The Law of Inheritances; Joshua Appointed to Succeed Moses

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Numbers 27:1) Then came the daughters of Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of Manasseh the son of Joseph; and these are the names of his daughters--Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.

In chapter 26 of Numbers there was a census taken of all the able-bodied men of war 20 years and older.  In verse 33 we were told of Zelophehad, the son of Hepher (Gilead's son who was the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh), and that Zelophehad had no sons, only daughters.  Here these daughters were mentioned again--Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.

(2) And they stood before Moses, before Eleazar the priest, and before the princes and all the congregation, by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, saying, (3) “Our father died in the wilderness, and he was not in the company of those who gathered together against the LORD, in the company of Korah, but died in his own sin, and had no sons."

The five daughters of Zelophehad came before Moses and Eleazar (Aaron's son) the priest, and before all the princes of the people, and all the congregation of the children of Israel, who were gathered by the door of the tabernacle.  They spoke about their father who had died in the wilderness, making it a point to say that he had not been in the company of Korah who had rebelled against the Lord, but had died in his own sin, meaning that sin that is common to all men, and he had died in the wilderness under that general sentence that the Lord had passed upon the older generation that none of them would enter the promised land.  They explained that their father had had no sons.

(4) “Why should the name of our father be removed from among his family because he had no son? Give us a possession among our father’s brothers.”

Because inheritance in the promised land was based upon the number of able-bodied men of war, and did not include women, they reasoned that their father's name should not be erased from his family just because he had only daughters and no son.  They requested that they be given a possession in the promised land, as representing their father among his brothers.  Matthew Henry, in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, pointed out how this showed great faith in the word of the Lord since Canaan had not yet been conquered, and an earnest desire to have a part in that promise, as well as respect for their father's name.  Additionally, Mr. Henry compared these five daughters to the five wise virgins that Jesus would later use in a teaching parable.  The promised land was a symbol of the Kingdom of God, and these five wise virgins showed diligence in seeking to obtain their part in that heavenly inheritance.

(5) And Moses brought their cause before the LORD.

Moses did not try to answer this himself, but took their case to the Lord.

(6) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (7) “The daughters of Zelophehad speak right; you shall surely give them a possession of an inheritance among their father's brethren; and you shall cause the inheritance of their father to pass to them."

The Lord told Moses that the daughters of Zelophehad had spoken what was right and just, and that he was to give them the inheritance of their father just as their father's brothers' inheritances fell to their sons.  In this the Lord demonstrated that when you seek, you shall find.  Those who seek an inheritance in the heavenly land of promise, shall receive it.

(8) “And you shall speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘If a man dies and has no son, then you shall cause his inheritance to pass to his daughter.'"

The Lord went on speaking to Moses, to furthermore tell the children of Israel what to do in the case of a man who died with no son; his inheritance was to pass to his daughter.

(9) "'And if he has no daughter, then you shall give his inheritance to his brothers.'"

The Lord went on to instruct that if a man died with no children at all, his inheritance was to pass to his brothers.

(10) "'And if he has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to his father’s brothers. (11) And if his father has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to the relative closest to him in his family, and he shall possess it.’” And it shall be to the children of Israel a statute of judgment, as the LORD commanded Moses.

If a man died with no children and he had no brothers, then his inheritance was to be given to his father's brothers.  In the event his father had no brothers either, then the inheritance was to pass to the man's closest relative.  This was to be the law for inheritances as the Lord had commanded to Moses.

(12) And the LORD said to Moses, “Go up into this Mount Abarim, and see the land which I have given to the children of Israel."

The Lord then told Moses to go up this mountain...  Abarim was actually a range of mountains; the mountain Moses was told to ascend was Mount Nebo, as was later recorded in Deuteronomy 32:49.  The Lord wanted Moses to go up that mountain to see the land that He was giving the children of Israel.

(13) “And when you have seen it, you also shall be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother was gathered."

The Lord continued, telling Moses that once he had seen the promised land, he would then die, as his brother Aaron had died.

(14) "For you rebelled against My commandment in the desert of Zin, in the strife of the congregation, to sanctify Me at the water before their eyes"; that is the water of Meribah in Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.

