Numbers 1:18
And they assembled all the congregation together on the first day of the second month, and they declared their pedigrees after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, by their polls.
On the first day of the second month God commanded all the congregation to assemble and declare their pedigrees after their families by the house of their fathers, and Moses recorded their names from twenty years old and upward in a careful, family-based registration with each tribe numbered separately. The numbering counted 603,550 men able to go forth to war, including no females, no one under twenty, and none of the tribe of Levi at all. It came at the close of Israel's first year in the wilderness after the law was proclaimed from Sinai and the tabernacle was erected, marshalling the host in complete order preparatory to marching into the land of promise with every one numbered expecting an inheritance there. Its tribal numbers provide the starting record to be compared with the second census in Numbers 26, where the total of adult males changed little but the tribes changed greatly, with Simeon decreasing by almost two-thirds while Manasseh grew by almost two-thirds. Apart from Caleb and Joshua all the men counted then died in the wilderness because Israel rebelled against God, so the second census showed God had fulfilled His threatened judgment, yet Moses carried out this census at God's command so numbering was not sinful in itself while David's census was sinful because he undertook it without the Lord's consent.
First Census at Sinai
This numbering was the first census of Israel at Sinai, one of the two numberings that give the book of Numbers its name, the second taking place in the plains of Moab thirty-eight years later. It was made at the close of Israel's first year in the wilderness, after the law had been proclaimed from Sinai, the tabernacle had been erected with the ark of God's law in its most holy place, the cloud of God's glory had taken possession of it, God had given bread from heaven every morning and water from the smitten rock, and the pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night had not departed from the camp. It stood at the beginning of the forty years of wandering, soon after coming out of Egypt, in the account of building the tabernacle and establishing its services after the giving of the law. It came after the sin of Nadab and Abihu and before leaving Mount Sinai, forty years before the second numbering in Numbers 26, and its tribal figures provide the starting record for observing how each tribe gained or lost by the end of the wandering.
On the first day of the second month God directed that all the congregation assemble and declare their pedigrees after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, by their polls, and Moses recorded their names. The congregation was assembled and its members were counted and registered by family and ancestral household, with men aged twenty and older included. Each tribe was numbered separately under appointed inspectors, as a careful, family-based registration.
The numbering counted 603,550 men able to go forth to war, and included no females, no one under twenty years of age, and none of the tribe of Levi at all. Taking down all their names marshalled the host in complete order preparatory to marching into the land of promise, with everything indicating speedy entrance into Canaan. Every one numbered expected an inheritance there, which each might have had because of God's loving-kindness, presence, and willingness to save.
Comparison With Second Census
The tribal figures registered on the first day of the second month are the opening record for comparison with the second numbering in Numbers 26 at the close of the forty years in the wilderness. The first numbering was made forty years before the second, at the beginning of the wandering, and the second at the end of it. The two numberings are to be set side by side to note the difference in the tribes and to observe how each tribe gained or lost population during the journey. That comparison shows that some tribes had grown greatly while others had decreased, with some falling off in number and others increasing.
Compared with the later census taken before entry into Canaan, the total number of adult males changed little, but the tribes themselves changed greatly. Simeon decreased by almost two-thirds, while Manasseh grew by almost two-thirds. In this way the earlier and later counts together show some tribes growing greatly and others decreasing, with gains in one tribe set against losses in another.
The first census marked a people who expected to enter the promised land. The men counted then, apart from Caleb and Joshua, all died in the wilderness before the second census. This came about because Israel rebelled against God and was excluded by His oath from entering the promised land. The second census therefore showed that God had fulfilled His threatened judgment.
Trustworthiness and Moral Example
The assembling of the whole congregation together and the counting of its members stands as a genuine record of what took place. They were registered by family and ancestral household, with each person enrolled according to lineage and house of the fathers. Those included were men from twenty years old and upward, numbered by name and by poll. Such numbering in itself was not sinful, for Moses carried it out at God's command, whereas David's census was sinful because he undertook it without the Lord's consent.