Numbers 26:54

Old Testament Law (Torah) ASV (1901)

What does Numbers 26:54 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “To 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.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

To 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.
Numbers 26:54 — American Standard Version

Context — Numbers 26

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
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.

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“To many thou shalt give the more inheritance, and to few thou shalt give the less inheritance, etc.] To a tribe more numerous, and consisting of more and larger families, a greater part of the land was to be given to them to possess; and to a smaller tribe, and of the fewer families and persons in them, a lesser share of it: this direction is given to Moses, but is not designed for him personally, for he never entered the land, but died before Israel went into it; but for the chief ruler that would be then in being, namely, Joshua, his successor: to everyone shall his inheritance be given, according to those that were numbered of him; that is, to every tribe, and so to every family in it,…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“To many thou shalt give the more inheritance--that is, to the more numerous tribes a larger allotment shall be granted. according to those that were numbered--the number of persons twenty years old at the time of the census being made, without taking into account either the increase of those who might have attained that age, when the land should be actually distributed, or the diminution from that amount, occasioned during the war of invasion.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“many: Num 32:3, Num 32:5, Num 33:54; Jos 17:14 give the more: Heb. multiply his give the less: Heb. diminish his. Numbers 26:55”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification