 11:2 concerning how God still has not cast away Israel; He has not treated them as they treated Him through their rejection of Moses and Jesus, who manifested Him.
Moses manifested Yahweh and in this sense whatever was done to him was
done to Yahweh. This doesn’t mean that Moses was Yahweh Himself in person.
Likewise Jesus carried the Name of God (Jn. 5:43) but wasn’t God in
person. We who are baptized into the Name are in the same situation-
whatever is done to us is done to God, and our attitudes to those in His
Name are our attitudes to Him (Mt. 25:40,43).
Num 26:10 and the earth opened its mouth, and swallowed them up together
with Korah, when that company died-
A case could be made that the
whole record of Israel’s rejection from entering the land of Canaan is
framed to adduce a reason for this as the fact they chose to believe that
the land was inhabited by an evil dragon who would consume them there.
This was a slander of the good land, and the whole point was that if they
had believed in the power of God, then
whatever
‘adversary’ was in the land, in whatever form, was ultimately of no real
power (Num. 13:32; 14:36; Dt. 1:25). And yet it was not God’s way to
specifically tell the people that there was no such dragon lurking in the
land of Canaan – instead He worked with them according to their fears, by
making the earth literally open and swallow up the apostate amongst them
(Num. 16:30) – emphasizing that by doing this,
He was
doing “a new thing”, something that had never been done before – for there
was no dragon lurking in any land able to swallow up people. And
throughout the prophets it is emphasized that
God and
not any dragon swallowed up people – “The Lord [and not any dragon] was as
an enemy; He
has swallowed up Israel” (Lam. 2:5 and frequently in the prophets). The
people of Israel who left Egypt actually failed to inherit Canaan because
they believed that it was a land who swallowed up the inhabitants of the
land (Num. 13:32), relating this to the presence of giants in the land
(Num. 13:33). As Joshua and Caleb pleaded with them, they needed to
believe that whatever myths there were going around, God was greater than
whatever mythical beast was there. And because they would not believe
that, they failed to enter the land, which in type symbolized those who
fail to attain that great salvation which God has prepared.
In that their censers became plates on the altar as warning against
apostacy and rebellion.
Num 26:11 Notwithstanding, the sons of Korah didn’t die-
The inspired titles of the Psalms sometimes mention that the Psalm
was written by the sons of Korah. They therefore dedicated themselves to
God’s service, not following the bad example of their father. We in Christ
are a new creation, and not inevitable victims of our upbringing or bad
parental example.
Their names were Assir, Elkanah and Abiasaph (Ex. 6:24)- 'Prisoner', 'God will obtain for me' and 'father of gatherers'. We could possibly see reflected here Korah's sense that his family were imprisoned by their inferior [as he saw it] position, but would obtain and gather more for themselves. And yet these sons of Korah separated from their bad background, they rose above the 'chip on a shoulder' mentality, and became the authors of many Psalms. Throughout the psalms of the sons of Korah, we can detect allusion to the events of Num. 16: "I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness” (Ps. 84:10); “Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed” (Ps. 46:2). Many of these Psalms were clearly rewritten under inspiration and applied to crises such as the Assyrian invasion of Judah and the Babylonian exile; because the "sons of Korah" become programmatic for us all. They all have a theme of telling the Gentiles of Yahweh's grace, and this was how the historical sons of Korah would've felt after their deliverance from death.
The Psalms of the sons of Korah have 'deliverance from sheol' as a major theme, especially Ps. 49. Not only does this reference resurrection, but is a reflection of their own deliverance from the 'sheol' where their relatives died. They glory that God saved them from this- even though it was their own decision, they are glorifying the way in which even our own decisions for salvation are of Him and He is to be praised for them. And yet they perceive that the death of their families was in fact the death of all men. For all have sinned: "Like sheep dragged to Sheol, death shall graze on them; the upright shall rule them in the morning". And yet the sons of Korah realized that they were in essence no better than their rebellious ancestors who went to sheol; for they too would go to sheol, but be saved from it by the grace of resurrection: "But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol". The Korah Psalms often reflect that human wealth and ambition ends in sheol, along with man's wealth; therefore we can conclude that the desire for power and leadership was motivated by material ambition.
