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Numbers Chapter 26

Old Testament Law (Torah) 65 Verses

What is Numbers 26 about?

Israel's forty-year wilderness journey from Sinai to the plains of Moab — testing, rebellion, and God's faithfulness. The complete chapter text below provides the immediate literary context for study.

Text — American Standard Version (1901)

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. For original Hebrew/Greek interlinear text, open in BibleWord.ai.
1And it came to pass after the plague, that Jehovah spake unto Moses and unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, saying,
2Take the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, from twenty years old and upward, by their fathers` houses, all that are able to go forth to war in Israel.
3And Moses and Eleazar the priest spake with them in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying,
4[Take the sum of the people], from twenty years old and upward; as Jehovah commanded Moses and the children of Israel, that came forth out of the land of Egypt.
5Reuben, the first-born of Israel; the sons of Reuben: [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.
7These are the families of the Reubenites; and they that were numbered of them were forty and three thousand and seven hundred and thirty.
8And the sons of Pallu: Eliab.
9And the sons of Eliab: Nemuel, and Dathan, and Abiram. These are that Dathan and Abiram, who were called of the congregation, who strove against Moses and against Aaron in the company of Korah, when they strove against Jehovah,
10and the earth opened its mouth, and swallowed them up together with Korah, when that company died; what time the fire devoured two hundred and fifty men, and they became a sign.
11Notwithstanding, the sons of Korah died not.
12The 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;
13of Zerah, the family of the Zerahites; of Shaul, the family of the Shaulites.
14These are the families of the Simeonites, twenty and two thousand and two hundred.
15The 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;
16of Ozni, the family of the Oznites; of Eri, the family of the Erites;
17of Arod, the family of the Arodites; of Areli, the family of the Arelites.
18These are the families of the sons of Gad according to those that were numbered of them, forty thousand and five hundred.
19The sons of Judah: Er and Onan; and Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan.
20And 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.
21And the sons of Perez were: of Hezron, the family of the Hezronites; of Hamul, the family of the Hamulites.
22These are the families of Judah according to those that were numbered of them, threescore and sixteen thousand and five hundred.
23The sons of Issachar after their families: [of] Tola, the family of the Tolaites; of Puvah, the family of the Punites;
24of Jashub, the family of the Jashubites; of Shimron, the family of the Shimronites.
25These are the families of Issachar according to those that were numbered of them, threescore and four thousand and three hundred.
26The 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.
27These are the families of the Zebulunites according to those that were numbered of them, threescore thousand and five hundred.
28The sons of Joseph after their families: Manasseh and Ephraim.
29The sons of Manasseh: of Machir, the family of the Machirites; and Machir begat Gilead; of Gilead, the family of the Gileadites.
30These are the sons of Gilead: [of] Iezer, the family of the Iezerites; of Helek, the family of the Helekites;
31and [of] Asriel, the family of the Asrielites; and [of] Shechem, the family of the Shechemites;
32and [of] Shemida, the family of the Shemidaites; and [of] Hepher, the family of the Hepherites.
33And 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.
34These are the families of Manasseh; and they that were numbered of them were fifty and two thousand and seven hundred.
35These 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.
36And these are the sons of Shuthelah: of Eran, the family of the Eranites.
37These are the families of the sons of Ephraim according to those that were numbered of them, thirty and two thousand and five hundred. These are the sons of Joseph after their families.
38The 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;
39of Shephupham, the family of the Shuphamites; of Hupham, the family of the Huphamites.
40And the sons of Bela were Ard and Naaman: [of Ard], the family of the Ardites; of Naaman, the family of the Naamites.
41These are the sons of Benjamin after their families; and they that were numbered of them were forty and five thousand and six hundred.
42These are the sons of Dan after their families: of Shuham, the family of the Shuhamites. These are the families of Dan after their families.
43All the families of the Shuhamites, according to those that were numbered of them, were threescore and four thousand and four hundred.
44The 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.
45Of the sons of Beriah: of Heber, the family of the Heberites; of Malchiel, the family of the Malchielites.
46And the name of the daughter of Asher was Serah.
47These are the families of the sons of Asher according to those that were numbered of them, fifty and three thousand and four hundred.
48The sons of Naphtali after their families: of Jahzeel, the family of the Jahzeelites; of Guni, the family of the Gunites;
49of Jezer, the family of the Jezerites; of Shillem, the family of the Shillemites.
50These are the families of Naphtali according to their families; and they that were numbered of them were forty and five thousand and four hundred.
51These are they that were numbered of the children of Israel, six hundred thousand and a thousand seven hundred and thirty.
52And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
53Unto these the land shall be divided for an inheritance according to the number of names.
54To the more thou shalt give the more inheritance, and to the fewer thou shalt give the less inheritance: to every one according to those that were numbered of him shall his inheritance be given.
55Notwithstanding, the land shall be divided by lot: according to the names of the tribes of their fathers they shall inherit.
56According to the lot shall their inheritance be divided between the more and the fewer.
57And these are they that 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.
58These 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. And Kohath begat Amram.
59And the name of Amram`s wife was Jochebed, the daughter of Levi, who was born to Levi in Egypt: and she bare unto Amram Aaron and Moses, and Miriam their sister.
60And unto Aaron were born Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.
61And Nadab and Abihu died, when they offered strange fire before Jehovah.
62And they that were numbered of them were twenty and 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.
63These are they that were numbered by Moses and Eleazar the priest, who numbered the children of Israel in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho.
64But among these there was not a man of them that were numbered by Moses and Aaron the priest, who numbered the children of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai.
65For Jehovah had said of them, They shall surely die in the wilderness. And there was not left a man of them, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.
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What do historical commentaries say about this chapter?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · on verse 1
“And it came to pass after the plague, etc.] 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, (<043101>Numbers 31:1-54): 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.”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · on verse 1
“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).”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · on verse 1
“After the plague - These words serve to show approximately the date at which the census was taken, and intimate the reason for the great decrease in numbers which was found to have taken place in certain tribes. Compare Deuteronomy 4:3 and Numbers 26:5 note in this chapter. return to 'Top of Page'”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · on verse 2
“Take the sum - They were numbered twice before, Exo 30:11-12; Num 1:1-2. Now they are numbered a third time, to demonstrate the faithfulness of God, both in cutting all those off whom he had threatened to cut off, Num 14:29, and in a stupendous increase of the people according to his promise, notwithstanding all their sins, and the sweeping judgments inflicted upon them; and to prepare the way for the equal division of the land, which they were now going to possess. Numbers 26:7”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · on verse 1
“26:1-65 After nearly forty years, Israel again registered their men of military age (cp. chs 1–4) as they camped on the plains of Moab . . . across from Jericho. The overall population had changed only slightly, with 603,550 in the first registration and 601,730 in the second. This nearly complete replacement of population (26:63-65) showed that the Lord was faithful to Israel in spite of their repeated acts of rebellion. 26:1-4 As in the first registration, Moses and Eleazar (who had replaced Aaron) instructed the tribal leaders in the tabulation process.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · on verse 1
“Num 25:9 Numbers 26:2”
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Keil & Delitzsch
C. F. Keil & F. Delitzsch · Commentary on the Old Testament · on verse 1
“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…”
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