Numbers 26:47

Translation
King James Version
These are the families of the sons of Asher according to those that were numbered of them; who were fifty and three thousand and four hundred.
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KJV (with Strong's)
These are the families H4940 of the sons H1121 of Asher H836 according to those that were numbered H6485 of them; who were fifty H2572 and three H7969 thousand H505 and four H702 hundred H3967.
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Complete Jewish Bible
These were the families of the descendants of Asher, according to those of them that were counted, 53,400.
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Berean Standard Bible
These were the clans of Asher, and their registration numbered 53,400.
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American Standard Version
These are the families of the sons of Asher according to those that were numbered of them, fifty and three thousand and four hundred.
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World English Bible Messianic
These are the families of the sons of Asher according to those who were numbered of them, fifty-three thousand and four hundred.
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Geneva Bible (1599)
These are the families of the sonnes of Asher after their nombers, three and fifty thousand and foure hundreth.
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Young's Literal Translation
These are families of the sons of Asher, by their numbered ones, three and fifty thousand and four hundred.
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See also
Numbers 1:40Numbers 1:41Numbers 2:27Numbers 2:28
In the KJVVerse 4,537 of 31,102

Study This Verse

SUMMARY

Numbers 26:47 precisely records the population count for the tribe of Asher during the second census of Israel, conducted on the plains of Moab. This verse, detailing Asher's strength at fifty-three thousand and four hundred men aged twenty and upward, transcends mere demographic data, serving as a profound testament to God's unwavering faithfulness, His sovereign preservation of His covenant people despite arduous wilderness trials, and His meticulous preparation of a new generation for the imminent inheritance of the Promised Land. It highlights the divine order and purposeful intent behind what might appear to be a simple numerical record, revealing God's active involvement in the unfolding destiny of His chosen nation.

CONTEXT

  • Literary Context: Numbers 26:47 is situated within the comprehensive second census of Israel, which spans Numbers 26:1-65. This enumeration occurs after the devastating plague at Peor, detailed in Numbers 25, which marked a severe judgment against the first generation of Israelites for their disobedience. The entire chapter functions as a stark contrast to the first census recorded in Numbers 1, vividly illustrating the generational shift and the fulfillment of God's judgment prophesied in Numbers 14:29-30. The primary purpose of this second census was twofold: to assess the military strength of the new generation poised to conquer Canaan and, critically, to establish the basis for the equitable distribution of the land by lot, as explicitly commanded in Numbers 26:52-56. The meticulous tribal counts, including Asher's, directly inform the future allocation of territory.

  • Historical & Cultural Context: This census takes place "in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho" (Numbers 26:3), signifying the culmination of forty years of wilderness wandering. The Israelites are no longer a nomadic people in transit but stand on the very precipice of entering the Promised Land, a pivotal and transformative moment in their national history. In ancient Near Eastern societies, censuses were typically conducted for practical purposes such as military conscription, taxation, or, most relevant here, land allocation. Tribal identity was the bedrock of Israelite social structure, defining lineage, inheritance rights, and communal responsibilities. The precise recording of each family and tribe's numerical strength in Numbers 26 underscores the immense administrative and theological importance placed on ordered governance and the fulfillment of divine promises within the Israelite confederation.

  • Key Themes: The specific count of Asher in Numbers 26:47 significantly contributes to several overarching themes woven throughout the book of Numbers. Firstly, it powerfully highlights Divine Faithfulness and Preservation, demonstrating God's miraculous sustenance of His people despite their persistent rebellion and the harsh realities of wilderness life. Even after forty years of trials and severe divine judgments, the nation endures and, in many instances, remarkably grows. Secondly, it underscores Generational Transition and Renewal, as a new generation, born and raised under God's direct provision in the wilderness, stands prepared to inherit the promises made to their forefathers, a stark contrast to the fate of the rebellious generation (e.g., Numbers 14:33). Thirdly, the precise enumeration emphasizes Divine Order and Organization, which was absolutely essential for the successful conquest and subsequent settlement of Canaan, and for the establishment of a structured, God-centered society in the Promised Land. Finally, the census serves as a direct Preparation for Inheritance, as the land was to be divided "according to the number of names" (Numbers 26:53), thereby fulfilling God's ancient covenant promises to Abraham (e.g., Genesis 12:7).

EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS

Key Word Analysis

  • Families (Hebrew, mishpâchâh', H4940): This term refers to a circle of relatives, a family, or by extension, a tribe or people. In this context, it emphasizes the foundational social and legal unit of Israelite society, beyond just individual men. Land inheritance and tribal identity were intrinsically linked to these family units, highlighting the meticulous nature of the census in preparing for the division of Canaan. The focus on "families" underscores the patriarchal structure and the importance of lineage in God's covenant plan, ensuring that the land would be distributed equitably and remain within established familial lines.
  • Numbered (Hebrew, pâqad', H6485): A primitive root meaning "to visit (with friendly or hostile intent); by analogy, to oversee, muster, charge, care for, miss, deposit, etc." In this context, it specifically refers to the official enumeration or mustering of the people. This act of numbering signifies divine oversight and purpose, indicating that God is actively involved in ordering and preparing His people for their destiny. It implies a divine accounting, not merely a human statistic, reflecting God's meticulous knowledge and control over His covenant community.
  • Asher (Hebrew, ʼÂshêr', H836): Meaning "happy" or "blessed," as named by Leah in Genesis 30:13. The tribe of Asher, though perhaps not as prominent in later biblical narratives as some others, is here counted among the twelve tribes, demonstrating God's faithfulness to all the sons of Jacob. Its notable growth from the first census (41,500 in Numbers 1:41) to 53,400 signifies a period of blessing and preservation for this specific lineage, contrasting with other tribes that experienced a decrease.

Verse Breakdown

  • "These [are] the families of the sons of Asher": This opening clause immediately identifies the specific tribal group being enumerated. It grounds the numerical data in the concrete reality of Israel's tribal structure, emphasizing the lineage and familial units that constitute the nation. The focus is on the descendants of Asher, highlighting their distinct identity and importance within the larger Israelite community, each family unit being a vital component of the whole.
  • "according to those that were numbered of them;": This phrase clarifies that the subsequent number is the precise result of the census. It reinforces the official and meticulous nature of the count, indicating that the figures are not estimates but precise records based on a divine directive. The numbering was specifically of men aged twenty years and upward, "all that were able to go forth to war" (Numbers 26:2), underscoring the census's dual purposes of military readiness and land-allocation.
  • "[who were] fifty and three thousand and four hundred.": This provides the exact numerical strength of the tribe of Asher. This precise figure is crucial for comparison with the first census and for the subsequent equitable division of the land. For Asher, this represents a significant increase from their initial count of 41,500 in Numbers 1:41, indicating a period of divine blessing and growth for this tribe, even amidst the wilderness journey, and contrasting with other tribes that saw a decrease in their numbers due to judgment or other factors.

Literary Devices

The passage in Numbers 26 and specifically Numbers 26:47 employs several significant literary devices. The most prominent is Repetition, as the formulaic presentation of each tribe's census results (identifying the tribe, stating the count, and sometimes noting changes) is repeated consistently throughout the chapter. This creates a rhythmic, authoritative tone, emphasizing the comprehensive and official nature of the census as a divine act. Precision and Detail are also key literary elements, as the exact numerical counts for each tribe, down to the hundreds, convey a profound sense of historical accuracy and divine meticulousness. This attention to specific numbers underscores the theological idea that God is intimately involved in the minutiae of His people's lives and their national destiny. While not overtly metaphorical, there is an element of Symbolism in the very act of numbering and the resulting figures; the survival, and in some cases, the growth of the tribes, despite the wilderness trials and divine judgments, symbolizes God's enduring covenant faithfulness and His sovereign power to preserve His chosen people. The census itself functions as a Formulaic Literary Structure, providing a clear, consistent framework for presenting vital demographic information that undergirds the future distribution of the land and the fulfillment of God's promises.

THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS

Numbers 26:47, though a seemingly simple demographic record, is rich with profound theological significance. It underscores the meticulousness of God's providential care for His people, demonstrating that even the intricate details of tribal populations are under His sovereign oversight. The survival and, in Asher's case, the growth of tribes, despite the harsh wilderness conditions and the divine judgments against the rebellious generation, powerfully testify to God's unwavering covenant faithfulness. This census marks a divine reset, preparing a new generation, refined by wilderness discipline, to inherit the promises made to their forefathers. It illustrates that God's plans for His people, though sometimes delayed by human disobedience, are ultimately unstoppable and are brought to fruition with divine precision and order, ensuring His purposes are achieved through successive generations.

  • Numbers 1:41 - Provides the earlier census count for Asher, allowing for direct comparison and highlighting the tribe's remarkable growth.
  • Numbers 14:29-30 - Explains the divine judgment that led to the demise of the first generation, making the survival and growth of the new generation in Numbers 26 all the more significant as a testament to God's enduring plan.
  • Numbers 26:52-56 - Details how the census numbers directly determined the allocation of the Promised Land, explicitly linking the demographic data to the fulfillment of God's ancient covenant promises.