Psalm 88 is another psalm of the sons of Korah, whose father and relatives perished in sheol. But they recognize that this was their rightful end to, and they can only be saved from it by grace: "‘My soul has come to Sheol... I am reckoned with those [Korah and his rebellious family] that descend to the Pit...like the pierced-through [the rebels in the family of Korah] who lie in the grave... You have laid me in the Pit below, in darkness, in the depths... separated from my companions [family members]". They felt their death was in essence that of their rebellious relatives. They were no better, but saved by grace. We see here their humility in recognizing that as the Lord put it in Lk. 14, the dramatic death of some doesn't mean that we ourselves are not also sinners who shall also die. Only grace can save us, and they came to that conclusion.
Psalm 46 is a Korah Psalm, so we note the references to rebels falling alive into the depths with a roaring underworld beneath them (Ps. 46:2-7). The allusion is to what happened to the father, brothers, sisters and relatives of the "sons of Korah". But the Psalm goes on to talk of how "we" will not fear because ultimate salvation for "us" is certain. We have an insight into the mind of Korah's sons.
There is a notable stress in Num. 16:32 and :33 on their households, and all the men who appertained to Korah". This surely includes the sons of Korah. But Num. 26:11 is clear that the sons didn't "periosh". Perhaps this means the sons of Korah were swallowed into sheol but were redeemed from it immediately so they didn't perish. Redemption from sheol by grace is a big theme of the psalms written by the sons of Korah. This fits the theme developed in the preceding Num. 13-15- that condemned men can be saved. Israel were condemned to destruction and replacement by Moses, but were saved out of that. Then they were condemned to die without entering Canaan, as was Moses. But they were pardonned, and I have argued that this meant that although they died in the desert they could have the hope of resurrection to eternal inheritance of the land.
Num 26:12 The sons of Simeon after their families: of Nemuel, the family
of the Nemuelites; of Jamin, the family of the Jaminites; of Jachin, the
family of the Jachinites-
But according to 1 Chron. 4:24,25, it was not through these sons but
rather through the line of Shaul, born from Simeon's relationship with a
Gentile woman, that the line of Simeon continued. Again we see God's style
of working through human weakness, and the fact that Israel were not at
all ethnically pure.
Num 26:13 of Zerah, the family of the Zerahites; of Shaul, the family of
the Shaulites-
Gen. 46:10 shows that Shaul was Simeon's son by a wrong, casual
relationship with a Gentile. But ethnic purity was never made a condition
of belonging to Israel. It was later Judaism which became obsessed with
this. Rather God's people were to be open to the Gentiles. And so the
family of Shaul are counted as members of Israel.
Num 26:14 These are the families of the Simeonites, twenty-two thousand
two hundred-
All these figures may seem irrelevant, but analyzing them provides
confirmation that the Bible we read is indeed God’s inspired word, because
there is so much incidental confirmation of the truth of the record
provided. The sum total of Israel at the end of their wilderness
wanderings was 1,820 less than it had been at the beginning, nearly 40
years previously. But the tribe of Simeon had decreased by 37,100 (cp.
Num. 1:23). The plague of chapter 25 had killed 24,000 people for
committing fornication with the Moabites (Num. 25:9); but the ringleader
of that had been Zimri, a Simeonite prince (Num. 25:14). It’s likely
therefore that he led his tribe into the orgy with the Moabites, which
resulted in so many of them being killed.
Num 26:15 The sons of Gad after their families: of Zephon, the family of
the Zephonites; of Haggi, the family of the Haggites; of Shuni, the family
of the Shunites-
We notice the complete absence of any prefix or suffix referring to
God in many of these names. Israel were not spiritually strong when
entered the Kingdom. And perhaps we can take courage from that.
Num 26:16 of Ozni, the family of the Oznites; of Eri, the family of
the Erites-
The seven sons of Gad differ in just one name from the list in Gen.
46:16: "The sons of Gad: Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and
Areli". Ezbon ['quick to understand'] has been replaced by Ozni ['quick
ears']. The similar meanings of the names suggest these were just
different forms of the same word.