The Lord went on to explain to Moses why he would die before entering the promised land.  In Numbers 20:12, the Lord had told both Moses and Aaron that because they did not believe Him, to sanctify Him in the eyes of the children of Israel, they would not bring the people into the promised land.  This was the event at the water of Meribah in Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin when the people had complained about having no water.  Moses and Aaron did not obey the Lord to sanctify Him in the eyes of His children.  Rather they seemed to imply it was they who would give them water by Moses's action by striking the rock, which was not what the Lord had told him to do.  Aaron had already died as the Lord had promised after this episode, and now it was Moses's time, but the gracious Lord would allow Moses to see the promised land.

(15) And Moses spoke to the LORD, saying, (16) “Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation, (17) Who may go out before them and go in before them, who may lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the LORD may not be as sheep which have no shepherd.”

Moses then entreated the Lord, acknowledging that He, the Father of spirits who knew the spirits of all men, place a man in Moses's stead to lead the people so they would not wander about as sheep without a shepherd.  This request by Moses showed a tender concern for the children of Israel.  This same metaphor was later used in Matthew 9:36 when describing Jesus Christ's compassion for the multitudes who fainted and were scattered abroad as sheep having no shepherd.

(18) And the LORD said to Moses, “Take Joshua the son of Nun with you, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him; (19) And set him before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation, and give him charge in their sight."

In answer to Moses's request, the Lord told him to take Joshua with him, a man in whom was His Spirit, and set him before Eleazar the priest and all the congregation.  Moses was to lay his hand on Joshua, signifying the transfer of leadership from Moses to Joshua, and give him formal charge in their sight.

(20) “And you shall put some of your honor on him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel may be obedient."

By his words and actions, Moses was to transfer to Joshua his honor as leader in government so that the children of Israel would regard Joshua as their leader and obey his commands.

(21) "And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall ask counsel for him after the judgment of Urim before the LORD; at his word shall they go out, and at his word they shall come in, he, and all the children of Israel with him, all the congregation."

The Lord continued to speak to Moses with regard to Joshua.  Joshua was to stand before Eleazar the priest, who would ask counsel of the Lord through the use of the Urim and Thummim that were kept inside the fold of the breastplate of judgment worn by the priest (Exodus 28:30).  In this way it was the Lord who determined when the people moved out or came back in.  At "his" word may refer to Joshua's word or that of Eleazar, or even at the Lord's word.  If it was Joshua or Eleazar, it was to voice the will of the Lord as shown through the Urim and Thummim.

(22) And Moses did as the LORD commanded him, and he took Joshua and set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation; (23) And he laid his hands upon him and gave him a charge, as the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses.

Moses did just as the Lord had commanded he do.  He brought Joshua before Eleazar the priest and before all the children of Israel, and laid his hands upon him and ordained Joshua as his successor.  According to the medieval French rabbi and Torah commentator, Jarchi, Moses "did this cheerfully, and did more than he was commanded; for the Lord said to him, 'lay thine hand', but he laid both his hands" (John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible).

Moses showed us a great example of humility.  This might have ordinarily been seen as a demoting of himself and a diss to his own family.  Think about it--the priesthood was given to his brother Aaron's family, and now he was to pass the civil government on to his servant from the tribe of Ephraim.  His own posterity were only common Levites who waited on the priests.  However, Moses cheerfully ordained Joshua.  As Matthew Henry so beautifully stated, "...this was such an instance of self-denial and submission to the will of God as was more his glory than the highest advancement of his family could have been; for it confirms his character as the meekest man upon earth, and faithful to him that appointed him in all his house. This (says the excellent bishop Patrick) shows him to have had a principle which raised him above all other lawgivers, who always took care to establish their families in some share of that greatness which they themselves possessed; but hereby it appeared that Moses acted not from himself, because he acted not for himself."

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 8

Because Blogger limits the number of labels per post, I have had to divide the study of Numbers 26 and its important census that determined the inheritances of the tribes of Israel, into eight short posts:

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 1

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 2

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 3

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 4

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 5

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 6

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 7

And to complete the counting of the tribe of Levi, part 8:

(Numbers 26:60) To Aaron were born Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. (61) And Nadab and Abihu died when they offered strange fire before the LORD.

