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Números 1

ARC · Chapter 1/36

1Fallou mais o Senhor a Moysés no deserto de Sinai, na tenda da congregação, no primeiro dia do mez segundo no segundo anno da sua saida da terra do Egypto, dizendo:

2Tomae a somma de toda a congregação dos filhos d'Israel, segundo as suas gerações, segundo a casa de seus paes, no numero dos nomes de todo o macho, cabeça por cabeça;

3Da edade de vinte annos e para cima, todos os que saem á guerra em Israel: a estes contareis segundo os seus exercitos, tu e Aarão.

4Estará comvosco de cada tribu um homem que seja cabeça da casa de seus paes,

5Estes pois são os nomes dos homens que estarão comvosco: De Ruben, Elizur, filho de Sedeur;

6De Simeão, Selumiel, filho de Surisaddai;

7De Judah, Naasson, filho de Amminadab;

8D'Issacar, Nathanael, filho de Suhar;

9De Zebulon, Eliab, filho de Helon;

10Dos filhos de José: d'Ephraim; Elisama, filho d'Ammihud; de Manasseh, Gamaliel, filho de Pedazur;

11De Benjamin, Abidan, filho de Gideoni;

12De Dan, Ahieser, filho de Ammisaddai;

13De Aser, Pagiel, filho d'Ochran;

14De Gad, Eliasaph, filho de Dehuel;

15De Naphtali, Ahira, filho d'Enan.

16Estes foram os chamados da congregação, os principes das tribus de seus paes, os Cabeças dos milhares d'Israel.

17Então tomaram Moysés e Aarão a estes homens, que foram declarados pelos seus nomes.

18E ajuntaram toda a congregação no primeiro dia do mez segundo, e declararam a sua descendencia segundo as suas familias, segundo a casa de seus paes, pelo numero dos nomes dos de vinte annos e para cima, cabeça por cabeça;

19Como o Senhor ordenara a Moysés, assim os contou no deserto de Sinai.

20Foram pois os filhos de Ruben, o primogenito d'Israel; as suas gerações pelas suas familias, segundo a casa de seus paes, pelo numero dos nomes, cabeça por cabeça, todo o macho de vinte annos e para cima, todos os que podiam sair á guerra;

21Foram contados d'elles, da tribu de Ruben, quarenta e seis mil e quinhentos.

22Dos filhos de Simeão, as suas gerações pelas suas familias, segundo a casa dos seus paes; os seus contados, pelo numero dos nomes, cabeça por cabeça, todo o macho de vinte annos e para cima, todos os que podiam sair á guerra,

23Foram contados d'elles, da tribu de Simeão, cincoenta e nove mil e trezentos.

24Dos filhos de Gad, as suas gerações pelas suas familias, segundo a casa de seus paes, pelo numero dos nomes dos de vinte annos e para cima, todos os que podiam sair á guerra,

25Foram contados d'elles, da tribu de Gad, quarenta e cinco mil e seiscentos e cincoenta.

26Dos filhos de Judah, as suas gerações pelas suas familias, segundo a casa de seus paes; pelo numero dos nomes dos de vinte annos e para cima, todos os que podiam sair á guerra,

27Foram contados d'elles, da tribu de Judah, setenta e quatro mil e seiscentos.

28Dos filhos d'Issacar, as suas gerações pelas suas familias, segundo a casa de seus paes, pelo numero dos nomes dos de vinte annos e para cima, todos os que podiam sair á guerra,

29Foram contados d'elles, da tribu d'Issacar, cincoenta e quatro mil e quatrocentos.

30Dos filhos de Zebulon, as suas gerações, pelas suas familias, segundo a casa de seus paes, pelo numero dos nomes dos de vinte annos e para cima, todos os que podiam sair á guerra,

31Foram contados d'elles, da tribu de Zebulon, cincoenta e sete mil e quatrocentos.

32Dos filhos de José, dos filhos d'Ephraim, as suas gerações, pelas suas familias, segundo a casa de seus paes, pelo numero dos nomes dos de vinte annos e para cima, todos os que podiam sair á guerra,

33Foram contados d'elles, da tribu d'Ephraim, quarenta mil e quinhentos.

