Numbers 1:22, commentary and pictures

Numbers 1:22 belongs to the first census of Israel at Sinai, which counted the men of Simeon from twenty years old and upward who were able to go forth to war, by their generations and families and houses of their fathers according to the number of the names. The tribe of Simeon numbered 59,300 men, as part of 603,550 men of war numbered by Moses at God's command, excluding the tribe of Levi with all females and all under twenty years of age, with every name taken down and the host marshaled in complete order preparatory to marching into the land of promise. This numbering was made at the close of the first year in the wilderness, after the law had been proclaimed, the tabernacle erected with the ark of God's law, and God had given bread from heaven, water from the rock, and the pillar of cloud and fire to abide with the camp. It stands as the first of two numberings, the second made in the plains of Moab thirty-eight years later, so that the two together show how each tribe gained or lost during the wandering, while apart from Caleb and Joshua none of those first numbered entered the promised land, warning that being numbered and expecting an inheritance does not guarantee entrance when rebellion brings ruin.

First Census at Sinai

Numbers 1:22 belongs to the first census of Israel, taken at Sinai, which counted the men of Simeon aged twenty and older who were able to serve in war. The counting was by generations, after families, by the house of fathers, according to the number of names and by polls, with each tribe numbered separately and each eligible man counted for military service. Moses numbered the men of Simeon by family and ancestral household, naming each male twenty years old or older who was fit to go forth to war.

The numbering was made at the close of the first year in the wilderness, when Israel had been in the desert only about one year. It followed the proclamation of the law from the flaming mount, the erection of the tabernacle with the ark containing God's law in its most holy place, and the cloud of God's glory taking possession of it. God gave bread from heaven every morning and water from the smitten rock, and the pillar of cloud by day and of fire by night abode with the camp and departed not from it.

The tribe of Simeon numbered 59,300 men, as part of 603,550 men of war counted by Moses at God's direction. The tribe of Levi, all females, and all under twenty years of age were excluded. All their names were taken down and the host was marshaled in completest order preparatory to marching into the land of promise, when the work on the way seemed almost accomplished and everything indicated speedy entrance into Canaan.

This census was taken at God's command and did not bring the trouble associated with David's later census, which was sinful because he ordered it without the Lord's consent and trusted in the size of his forces. The verse stands in the opening chapters that give the book its name, answering to the Greek title Arithmoi from which comes the word arithmetic. Those chapters continue Leviticus before the Exodus narrative that left Israel encamped at Sinai is resumed beginning with chapter 9 on the way to Kadesh-barnea. It comes after the building of the tabernacle and establishing its services and the sin of Nadab and Abihu and before Israel leaving Mount Sinai, as part of the simple, connected story of the whole Bible from Genesis to Revelation told for children.

Second Census and Warning

Numbers 1:22 belongs to the first of the two numberings of Israel that give the book its name, the numbering made at Sinai at the beginning of the forty years of wilderness wandering. The second numbering in Numbers 26 was made in the plains of Moab thirty-eight years later, at the end of the wandering, so that the first stands forty years before the second in reverse reckoning. The opening chapters continue Leviticus, before the Exodus narrative that left Israel encamped at Sinai is resumed beginning with chapter 9 on the way to Kadesh-barnea, and they answer to the Greek title Arithmoi from which comes the word arithmetic.

That first census can be compared with the second census in Numbers 26 to see the difference in the tribes and how each tribe gained or lost numbers during the wilderness journey. The chapter gives the numbers of the men in the tribes, with Simeon's males aged twenty and older who could go to war counted by family and ancestral household, making it possible to compare each tribe's gains and losses with the later census taken at the end of the forty years. Comparing the census at the beginning with the one in Numbers 26 shows how the tribes' numbers changed by the end of the wandering, with some tribes prospering while others declined.

The first census counted a generation that was later excluded from the promised land, because rebellion brought God's judgment and death in the wilderness. Apart from Caleb and Joshua, none of those numbered lived to see the second census. In the later numbering, all who had rebelled and been counted the first time had died in the wilderness, except Caleb and Joshua, showing that God fulfilled His judgment.

This numbering showed the size and ordered arrangement of Israel's fighting force before its expected entry into Canaan, with the host marshaled in completest order and every one numbered expecting an inheritance in the land through God's loving-kindness. Those counted had the prospect of inheriting the promised land and might have had it because of tokens of God's loving-kindness such as no other people ever witnessed, when the work on the way seemed almost accomplished and everything indicated speedy entrance into Canaan. But the first census did not guarantee that they would enter it, and the verse thus belongs to the history that warns that sin leads to ruin and can prevent people from receiving the promised inheritance.