Numbers 1 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.
Time Period
the second month of the second year after the exodus from Egypt, traditionally dated to the fifteenth or thirteenth century BC
Location
the wilderness of Sinai, at the camp around the newly erected tent of meeting, in the desert plain below the mountain
Audience
the generation of Israelites preparing to enter Canaan, and later readers tracing how the nation was organised before the journey
Situation
God tells Moses to take a census of every Israelite man twenty years old and older who can serve in the army, counted by tribe with a named chief helping from each. The Levites are excluded from this count and assigned instead to carry, guard, and set up the sanctuary.
Key Background
A military muster was a standard first step before a campaign in the ancient Near East, and the census here is a war roll rather than a population survey, which is why women, children, and older men are absent from the totals. The Hebrew word translated thousand can also mean a clan or a military unit, which is one reason the very large totals have been read in different ways. Exempting the Levites matches a wider ancient practice of keeping temple personnel off the battle rolls, and it sets up the arrangement where the tribe that handles holy things stands between the sanctuary and everyone else.
Yahweh spoke to Moses in the of Sinai, in the of on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt. He said:
"Take a of the entire of Israel's descendants, by their and their families, listing every male individually by name —
every man in Israel who is twenty years old or older and able to in the You and Aaron are to count them, unit by unit.
One man from each tribe will serve with you — each one the of
These are the names of the men who will assist you: From — Elizur son of Shedeur.
From — Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai.
From — Nahshon son of Amminadab.
From — Nethanel son of Zuar.
From — Eliab son of Helon.
From the of — from Elishama son of Ammihud; from Manasseh: Gamaliel son of Pedahzur.
From — Abidan son of Gideoni.
From — Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai.
From — Pagiel son of Ocran.
From — Eliasaph son of Deuel.
From — Ahira son of Enan.
These were the ones from the community — leaders of their ancestral tribes, heads over the of Israel.
Moses and Aaron took these men who had been designated by name,
and on the first day of the second month, they assembled the entire community. Every man by — by clan and by family — each one twenty years old or older listed individually by name,
exactly as Yahweh had commanded Moses. And so he counted them in the wilderness of Sinai.
From the descendants of Reuben, Israel's — their genealogical records by clan and family, counting every male individually, everyone twenty years old or older who was able to serve in the army —
those counted from the tribe of Reuben: 46,500.
From the descendants of Simeon — their genealogical records by clan and family, counting every male individually, everyone twenty years old or older who was able to serve in the army —
those counted from the tribe of Simeon: 59,300.
From the descendants of Gad — their genealogical records by clan and family, counting every male individually, everyone twenty years old or older who was able to serve in the army —
those counted from the tribe of Gad: 45,650.
From the descendants of Judah — their genealogical records by clan and family, counting every male individually, everyone twenty years old or older who was able to serve in the army —
those counted from the tribe of Judah: 74,600.
From the descendants of Issachar — their genealogical records by clan and family, counting every male individually, everyone twenty years old or older who was able to serve in the army —
those counted from the tribe of Issachar: 54,400.
From the descendants of Zebulun — their genealogical records by clan and family, counting every male individually, everyone twenty years old or older who was able to serve in the army —
those counted from the tribe of Zebulun: 57,400.
From the descendants of Joseph — from Ephraim: their genealogical records by clan and family, counting every male individually, everyone twenty years old or older who was able to serve in the army —
those counted from the tribe of Ephraim: 40,500.
From the descendants of — their genealogical records by clan and family, counting every male individually, everyone twenty years old or older who was able to serve in the army —
those counted from the tribe of Manasseh: 32,200.
From the descendants of Benjamin — their genealogical records by clan and family, counting every male individually, everyone twenty years old or older who was able to serve in the army —
those counted from the tribe of Benjamin: 35,400.
From the descendants of Dan — their genealogical records by clan and family, counting every male individually, everyone twenty years old or older who was able to serve in the army —
those counted from the tribe of Dan: 62,700.
From the descendants of Asher — their genealogical records by clan and family, counting every male individually, everyone twenty years old or older who was able to serve in the army —
those counted from the tribe of Asher: 41,500.
From the descendants of Naphtali — their genealogical records by clan and family, counting every male individually, everyone twenty years old or older who was able to serve in the army —
those counted from the tribe of Naphtali: 53,400.
These were the men counted by Moses and Aaron, along with the twelve leaders of Israel, each one representing his ancestral family.
The total count of Israelites — every man twenty years old or older who was able to serve in Israel's army, counted by their ancestral families —
the grand total was 603,550.
The however, were not counted along with the others by their ancestral tribe.
Yahweh had said to Moses:
"Do not count the tribe of Levi or include them in the census with the rest of the Israelites.
Instead, put the Levites in charge of the of the — all its equipment and everything that belongs to it. They are to carry the and all its equipment, take care of it, and set up camp around it.