Aaron's sons were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, but Nadab and Abihu were struck dead when they offered profane incense in disobedience before the Lord (Leviticus 10:1-2).

(62) And those who were numbered of them were twenty-three thousand, all males from a month old and upward: for they were not numbered among the children of Israel, because there was no inheritance given them among the children of Israel.

The tribe of Levi were not counted in the same way as the other tribes.  They were not men of war, and were therefore counted every male from one month and older.  They numbered 23,000 which was an increase of 1000 since the census taken 38 years prior to this one.  They were not numbered with the other tribes because they had no part of the land of Israel divided to them and had no inheritance in it.

(63) These are those who were numbered by Moses and Eleazar the priest, who numbered the children of Israel in the plains of Moab by Jordan across from Jericho.

After eight short posts, the numbering of the Israelites in chapter 26 of Numbers comes to an end.  They were numbered by Moses and Eleazar the priest, as instructed by God in verse 2 where they had dwelt in the plains of Moab by the Jordan River across from Jericho.

(64) But among these there was not a man of those who were numbered by Moses and Aaron the priest when they numbered the children of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai. (65) For the LORD had said of them, “They shall surely die in the wilderness.” And there was not left a man of them, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun.

In this census taken 38 years after the first census in the wilderness of Sinai, except for Caleb and Joshua, there were not any of the same people counted that were counted in the first census, for the Lord had told them they would all die in the wilderness.  They all did die, except for Caleb and Joshua, whom the Lord allowed to enter their promised land because of their faith and good report of the land of Canaan, when all the rest of the spies had brought back a bad report, in spite of what their Lord had told them about it.

Note the goodness and mercy of the Lord to His people in that even after all their provocations, He raised up another generation as numerous as the previous one to which He would fulfill His promise to give them their inheritance in their promised land flowing with milk and honey.  God's will shall be done always.  Had the Israelites trusted and obeyed their Lord from the beginning, they would have entered their promised land much sooner.  Even though their iniquity prevented the first generation from seeing His promise fulfilled, His will was fulfilled with the next generation.  

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 7

Chapter 26 of Numbers consisted of a very important census which determined the sizes of the inheritances each tribe of Israel would receive.  Because Blogger limits the number of labels per post, I have had to divide the study of chapter 26 into eight short posts, as all the names mentioned are of importance.  The previous posts are linked here:

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 1

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 2

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 3

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 4

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 5

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 6

Continuing with part 7:

(Numbers 26:57) And these are those who were numbered of the Levites after their families: of Gershon, the family of the Gershonites; of Kohath, the family of the Kohathites; of Merari, the family of the Merarites.

The tribe of Levi was not numbered with the other tribes as it did not consist of men of war, but was rather devoted to God for His service.  The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari, and their families were numbered in a census.

(58) These are the families of the Levites: the family of the Libnites, the family of the Hebronites, the family of the Mahlites, the family of the Mushites, the family of the Korathites. And Kohath begat Amram.

From the three sons of Levi came the families of the Libnites from Gershon's son Libni; the Hebronites from Hebron the son of Kohath; the Mahlites and the Mushites from the sons of Merari--Mahli and Mushi; and the Korathites from Korah, the son of Izhar, who was the son of Kohath.  In Numbers 3:18-21 we were told of more sons of Gershon and Kohath, but they are not mentioned here as having families.  Gershon's son Shimei does not appear to have a family, perhaps because he either had no sons, or if he did, they died without sons, and therefore there was no family to be counted at this time.  Kohath's son Uzziel was not mentioned here although we had been told previously in Numbers 6:22 that he had sons Mishael, Elzaphan, and Zithri, but they apparently had no families tracing their descent to him.  Kohath's son Amram is mentioned.

(59) The name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed the daughter of Levi, who was born to Levi in Egypt; and to Amram she bore Aaron and Moses and Miriam their sister.

Kohath's son Amram married Jochebed the daughter of Levi, and they were the parents of Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.