REFLECTION AND APPLICATION

Numbers 26:47 invites us to reflect deeply on God's profound attention to detail and His enduring faithfulness, even in the seemingly mundane aspects of life. Just as God meticulously counted and prepared each tribe for their inheritance, so too does He orchestrate the intricate details of our lives, guiding us toward the fulfillment of His purposes. This verse reminds us that God's promises are often generational; though one generation may falter or fail to fully embrace His will, God faithfully raises up another to carry His work forward. It challenges us to consider our own place within God's unfolding redemptive plan, prompting us to ask if we are prepared to embrace the inheritance and responsibilities He has for us in our own generation. The growth of Asher, despite the wilderness and the judgments around them, serves as a powerful encouragement that God preserves and even prospers His people through trials, equipping them for the tasks and callings ahead. We are called to cultivate a deep trust in His meticulous providence, knowing that He is sovereign over every detail and will faithfully bring His plans to glorious completion in His perfect timing.

Questions for Reflection

  • How does God's meticulous attention to numbers and details in this passage encourage or challenge your view of His active involvement in your own life and circumstances?
  • What vital lessons can we learn from the generational transition depicted in Numbers, particularly regarding the importance of obedience and preparedness for God's promises?
  • In what tangible ways do you observe God preserving and growing His people (the church) today, even amidst significant challenges, trials, or societal pressures?

FAQ

Why was this second census taken, and what was its primary purpose?

Answer: The second census, meticulously recorded in Numbers 26, was taken on the plains of Moab at the very end of Israel's forty years of wilderness wandering, just before they were poised to enter the Promised Land. Its primary purposes were multifaceted: firstly, it was crucial for ascertaining the military strength of the new generation, as only those "able to go forth to war" (Numbers 26:2) were counted, preparing them for the arduous conquest of Canaan. Secondly, and fundamentally, the census provided the essential basis for the equitable distribution of the land, as the inheritance was to be divided "according to the number of names" (Numbers 26:53) among the tribes and their families. Lastly, it served as a divine accounting, marking the significant transition from the generation under judgment to the new generation ready to fulfill God's ancient covenant promises.

How did the tribe of Asher's numbers compare to the first census, and what is the significance of this change?

Answer: In the first census, recorded in Numbers 1:41, the tribe of Asher numbered 41,500 men. In this second census, Numbers 26:47 reveals their count increased to 53,400. This represents a significant and encouraging increase of 11,900 men. The significance of this growth is multifold: it powerfully demonstrates God's blessing and preservation upon this specific tribe, as not all tribes experienced an increase (some, like Simeon, saw a drastic decrease due to the plague at Peor). It underscores God's unwavering faithfulness to His covenant people, allowing them to multiply and thrive even in the harsh conditions of the wilderness. For Asher, this growth directly meant a larger portion of the land inheritance would be allotted to them, reflecting the divine principle of distribution based on population size (Numbers 26:54).

What is the theological significance of such precise numerical details in the Bible, like the count of Asher?

Answer: The theological significance of such precise numerical details, like the count of Asher in Numbers 26:47, lies in several profound areas. Firstly, it attests to the historical reliability and factual nature of the biblical record, indicating that these were actual, meticulously taken counts, not mere approximations. Secondly, it highlights God's absolute sovereignty and meticulous providence; He is not a God of chaos but of perfect order, who oversees and orchestrates every detail of His people's lives and their national destiny. The numbers reveal His hand in preserving, judging, and preparing His people for His purposes. Thirdly, it underscores the immense importance and value of each individual and family within God's covenant community, demonstrating that God values and accounts for every member. Finally, these precise figures serve a crucial practical purpose within the narrative, directly informing the military readiness and the equitable distribution of the Promised Land, thereby demonstrating God's orderly and faithful fulfillment of His promises.

CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT

The meticulous census of Israel, including the specific count of Asher in Numbers 26:47, finds its ultimate Christ-centered fulfillment in several profound ways. The divine ordering and numbering of God's people for the inheritance of the earthly Promised Land powerfully foreshadows God's sovereign ordering and counting of His spiritual people, the church, for an eternal inheritance. Just as the tribes were counted and prepared to enter Canaan, so too are believers, by grace through faith in Christ, counted among the "elect" and prepared for their heavenly inheritance, which is described as "an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you" (1 Peter 1:4). The pivotal transition from the old, disobedient generation to a new generation ready for the land prefigures the new covenant in Christ, where believers are made "new creations" (2 Corinthians 5:17) and are no longer bound by the old covenant of law and its curses, but are brought into a living, Spirit-empowered relationship with God through the ultimate Mediator. The miraculous preservation of Israel through the harsh wilderness, despite their numerous failures, points to Christ's unfailing preservation of His church, against whom "the gates of hell shall not prevail" (Matthew 16:18). Furthermore, the meticulous counting of each individual tribe hints at God's intimate knowledge of every member of His spiritual family, whose names are "written in the Lamb's book of life" (Revelation 21:27) and who are known to Him individually, even to the very hairs of their head (Matthew 10:30). Christ is the true Joshua who leads His people into their ultimate and eternal rest, far surpassing the temporary earthly inheritance of Canaan (Hebrews 4:8-10).

