Numbers 1:20
And the children of Reuben, Israel’s eldest son, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
The verse enrolls Reuben, Israel's eldest son, by generations and families and fathers' houses, by number of names and by polls, counting every male from twenty years old and upward who was able to go forth to war. Only males of war age were counted, with no females, no one under twenty, and none of Levi, forming part of the total of 603,550 men of war whom God had named and marshaled in complete order for marching into the promised land. It belongs to the first of the two numberings that give the book its name, at Sinai, with the second in the plains of Moab thirty-eight years later; Reuben then stood at 46,500, which was 2,770 more than the later figure of 43,730. Compared with the census at the end of the forty years, the tribes gained or lost according as they were more faithful to God, some increasing greatly while others declined. The men of this first census might have entered Canaan, yet all died in the wilderness except Caleb and Joshua, showing God's threatened judgment carried out for rebellion and that sin can bring ruin despite great favor, while the numbering itself was not sinful as David's later census was, which he ordered without the Lord's consent in trust in his army's size.
Counting and Historical Setting
The enrollment is of Reuben, Israel's eldest son, taken by generations, after families, by the house of fathers, according to the number of the names, by polls, counting every male from twenty years old and upward who was able to go forth to war. It is the first census count for Reuben's male descendants by family and ancestral household, limited to those aged twenty and older fit for military service, as part of Israel's first numbering. The chapter records the numbers of men of these specified ages, and this listing can be compared with the numbering at the end of the forty years in Numbers 26 to see how Reuben along with the other tribes gained or lost and how their populations changed during the wilderness journey.
It belongs to a careful census in which each tribe was numbered separately under appointed inspectors, giving a definite count of Reuben's men eligible for military service. This was the first numbering under Moses after about one year in the wilderness, when the law had been proclaimed from the flaming mount, the tabernacle had been erected with the ark containing God's law in its most holy place, and the cloud of glory had taken possession of it. At that time God gave bread from heaven every morning and water from the smitten rock, and the pillar of cloud by day and fire by night remained over the camp.
In the connected story the numbering comes after the building of the tabernacle and the establishing of its services and before leaving Mount Sinai, continuing Leviticus before the journey narrative resumes. It stands in the opening chapters that continue Leviticus before the journey from Sinai toward Kadesh-barnea resumes. It is part of the first of the two censuses that give the book its name, with its listing by generations, families, and names behind the Greek title Arithmoi; the first numbering was at Sinai and the second was in the plains of Moab thirty-eight years later.
Only males from twenty years old and upward able to go to war were counted, including no females, no one under twenty, and none of the tribe of Levi, forming part of the total of 603,550 men of war. God had all their names taken down and marshaled the host in completest order preparatory to marching into the land of promise. Every one of them was expecting an inheritance in Canaan and able to have it after such tokens of loving-kindness, with everything indicating speedy entrance.
First and Second Numberings
The verse belongs to the first numbering of Israel in the book of Numbers, counting Reuben, Israel's eldest son, by families and ancestral households among males aged twenty and older who were able to serve in war. That first numbering was to be carried out again at the end of the forty years in the wilderness. It was made forty years before the second numbering in Numbers 26, and comparison of the two numberings shows the difference in the tribes.
The verse records Reuben's first census figure of 46,500 males aged twenty and older who were able to go to war. Compared with the later census figure of 43,730, Reuben's number was 2,770 lower. Comparing this census, taken at the beginning of the forty years of wandering, with the one in Numbers 26 taken at the end of the forty years, shows how Reuben along with the other tribes gained or lost numbers and how their populations changed during the wilderness journey. That comparison of the census at the beginning with the census at the end shows that some tribes that were more faithful to God increased greatly, while others declined.
Judgment and Moral Lessons
The first numbering enrolled the men who might have entered Canaan, counting Reuben with the other tribes by family and ancestral household, every male from twenty years old and upward able to go forth to war. All of those men died in the wilderness except Caleb and Joshua, so that their hopes of the promised land were not secure when they rebelled against God. The second numbering, taken at the end of the forty years, showed that God had carried out the judgment He had threatened after that rebellion. Their loss fulfilled that divine judgment and shows that sin can bring ruin despite God's favor and the hope of entering the promised land. As one of the censuses Moses took at God's command, this numbering shows that counting Israel was not sinful in itself, while David's later census was sinful because he ordered it without the Lord's consent and trusted in the size of his military force.