3 So Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke with them ain the plains of Moab by the Jordan, acrossfrom Jericho, saying:
4 “Takeacensusofthepeople from twenty years old and above, just as the Lordacommanded Moses and the children of Israel who came out of the land of Egypt.”
5aReuben was the firstborn of Israel. The children of Reuben were: of Hanoch, the family of the Hanochites; of Pallu, the family of the Palluites;
6of Hezron, the family of the Hezronites; of Carmi, the family of the Carmites.
7 These are the families of the Reubenites: those who were numbered of them were forty-three thousand seven hundred and thirty.
9 The sons of Eliab were Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. These are the Dathan and Abiram, arepresentatives of the congregation, who contended against Moses and Aaron in the company of Korah, when they contended against the Lord;
10aand the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up together with Korah when that company died, when the fire devoured two hundred and fifty men; band they became a sign.
11 Nevertheless athe children of Korah did not die.
12 The sons of Simeon according to their families were: of1 Nemuel, the family of the Nemuelites; of Jamin, the family of the Jaminites; of Jachin, the family of the Jachinites;
13of1 Zerah, the family of the Zarhites; of Shaul, the family of the Shaulites.
14 These are the families of the Simeonites: twenty-two thousand two hundred.
15 The sons of Gad according to their families were: of1 Zephon, the family of the Zephonites; of Haggi, the family of the Haggites; of Shuni, the family of the Shunites;
16of1 Ozni, the family of the Oznites; of Eri, the family of the Erites;
17of1 Arod, the family of the Arodites; of Areli, the family of the Arelites.
18 These are the families of the sons of Gad according to those who were numbered of them: forty thousand five hundred.
19aThe sons of Judah were Er and Onan; and Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan.
20 And athe sons of Judah according to their families were: of Shelah, the family of the Shelanites; of Perez, the family of the Parzites; of Zerah, the family of the Zarhites.
21 And the sons of Perez were: of Hezron, the family of the Hezronites; of Hamul, the family of the Hamulites.
22 These are the families of Judah according to those who were numbered of them: seventy-six thousand five hundred.
23 The sons of Issachar according to their families were: of Tola, the family of the Tolaites; of Puah, the family of the Punites;
24 of1 Jashub, the family of the Jashubites; of Shimron, the family of the Shimronites.
25 These are the families of Issachar according to those who were numbered of them: sixty-four thousand three hundred.
26aThe sons of Zebulun according to their families were: of Sered, the family of the Sardites; of Elon, the family of the Elonites; of Jahleel, the family of the Jahleelites.
27 These are the families of the Zebulunites according to those who were numbered of them: sixty thousand five hundred.
28aThe sons of Joseph according to their families, by Manasseh and Ephraim, were:
29 The sons of aManasseh: of bMachir, the family of the Machirites; and Machir begot Gilead; of Gilead, the family of the Gileadites.
30 These are the sons of Gilead: of Jeezer, the family of the Jeezerites; of Helek, the family of the Helekites;
31of Asriel, the family of the Asrielites; of Shechem, the family of the Shechemites;
32of Shemida, the family of the Shemidaites; of Hepher, the family of the Hepherites.
33 Now aZelophehad the son of Hepher had no sons, but daughters; and the names of the daughters of Zelophehad were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.
34 These are the families of Manasseh; and those who were numbered of them were fifty-two thousand seven hundred.
35 These are the sons of Ephraim according to their families: of Shuthelah, the family of the Shuthalhites; of Becher, the family of the Bachrites; of Tahan, the family of the Tahanites.
36 And these are the sons of Shuthelah: of Eran, the family of the Eranites.
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 according to their families.
38aThe sons of Benjamin according to their families were: of Bela, the family of the Belaites; of Ashbel, the family of the Ashbelites; of bAhiram, the family of the Ahiramites;
39 of aShupham, the family of the Shuphamites; of Hupham, the family of the Huphamites.
40 And the sons of Bela were Ard and Naaman: aofArd, the family of the Ardites; of Naaman, the family of the Naamites.
41 These are the sons of Benjamin according to their families; and those who were numbered of them were forty-five thousand six hundred.
42 These are the sons of Dan according to their families: of1 Shuham, the family of the Shuhamites. These are the families of Dan according to their families.
43 All the families of the Shuhamites, according to those who were numbered of them, were sixty-four thousand four hundred.
44aThe sons of Asher according to their families were: of Jimna, the family of the Jimnites; of Jesui, the family of the Jesuites; of Beriah, the family of the Beriites.
45 Of the sons of Beriah: of Heber, the family of the Heberites; of Malchiel, the family of the Malchielites.
46 And the name of the daughter of Asher was Serah.
47 These are the families of the sons of Asher according to those who were numbered of them: fifty-three thousand four hundred.
48aThe sons of Naphtali according to their families were: of1 Jahzeel, the family of the Jahzeelites; of Guni, the family of the Gunites;
49 of Jezer, the family of the Jezerites; of aShillem, the family of the Shillemites.
50 These are the families of Naphtali according to their families; and those who were numbered of them were forty-five thousand four hundred.
51aThese are those who were numbered of the children of Israel: six hundred and one thousand seven hundred and thirty.
The title commonly given to this book is evidently suggested by the two numberings of the people recorded in Num. 1 and Num. 26.
The book narrates the history of the Israelites during their sojourn in the wilderness from the completion of the law-giving at Sinai, Leviticus 27:34, to their mustering in the plains of Moab for actual entry into the land of promise.
The incidents are generally given in their chronological order, except in the third part. The five chapters comprised in this part appear to deal with a long period, from which only isolated episodes are given; and of these the dates can only be conjectured.
Between the two dates "the first day of the second month of the second year after they were come out of Egypt" Numbers 1:1, and the death of Aaron Numbers 33:38, intervene no less than 38 years and 3 months (compare Deuteronomy 2:14), the long and dreary period of tarrying in the wilderness until the disobedient generation had wasted away.
From the death of Aaron to the date given in the opening verses of Deuteronomy Deuteronomy 1:1-3, occurred a space of exactly six months, in which all the events narrated in the fourth part of the Book of Numbers, from Numbers 20:1 to the end, would seem to have occurred, with the probable exception of the defeat of the king of Arad Numbers 21:1-3.
As regards the authorship and date of composition, the notes of time, the tenor of the contents, no less than the direct assertions of the text itself, lead to the conclusion that Moses is properly spoken of as the writer of the Book of Numbers. It is in substance his work; though many portions of it were probably committed to writing many years before the whole was completed; and the concluding chapters were not written until toward the close of the 40th year after the exodus.
