New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
Numbers 26
1
After the plague the Lord spoke to Moses and the priest Eleazar. Eleazar was the son of Aaron. The Lord said,
Reference
Parallel theme
Numbers 25:9
2
"Count all of the men of Israel. Make a list of them by their families. Count all of the men who are able to serve in Israel's army. They must be 20 years old or more."
3
At that time the people of Israel were on the flatlands of Moab. They were by the Jordan River across from Jericho. Moses and the priest Eleazar spoke with them. They said,
Reference
4
"Count all of the men who are 20 years old or more. Do it just as the Lord commanded Moses." Here are the men of Israel who came out of Egypt.
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References Lord
Numbers 1:1
5
Reuben was Israel's oldest son. Here are the names of his sons. The Hanochite family came from Hanoch. The Palluite family came from Pallu.
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6
The Hezronite family came from Hezron. The Carmite family came from Carmi.
7
Those were the families of Reuben. The number of men was 43,730.
8
Eliab was the son of Pallu.
9
Eliab's sons were Nemuel, Dathan and Abiram. Dathan and Abiram were the same community officials who refused to obey Moses and Aaron. They were among the followers of Korah who refused to obey the Lord.
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People
Parallel theme
Numbers 1:16
10
The ground opened its mouth. It swallowed them up along with Korah. The followers of Korah died when fire burned up 250 men. Their deaths were a warning to the rest of Israel.
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Parallel theme
Numbers 16:38
2 Peter 2:6
Jeremiah 29:22
Ezekiel 14:8
Numbers 16:2
1 Samuel 2:34
Jude 1:7
11
But the family line of Korah didn't die out completely.
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Parallel theme
Exodus 6:24
12
Here are the names of Simeon's sons. They are listed by their families. The Nemuelite family came from Nemuel. The Jaminite family came from Jamin. The Jakinite family came from Jakin.
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13
The Zerahite family came from Zerah. The Shaulite family came from Shaul.
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Parallel theme
Genesis 46:10
14
Those were the families of Simeon. The number of the men was 22,200.
15
Here are the names of Gad's sons. They are listed by their families. The Zephonite family came from Zephon. The Haggite family came from Haggi. The Shunite family came from Shuni.
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Parallel theme
Genesis 46:16
16
The Oznite family came from Ozni. The Erite family came from Eri.
17
The Arodite family came from Arodi. The Arelite family came from Areli.
18
Those were the families of Gad. The number of the men was 40,500.
19
Er and Onan were sons of Judah. But they died in Canaan.
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Parallel theme
Genesis 46:12
20
Here are the names of Judah's sons. They are listed by their families. The Shelanite family came from Shelah. The Perezite family came from Perez. The Zerahite family came from Zerah.
Reference
21
Here are the names of the sons of Perez. The Hezronite family came from Hezron. The Hamulite family came from Hamul.
22
Those were the families of Judah. The number of the men was 76,500.
23
Here are the names of Issachar's sons. They are listed by their families. The Tolaite family came from Tola. The Puite family came from Puah.
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24
The Jashubite family came from Jashub. The Shimronite family came from Shimron.
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Parallel theme
Genesis 46:13
25
Those were the families of Issachar. The number of the men was 64,300.
26
Here are the names of Zebulun's sons. They are listed by their families. The Seredite family came from Sered. The Elonite family came from Elon. The Jahleelite family came from Jahleel.
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Parallel theme
Genesis 46:14
27
Those were the families of Zebulun. The number of the men was 60,500.
28
Here are the names of Joseph's sons. They are listed by their families. The families came from Manasseh and Ephraim, the sons of Joseph.
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Parallel theme
Genesis 46:20
29
Here are the names of Manasseh's sons. The Makirite family came from Makir. Makir was the father of Gilead. The Gileadite family came from Gilead.
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People
30
Here are the names of Gilead's sons. The Iezerite family came from Iezer. The Helekite family came from Helek.
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People
33
Zelophehad was the son of Hepher. Zelophehad didn't have any sons. All he had was daughters. Their names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah.
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People
Parallel theme
Numbers 27:1
34
Those were the families of Manasseh. The number of the men was 52,700.