34Dos filhos de Manasseh, as suas gerações, pelas suas familias, segundo a casa de seus paes, pelo numero dos nomes dos de vinte annos e para cima, todos os que podiam sair á guerra,

35Foram contados d'elles, da tribu de Manasseh, trinta e dois mil e duzentos.

36Dos filhos de Benjamin, as suas gerações, pelas suas familias, segundo a casa de seus paes, pelo numero dos nomes dos de vinte annos e para cima, todos os que podiam sair á guerra,

37Foram contados d'elles, da tribu de Benjamin, trinta e cinco mil e quatrocentos.

38Dos filhos de Dan, as suas gerações, pelas suas familias, segundo a casa de seus paes, pelo numero dos nomes dos de vinte annos e para cima, todos os que podiam sair á guerra,

39Foram contados d'elles, da tribu de Dan, sessenta e dois mil e setecentos.

40Dos filhos d'Aser, as suas gerações, pelas suas familias, segundo a casa de seus paes, pelo numero dos nomes dos de vinte annos e para cima, todos os que podiam sair á guerra,

41Foram contados d'elles, da tribu d'Aser, quarenta e um mil e quinhentos.

42Dos filhos de Naphtali, as suas gerações, pelas suas familias, segundo a casa de seus paes, pelo numero dos nomes dos de vinte annos e para cima, todos os que podiam sair á guerra,

43Foram contados d'elles, da tribu de Naphtali, cincoenta e tres mil e quatrocentos.

44Estes foram os contados, que contou Moysés e Aarão, e os principes d'Israel, doze homens, cada um era pela casa de seus paes.

45Assim foram todos os contados dos filhos d'Israel, segundo a casa de seus paes, de vinte annos e para cima, todos os que podiam sair á guerra em Israel;

46Todos os contados pois foram seiscentos e tres mil e quinhentos e cincoenta.

47Mas os levitas, segundo a tribu de seus paes, não foram contados entre elles,

48Porquanto o Senhor tinha fallado a Moysés, dizendo:

49Porém não contarás a tribu de Levi, nem tomarás a somma d'elles entre os filhos d'Israel:

50Mas tu põe os levitas sobre o tabernaculo do testemunho, e sobre todos os seus vasos, e sobre tudo o que pertence a elle: elles levarão o tabernaculo e todos os seus vasos; e elles o administrarão, e assentarão o seu arraial ao redor do tabernaculo.

51E, quando o tabernaculo partir, os levitas o desarmarão; e, quando o tabernaculo assentar no arraial, os levitas o armarão; e o estranho que se chegar morrerá.

52E os filhos d'Israel assentarão as suas tendas, cada um no seu esquadrão, e cada um junto á sua bandeira, segundo os seus exercitos.

53Mas os levitas assentarão as suas tendas ao redor do tabernaculo do testemunho, para que não haja indignação sobre a congregação dos filhos d'Israel, pelo que os levitas terão o cuidado da guarda do tabernaculo do testemunho.

54Assim fizeram os filhos d'Israel: conforme a tudo o que o Senhor ordenara a Moysés, assim o fizeram.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

God commands Moses to take a census of all the men of Israel twenty years old or more who are fit for war, organized by tribe. The Levites are left out of this count because they will have the special responsibility of caring for the tabernacle.

Explanation

This census, taken about a year after leaving Egypt, had a military and organizational purpose: to prepare the newly formed nation for the journey and eventual conquest of the promised land. The total of 603,550 men reveals an enormous nation, fulfilling the promise made to Abraham of descendants as numerous as the stars. The setting apart of the Levites, dedicated exclusively to service at the tabernacle instead of to war, shows that God reserved a specific group to keep worship alive in the midst of the camp. The application for today: God cares about organization and about each person or group having a defined role within the community's larger purpose.