Because Blogger limits the number of labels each post may have, I have to continue the numbering of the descendants of Levi in yet another short post:

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 8

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 6

Chapter 26 of Numbers had to be separated into many short posts because Blogger limits the number of labels per post.  An important census was being taken at this time and I want to acknowledge all the names mentioned.  Here are the previous posts:

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 1

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 2

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 3

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 4

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 5

Now continuing with part 6:

(Numbers 26:44) The children of Asher after their families: of Jimna, the family of the Jimnites; of Jesui, the family of the Jesuites; of Beriah, the family of the Beriites.

The census continued with the children of the tribe of Asher, his sons, Jimna, Jesui, and Beriah, and their families.

(45) Of the sons of Beriah: of Heber, the family of the Heberites; of Malchiel, the family of the Malchielites.

Additionally, the Beriites from Asher's son Beriah were divided into two families after Beriah's sons, Heber and Malchiel.

(46) And the name of the daughter of Asher, Sarah.

Asher's daughter, Sarah, is mentioned here, even though she obviously was not counted in the census.  She was either a remarkable woman in her own right, or as the medieval Jewish philosopher, Maimonides, claimed, "...she was an heiress; for though Asher had many sons, this was his wife's daughter by another man, who had no sons, and the inheritance was his daughter's, and therefore is so particularly mentioned..." (John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible).

(47) These are the families of the sons of Asher according to those who were numbered of them, fifty-three thousand four hundred.

Asher's tribe numbered 53,400 able-bodied men of war twenty years of age and older.  This was a large increase of 11,900 over the census taken 38 years earlier.

(48) The sons of Naphtali after their families: of Jahzeel, the family of the Jahzeelites; of Guni, the family of the Gunites; (49) Of Jezer, the family of the Jezerites; of Shillem, the family of the Shillemites.

The sons of Naphtali were Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem, and all their families were counted.

(50) These are the families of Naphtali according to their families; and those who were numbered of them were forty-five thousand four hundred.

The tribe of Naphtali numbered 45,400, a decrease of 8000 able-bodied men of war twenty years and older since the first census 38 years prior.

(51) These were the numbered of the children of Israel, six hundred and one thousand seven hundred and thirty.

The total numbered in the census were 601,730 able-bodied men of war twenty years and older.  This was a decrease of only 1820 men since the census 38 years prior to this one.  That is notable when you consider how many times the people were struck with plagues because of their disobedience and idolatry.  God continued to bless them with increased numbers while in the wilderness so that even after His severe rebukes, His people were still a formidable presence.

(52) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (53) “To these the land shall be divided as an inheritance, according to the number of names. (54) To many you shall give more inheritance, and to few you shall give less inheritance; to every one shall his inheritance be given according to those who were numbered of him."

After the census was taken, the Lord told Moses that their promised land was to be divided among the tribes as an inheritance.  The tribes with the larger numbers were to be given a larger inheritance, and those with smaller numbers were to be given a smaller inheritance.  The size of their inheritance was to be directly related to their numbers.

(55) "Notwithstanding the land shall be divided by lot; according to the names of the tribes of their fathers they shall inherit. (56) According to the lot shall their possession be divided between many and few."

The Lord continued speaking to Moses, telling him that even though He had instructed that the larger tribes be given larger inheritances and smaller tribes smaller ones, their actual possessions would be determined by lots.  By the casting of lots, God Himself would determine exactly which possession each tribe would receive, but they would be as He had previously said, larger possessions to larger tribes, and smaller to smaller.

As Blogger limits the number of labels per post, and I would like to keep all the names of each tribe together, I will stop here and continue with yet another post to end the chapter with the tribe of Levi:

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 7 

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 5

Chapter 26 of Numbers had to be separated into many short posts because Blogger limits the number of labels per post.  An important census was being taken at this time and all the names are significant.  Here are the previous posts:

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 1

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 2

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 3

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 4

Now continuing with part 5:

(Numbers 26:35) These are the sons of Ephraim after their families: of Shuthelah, the family of the Shuthalhites; of Becher, the family of the Bachrites; of Tahan, the family of the Tahanites.

The tribe of Joseph's son Manasseh was counted in the previous post.  Here we have Joseph's son Ephraim, and his sons Shuthelah, Becher, and Tahan, and their families.

