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Numbers 2

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Instructions for Setting the Camp 1–2

1
And Jehovah spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
2
The children of Israel shall encamp every man by his own standard, with the ensigns of their fathers’ houses: over against the tent of meeting shall they encamp round about. ​

The Camp of Judah (East) 3–9

3
And those that encamp on the east side toward the sunrising shall be they of the standard of the camp of Judah, according to their hosts: and the prince of the children of Judah shall be Nahshon the son of Amminadab. ​
4
And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were threescore and fourteen thousand and six hundred.
5
And those that encamp next unto him shall be the tribe of Issachar: and the prince of the children of Issachar shall be Nethanel the son of Zuar.
6
And his host, and those that were numbered thereof, were fifty and four thousand and four hundred.
7
And the tribe of Zebulun: and the prince of the children of Zebulun shall be Eliab the son of Helon.
8
And his host, and those that were numbered thereof, were fifty and seven thousand and four hundred.
9
All that were numbered of the camp of Judah were a hundred thousand and fourscore thousand and six thousand and four hundred, according to their hosts. They shall set forth first. ​

The Camp of Reuben (South) and the Tabernacle in the Midst 10–17

10
On the south side shall be the standard of the camp of Reuben according to their hosts: and the prince of the children of Reuben shall be Elizur the son of Shedeur.
11
And his host, and those that were numbered thereof, were forty and six thousand and five hundred.
12
And those that encamp next unto him shall be the tribe of Simeon: and the prince of the children of Simeon shall be Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai.
13
And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were fifty and nine thousand and three hundred.
14
And the tribe of Gad: and the prince of the children of Gad shall be Eliasaph the son of Reuel.
15
And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were forty and five thousand and six hundred and fifty.
16
All that were numbered of the camp of Reuben were a hundred thousand and fifty and one thousand and four hundred and fifty, according to their hosts. And they shall set forth second.
17
Then the tent of meeting shall set forward, with the camp of the Levites in the midst of the camps: as they encamp, so shall they set forward, every man in his place, by their standards. ​

The Camp of Ephraim (West) 18–24

18
On the west side shall be the standard of the camp of Ephraim according to their hosts: and the prince of the children of Ephraim shall be Elishama the son of Ammihud. ​
19
And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were forty thousand and five hundred.
20
And next unto him shall be the tribe of Manasseh: and the prince of the children of Manasseh shall be Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur.
21
And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were thirty and two thousand and two hundred.
22
And the tribe of Benjamin: and the prince of the children of Benjamin shall be Abidan the son of Gideoni.
23
And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were thirty and five thousand and four hundred.
24
All that were numbered of the camp of Ephraim were a hundred thousand and eight thousand and a hundred, according to their hosts. And they shall set forth third.

The Camp of Dan (North) 25–31

25
On the north side shall be the standard of the camp of Dan according to their hosts: and the prince of the children of Dan shall be Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai. ​
26
And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were threescore and two thousand and seven hundred.
27
And those that encamp next unto him shall be the tribe of Asher: and the prince of the children of Asher shall be Pagiel the son of Ochran.
28
And his hosts, and those that were numbered of them, were forty and one thousand and five hundred.
29
And the tribe of Naphtali: and the prince of the children of Naphtali shall be Ahira the son of Enan.
30
And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were fifty and three thousand and four hundred.
31
All that were numbered of the camp of Dan were a hundred thousand and fifty and seven thousand and six hundred. They shall set forth hindmost by their standards. ​

Summary and Obedience 32–34

32
These are they that were numbered of the children of Israel by their fathers’ houses: all that were numbered of the camps according to their hosts were six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty. ​
33
But the Levites were not numbered among the children of Israel; as Jehovah commanded Moses. ​
34
Thus did the children of Israel; according to all that Jehovah commanded Moses, so they encamped by their standards, and so they set forward, every one by their families, according to their fathers’ houses. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Numbers 2

Verse 2

his own standard — Each of the four camps has a degel, a banner, and each father's house an oth, an ensign or sign. Three tribes gather under every banner (vv.3, 10, 18, 25). 'Far off' is neged, 'over against', so the camps lie opposite the tabernacle on every side. Num 1:52 gives the same order for the pitching of tents.

Verse 3

the camp of Judah — Judah pitches on the east, toward the sunrise, and sets out first (v.9; Num 10:14). Nahshon, the 'captain' (nasi, prince), stands in the line of David: 'Aminadab begat Naasson; and Naasson begat Salmon' (Matt 1:4; Ruth 4:20). Jacob had said, 'The sceptre shall not depart from Judah' (Gen 49:10).

Verse 9

an hundred thousand and fourscore thousand and six thousand and four hundred — The sum is 186,400: Judah 74,600, Issachar 54,400 and Zebulun 57,400 (Num 1:27, 29, 31). It is the largest of the four camps. 'These shall first set forth' (rishon, first), as Num 10:14 shows them doing.

Verse 17

in the midst of the camp — The tabernacle goes forward with the Levites between the second and third camps, so the order on the march is the order of the camp: 'as they encamp, so shall they set forward'. Num 10:17–21 shows the parts carried, the Gershonites and Merarites bearing the tabernacle, the Kohathites 'the sanctuary'.

Verse 18

the camp of Ephraim — Ephraim pitches on the west with Manasseh and Benjamin (vv.20–24), and the camp takes his name, though Manasseh was the elder. Jacob had 'set Ephraim before Manasseh' (Gen 48:20). The names Elishama and Ammihud stand also in the line of Jehoshua, in 1 Chr 7:26–27.

Verse 25

the camp of Dan — Dan pitches on the north with Asher and Naphtali (vv.27–30). Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai is the captain who presents Dan's offering on the tenth day (Num 7:66). When the host marches, Dan's standard is 'the rereward of all the camps' (Num 10:25).

Verse 31

They shall go hindmost — 157,600 men, the second largest camp: Dan 62,700, Asher 41,500 and Naphtali 53,400 (Num 1:39, vv.28, 30 here). 'Hindmost' is acharon, last. The rear is also the me'asseph, the gatherer, and Isa 52:12 uses the word of the LORD: 'the God of Israel will be your rereward.'

Verse 32

six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty — The total of the four camps (186,400, 151,450, 108,100 and 157,600) is the figure of Num 1:46, and of the half shekel each man gave when numbered (Ex 38:26). A later numbering in the plains of Moab gives 601,730 (Num 26:51).

Verse 33

the Levites were not numbered — As the LORD told Moses in Num 1:49, the tribe of Levi is not counted among Israel's fighting men. The LORD took the Levites 'instead of all the firstborn' (Num 3:12), and they are counted apart, 'every male from a month old and upward' (Num 3:15).

Verse 34

did according to all that the LORD commanded Moses — The people's obedience is told with the verbs of v.17: 'they pitched by their standards, and so they set forward'. The order of the camp was visible to those outside it, for Balaam 'saw Israel abiding in his tents according to their tribes' (Num 24:2).