Fun facts

  • The book's name in Hebrew is Bemidbar ('In the wilderness'), while 'Numbers' comes from the Greek and Latin tradition, because of the two censuses that structure the book (chapters 1 and 26).
  • The number of men fit for war (603,550) is nearly identical to the total given in Exodus 38:26 at the start of the journey, about a year earlier, showing the consistency of the biblical records between the two books.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Números 1:1This verse marks when and where the order for the census was given: in the wilderness of Sinai, one year after leaving Egypt. It is the date that officially opens the book of Numbers.
  2. Números 1:2This census is not a statistical curiosity: God commands that only men twenty years old and up who are able to bear arms be counted, because the people are about to go to war for the promised land. It is a military enlistment, tribe by tribe, to find out how many soldiers each one could put in the field. The Levites are left out of this count because their role was not to fight, but to care for the tabernacle.
  3. Números 1:3The minimum age of twenty and the ability to go to war were the census’s two criteria: only men fit to fight were counted, not the whole population.
  4. Números 1:4To help Moses and Aaron take the count, each tribe was to appoint a representative, the head of that tribe’s leading family. The names of these twelve men are listed in the verses that follow.
  5. Números 1:5Elizur son of Shedeur is the representative chosen by the tribe of Reuben to help with the census. The list that follows names one leader from each of the twelve tribes.
  6. Números 1:6Simeon appoints Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai as its representative for the count. Every name here belongs to a family head, not a king or a general.
  7. Números 1:7From the tribe of Judah comes Nahshon son of Amminadab — the same Judah that would later produce the line of David. Here he appears simply as one representative among the twelve.
  8. Números 1:8Issachar chooses Nethaneel son of Zuar to represent it in the census. This is a tribe remembered elsewhere for understanding the times, but here it counts simply as one of the twelve.
  9. Números 1:9Zebulun sends Eliab son of Helon as its representative. This tribe, associated with the coast and maritime trade, enters the list like any other.
  10. Números 1:10The sons of Joseph form two tribes, Ephraim and Manasseh, each with its own representative: Elishama for Ephraim, Gamaliel for Manasseh. This is how Joseph ends up counted twice, through Jacob’s grandsons.
  11. Números 1:11Benjamin, the youngest tribe, is represented by Abidan son of Gideoni. Despite being the youngest, it enters the count with the same standing as the rest.
  12. Números 1:12Dan chooses Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai to represent it. This tribe will turn out, later in the chapter, to be one of the largest of all.
  13. Números 1:13Asher appoints Pagiel son of Ocran as its representative for the census.
  14. Números 1:14Gad has Eliasaph son of Deuel as its representative for the count.
  15. Números 1:15Naphtali closes the list with Ahira son of Enan. With these twelve appointments made, the work of the census could officially begin.
  16. Números 1:16These twelve men were the ones summoned from the congregation, heads of the tribes and leaders of the thousands of Israel — a kind of council of representatives that helped Moses organize the people.
  17. Números 1:17Moses and Aaron call together the twelve men named in the previous verses to begin the work of counting the people.
  18. Números 1:18On the first day of the second month, the whole congregation gathers for the census, each family declaring its lineage, one by one, from the age of twenty up.
  19. Números 1:19The text stresses that Moses did exactly as the Lord had commanded, counting the people right there in the wilderness of Sinai — a phrase that is repeated at the end of the chapter to close out the account.
  20. Números 1:20Here begins, tribe by tribe, the results of the census. Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, is counted first, even though he had lost his right to leadership over a past mistake.
  21. Números 1:21The tribe of Reuben totals 46,500 men fit for war — the first number in a list that runs tribe by tribe until it closes with the chapter’s grand total.
  22. Números 1:22Simeon is the second tribe counted, following the same standard: men twenty years old and up, able to fight.
  23. Números 1:23Simeon totals 59,300 men — a number that, by the second census in chapter 26, will drop sharply, reflecting the hard years in the wilderness.
  24. Números 1:24Gad is the third tribe counted, also based on the same rule of age and fitness for war.
  25. Números 1:25The tribe of Gad totals 45,650 men, a sizable contingent among the twelve tribes listed.