(36) And these are the sons of Shuthelah: of Eran, the family of the Eranites.

Only one son of Shuthelah is named, Eran, and from him came the family of the Eranites.

(37) These are the families of the sons of Ephraim according to those who were numbered of them, thirty-two thousand five hundred. These are the sons of Joseph according to their families.

These families of the sons of Ephraim numbered 32,500 able-bodied men of war, twenty years and older.  Ephraim, and Manasseh, from the previous post, were the two sons of Joseph.  Ephraim's numbers had decreased by 8000 since the census that was taken 38 years prior to this one.

(38) The sons of Benjamin after their families: of Bela, the family of the Belaites; of Ashbel, the family of the Ashbelites; of Ahiram, the family of the Ahiramites; (39) Of Shupham, the family of the Shuphamites; of Hupham, the family of the Huphamites.

The sons of Benjamin were Bela, Ashbel, Ahiram, Shupham, and Hupham, and all their families were counted.

(40) And the sons of Bela were Ard and Naaman: Ard, the family of the Ardites; of Naaman, the family of the Naamites.

Additionally, two families grew from the sons of Benjamin's son Bela, Ard and Naaman.

(41) These are the sons of Benjamin after their families: and they that were numbered of them were forty-five thousand six hundred.

The tribe of Benjamin numbered 45,600 able-bodied men of war twenty years and older.  This was an increase of 10,200 since the census 38 years prior.

(42) These are the sons of Dan after their families: of Shuham, the family of the Shuhamites. These are the families of Dan after their families. (43) All the families of the Shuhamites, according to those who were numbered of them, were sixty-four thousand four hundred.

One son from the tribe of Dan, Shuham, and the family that came from him, the Shuhamites, were counted and totaled 64,400 able bodied men of war twenty years and older.  Even though there was only one family within the tribe of Dan, its numbers were large and had even increased 1700 since the first census.

Once again I am forced to end this short post because Blogger limits the number of labels I can have, so this census will again be continued:

 Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 6

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 4

Continuing a chronological Bible study, started in the previous three posts:

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 1

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 2

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 3

Chapter 26 of Numbers has had to be chopped up into many short posts because Blogger limits the number of labels each post can have.  There is an all-important census going on in this chapter, and all the names should be noted.  Continuing:

(Numbers 26:28) The sons of Joseph after their families were Manasseh and Ephraim.

The sons of Joseph were Manasseh and Ephraim, and they became two of the twelve tribes of Israel.

(29) Of the sons of Manasseh: of Machir, the family of the Machirites; and Machir begat Gilead: of Gilead come the family of the Gileadites. (30) These are the sons of Gilead: Jeezer, the family of the Jeezerites; of Helek, the family of the Helekites. (31) And of Asriel, the family of the Asrielites: and Shechem, the family of the Shechemites; (32) And Shemida, the family of the Shemidaites; and Hepher, the family of the Hepherites.

From Machir, the son of Manasseh, came the family of the Machirites.  Machir's son was Gilead, and the Gileadites were separated into six families after his sons, Jeezer, Helek, Asriel, Shechem, Shemida, and Hepher.

(33) And Zelophehad the son of Hepher had no sons, but daughters: and the names of the daughters of Zelophehad were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.

It appears that Hepher, the son of Gilead, had only one son, Zelophehad, who had no sons, only five daughters, but they were important enough to be named here, even though they would not be counted as able to go to war.  They were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.

(34) These are the families of Manasseh; and those who were numbered of them were fifty-two thousand seven hundred.

The families of the tribe of Manasseh were numbered at 52,700 able-bodied men of war twenty years and older.  Their numbers had increased by 20,500 since the census 38 years prior to this one.  Indeed Manasseh's numbers had increased more than those of any other tribe.

Once again, I have to end a short post and continue in the next because Blogger limits the number of labels I can have in each post.  To continue the census:

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 5

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 3

Because Blogger limits the number of labels per post, I've had to separate this chapter into many short posts in order to note all the important names.  There is a census being taken in this chapter of all the able-bodied men of war from twenty years and older.  It began here:

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 1

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 2

Now on with part 3:

(Numbers 26:19) The sons of Judah were Er and Onan; and Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan.