Num 26:17 of Arod, the family of the Arodites; of Areli, the family of the
Arelites-
"Arodi" is "wild ass man", a similar idea to the description of
Ishmael in Gen. 16:12, who chose to go away from covenant relationship
with God. We simply do not get a great impression of the family; and that
is the point. Israel were not morally better than the surrounding nations,
many of whom were descended from Abraham too. They were saved by grace.
Num 26:18 These are the families of the sons of Gad according to those who
were numbered of them, forty thousand five hundred-
Num 26:19 The sons of Judah: Er and Onan; and Er and Onan died in the land
of Canaan-
In the context of taking a census at this point in Israel's history,
we enquire why the deaths of these men "in the land of Canaan" over 400
years ago is now mentioned. I suggest it was a warning- that even when
they entered the land, they would still be subject to Divine law and would
be judged for their sin. Presence in the land of Canaan was not to be seen
as a kind of covering for their sin.
Num 26:20 The sons of Judah after their families were: of Shelah, the
family of the Shelanites; of Perez, the family of the Perezites; of Zerah,
the family of the Zerahites-
Gen. 38:29 gives the background: "It happened, as he drew back his hand, that behold, his
brother came out, and she said, Why have you made a breach for yourself?
Therefore his name was called Perez". The theme of the second born
being the chosen one continues. It was accepted that Perez was the one in
the line of the Messianic seed and that this pregnancy was of God (Ruth
4:12), even though he was not technically the firstborn. "Made a breach"
is literally 'to spread abroad', and is the word used in the promises of
how the Messianic seed was to break forth or spread abroad (Gen. 28:14).
Num 26:21 The sons of Perez were: of Hezron, the family of the Hezronites;
of Hamul, the family of the Hamulites-
"Hamul" means 'The one who was spared', which rather suggests he too
had sinned like Er and Onan (:19), but was spared by grace. Again, we hardly get
a very positive spiritual impression of Jacob's family. They were saved by
grace.
Num 26:22 These are the families of Judah according to those who were
numbered of them, seventy-six thousand five hundred-
Num 26:23 The sons of Issachar after their families: of Tola, the family
of the Tolaites; of Puvah, the family of the Punites-
What mother would call her child 'worm' ["Tola"]? Clearly people were
given names, or became known by names, other than their birth names- and
these names stuck with them. There are many other examples of this, like
Mahlon and Chilion. This explains why people could have far more than one
name, and that must be remembered when comparing the genealogies.
Num 26:24 of Jashub, the family of the Jashubites; of Shimron, the family
of the Shimronites-
"Jashub" means 'he will return'. A faithful parent may have named him
this in faith that Israel would one day return from Egypt to Canaan. Even
when any ultimate change of circumstances may seem unlikely for us, we are
to remember the final perspective- the fulfilment of the promises of the
Kingdom in our lives.
Num 26:25 These are the families of Issachar according to those who were
numbered of them, sixty-four thousand three hundred-
Num 26:26 The sons of Zebulun after their families: of Sered, the family
of the Seredites; of Elon, the family of the Elonites; of Jahleel, the
family of the Jahleelites-
Elon's name means 'grove of oaks', clearly with reference to pagan
practices. The reference is maybe to the judge of this name (Jud. 12:12).
The fact he is not recorded as having renamed himself could suggest that
he remained an idolater, although was used by God to deliver Israel. Being
used by God doesn't mean we are therefore faithful to Him and assured of
His acceptance.
Num 26:27 These are the families of the Zebulunites according to those who
were numbered of them, sixty thousand five hundred-
Num 26:28 The sons of Joseph after their families: Manasseh and Ephraim-
Ephraim was the younger son, whom Jacob had made the firstborn, much
to Joseph's disagreement. But here the two sons are listed according to
their birth order. For all angst endured by the patriarchs about the
question of who was the firstborn, the subsequent Biblical records make
clear that this was of no real meaning.
