(Book of Numbers 26:1 - 26:65)
After the plague had ended, Jehovah told Moses and Eleazar son of Aaron the priest, "Take a census of the entire Israelite community, family by family, recording all those men 20 years and above and able to bear arms."
Therefore, on the plains of Moab by the River Jordan, opposite the city of Jericho, Moses and Eleazar the priest instructed the elders of Israel to take a census of men above the age of 20, as Jehovah had commanded Moses.
The Israelites who had emigrated from Egypt were listed as follows:
Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, the clans descended from him and their ancestral founder,
Hanochites from Hanoch
Palluites from Pallu
Hezronites from Hezron
Carmites from Carmi
From the clans of Reuben were counted 43,730 men.
Pallu was the ancestor of Eliab, who was the father of Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. This was the same Dathan and Abiram, the tribal chiefs that joined Korah in his rebellion against Moses and Aaron, defying Jehovah. As a warning, the earth opened up and swallowed them along with Korah, while Korah's followers, 250 of them, were consumed by fire. (Korah's sons, however, were not killed at that time.)
Simeon:
Jemuelites from Jemuel
Jaminites from Jamin
Jakinites from Jakin
Zoharites from Zohar
Shaulites from Shaul
From the clans of Simeon were counted 22,200 men.
Gad:
Zephonites from Zephon
Haggites from Haggi
Shunites from Shuni
Oznites from Ozni
Erite from Eri
Arodite from Arodi
Arelite from Areli
From the clans of Gad were counted 40,500 men.
Judah (from his surviving sons, for he had two sons, Er and Onan, that died in Canaan):
Shelanites from Shelah
Perezites from Perez
Zerahites from Zerah
Hamulites from Hamul
From the clans of Judah were counted 76,500 men.
Issachar:
Tolaites from Tola
Puites from Puah
Jashubites from Jashub
Shimronites from Shimron
From the clans of Issachar were counted 64,300 men.
Zebulun:
Seredites from Sered
Elonites from Elon
Jahleelites from Jahleel
From the clans of Zebulun were counted 60,500 men.
Joseph, from the clans of Mannaseh and Ephraim:
Mannaseh:
Makirites from Makir, who was the father of Gilead
Gileadites from Gilead
Iezerites from Iezer, a descendant of Gilead
Helekites from Helek, a descendant of Gilead
Asrielites from Asriel
Shechemites from Shechem
Shemidaites from Shemida
Hepherites from Hepher
(Zelophedad, a son of Hepher, had no sons, only daughters, whose names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milkah, and Tirzah.)
From the clans of Mannaseh were counted 52,700 men.
Ephraim:
Shuthelahites from Shuthelah
Eranites from Eran, descendant of Shuthelah
Bekerites from Beker
Tahanites from Tahan
From the clans of Ephraim were counted 32,500 men.
Such were the clans descended from Joseph.
Benjamin:
Belaites from Bela
Ardites from Ard, descendant of Bela
Naamites from Naaman, descendant of Bela
Ashbelites from Ashbel
Ahiramites from Ahiram
Shuphamites from Shupham
Huphamites from Hupham
From the clans of Benjamin were counted 45,600 men.
Dan:
Shuhamites from Shuham
From the clans of Dan were counted 64,400 men.
Asher:
Imnites from Imnah
Ishvites from Ishvi
Beriites from Beriah
Heberites from Heber, a descendant of Beriah
Malkielites from Malkiel, a descendant of Beriah
(Asher also had a daughter named Serah.)
From the clans of Asher were counted 53,400 men.
Naphtali:
Jahzeelites from Jahzeel
Gunites from Guni
Jezerites from Jezer
Shillemites from Shillem
From the clans of Naphtali were counted 45,400
In total, the number of Israelite men counted in the census numbered 601,730.
Jehovah instructed Moses, "Divide the land among the tribes and distribute it in accordance to the census and in proportion to each tribe's population. In other words, give the larger tribes more land, the smaller tribes less, each grant of land being in proportion to the size of the tribe receiving it. The land that is to be granted to each tribe will be determined by lot and in accordance with the census. All grants of land, to groups large and small within the tribes, will be determined by lot as well."
Levi:
Gershonites from Gershon
Kohathites from Kohath
Merarites from Merari
There were also Levite subclans, the Libnites, the Hebronites, the Mahlites, the Mushites, and Korahites.
