The LORD spoke by special revelation to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai in the Tent of Meeting on athe first day of the second month in the second year after the 1Israelites came out of the land of Egypt, saying,In general, sons (children) of Israel or Israel or Israelites refers to all the people (males and females) of the various tribes descended from the twelve sons (Gen 35:23-26) of Jacob (later renamed Israel by God). In verses concerning things such as warfare or circumcision sons of Israel or Israel or Israelites usually refers only to the males. Tribes of ancient peoples were identified by the name of their founding ancestor. Therefore, this same general rule applies when referring to individual tribal groups, e.g. sons of Reuben, Reuben, Reubenites and so throughout.Ex 40:2, 17 2 “aTake a census of all the congregation of the sons of Israel, by their families , by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, every male, 1head by headLit by their skulls, also the root word for “Golgotha.”Ex 12:37; 38:25, 26; Num 26:2 3 from atwenty years old and upward, all in Israel who are able to go out to war. You and Aaron shall number them, army by army.Ex 30:14; 38:26 4 And with you there shall be a man to assist you from each tribe, aeach being the head of his father’s household.Ex 18:21, 25; Num 1:16; Deut 1:15 5 These then are the names of the men who shall stand with you: afrom the tribe of Reuben, Elizur the son of Shedeur;Gen 29:32; Ex 1:2; Deut 33:6; Rev 7:5 6 from the tribe of Simeon, Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai; 7 from the tribe of Judah, aNahshon the son of Amminadab;Ruth 4:20; 1 Chr 2:10; Luke 3:32 8 from the tribe of Issachar, Nethanel the son of Zuar; 9 from the tribe of Zebulun, Eliab the son of Helon; 10 from the sons of Joseph: from the tribe of 1Ephraim, Elishama the son of Ammihud; from the tribe of Manasseh, Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur;Ephraim was the second son born to Joseph in Egypt, but he was chosen over his elder brother, Manasseh, by his grandfather, Jacob (Israel) to receive the birthright blessing (the double portion). Joshua, the great leader who took command after the death of Moses, was from the tribe of Ephraim. Eventually, Ephraim dominated the other nine tribes of Israel, the Northern Kingdom. “Ephraim” is often used interchangeably with “Israel” to refer to the ten tribes of the north. 11 from the tribe of Benjamin, Abidan the son of Gideoni; 12 from the tribe of Dan, Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai; 13 from the tribe of Asher, Pagiel the son of Ochran; 14 from the tribe of Gad, Eliasaph the son of aDeuel;Num 2:14 15 from the tribe of Naphtali, Ahira the son of Enan. 16 These men were the ones acalled from the congregation, the leaders of their fathers’ tribes; bthey were the heads of thousands the highest ranking officers in Israel.”Ex 18:21; Num 7:2; 16:2; 26:9Ex 18:25
17 So Moses and Aaron took these men who were designated by name, 18 and assembled all the congregation on the afirst day of the second month, and they registered by bancestry in their families , by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names from twenty years old and upward, head by head,Num 1:1Ezra 2:59; Heb 7:3 19 just as athe LORD had commanded Moses. So he numbered them in the Wilderness of Sinai.2 Sam 24:1
20 aThe sons of Reuben, Israel’s firstborn, their generations, by their families , by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, head by head, every male from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go to war:Num 26:5-7 21 those of the tribe of Reuben numbered 46,500.
22 aOf the sons of Simeon, their descendants, by their families , by their fathers’ households, their numbered men according to the number of names, head by head, every male from twenty years old and upward, ball who were able to go to war:Num 26:12-14Ps 144:1 23 those of the tribe of Simeon numbered 59,300.
24 aOf the sons of Gad, their descendants, by their families , by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go to war:Gen 30:11; Num 26:15-18; Josh 4:12; Jer 49:1 25 those of the tribe of Gad numbered 45,650.
26 aOf the sons of Judah, their descendants, by their families , by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go to war:Gen 29:35; Num 26:19-22; 2 Sam 24:9; Ps 78:68; Matt 1:2 27 those of the tribe of Judah numbered 74,600.
28 aOf the sons of Issachar, their descendants, by their families , by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go to war:Num 26:23-25 29 those of the tribe of Issachar numbered 54,400.
30 aOf the sons of Zebulun, their descendants, by their families , by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go to war:Num 26:26, 27 31 those of the tribe of Zebulun numbered 57,400.
32 aOf the sons of Joseph: the sons of Ephraim, their descendants, by their families , by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go to war:Num 26:35-37; Deut 33:13-17; Jer 7:15; Obad 19 33 those of the tribe of Ephraim numbered 40,500.
34 aOf the sons of Manasseh, their descendants, by their families , by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go to war:Num 26:28-34 35 those of the tribe of Manasseh numbered 32,200.
36 aOf the sons of Benjamin, their descendants, by their families , by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go to war:Gen 49:27; Num 26:38-41; 2 Chr 17:17; Rev 7:8 37 those of the tribe of Benjamin numbered 35,400.
38 aOf the sons of Dan, their descendants, by their families , by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go to war:Gen 30:6; 46:23; Num 2:25; 26:42, 43 39 those of the tribe of Dan numbered 62,700.
40 aOf the sons of Asher, their descendants, by their families , by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go to war:Num 26:44-47 41 those of the tribe of Asher numbered 41,500.
42 aOf the sons of Naphtali, their descendants, by their families , by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go to war:Num 26:48-50 43 those of the tribe of Naphtali numbered 53,400.
44 These were the ones who were numbered, whom Moses and Aaron numbered, with the leaders of Israel, twelve men, each representing his fathers’ household. 45 So all those numbered of the sons of Israel, by their fathers’ households, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go to war in Israel, 46 all who were numbered were a603,550.Ex 12:37; 38:26; Num 2:32; 26:51
47 aThe Levites, however, were not numbered among them by their fathers’ tribe.Num 2:33; 3:14-39; 4:49; 26:57-64 48 For the LORD had said to Moses, 49 “Only the tribe of Levi ayou shall not number, nor shall you take their census among the sons of Israel since they are unavailable to go to war.Num 26:62 50 But aappoint the Levites over the tabernacle of the Testimony, and over all its furnishings and all things that belong to it. They shall carry the tabernacle when traveling and all its furnishings, and they shall take care of it and camp around it.Ex 38:21; Num 3:6-8, 25-37; 4:15, 25-27, 31, 32 51 aWhen the tabernacle is to go forward, the Levites shall take it down; and when the tabernacle is to be set up for camp, the Levites shall set it up. But bthe layman who approaches the tabernacle shall be put to death.Num 4:1-33Num 3:10, 38; 4:15, 19, 20 52 aThe Israelites shall camp according to their armies, every man by his own camp and every man by his own tribal standard .Num 2:2, 34 53 aBut the Levites shall camp around the tabernacle of the Testimony, so that there will be bno wrath against the congregation of the Israelites. cThe Levites shall be in charge of the tabernacle of the Testimony.”Num 3:23, 29, 35, 38Lev 10:6; Num 16:46; 18:5Num 8:24; 18:2-4; 1 Chr 23:32 54 Thus the sons of Israel did these things; according to all that the LORD had commanded Moses, so they did.