Num 26:29 The sons of Manasseh: of Machir, the family of the Machirites;
and Machir became the father of Gilead; of Gilead, the family of the
Gileadites-
Machir was Manasseh's son by a Gentile woman (1 Chron. 7:14). 1
Chron. 2:21 adds: "Afterward Hezron went in to the daughter of Machir the
father of Gilead, whom he took as wife when he was sixty years old; and
she bore him Segub". We
again have the theme of marital and sexual weakness in the family of
Israel. Machir was Manasseh’s oldest son by a Syrian, Gentile woman. It
was the Divine intention that marriage should be within the tribes of
Israel so as to keep the inheritance which God intended. But here we have
Manasseh and Judah intermarrying.
Num 26:30 These are the sons of Gilead: of Iezer, the family of the
Iezerites; of Helek, the family of the Helekites-
"Iezer" is the Abiezer of Josh. 17:2 and the Gideon story.
Num 26:31 and Asriel, the family of the Asrielites; and Shechem, the
family of the Shechemites-
There are quite different numbers of families recorded within each
tribe, and the genealogies in Chronicles are in places more detailed,
mentioning other children and families. This may be because at this point
not all chose to pay the atonement money required for the census (:1) and
so were not numbered amongst Israel.
Num 26:32 and Shemida, the family of the Shemidaites; and Hepher, the
family of the Hepherites-
"Hepher" means 'shame', and was surely not his birth name; see on
:23.
Num 26:33 Zelophehad the son of Hepher had no sons, but daughters; and the
names of the daughters of Zelophehad were Mahlah, and Noah, Hoglah,
Milcah, and Tirzah-
The fact God allows His children to live His truth on different levels
needs to be grasped firmly by us, lest we become discouraged that others
live on an apparently lower level than we do in some aspects of life.
Being surrounded by ‘lower levels’ ought to inspire us to the higher
levels. Zelophehad had only daughters; usually, in his context, a man
would have taken concubines in order to produce sons. The record of his
only having daughters is presented in the context of genealogies which
show that many Israelite men had more than one wife (1 Chron. 7:15). But
Zelophehad wasn’t dragged down by this; God inspired him to maintain the
higher level which he had chosen to live by. He didn't use the principle
of Jephthah's vow. And his daughters likewise refused to be limited by
their status as females, but obtained an inheritance amongst their
brethren (Num. 27:1-7)
Num 26:34 These are the families of Manasseh; and those who were numbered
of them were fifty-two thousand seven hundred-
Num 26:35 These are the sons of Ephraim after their families: of
Shuthelah, the family of the Shuthelahites; of Becher, the family of the
Becherites; of Tahan, the family of the Tahanites-
We notice the lack of any spiritual reference in the meaning of these
names. "Becher", 'camel man', would be a strange name for someone who
respected the law's pronouncement of the camel as an unclean animal.
Num 26:36 These are the sons of Shuthelah: of Eran, the family of the
Eranites-
A total of 57 families are mentioned in this list, excluding Levi.
But only three families of Ephraim, and then one family from a grandson.
It would seem they had chosen not to pay the atonement money required at
the census (see on :1), and those who didn't want to make this acceptance
of atonement were not numbered amongst Israel.
Num 26:37 These are the families of the sons of Ephraim according to those
who were numbered of them, thirty-two thousand five hundred. These are the
sons of Joseph after their families-
Num 26:38 The sons of Benjamin after their families: of Bela, the family
of the Belaites; of Ashbel, the family of the Ashbelites; of Ahiram, the
family of the Ahiramites-
The simple truth is that Benjamin, the "little one" (Gen. 44:20), has
more descendants listed to his name in the Chronicles genealogies than any
of the brothers. Is. 60:22 clearly alludes to this- "a little one shall
become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation". It is the theme of
the patriarchal family; the firstborns are deposed, the elder serves the
younger, the weak become strong, the little one becomes mighty.
Num 26:39 of Shephupham, the family of the Shuphamites; of Hupham, the
family of the Huphamites-
"Shephupham" means 'serpent like' and was surely not his birth name;
see on :23. This family got this name from a corrupt ancestor. But they
paid their atonement money (see on :1) and were numbered amongst Israel.
Bad background is no reason a person cannot be numbered amongst God's
people.