  26. Números 1:26Now comes Judah’s turn, a tribe that would later stand out in Israel’s history, not least for producing the line of David.
  27. Números 1:27Judah totals 74,600 men, the largest number among all the tribes — a sign, even here, of the prominent role it would come to play.
  28. Números 1:28Issachar is the next tribe counted by the same standard of age and fitness for war.
  29. Números 1:29Issachar lands in the middle of the table: more people than Reuben or Gad, but well behind Judah, which alone totals 74,600 men, the largest of all twelve tribes.
  30. Números 1:30Zebulun enters the count right after, following the same rule applied to all the tribes.
  31. Números 1:31In the ranking of the twelve tribes, Zebulun comes in fourth place, behind only Judah, Dan, and Simeon — ahead of names bigger in history, like Reuben and Ephraim.
  32. Números 1:32Now comes the turn of Joseph’s sons: first Ephraim, counted separately as its own tribe.
  33. Números 1:33Ephraim totals 40,500 men — fewer than Manasseh, even though Jacob’s blessing had placed Ephraim ahead of his older brother.
  34. Números 1:34Manasseh, the other tribe descended from Joseph, is counted next.
  35. Números 1:35Manasseh totals 32,200 men, the smallest number among the twelve tribes in this first census.
  36. Números 1:36Notice the pattern: this bureaucratic formula — “from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war” — is copied, word for word, for each of the twelve tribes; only the name changes. Benjamin’s total appears in the next verse.
  37. Números 1:37Among the twelve tribes, Benjamin is the second smallest: only Manasseh has fewer men. Small as it was, it would produce Israel’s first king, Saul.
  38. Números 1:38The same formula used for the other eleven tribes — “from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war” — is repeated for Dan. Its total, 62,700 men, comes next: the second-largest tribe in the census, behind only Judah.
  39. Números 1:39Dan totals 62,700 men — the second-largest tribe after Judah, a detail that explains its prominent position later in the camp.
  40. Números 1:40Asher is counted right after Dan, following the same pattern used throughout the chapter.
  41. Números 1:41Asher lands in the middle range of the table: more people than Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh, but well fewer than Judah or Dan, the two largest tribes in the census.
  42. Números 1:42Naphtali is the last of the twelve tribes counted, one by one, in this chapter — its total, 53,400 men, closes the list before the grand sum: 603,550 men in the whole people.
  43. Números 1:43Naphtali totals 53,400 men, closing out the tribe-by-tribe count before the grand total.
  44. Números 1:44This was the joint work of Moses, Aaron, and the twelve chosen leaders, one representative per family, confirming the numbers presented tribe by tribe.
  45. Números 1:45Here the text sums it all up: this was the complete count of all the men of Israel, twenty years old and up, fit to go to war.
  46. Números 1:46The census’s grand total comes to 603,550 men — the sum of all twelve tribes counted in this chapter.
  47. Números 1:47Unlike the other tribes, the Levites are not included in this count, because their role in the camp was different, as the following verses explain.
  48. Números 1:48The reason for excluding the Levites from the military census was no accident: the Lord Himself had given Moses this specific instruction.
  49. Números 1:49While the other twelve tribes are counted for war, the Levites are left off this list because they have a different job: caring for the tabernacle, transporting it, and setting it up at every stop. That is why, later on, they pitch their tents around the sanctuary rather than in the battle ranks. It is a way of separating those who fight from those who care for the sacred place.
  50. Números 1:50Instead of going to war, the Levites are placed in charge of the tabernacle and everything that belongs to it: transporting it, setting it up, and camping around it.
  51. Números 1:51Only the Levites were allowed to take down and set up the tabernacle at each stop along the journey; any outsider who came near that work risked death, a sign of how seriously the care of the sacred space was taken.
  52. Números 1:52The rest of the people were to pitch their tents organized by group, each family under its own standard — the same arrangement that chapter 2 will detail position by position.
  53. Números 1:53The Levites camped around the tabernacle as a form of protection: they stood between the common people and the most sacred space, preventing anyone from approaching it carelessly and bringing consequences on everyone.
  54. Números 1:54The chapter ends with the same statement of obedience that opened the census: the Israelites did everything exactly as the Lord had commanded Moses.

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