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This book is called Numbers, from the numberings of the children of Israel, of which it gives an account. Once they were numbered at Mount Sinai, in the first year after they came out of Egypt, which we had an account of, ch. 1 and 2. And now a second time they were numbered in the plains of Moab, just before they entered Canaan, and of this we have an account in this chapter. We have, I. Orders given for the doing of it (Num 26:1-4). II. A register of the families and numbers of each tribe (v. 5-50), and the sum total (Num 26:51). III. Direction given to divide the land among them (Num 26:52-56). IV. The families and numbers of the Levites by themselves (Num 26:57-62). V. Notice taken of the fulfilling of the threatening in the death of all those that were first numbered (Num 26:63-65), and to this there seems to have been a special regard in the taking and keeping of this account.

Observe here, 1. That Moses did not number the people but when God commanded him. David in his time did it without a command, and paid dearly for it. God was Israel's king, and he would not have this act of authority done but by his express orders. Moses, perhaps, by this time, had heard of the blessing with which Balaam was constrained, sorely against his will, to bless Israel, and particularly the notice he took of their numbers; and he was sufficiently pleased with that general testimony borne to this instance of their strength and honour by an adversary, though he knew not their numbers exactly, till God now appointed him to take the sum of them. 2. Eleazar was joined in commission with him, as Aaron had been before, by which God honoured Eleazar before the elders of his people, and confirmed his succession. 3. It was presently after the plague that this account was ordered to be taken, to show that though God had in justice contended with them by that sweeping pestilence, yet he had not made a full end, nor would he utterly cast them off. God's Israel shall not be ruined, though it be severely rebuked. 4. They were now to go by the same rule that they had gone by in the former numbering, counting those only that were able to go forth to war, for this was the service now before them.

INTRODUCTION TO NUMBERS 26 In this chapter an order is given to number the people of Israel a second time, Num 26:1 and the account begins with Reuben, the firstborn, and the families that sprung from him, and the number of them, Num 26:5 and Dathan and Abiram being of this tribe, the affair of them and Korah is afresh related, Num 26:8, then the tribe of Simeon, its families and number, Num 26:12, next the tribe of Gad, and their families and number, Num 26:15, after that the tribe of Judah, its families and number, Num 26:19 then follows the tribe of Issachar, its families and number, Num 26:23, next to that the tribe of Zebulun, its families and number, Num 26:26 then the sons of Joseph, and first Manasseh, his families and number, Num 26:28 and then the tribe of Ephraim, its families and number, Num 26:35, after that the tribe of Benjamin, its families and number, Num 26:38 next the tribe of Dan, its families and number, Num 26:42 and which is followed by the tribe of Asher, its families and number, Num 26:44, and the muster is closed with the tribe of Naphtali, its families and number, Num 26:48, and the sum total of all the numbers is given, Num 26:51 and then follows another order to divide the land of Canaan by lot, when conquered, to the several tribes, according to their names and number, Num 26:52 and an account is given of the number of the Levites and their families, their number being taken not with the other tribes, but by themselves, and which is summed up, Num 26:57 and the chapter is concluded with observing, that it appeared upon this numbering of the people, that there were but two persons living of those that were first numbered among the children of Israel, Num 26:63.

And it came to pass after the plague,.... Related in the preceding chapter; how long after is not certain, perhaps before the war with Midian, exhorted to in the latter part of the foregoing chapter, and of which an account is given, Num 31:1, that the Lord spake unto Moses; out of the tabernacle, or out of the cloud: and unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest; the Lord had been used to speak to Moses and to Aaron; but now Aaron being dead, and Eleazar his son succeeding him in the priesthood, is joined with Moses, and the order here given is directed to them both: saying: as follows.

First-fruits must be offered to God, Deu 26:1, Deu 26:2. The form of confession to be used on the occasion, Deu 26:3-11. The third year's tithe to be given to the Levites and the poor, Deu 26:12, and the form of confession to be used on this occasion, Deu 26:13-15. The Israelites are to take Jehovah for their God, and to keep his testimonies, Deu 26:16, Deu 26:17. And Jehovah is to take them for his people, and make them high above all the nations of the earth, Deu 26:18, Deu 26:19.

ISRAEL NUMBERED. (Num. 26:1-51) after the plague--That terrible visitation had swept away the remnant of the old generation, to whom God sware in His wrath that they should not enter Canaan (Psa 95:11).

Mustering of Israel in the Steppes of Moab - Numbers 26 Before taking vengeance upon the Midianites, as they had been commanded, the Israelites were to be mustered as the army of Jehovah, by means of a fresh numbering, since the generation that was mustered at Sinai (ch. 1-4) had died out in the wilderness, with the sole exception of Caleb and Joshua (Num 26:64, Num 26:65). On this ground the command of God was issued, "after the plague,"' for a fresh census and muster. For with the plague the last of those who came out of Egypt, and were not to enter Canaan, had been swept away, and thus the sentence had been completely executed. - The object of the fresh numbering, however, was not merely to muster Israel for the war with the Midianites, and in the approaching conquest of the promised land with the Canaanites also, but was intended to serve at the same time as a preparation for their settlement in Canaan, viz., for the division of the conquered land among the tribes and families of Israel. For this reason (Num 26) the families of the different tribes are enumerated here, which was not the case in ch. 1; and generally instructions are also given in Num 1:52 -56, with reference to the division of Canaan. - The numbering was simply extended, as before, to the male population of the age of 20 years and upwards, and was no doubt carried out, like the previous census at Sinai, by Moses and the high priest (Eleazar), with the assistance of the heads of the tribes, although the latter are not expressly mentioned here. - The names of the families correspond, - with very few exceptions, - to the grandsons and great-grandsons of Jacob mentioned in Gen 46. - With regard to the total number of the people, and the number of the different tribes.