Num 26:40 The sons of Bela were Ard and Naaman: the family of the Ardites;
of Naaman, the family of the Naamites-
Gen. 46:21 says that Benjamin had ten sons when the Jacob family
moved into Egypt, but here seven of them are in fact his grandsons.
Benjamin was hardly a child when the brothers came to buy corn. He was in
his 20s, and according to the Hebrew text he had ten sons already, and
presumably some daughters; perhaps suggesting that his father's
favouritism and obsession with him had not been helpful morally, and had
resulted in him having multiple relationships from a young age. However,
the LXX lists only three sons, and makes the rest of the list the sons of
Bela. And yet Benjamin would not have been old enough to have been a
grandfather. So it could be that he had married a woman who had children
of her own who became Benjamin's, or that he somehow adopted these
children. There would have been a very large extended family around Jacob,
and maybe these children were simply under the care of Benjamin. However,
the genealogy in Num. 26:40 appears to support the LXX text here, with Ard
and Naaman given as grandsons of Benjamin and not sons. We must remember
that genealogies, numbers and dates are not used in Semitic languages in
the strictly literalistic way in which they are in European languages.
Heb. 7:10 can therefore argue that Melchizedek blessed Levi because he
blessed Abraham, and Levi was a descendant of Abraham, "yet in the loins
of his father". And this establishes Melchizedek as greater than Levi, and
in turn, the priests descended from him. That argument may appear very
stretched and even technically inaccurate to European ears. But it had
absolute validity in Hebrew thought. And so the grandchildren of Benjamin,
yet unborn, could be listed as being in existence when Benjamin went into
Egypt, and even be numbered amongst the group at that time. This is why
the grandchildren of the maids are counted as if they are the direct
children of the maids; see on Gen. 46:9,18. We likewise read that Jacob
brought his twelve sons out of Mesopotamia, including Benjamin (Gen.
35:24,26). But Benjamin was born later, in Canaan. But on this basis of
being counted as "in the loins of" an ancestor, Benjamin could also be
presented as having come out of Mesopotamia. If this kind of thing were
better appreciated by Bible readers, it would be better understood that
there was no personal pre-existence of the Lord Jesus in actuality,
although He is spoken of as existing prior to His birth.
Num 26:41 These are the sons of Benjamin after their families; and those
who were numbered of them were forty-five thousand six hundred-
Num 26:42 These are the sons of Dan after their families: of Shuham, the
family of the Shuhamites. These are the families of Dan after their
families-
Shuham is called "Hushim" in Gen. 46:23, which means "hasty", not a
particularly spiritual characteristic. As noted earlier, Hebrew names are
not necessarily birth names, but the names by which people came to be
known, reflective of their personalities or experiences. However he is
here called "Shusham", "humble". So maybe his over hasty actions humbled
his descendants in due course.
Num 26:43 All the families of the Shuhamites, according to those who were
numbered of them, were sixty-four thousand four hundred-
Dan had only one son and yet by this time had become the second
largest tribe in Israel. Benjamin had ten sons (Gen. 46:21) but was one of
the smallest tribes. Again we see how God doesn’t work through human
strength or advantage; the passage of time reveals over the generations
that human blessing soon fades away.
Num 26:44 The sons of Asher after their families: of Imnah, the family of
the Imnites; of Ishvi, the family of the Ishvites; of Beriah, the family
of the Berites-
All the names here are absolutely secular in their meaning and have
no hint of spirituality. The consistent impression is that Israel were a
secular, unspiritual people who were saved by grace. Even other nations
tended to have the names of their gods mixed in with their personal names;
but the list we have here has very little of that.
Num 26:45 Of the sons of Beriah: of Heber, the family of the Heberites; of
Malchiel, the family of the Malchielites-
Num 26:46 The name of the daughter of Asher was Serah-
The mention of women in such lists is unusual, and I suggest that the
names are of those who became heads of family clans within the tribes. So
the mention of Serah would mean that she became a head of family; although
rare or unknown in the world around them, this was not totally unheard of
in the Jacob family and we see in this the respect of women amongst the
people of God.