Next were counted the men of the tribe of Judah.  Judah's first two sons, Er and Onan, died because of their sins in the land of Canaan where they were born, and had no descendants to be counted.

(20) And the sons of Judah after their families were: of Shelah, the family of the Shelanites; of Pharez, the family of the Pharzites; of Zerah, the family of the Zarhites.

The sons of Judah who did have families to count were Shelah, Pharez, and Zerah.

(21) And the sons of Pharez were: of Hezron, the family of the Hezronites; of Hamul, the family of the Hamulites.

The Pharzites from the family of Pharez were divided into two families from Pharez's two sons:  from his son Hezron came the Hezronites, and from his son Hamul, the Hamulites.

(22) These are the families of Judah according to those who were numbered of them, seventy-six thousand five hundred.

The tribe of Judah numbered 76,500 able-bodied men of war twenty years and older.  Their numbers had increased 1900 since the first census 38 years prior to this time.

(23) The sons of Issachar after their families: Tola, the family of the Tolaites; of Pua, the family of the Punites; (24) Of Jashub, the family of the Jashubites; of Shimron, the family of the Shimronites. (25) These are the families of Issachar according to those who were numbered of them, sixty-four thousand three hundred.

The sons of Issachar and their families who were counted were Tola, Pua, Jashub, and Shimron.  They numbered 64,300, an increase of 9900 since the census 38 years prior to this one.

(26) The sons of Zebulun after their families: of Sered, the family of the Sardites; of Elon, the family of the Elonites; of Jahleel, the family of the Jahleelites. (27) These are the families of the Zebulunites according to those who were numbered of them, sixty thousand five hundred.

From the tribe of Zebulun, the families of his sons Sered, Elon, and Jahleel, were counted and totaled 60,500, which was an increase of 3100 since the first census.

That ends this short post because Blogger limits the number of labels per post.  To continue the census count:

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 4

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 2

Because Blogger limits the number of labels per post, and all these names are of importance, I have separated chapter 26 into multiple posts.  It began here:

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 1

(Numbers 26:12) The sons of Simeon after their families: of Nemuel, the family of the Nemuelites; of Jamin, the family of the Jaminites; of Jachin, the family of the Jachinites; (13) Of Zerah, the family of the Zarhites; of Shaul, the family of the Shaulites.

In Part 1 in the last post, a census had begun of all the Israelite men twenty years and older who were able-bodied enough for war.  It now continues with the tribe of Simeon and his sons, Nemuel, Jamin, Jachin, Zerah, and Shaul, and their families.  Note that this Nemuel is not the same as the son of Eliab, from the tribe of Reuben.

(14) These are the families of the Simeonites, twenty-two thousand two hundred.

The census counted 22,200 Simeonites twenty years and older and able-bodied for war.  38 years prior when a census had been taken there were 59,300 of same such men (Numbers 1:23).  Also notable is that there is no mention of Simeon's son Ohad (Exodus 6:15). It seems his entire family became extinct in the wilderness.  Many Bible scholars believe that most of the 24,000 who died in the plague for the idolatry of Baal-peor were of the Simeonite tribe, because Zimri who showed himself to be the most depraved was a prince of that tribe (Numbers 25:14), and likely influenced those of his following.

(15) The children of Gad after their families: of Zephon, the family of the Zephonites; of Haggi, the family of the Haggites; of Shuni, the family of the Shunites; (16) Of Ozni, the family of the Oznites; of Eri, the family of the Erites; (17) Of Arod, the family of the Arodites; of Areli, the family of the Arelites.

Next were counted the tribe of Gad and his sons, Zephon, Haggi, Shuni, Ozni, Eri, Arod, and Areli, and all their families.

(18) These are the families of the children of Gad according to those who were numbered of them, forty thousand five hundred.

The census counted 40,500 able-bodied men of war twenty years and older of the tribe of Gad. Gad's numbers had decreased 5150 from the last census 38 years prior.

Again I will have to cut this post very short because Blogger limits the number of labels per post.  Chapter 26 continues here:

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 3