35
Here are the names of Ephraim's sons. They are listed by their families. The Shuthelahite family came from Shuthelah. The Bekerite family came from Beker. The Tahanite family came from Tahan.
People
36
The sons of Shuthelah were the Eranite family. They came from Eran.
37
Those were the families of Ephraim. The number of the men was 32,500. Those were the sons of Joseph. They are listed by their families.
38
Here are the names of Benjamin's sons. They are listed by their families. The Belaite family came from Bela. The Ashbelite family came from Ashbel. The Ahiramite family came from Ahiram.
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Parallel theme
1 Chronicles 8:1
39
The Shuphamite family came from Shupham. The Huphamite family came from Hupham.
40
Bela's sons came from Ard and Naaman. The Ardite family came from Ard. The Naamite family came from Naaman.
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Parallel theme
1 Chronicles 8:3
41
Those were the families of Benjamin. The number of the men was 45,600.
42
Here is the name of Dan's son. He is listed by his family. The Shuhamite family came from Shuham. That was the family of Dan.
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Parallel theme
Genesis 46:23
43
All of the men in Dan's family were Shuhamites. The number of the men was 64,400.
44
Here are the names of Asher's sons. They are listed by their families. The Imnite family came from Imnah. The Ishvite family came from Ishvi. The Beriite family came from Beriah.
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45
Here are the names of the families that came from Beriah's sons. The Heberite family came from Heber. The Malkielite family came from Malkiel.
46
Asher also had a daughter named Serah.
47
Those were the families of Asher. The number of the men was 53,400.
48
Here are the names of Naphtali's sons. They are listed by their families. The Jahzeelite family came from Jahzeel. The Gunite family came from Guni.
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49
The Jezerite family came from Jezer. The Shillemite family came from Shillem.
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Parallel theme
1 Chronicles 7:13
50
Those were the families of Naphtali. The number of the men was 45,400.
51
The total number of the men of Israel was 601,730.
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Parallel theme
Numbers 1:46
52
The Lord spoke to Moses. He said,
53
"I will give the land to them. The amount of land each family receives will be based on the number of its men.
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54
Give a larger share to a larger family. Give a smaller share to a smaller family. Each family will receive its share based on the number of men who are listed in it.
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Parallel theme
Numbers 33:54
55
"Be sure that you use lots when you give out the land. What each family receives will be based on the number of men listed in its tribe.
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56
Use lots when you give out each share. Use lots for the larger and smaller families alike."
57
Here are the names of the Levites. They are listed by their families. The Gershonite family came from Gershon. The Kohathite family came from Kohath. The Merarite family came from Merari.
Reference
58
Here are the names of the other Levite families. They are the Libnite family, the Hebronite family, the Mahlite family, the Mushite family, the Korahite family. Amram came from the Kohathite family.
59
The name of Amram's wife was Jochebed. She was from the family line of Levi. She was born to the Levites in Egypt. Aaron, Moses and their sister Miriam were born in the family line of Amram and Jochebed.
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References Moses
Exodus 6:20
60
Aaron was the father of Nadab and Abihu. He was also the father of Eleazar and Ithamar.
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Parallel theme
Numbers 3:2
61
But Nadab and Abihu made an offering to the Lord by using fire that wasn't allowed. So they died.
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References Lord
Numbers 3:4
62
The number of male Levites who were a month old or more was 23,000. They weren't listed along with the other men of Israel. That's because they didn't receive a share among them.
Reference
Parallel theme
Deuteronomy 10:9
Numbers 3:39
Joshua 14:3
References Israel
Numbers 1:49
Joshua 13:14
Joshua 13:33
63
Those are the men who were counted by Moses and the priest Eleazar. At that time the people of Israel were on the flatlands of Moab. They were by the Jordan River across from Jericho.
64
The men of Israel had been counted before in the Sinai Desert by Moses and the priest Aaron. But not one of them was among the men who were counted this time.
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Summary of Numbers 26
The book of numbers chapter 26 contains a census of the Israelites that was conducted after the plague and just before entering the promised land. The firstborn of the children of Israel had perished in the wilderness. God therefore instructed Moses and Eleazar the priest to number the second generation that came out of Egypt. They were to take a census of all the men of Israel who were twenty years of age and upwards that could go to war. Moses and Eleazar took the census of all the sons of Israel according to their families and their tribes.