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Commentary on Numbers 26 verses 5–51

This is the register of the tribes as they were now enrolled, in the same order that they were numbered in ch. 1. Observe,

I. The account that is here kept of the families of each tribe, which must not be understood of such as we call families, those that live in a house together, but such as were the descendants of the several sons of the patriarchs, by whose names, in honour of them, their posterity distinguished themselves and one another. The families of the twelve tribes are thus numbered: - Of Dan but one, for Dan had but one son, and yet that tribe was the most numerous of all except Judah, Num 26:42, Num 26:43. Its beginning was small, but its latter end greatly increased. Zebulun was divided into three families, Ephraim into four, Issachar into four, Naphtali into four, and Reuben into four; Judah, Simeon, and Asher, had five families apiece, Gad and Benjamin seven apiece, and Manasseh eight. Benjamin brought ten sons into Egypt (Gen 46:21), but three of them, it seems either died childless or their families were extinct, for here we find seven only of those names preserved, and that whole tribe none of the most numerous; for Providence, in the building up of families and nations, does not tie itself to probabilities. The barren hath borne seven, and she that hath many children has waxed feeble, Sa1 2:5.

II. The numbers of each tribe. And here our best entertainment will be to compare these numbers with those when they were numbered at Mount Sinai. The sum total was nearly the same; they were now 1820 fewer than they were then; yet seven of the tribes had increased in number. Judah had increased 1900, Issachar 9900, Zebulun 3100, Manasseh 20,500, Benjamin 10,200, Dan 1700, and Asher 11,900. But the other five had decreased more than to balance that increase. Reuben had decreased 2770, Simeon 37,100, Gad 5150, Ephraim 8000, and Naphtali 8000. In this account we may observe, 1. that all the three tribes that were encamped under the standard of Judah, who was the ancestor of Christ, had increased, for his church shall be edified and multiplied. 2. That none of the tribes had increased so much as that of Manasseh, which in the former account was the smallest of all the tribes, only 32,200, while here it is one of the most considerable; and that of his brother Ephraim, which there was numerous, is here one of the least. Jacob had crossed hands upon their heads, and had preferred Ephraim before Manasseh, which perhaps the Ephraimites had prided themselves too much in, and had trampled upon their brethren the Manassites; but, when the Lord saw that Manasseh was despised, he thus multiplied him exceedingly, for it is his glory to help the weakest, and raise up those that are cast down. 3. That none of the tribes decreased so much as Simeon did; from 59,300, it such to 22,200, little more than a third part of what it was. One whole family of that tribe (namely Ohad, mentioned Exo 6:15) was extinct in the wilderness. Hence Simeon is not mentioned in Moses's blessing (Deu. 33), and the lot of that tribe in Canaan was inconsiderable, only a canton out of Judah's lot, Jos 19:9. Some conjecture that most of those 24,000 who were cut off by the plague for the iniquity of Peor were of that tribe; for Zimri, who was a ringleader in that iniquity, was a prince of that tribe, many of whom therefore were influenced by his example to follow his pernicious ways.

III. In the account of the tribe of Reuben mention is made of the rebellion of Dathan and Abiram, who were of that tribe, in confederacy with Korah a Levite, Num 26:9-11. Though the story had been largely related but a few chapters before, yet here it comes in again, as fit to be had in remembrance and thought of by posterity, whenever they looked into their pedigree and pleased themselves with the antiquity of their families and the glory of their ancestors, that they might call themselves a seed of evil doers. Two things are here said of them: - 1. That they had been famous in the congregation, Num 26:9. Probably they were remarkable for their ingenuity, activity, and fitness for business: - That Dathan and Abiram that might have been advanced in due time under God and Moses; but their ambitious spirits put them upon striving against God and Moses, and when they quarrelled with the one they quarrelled with the other. And what was the issue? 2. Those that might have been famous were made infamous: they became a sign, Num 26:10. They were made monuments of divine justice; God, in their ruin, showed himself glorious in holiness, and so they were set up for a warning to all others, in all ages, to take heed of treading in the steps of their pride and rebellion. Notice is here taken of the preservation of the children of Korah (Num 26:11); they died not, as the children of Dathan and Abiram did, doubtless because they kept themselves pure from the infection, and would not join, no, not with their own father, in rebellion. If we partake not of the sins of sinners, we shall not partake of their plagues. These sons of Korah were afterwards, in their posterity, eminently serviceable to the church, being employed by David as singers in the house of the Lord; hence many psalms are said to be for the sons of Korah: and perhaps they were made to bear his name so long after, rather than the name of any other of their ancestors, for warning to themselves, and as an instance of the power of God, which brought those choice fruits even out of that bitter root. The children of families that have been stigmatized should endeavour, by their eminent virtues, to roll away the reproach of their fathers.

Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 5–51. Public domain.
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Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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