Num 26:47 These are the families of the sons of Asher according to those
who were numbered of them, fifty-three thousand and four hundred-
Num 26:48 The sons of Naphtali after their families: of Jahzeel, the
family of the Jahzeelites; of Guni, the family of the Gunites-
"Jezer" (:49) means "image", "Guni" means "painted with colours",
both suggestive of idolatry. If the people were fully committed to Yahweh,
we would expect them to have removed all associations with idolatry from
their names. For I have noted repeatedly that people often changed their
names or became known by other names.
Num 26:49 of Jezer, the family of the Jezerites; of Shillem, the family of
the Shillemites-
Gen. 46:24 lists Jezer (see on :48) and Shillem as also sons of
Naphtali.
Num 26:50 These are the families of Naphtali according to their families;
and those who were numbered of them were forty-five thousand four hundred-
Naphtali's 53,400 fell to 45,400 by the end of the wilderness
journeys, a decrease by a ratio of 0.85
Num 26:51 These are those who were numbered of the children of Israel, six
hundred and one thousand seven hundred and thirty-
We must remember that "thousand" can refer to a group rather than a
literal number. Perhaps in commentary upon the temptation to trust in
numbers now that the number had been taken, Moses says that the number of
Israel was "as numerous as the stars in heaven" (Dt. 1:10). And yet they
went into Canaan knowing they were not the most numerous of the tribes
there (Dt. 7:1,7; 11:23; 20:1). So Moses may have in view Angels as stars,
the idea being that whatever number Israel were on earth, they had the
hosts of Angels in Heaven fighting on their side, an Angel for each of
them. For all trust in numbers is not the approach of faith.
Num 26:52 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying-
The purpose of the census may have been not so much to know numbers,
but to define the Israelites into clear family units; for it was God's
intention that each unit should have a specific inheritance in the land
they were now going to enter. We likewise will each have a specific,
unique nature of inheritance in the future Kingdom of God. But those who
refused to pay the atonement money were not numbered (see on :1). The
inheritance of the Kingdom requires our acceptance of the atonement and
response to it.
Num 26:53 To these the land shall be divided for an inheritance according
to the number of names-
Num 26:54 To the more you shall give the more inheritance, and to the
fewer you shall give the less inheritance: to everyone according to those
who were numbered of his family shall his inheritance be given-
We would expect the quality of the land to be factored in. But
instead, land area was to be simply proportionate to the size of the
family. God's ideal intention was that Israel would be obedient and
experience the blessings of the covenant outlined in Lev. 26, which would
include huge fecundity of the land- even on the top of the mountains there
was to be corn. But they failed, and so these blessings didn't come about;
and perhaps the actual division of the land was therefore based on more
secular and spiritually realistic assumptions.
Num 26:55 Notwithstanding, the land shall be divided by lot: according to
the names of the tribes of their fathers they shall inherit it-
The living inherit from the dead, but this is phrased in the Hebrew
to imply that the dead "fathers" were being given an inheritance by the
living. This is flagging attention to something. The idea was perhaps that
the promised inheritances were going to be eternally experienced by those
dead "fathers", as they along with the patriarchs were to be resurrected to
inherit the land.
Num 26:56 According to the lot shall their inheritance be divided between
the more and the fewer-
As discussed on :54, there was initially the ideal assumption that
Israel's obedience would lead to huge agricultural blessing in the land,
of a supernatural degree. Therefore the quality of the land, in a secular,
agricultural sense, was not taken into account.
Num 26:57 These are those who were numbered of the Levites after their
families: of Gershon, the family of the Gershonites; of Kohath, the family
of the Kohathites; of Merari, the family of the Merarites-
"Gershon" means 'expelled', maybe meaning that like Reuben he was
expelled from the role of firstborn [he is mentioned first as if he was
the firstborn]. This is a theme of the Genesis record. But perhaps because
of these weaknesses, the line to the high priest ran through Kohath.
Num 26:58 These are the families of Levi: the family of the Libnites, the
family of the Hebronites, the family of the Mahlites, the family of the
Mushites, the family of the Korahites. Kohath became the father of Amram-
The Levites were not numbered in the first census, but they were at
the end of the wilderness journey. The number of 23,000 given in :62 makes
them one of the smallest tribes.
