Go and teach all nations
Numbers 1:20-46
The census of Israel’s soldiers; the total number of men was 603 550
v20-v46 They counted the men from each tribe who were 20 years old or older. These men were able to fight in Israel’s army.
46 500 men from the tribe of Jacob’s oldest son, Reuben.
59 300 men from Simeon’s tribe.
45 650 men from Gad’s tribe.
74 600 men from Judah’s tribe.
54 400 men from Issachar’s tribe.
57 400 men from Zebulun’s tribe.
40 500 men from the tribe of Ephraim, Joseph’s son.
32 200 men from the tribe of Manasseh, Joseph’s son.
35 400 men from Benjamin’s tribe.
62 700 men from Dan’s tribe.
41 500 men from Asher’s tribe.
53 400 men from Naphtali’s tribe.
Moses, Aaron and the 12 leaders counted all these men. They registered each man’s name by his clan and family. The total number of men was 603 550.
Verses 20-46 - There were 603 550 strong, healthy men who were 20 years old or older. This number does not include women, girls, boys under 20 years old, old people or ill people. It does not include Levi’s tribe. Levi’s tribe were not soldiers. They had a different job to do. So Moses counted them later.
This means that there were between two and five million people in the camp. This was a very large group of people.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2009, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info.
Go and teach all nations