The tribe of Reuben was the first to be numbered. The families of the tribe of Reuben were the sons of Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron and Carmi. The total number of men counted in the tribe of Reuben was 43,730.
The tribe of Simeon was the second to be numbered. The families of the tribe of Simeon were the sons of Nemuel, Jamin, Jachin, Zerah and Shaul. The tribe of Simeon had 22,200 men. This was a great decrease from the previous census.
The tribe of Gad was the third to be numbered. The families of the tribe of Gad were the sons of Zephon, Haggi, Shuni, Ozni, Eri, Arod and Areli. The tribe of Gad had 40,500 men.
The tribe of Judah was the fourth to be numbered. The families of the tribe of Judah were the sons of Shelah, Pharez, Zerah, Hezron and Hamul. The tribe of Judah had 76,500 men.
The tribe of Issachar was the fifth to be numbered. The families of the tribe of Issachar were the sons of Tola, Pua, Jashub and Shimron. The tribe of Issachar had 64,300 men.
The tribe of Zebulun was the sixth to be numbered. The families of the tribe of Zebulun were the sons of Sered, Elon and Jahleel. The tribe of Zebulun had 60,500 men.
The tribe of Joseph's sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, was the seventh to be numbered. The families of the tribe of Manasseh were the sons of Machir, Gilead, Jeezer, Helek, Asriel, Shechem, Shemida and Hepher. The tribe of Ephraim had three families namely Shuthelah, Becher and Tahan. The descendants of Shuthelah were Eran. The tribe of Manasseh had 52,700 men while the tribe of Ephraim had 32,500 men.
The tribe of Benjamin was the eighth to be numbered. The families of the tribe of Benjamin were the sons of Bela, Ashbel, Ahiram, Shupham and Hupham. The tribe of Benjamin had 45,600 men.
The tribe of Dan was the ninth to be numbered. The families of the tribe of Dan were the sons of Shuham and numbered 64,400 men.
The tribe of Asher was the tenth to be numbered. The families of the tribe of Asher were the sons of Jimna, Jesui, Beriah, Heber and Malchiel. The descendants of Beriah were Heber and Malchiel. The tribe of Asher had 53,400 men.
The tribe of Naphtali was the eleventh to be numbered. The families of the tribe of Naphtali were the sons of Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer and Shillem. The tribe of Naphtali had 45,400 men.
The total number of men counted in the twelve tribes of Israel was 601,730 men who were twenty years old and upwards and could go to war.
This census was different from the one taken at the beginning of the book of Numbers. The number of men who were counted in the first census at Sinai was 603,550 men. The difference in the two numbers shows that the generation of the Exodus had perished in the wilderness as a result of the plague that befell Israel after their persistent complaining.
God then gave instructions to Moses about the distribution of the promised land. The promised land was to be divided amongst the sons of Israel according to the number of people in their respective tribes. The greater the number of people in a tribe the greater the portion that would be apportioned to them and the lesser the number of people the lesser the portion.
The land was to be apportioned by lot. That meant that both the relative size of the tribe and God's will played a part in the distribution of the land. The Levites were not numbered with the rest of the Israelites since they did not receive an inheritance like the other tribes. They were to serve at the tabernacle alongside Aaron the priest.
After giving these instructions to Moses God reminded him that none of the people numbered in the first census at Sinai were left alive except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun. This fulfilled the word of the Lord concerning the Israelites who had rebelled against Moses and had spoken against the Lord.
Therefore, the book of Numbers chapter 26 was not only a change of generation but also marked the end of Israel's wilderness sojourn. The new generation that had been counted was about to inherit the promised land. The chapter served both as a record of the number of Israelites according to their tribes and as a preparation to divide the land of Canaan.
The mention of the daughters of Zelophehad in the narrative shows that their case about the right of inheritance would become a matter of great importance. Their story would come up later on when Moses would remind the Israelites of the rights of daughters in regard to family possessions.
The chapter ended with Israel on the verge of beginning a new phase of their existence as a nation. The whole nation had spent a long time in the wilderness. However, there was a new generation that had been counted and was about to enter into the Promised land. The division of the land of Canaan was about to begin and Joshua and Caleb were the last survivors of the generation that left Egypt.
