The generation that had rebelled against God had all passed away. It was time for a new generation to enter the promised land. What was their number? Does this metaphorically picture a chosen number who cross the Jordan into that eternal promised land? Let’s look at Numbers 26.
What were Moses and Eleazar to do after the punishment for interfaith marriage and fornication was over?
After the Lord had stopped the deadly disease from killing the Israelites, he said to Moses and Eleazar son of Aaron, “I want you to find out how many Israelites are in each family. Then make a list of every man 20 years and older who is able to serve in Israel's army.” Israel was now camped in the hills of Moab across the Jordan River from the town of Jericho. Moses and Eleazar told them what the Lord had said about counting the men 20 years and older, just as Moses and their ancestors had done when they left Egypt. (Numbers 26:1-4 CEV)
What was the count of the various clans of Reuben?
Reuben, the firstborn of Israel; the sons of Reuben: of Hanoch, the clan of the Hanochites; of Pallu, the clan of the Palluites; of Hezron, the clan of the Hezronites; of Carmi, the clan of the Carmites. These are the clans of the Reubenites, and those listed were 43,730. And the sons of Pallu: Eliab. The sons of Eliab: Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. These are the Dathan and Abiram, chosen from the congregation, who contended against Moses and Aaron in the company of Korah, when they contended against the Lord and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up together with Korah, when that company died, when the fire devoured 250 men, and they became a warning. But the sons of Korah did not die. (Numbers 26:5-11 ESV)
What was the count of the various clans of Simeon? Why were there only about a third of their number left? Could it be that most of the 24,000 who died in the recent punishment were Simeonites?
Simeon’s descendants by their clans: the Nemuelite clan from Nemuel; the Jaminite clan from Jamin; the Jachinite clan from Jachin; the Zerahite clan from Zerah; the Shaulite clan from Shaul. These were the Simeonite clans, numbering 22,200 men. (Numbers 26:12-14 HCSB)
What was the count of the various clans of Gad?
The descendants of Gad, listed according to their families, included: From Zephon, the family of the descendants of Zephon; from Haggi, the family of the descendants of Haggi; from Shuni, the family of the descendants of Shuni; from Ozni, the family of the descendants of Ozni; from Eri, the family of the descendants of Eri; from Arod, the family of the descendants of Arod; and from Areli, the family of the descendants of Areli. These families of the descendants of Gad numbered 40,500. (Numbers 26:15-18 ISV)
What was the count of the various clans of Judah?
The sons of Judah were Er and Onan: and Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. And the sons of Judah after their families were; of Shelah, the family of the Shelanites: of Pharez, the family of the Pharzites: of Zerah, the family of the Zarhites. And the sons of Pharez were; of Hezron, the family of the Hezronites: of Hamul, the family of the Hamulites. These are the families of Judah according to those that were numbered of them, threescore and sixteen thousand and five hundred. (Numbers 26:19-22 KJV)
What was the count of the various clans of Issachar?
The sons of Issachar according to their families: of Tola, the family of the Tolaites; of Puvah, the family of the Punites; of Jashub, the family of the Jashubites; of Shimron, the family of the Shimronites. These are the families of Issachar according to those who were numbered of them, 64,300. (Numbers 26:23-25 LSB)
What was the count of the various clans of Zebulun?
The sons of Zebulun by their families: of Sered, the family of the Seredites; of Elon, the family of the Elonites; of Jahleel, the family of the Jahleelites. These are the families of the Zebulunites by those who were numbered of them, 60,500. (Numbers 26:26-27 NASB)
What was the count of the various clans of Joseph, from Manasseh? Could their large numbers be because of the double blessing on Joseph?
The descendants of Joseph by their clans through Manasseh and Ephraim were: The descendants of Manasseh: through Makir, the Makirite clan (Makir was the father of Gilead); through Gilead, the Gileadite clan. These were the descendants of Gilead: through Iezer, the Iezerite clan; through Helek, the Helekite clan; through Asriel, the Asrielite clan; through Shechem, the Shechemite clan; through Shemida, the Shemidaite clan; through Hepher, the Hepherite clan. (Zelophehad son of Hepher had no sons; he had only daughters, whose names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milkah and Tirzah.) These were the clans of Manasseh; those numbered were 52,700. (Numbers 26:28-34 NIV)
What was the count of the various clans of Joseph, from Ephraim?
