The sons of Judah were Er and Onan: and Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan.
Numbers 26:19 stands in the second numbering of Israel in Numbers 26, taken nearly forty years after the first numbering soon after leaving Egypt, at the close of the forty years of wandering and just before entering Canaan. That second numbering came after all those counted the first time except Caleb and Joshua had died in the wilderness. Both numberings counted adult males of a certain age by tribe, the first being recorded in Numbers 1-3. The second numbering is to be set beside and compared with the first numbering to note the difference in the tribes and how they changed in size. Some increased, even greatly, and others declined, falling off, gaining and losing.
At the first numbering the tribe of Judah numbered 74,600 and at this second numbering it numbered 76,500, an increase of 1,900. This stood within a national total of 601,730 compared with 603,550 before. By recording that Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan, the list demonstrates conclusively that God's threatened judgment was fulfilled. The people who rebelled against Him died before entering the promised land, and not one rebellious man remained alive except Caleb and Joshua.
The failure happened simply because the people were wicked, with sin in their midst breaking out in open, wanton rebellion against God. For this He swore to exclude them from the land and doomed them to die in the wilderness. The record instructs those on whom the ends of the world are come, since their hopes of entering the kingdom of God cannot be stronger than Israel's at the first numbering and their tokens of God's favor, presence, and willingness to save cannot be greater, yet Israel came short of the land of promise. It teaches that sin carried in the heart inevitably brings ruin.
Numbers 26:19 stands in the second numbering of Israel in Numbers 26, taken nearly forty years after the first numbering soon after leaving Egypt, at the close of the forty years of wandering and just before entering Canaan. That second numbering came after all those counted the first time except Caleb and Joshua had died in the wilderness. Both numberings counted adult males of a certain age by tribe, the first being recorded in Numbers 1-3. The second numbering is to be set beside and compared with the first numbering to note the difference in the tribes and how they changed in size. Some increased, even greatly, and others declined, falling off, gaining and losing.
At the first numbering the tribe of Judah numbered 74,600 and at this second numbering it numbered 76,500, an increase of 1,900. This stood within a national total of 601,730 compared with 603,550 before. By recording that Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan, the list demonstrates conclusively that God's threatened judgment was fulfilled. The people who rebelled against Him died before entering the promised land, and not one rebellious man remained alive except Caleb and Joshua.
The failure happened simply because the people were wicked, with sin in their midst breaking out in open, wanton rebellion against God. For this He swore to exclude them from the land and doomed them to die in the wilderness. The record instructs those on whom the ends of the world are come, since their hopes of entering the kingdom of God cannot be stronger than Israel's at the first numbering and their tokens of God's favor, presence, and willingness to save cannot be greater, yet Israel came short of the land of promise. It teaches that sin carried in the heart inevitably brings ruin.