Num 26:59 The name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed, the daughter of Levi, who
was born to Levi in Egypt: and she bore to Amram Aaron and Moses, and
Miriam their sister-
Amram lived to the same age as Levi (Ex. 6:16,20). Numbers and ages
are used in Semitic literature often in a non literal sense, in order to
make some point. Perhaps the idea here is that Amram was indeed a true son
of Levi; despite Israel's general apostacy in Egypt, he married within his
own tribe, as if seeking to keep the spirit of the later legislation to
this effect. Moses' father Amram had married his father's sister (Ex.
6:20), thus disobeying the principle of Lev. 18:20. The founding fathers
of Israel broke these very principles, showing how the whole nation was
built upon Divine grace rather than obedience.
Num 26:60 To Aaron were born Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar-
We note the lack of emphasis upon the children of Moses and Miriam,
the great wilderness leaders of Israel. There was to be no cult of
personality nor nepotism, no riding on the name of a forefather in order
to be a leader of God's people. Spiritual leadership in the Bible was
intended to be based upon spiritual qualification. This also continues the
major Biblical theme, that the firstborn is often not used by God and is
replaced. This is His style, to exalt the underdogs.
Num 26:61 Nadab and Abihu died, when they offered strange fire before
Yahweh-
Num 26:62 Those who were numbered of them were twenty-three thousand,
every male from a month old and upward; for they were not numbered among
the children of Israel, because there was no inheritance given them among
the children of Israel-
38,000 Levites were numbered by David in 1 Chron. 23:3, although
"thousand" may mean a division rather than a literal 1000. At the time of
Num. 4:47,48 there were only 8,580. And Levite males from a month old were
22,000 in Num. 3:39 and 23,000 at the time of Num. 26:62. This suggests a
great increase in the number of Levites by David's time; or perhaps he
more generously counted who was a Levite, because he wanted to have as
many as possible involved in his grandiose plans for the temple services.
There was no need for such large numbers of Levites in order to serve God
effectively, for there were far fewer Levites at the time of the figures
given in the book of Numbers, and the sanctuary and Divine service still
continued. See on :58.
Num 26:63 These are those who were numbered by Moses and Eleazar the
priest, who numbered the children of Israel in the plains of Moab by the
Jordan at Jericho-
Aaron was now dead, so the record is careful to say that Moses and
Eleazar numbered the people at the end of their wanderings, whilst Moses
and Aaron numbered them at the start of their wanderings. Having studied
every verse of the Bible over the course of many years, the lack of
contradiction in the text is such an impressive sign of Divine
inspiration.
Num 26:64 But among these there was not a man of them who were numbered by
Moses and Aaron the priest, when they numbered the children of Israel in
the wilderness of Sinai-
The point may be that the Levites were not numbered then, and we have
just read that they were numbered at the end of the
wilderness journey. This would explain why Eleazar and Phinehas were not
slain. The Rabbis like to suggest that "a man" refers to males and females
were not included in the condemnation, but I cannot find reason to be
certain about that.
Num 26:65 For Yahweh had said of them, They shall surely die in the
wilderness. There was not left a man of them, except Caleb the son of
Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun-
Num. 14:30 adds: "Surely you shall not come into the land, concerning
which I swore that I would make you dwell therein, except Caleb the son of
Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun". This promise was solemnly made,
with uplifted hand as it were, to that generation who left Egypt (Ex.
6:8). But they did not enter the land, as Num. 14:30 makes clear. This was
because Israel broke their side of the covenant, and did not in fact want
to enter the land; and continued serving the idols of Egypt, which they
took with them through the Red Sea (Ez. 20:8; Acts 7:43). But that promise
was guaranteed by the fact that "I will bring you into the land... I am
Yahweh" (Ex. 6:8). The very essence of Yahweh, that 'I will' save, as
surely as 'I will be who I will be', a saviour God, was fought against by
Israel's idolatry and unfaithfulness to the covenant. And because 'Yahweh'
involves His character, which includes His judgment of sin and not turning
a blind eye to it (Ex. 34:4-6), human intransigence and faithlessness was
allowed to as it were even counteract His most essential 'being' a saviour
God for His beloved people.
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