These were the clans descended from the sons of Ephraim: The Shuthelahite clan, named after their ancestor Shuthelah. The Bekerite clan, named after their ancestor Beker. The Tahanite clan, named after their ancestor Tahan. This was the subclan descended from the Shuthelahites: The Eranites, named after their ancestor Eran. These were the clans of Ephraim. Their registered troops numbered 32,500. These clans of Manasseh and Ephraim were all descendants of Joseph. (Numbers 26:35-37 NLT)
What was the count of the various clans of Benjamin?
The 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; of Shephupham, the family of the Shuphamites; of Hupham, the family of the Huphamites. The sons of Bela were Ard and Naaman: the family of the Ardites; and of Naaman, the family of the Naamites. These are the sons of Benjamin after their families; and those who were counted of them were forty-five thousand six hundred. (Numbers 26:38-41 WEB)
What was the count of the various clans of Dan?
These are Dan’s descendants according to their clans: from Shuham, the Shuhamite clan. These are the Danite clans according to their clans. All the Shuhamite clans according to their enrollment were 64,400. (Numbers 26:42-43 CEB)
What was the count of the various clans of Asher?
There were 53,400 men from the tribe of Asher; they were from the clans of Imnah, Ishvi, and Beriah, and from the two clans of Heber and Malchiel, the sons of Beriah. Asher's daughter was Serah. (Numbers 26:44-47 CEV)
What was the count of the various clans of Naphtali and what was the grand total?
The sons of Naphtali according to their clans: of Jahzeel, the clan of the Jahzeelites; of Guni, the clan of the Gunites; of Jezer, the clan of the Jezerites; of Shillem, the clan of the Shillemites. These are the clans of Naphtali according to their clans, and those listed were 45,400. This was the list of the people of Israel, 601,730. (Numbers 26:48-51 ESV)
How was the land to be divided equitably among the tribes? Would such a distribution into private hands be a preventative measure against oligarchy?
The Lord spoke to Moses, “The land is to be divided among them as an inheritance based on the number of names. Increase the inheritance for a large tribe and decrease it for a small one. Each is to be given its inheritance according to those who were registered in it. The land must be divided by lot; they will receive an inheritance according to the names of their ancestral tribes. Each inheritance will be divided by lot among the larger and smaller tribes.” (Numbers 26:52-56 HCSB)
How were the Levites numbered among their three clans?
Those who were numbered from the descendants of Levi, listed according to their families, included: From Gershon, the family of the descendants of Gershon; from Kohath, the family of the descendants of Kohath; and from Merari, the family of the descendants of Merari. These were the families of Levi: The family of the descendants of Libni, the family of the descendants of Hebron, the family of the descendants of Mahli, the family of the descendants of Musha, and the family of the descendants of Korah. Now Kohath had a son named Amram. Amram’s wife was Levi’s daughter Jochebed, who was born to Levi in Egypt. She gave birth to Aaron, Moses, and their sister Miriam. To Aaron were born Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. But Nadab and Abihu died when they offered unauthorized fire in the Lord’s presence. All of those individuals numbered 23,000. No male from the age of a month and above was numbered among the Israelis because no inheritance was to be assigned to them among the Israelis. (Numbers 26:57-62 ISV)
Did this number exclude that generation that rebelled against God?
These are they that were numbered by Moses and Eleazar the priest, who numbered the children of Israel in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho. But among these there was not a man of them whom Moses and Aaron the priest numbered, when they numbered the children of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai. For the Lord 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. (Numbers 26:63-65 KJV)
Is there a more important number for Israel to be a part of?
And I heard the number of those having been sealed, 144,000 sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel (Revelation 7:4 LSB)
Will a chosen people from all nations also inherit an eternal promised land?
After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all the tribes, peoples, and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands (Revelation 7:9 NASB)
The generation that had rebelled against God had all passed away. It was time for a new generation to enter the promised land. What was their number? Does this metaphorically picture a chosen number who cross the Jordan into that eternal promised land? You Decide!