Mustering of the Twelve Tribes. - Num 26:1-4. The command of God to Moses and Eleazar is the same as in Num 1, 2, and 3, except that it does not enter so much into details. Num 26:3-4 "And Moses and Eleazar the priest spake with them" (דּבּר with the accusative, as in Gen 37:4). The pronoun refers to "the children of Israel," or more correctly, to the heads of the nation as the representatives of the congregation, who were to carry out the numbering. On the Arboth-Moab, see at Num 22:1. Only the leading point in their words is mentioned, viz., "from twenty years old and upwards" (sc., shall ye take the number of the children of Israel), since it was very simple to supply the words "take the sum" from Num 26:2. (Note: This is, at all events, easier and simpler than the alterations of the text which have been suggested for the purpose of removing the difficulty. Knobel proposes to alter וידבּר into ויּדבּר, and לאמר into לפקד: "Moses and Eleazar arranged the children of Israel when they mustered them." But הדבּיר does not mean to arrange, but simply to drive in pairs, to subjugate (Psa 18:48, and Psa 47:4), - an expression which, as much be immediately apparent, is altogether inapplicable to the arrangement of the people in families for the purpose of taking a census.), - The words from "the children of Israel" in Num 26:4 onwards form the introduction to the enumeration of the different tribes (Num 26:5.), and the verb יהיוּ (were) must be supplied. "And the children of Israel, who went forth out of Egypt, were Reuben," etc. Num 26:5-11 The families of Reuben tally with Gen 46:9; Exo 6:14, and Ch1 5:3. The plural בּני (sons), in Num 26:8, where only one son is mentioned, is to be explained from the fact, that several sons of this particular son (i.e., grandsons) are mentioned afterwards. On Dathan and Abiram, see at Num 16:1 and Num 16:32. See also the remark made here in Num 26:10 and Num 26:11, viz., that those who were destroyed with the company of Korah were for a sign (נס, here a warning); but that the sons of Korah were not destroyed along with their father. Num 26:12-14 The Simeonites counted only five families, as Ohad (Gen 46:10) left no family. Nemuel is called Jemuel there, as yod and nun are often interchanged (cf. Ges. thes. pp. 833 and 557); and Zerach is another name of the same signification for Zohar (Zerach, the rising of the sun; Zohar, candor, splendour). Num 26:15-18 The Gadites are the same as in Gen 46:16, except that Ozni is called Ezbon there. Num 26:19-22 The sons and families of Judah agree with Gen 46:12 (cf. Gen 38:6.); also with Ch1 2:3-5. Num 26:23-25 The families of Issachar correspond to the sons mentioned in Gen 46:13, except that the name Job occurs there instead of Jashub. The two names have the same signification, as Job is derived from an Arabic word which signifies to return. Num 26:26-27 The families of Zebulun correspond to the sons named in Gen 46:14. Num 26:28-37 The descendants of Joseph were classified in two leading families, according to his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim, who were born before the removal of Israel to Egypt, and were raised into founders of tribes in consequence of the patriarch Israel having adopted them as his own sons (Gen 48). Num 26:29-34 Eight families descended from Manasseh: viz., one from his son Machir, the second from Machir's son or Manasseh's grandson Gilead, and the other six from the six sons of Gilead. The genealogical accounts in Num 27:1; Num 36:1, and Jos 17:1., fully harmonize with this, except that Iezer (Num 26:30) is called Abiezer in Jos 17:2; whereas only a part of the names mentioned here occur in the genealogical fragments in Ch1 2:21-24, and 7:14-29. In Num 26:33, a son of Hepher, named Zelophehad, is mentioned. He had no sons, but only daughters, whose names are given here to prepare the way for the legal regulations mentioned in Num 27 and 39, to which this fact gave rise. Num 26:35-37 There were four families descended from Ephraim; three from his sons, and one from his grandson. Of the descendants of Sutelah several links are given in Ch1 7:20. Num 26:38-41 The children of Benjamin formed seven families, five of whom were founded by his sons, and two by grandsons. (On the differences which occur between the names given here and those in Gen 46:21.) Some of the sons and grandsons of Benjamin mentioned here are also found in the genealogical fragments in Ch1 7:6-18, and Ch1 8:1. Num 26:42-43 The descendants of Dan formed only one family, named from a son of Dan, who is called Shuham here, but Hushim in Gen 46:23; though this family no doubt branched out into several smaller families, which are not named here, simply because this list contains only the leading families into which the tribes were divided. Num 26:44-47 The families of Asher agree with the sons of Asher mentioned in Gen 46:17 and Ch1 7:30, except that Ishuah is omitted here, because he founded no family. Num 26:48-50 The families of Naphtali tally with the sons of Naphtali in Gen 46:24 and Ch1 7:30. Num 26:51 The total number of the persons mustered was 601,730.