The tribe of Reuben was the first to be numbered. The families of the tribe of Reuben were the sons of Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron and Carmi. The total number of men counted in the tribe of Reuben was 43,730.
The tribe of Simeon was the second to be numbered. The families of the tribe of Simeon were the sons of Nemuel, Jamin, Jachin, Zerah and Shaul. The tribe of Simeon had 22,200 men. This was a great decrease from the previous census.
The tribe of Gad was the third to be numbered. The families of the tribe of Gad were the sons of Zephon, Haggi, Shuni, Ozni, Eri, Arod and Areli. The tribe of Gad had 40,500 men.
The tribe of Judah was the fourth to be numbered. The families of the tribe of Judah were the sons of Shelah, Pharez, Zerah, Hezron and Hamul. The tribe of Judah had 76,500 men.
The tribe of Issachar was the fifth to be numbered. The families of the tribe of Issachar were the sons of Tola, Pua, Jashub and Shimron. The tribe of Issachar had 64,300 men.
The tribe of Zebulun was the sixth to be numbered. The families of the tribe of Zebulun were the sons of Sered, Elon and Jahleel. The tribe of Zebulun had 60,500 men.
The tribe of Joseph's sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, was the seventh to be numbered. The families of the tribe of Manasseh were the sons of Machir, Gilead, Jeezer, Helek, Asriel, Shechem, Shemida and Hepher. The tribe of Ephraim had three families namely Shuthelah, Becher and Tahan. The descendants of Shuthelah were Eran. The tribe of Manasseh had 52,700 men while the tribe of Ephraim had 32,500 men.
The tribe of Benjamin was the eighth to be numbered. The families of the tribe of Benjamin were the sons of Bela, Ashbel, Ahiram, Shupham and Hupham. The tribe of Benjamin had 45,600 men.
The tribe of Dan was the ninth to be numbered. The families of the tribe of Dan were the sons of Shuham and numbered 64,400 men.
The tribe of Asher was the tenth to be numbered. The families of the tribe of Asher were the sons of Jimna, Jesui, Beriah, Heber and Malchiel. The descendants of Beriah were Heber and Malchiel. The tribe of Asher had 53,400 men.
The tribe of Naphtali was the eleventh to be numbered. The families of the tribe of Naphtali were the sons of Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer and Shillem. The tribe of Naphtali had 45,400 men.
The total number of men counted in the twelve tribes of Israel was 601,730 men who were twenty years old and upwards and could go to war.
This census was different from the one taken at the beginning of the book of Numbers. The number of men who were counted in the first census at Sinai was 603,550 men. The difference in the two numbers shows that the generation of the Exodus had perished in the wilderness as a result of the plague that befell Israel after their persistent complaining.
God then gave instructions to Moses about the distribution of the promised land. The promised land was to be divided amongst the sons of Israel according to the number of people in their respective tribes. The greater the number of people in a tribe the greater the portion that would be apportioned to them and the lesser the number of people the lesser the portion.
The land was to be apportioned by lot. That meant that both the relative size of the tribe and God's will played a part in the distribution of the land. The Levites were not numbered with the rest of the Israelites since they did not receive an inheritance like the other tribes. They were to serve at the tabernacle alongside Aaron the priest.
After giving these instructions to Moses God reminded him that none of the people numbered in the first census at Sinai were left alive except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun. This fulfilled the word of the Lord concerning the Israelites who had rebelled against Moses and had spoken against the Lord.
Therefore, the book of Numbers chapter 26 was not only a change of generation but also marked the end of Israel's wilderness sojourn. The new generation that had been counted was about to inherit the promised land. The chapter served both as a record of the number of Israelites according to their tribes and as a preparation to divide the land of Canaan.
The mention of the daughters of Zelophehad in the narrative shows that their case about the right of inheritance would become a matter of great importance. Their story would come up later on when Moses would remind the Israelites of the rights of daughters in regard to family possessions.
The chapter ended with Israel on the verge of beginning a new phase of their existence as a nation. The whole nation had spent a long time in the wilderness. However, there was a new generation that had been counted and was about to enter into the Promised land. The division of the land of Canaan was about to begin and Joshua and Caleb were the last survivors of the generation that left Egypt.