(It may be mentioned that Kohath was the father of Amram; Amram's wife's name was Jochebed, also a descendant of Levi and born among the Levites in Egypt. Amram and Jochebed were the parents of Aaron, Moses, and their sister Miriam. To Aaron were born the sons Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar -- but Nabad and Abihu were killed before the altar when they offered a sacrificial fire from an unauthorized source.
Men a month old or more from the Levite clans numbered 23,000. However, the Levites were not included in the census itself with the rest of Israel's people, because they were to receive no allotment of land.
This is the result of the census when Moses and Eleazar the priest counted the Israelites on the plains of Moab by the River Jordan, opposite the city of Jericho. Not one of them was counted by Moses and Aaron the priest when they conducted the first census in the desert of Sinai, for Jehovah had promised, "They will all die off in the desert!" The only ones left alive among them were Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.
Notes
1. While the Israelites experienced (inexplicably) a tremendous growth in their numbers during their Egyptian captivity, after 40 years of freedom they suffer a loss in population. This might be due to harsh conditions in the desert, but they are supposedly being fed manna by Jehovah, who also locates water for them when they are without. There are probably some battle losses, but much of the decrease in population could be due to the many purges Jehovah has instigated, killing thousands. The population of males old enough to bear arms in the first census was 603, 550, in the second census, 40 years later, it is 601, 730, a loss of 1,870. Tribe by tribe, the losses and gains are as follows: Reuben, -24,300, Simeon, -37,100, Gad, -5,150, Judah, +1,900, Issachar, +9,900, Zebulun, +3100, Mannaseh, +20,500, Ephraim, -8,000, Benjamin, +10,200, Dan, +1700, Asher, +11,900, Naphtali, -8,000. Most tribes do gain population, particularly, Mannaseh, Asher, Benjamin, and Issachar, but large losses by Simeon and also by Ephraim and Naphtali offset the gains and create a net loss of population over the 40 years. It must be remembered that these number are only adult males; the total population including women and children would be several times greater. As has been stated many times before the numbers are impossibly high and hugely inflated.
2. The Levites, not included in either census, had a population of 22,000 males above a month old at the time of the first census, and that grew to 23,000 by the time of the second census.
3. Excluding Levi, the first generation after Jacob consists of 11 males that produce descendants. The second generation consists of 42 males, founders of clans. This is less than 4 sons per member. Given 4 sons per male as an average and that the daughters would all marry Israelite cousins, the third generation should consist of 168 males and the fourth, the generation of Moses, 672, Assuming the that Moses was a young man during the Exodus (which is the only way the story makes sense), it was his generation and the one before his that has died out at the end of the 40 years, leaving the fifth and sixth generations to settle the Promised Land. The fifth generation should consist of roughly 2688 males and the sixth, 10,752. This suggests a male population of 13,440, a reasonable amount, not the preposterous 601,730. (Even the seventh and eighth generations add up to little more than 235,000 males.)
4. After 40 years all the men who were over 20 years old in the first census have died out (except for Caleb and Joshua and perhaps some Levites like Moses and maybe Aaron's sons). This means that no one is alive older than 60, that those who were 20 when the first census was taken have all died. Even considering a short life expectancy for desert nomads feeding on manna, it seems remarkable that no one would live to old age. Has Jehovah, by some means, exterminated all the seniors?
Showing posts with label tribes of Israel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tribes of Israel. Show all posts
Saturday, July 4, 2015
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Dedication Offerings
(Book of Numbers 7:1- 7:89)
Moses had completed the erection of the Tabernacle and had anointed and consecrated it and all its furnishings, as well as the altar and all its utensils. At that time, the leaders of Israel, the clan heads and tribal chiefs, who were in charge of those who had been enrolled in the census, came with donations. These consisted of 6 large wagons pulled by 12 oxen. (There was a wagon for every two tribal chiefs and an ox for each.) These they presented at the Tabernacle.
Jehovah told Moses, "Accept the wagons and oxen from them so that they can be used in the transportation of the Tabernacle. Distribute them among the Levites for their required work."
And so Moses accepted the wagons and the oxen and gave them to the Levites. Two of the wagons and four of the oxen were given to the Gershonites for their use, while the other four wagons and eight oxen were given to the Merarites who were under the supervision of Ithamar, the son the Aaron, the high priest. The Kohathites, however, were not given any, since the sacred objects they were in charge of transporting could be carried by hand.
When the altar was anointed, the leaders brought offerings to celebrate its dedication. These they presented before the altar. Jehovah instructed Moses, "Each day let one tribal chief present his offerings for the dedication of the altar."
The one who brought his offerings on the first day was Nahshon, the son of Amminabab, representing the Tribe of Judah. These offerings consisted of a silver plate weighing 130 shekels, a silver basin weighing 70 shekels, (according to the weights employed by the priests), both of them filled with choice flour mixed with olive oil for a grain offering, one golden dish full of incense weighing 10 shekels, one young bull, one ram, and one yearling male lamb for a burnt offering, one male goat for a sin offering, 2 oxen, 5 rams, 5 male goats, and 5 yearling male lambs for a peace offering. Such were the offerings of Nahshon, the son of Amminabab.
[Identical offerings were made by:]
Nethanel, the son of Zuar, chief of the Tribe of Issachar on the 2nd day
Eliab, the son of Helon, chief of the Tribe of Zebulun, on the 3rd day
Elizur, the son of Shedeur, chief of the Tribe of Reuben, on the 4th day
Shelumiel, the son of Zurishaddai, chief of the Tribe of Simeon, on the 5th day
Eliasaph, the son of Deuel, chief of the Tribe of Gad, on the 6th day
Elishama, the son Ammihud, chief of the Tribe of Ephraim, on the 7th day
Gamaliel, the son of Pedahzur, chief of the Tribe of Manasseh, on the 8th day
Abidan, the son of Gideoni, chief of the Tribe of Benjamin, on the 9th day
Ahiezer, the son of Ammishaddai, chief of the Tribe of Dan, on the 10th day
Pagiel, the son of Okran, chief of the Tribe of Asher, on the 11th day
Ahira, the son of Enan, chief of the Tribe of Naphtali, on the 12th day
In total, the offerings made by the Israelite tribal chiefs for the dedication of the altar after it was anointed were as follows: 12 silver plates, 12 silver basins, and 12 gold dishes. Each silver plate weighed 130 shekels, each silver basin, 70 shekels. Together, the silver weighed 2400 shekels (according to the weights used by the priests). The 12 gold dishes containing incense weighed 10 shekels each (according to the weights used by the priests). Together the gold weighed 120 shekels. The total number of sacrificial animals for the burnt offering was 12 young bulls, 12 rams, 12 yearling male lambs, with the accompanying grain offerings. For the sin offering, 12 goats were sacrificed. For the peace offering the total number of animals sacrificed were 24 oxen, 60 rams, 60 male goats, and 60 yearling male lambs. These were the offerings made for the dedication of the altar after it was anointed.
When Moses entered the Sanctum to commune with Jehovah, he would hear his voice speaking from between the images of the Cherubim situated on the lid of the Chest of Sacred Records. It was in this way that Jehovah communicated with him.
Notes
1. The text is here condensed to eliminate redundancies. One feels it is not necessary to bore the reader by listing the identical offerings made by each tribal chief.
2. Judah's place of privilege among the sons of Israel allows his tribe to make the first offering. Each tribe, regardless of its population and wealth, are required to make the same contribution and bear an equal burden. It is similar to the United States in that each state is given equal power in the Senate with two Senators each.
3. With more than 20 animals being slaughtered on the altar every day for 12 days, the Tabernacle dedication would have been a ceremony of butchery and overwhelming blood and stench. But, to the ancient Israelites, such things would have been evocative of holiness. Also, this prodigal animal slaughter illustrates how rich in livestock were the Israelites, who were previously depicted as wandering, starving in the desert.
4. The biblical shekel, a measure of weight, is thought to be about .4 ounces. Therefore, 10 shekels = 1/4 pound, 30 shekels = 3/4 pounds, 70 shekels = 1 3/4 pounds, 120 shekels = 3 pounds, 130 shekels = 3 1/4 pounds, 1300 shekels = 32 1/3 pounds, 2400 shekels = 60 1/3 pounds. Silver (not actually in coinage) was used as a barter commodity in this part of the world, but probably beginning at a date later than the time of the Exodus. The weights used by the Hebrew priests would have been somewhat different than those used by merchants, thus the repeated stipulations in the texts that the Tabernacle weights are to be employed. In Egypt, silver, owing to its scarcity, once had a value greater than gold, but, by the 2nd millennium B.C., it was considered worth about half as much as gold.
5. Jehovah communicates to Moses from the Inner Sanctum, his voice coming from the space between the golden images of the winged Cherubim on the lid (Judgment Seat) of the Chest of Sacred Records (often called the Ark of the Covenant). There was, then, no telepathic rapport between Moses and Jehovah. Moses could not call upon Jehovah wherever he happened to be, but had to visit him in the Inner Sanctum of the Tabernacle. One assumes that Moses spoke with a disembodied, spirit voice. Some, though, have intriguingly suggested that the Chest of Sacred Records contained a communication device, a receiver and a speaker by which a voice could have been transmitted and generated electronically. If this is true, the memory of such a device was lost, or conveniently forgotten. If it was a disembodied voice, why does it speak only at a certain location? For those who have had commerce with spirits have found that being in a specific place is not necessary for communication with them. Joan of Arc, for instance, heard her voices even in prison. Others have had their prayers answered regardless of where they happened to be. Spirit is not bound in the material world. There is much similarity between the voice of the Judgment Seat and the voices that reportedly emanated from the statues of the pagan gods and goddesses in their temples. There was always the idea that to speak to a god, you had to visit his temple and evoke him in spoken prayer and perhaps be responded to, audibly. This was the original rational for building temples and statues of divinities. But since the divinities were not always responsive to the lay individual, the concept of the priest as intermediary was born.
Moses had completed the erection of the Tabernacle and had anointed and consecrated it and all its furnishings, as well as the altar and all its utensils. At that time, the leaders of Israel, the clan heads and tribal chiefs, who were in charge of those who had been enrolled in the census, came with donations. These consisted of 6 large wagons pulled by 12 oxen. (There was a wagon for every two tribal chiefs and an ox for each.) These they presented at the Tabernacle.
Jehovah told Moses, "Accept the wagons and oxen from them so that they can be used in the transportation of the Tabernacle. Distribute them among the Levites for their required work."
And so Moses accepted the wagons and the oxen and gave them to the Levites. Two of the wagons and four of the oxen were given to the Gershonites for their use, while the other four wagons and eight oxen were given to the Merarites who were under the supervision of Ithamar, the son the Aaron, the high priest. The Kohathites, however, were not given any, since the sacred objects they were in charge of transporting could be carried by hand.
When the altar was anointed, the leaders brought offerings to celebrate its dedication. These they presented before the altar. Jehovah instructed Moses, "Each day let one tribal chief present his offerings for the dedication of the altar."
The one who brought his offerings on the first day was Nahshon, the son of Amminabab, representing the Tribe of Judah. These offerings consisted of a silver plate weighing 130 shekels, a silver basin weighing 70 shekels, (according to the weights employed by the priests), both of them filled with choice flour mixed with olive oil for a grain offering, one golden dish full of incense weighing 10 shekels, one young bull, one ram, and one yearling male lamb for a burnt offering, one male goat for a sin offering, 2 oxen, 5 rams, 5 male goats, and 5 yearling male lambs for a peace offering. Such were the offerings of Nahshon, the son of Amminabab.
[Identical offerings were made by:]
Nethanel, the son of Zuar, chief of the Tribe of Issachar on the 2nd day
Eliab, the son of Helon, chief of the Tribe of Zebulun, on the 3rd day
Elizur, the son of Shedeur, chief of the Tribe of Reuben, on the 4th day
Shelumiel, the son of Zurishaddai, chief of the Tribe of Simeon, on the 5th day
Eliasaph, the son of Deuel, chief of the Tribe of Gad, on the 6th day
Elishama, the son Ammihud, chief of the Tribe of Ephraim, on the 7th day
Gamaliel, the son of Pedahzur, chief of the Tribe of Manasseh, on the 8th day
Abidan, the son of Gideoni, chief of the Tribe of Benjamin, on the 9th day
Ahiezer, the son of Ammishaddai, chief of the Tribe of Dan, on the 10th day
Pagiel, the son of Okran, chief of the Tribe of Asher, on the 11th day
Ahira, the son of Enan, chief of the Tribe of Naphtali, on the 12th day
In total, the offerings made by the Israelite tribal chiefs for the dedication of the altar after it was anointed were as follows: 12 silver plates, 12 silver basins, and 12 gold dishes. Each silver plate weighed 130 shekels, each silver basin, 70 shekels. Together, the silver weighed 2400 shekels (according to the weights used by the priests). The 12 gold dishes containing incense weighed 10 shekels each (according to the weights used by the priests). Together the gold weighed 120 shekels. The total number of sacrificial animals for the burnt offering was 12 young bulls, 12 rams, 12 yearling male lambs, with the accompanying grain offerings. For the sin offering, 12 goats were sacrificed. For the peace offering the total number of animals sacrificed were 24 oxen, 60 rams, 60 male goats, and 60 yearling male lambs. These were the offerings made for the dedication of the altar after it was anointed.
When Moses entered the Sanctum to commune with Jehovah, he would hear his voice speaking from between the images of the Cherubim situated on the lid of the Chest of Sacred Records. It was in this way that Jehovah communicated with him.
Notes
1. The text is here condensed to eliminate redundancies. One feels it is not necessary to bore the reader by listing the identical offerings made by each tribal chief.
2. Judah's place of privilege among the sons of Israel allows his tribe to make the first offering. Each tribe, regardless of its population and wealth, are required to make the same contribution and bear an equal burden. It is similar to the United States in that each state is given equal power in the Senate with two Senators each.
3. With more than 20 animals being slaughtered on the altar every day for 12 days, the Tabernacle dedication would have been a ceremony of butchery and overwhelming blood and stench. But, to the ancient Israelites, such things would have been evocative of holiness. Also, this prodigal animal slaughter illustrates how rich in livestock were the Israelites, who were previously depicted as wandering, starving in the desert.
4. The biblical shekel, a measure of weight, is thought to be about .4 ounces. Therefore, 10 shekels = 1/4 pound, 30 shekels = 3/4 pounds, 70 shekels = 1 3/4 pounds, 120 shekels = 3 pounds, 130 shekels = 3 1/4 pounds, 1300 shekels = 32 1/3 pounds, 2400 shekels = 60 1/3 pounds. Silver (not actually in coinage) was used as a barter commodity in this part of the world, but probably beginning at a date later than the time of the Exodus. The weights used by the Hebrew priests would have been somewhat different than those used by merchants, thus the repeated stipulations in the texts that the Tabernacle weights are to be employed. In Egypt, silver, owing to its scarcity, once had a value greater than gold, but, by the 2nd millennium B.C., it was considered worth about half as much as gold.
5. Jehovah communicates to Moses from the Inner Sanctum, his voice coming from the space between the golden images of the winged Cherubim on the lid (Judgment Seat) of the Chest of Sacred Records (often called the Ark of the Covenant). There was, then, no telepathic rapport between Moses and Jehovah. Moses could not call upon Jehovah wherever he happened to be, but had to visit him in the Inner Sanctum of the Tabernacle. One assumes that Moses spoke with a disembodied, spirit voice. Some, though, have intriguingly suggested that the Chest of Sacred Records contained a communication device, a receiver and a speaker by which a voice could have been transmitted and generated electronically. If this is true, the memory of such a device was lost, or conveniently forgotten. If it was a disembodied voice, why does it speak only at a certain location? For those who have had commerce with spirits have found that being in a specific place is not necessary for communication with them. Joan of Arc, for instance, heard her voices even in prison. Others have had their prayers answered regardless of where they happened to be. Spirit is not bound in the material world. There is much similarity between the voice of the Judgment Seat and the voices that reportedly emanated from the statues of the pagan gods and goddesses in their temples. There was always the idea that to speak to a god, you had to visit his temple and evoke him in spoken prayer and perhaps be responded to, audibly. This was the original rational for building temples and statues of divinities. But since the divinities were not always responsive to the lay individual, the concept of the priest as intermediary was born.
Friday, November 21, 2014
Organization of the Camp
(Book of Numbers 2:1 - 2:34)
Jehovah gave the following instructions to Moses and Aaron: "When camp is set up, each family will pitch their tents beneath their family’s ancestral banners. The encampment will be made on all sides of the Tabernacle, but at some distance from it.
"On the east side, facing the rising sun, will camp the following tribes under their ancestral banners:
Judah, led Nahshon, son of Amminadab, numbering 74,600 fighting men
Issachar, led by Nethanel, son of Zuar, numbering 54,400 fighting men
Zebulun, led by Eliab, son of Helon, numbering 57,400 fighting men
The total number of forces from Judah's side of the camp totals 186,400 fighting men. These tribes will set out first when the Israelites break camp.
"On the south side will camp the following tribes under their ancestral banners:
Reuben, led by Elizur, son of Shedeur, numbering 46,500 fighting men
Simeon, led by Shelumiel, son of Zurishaddai, numbering 59,300 fighting men
Gad, led by Eliasaph, son Deuel [or Reuel], numbering 45,650 fighting men
The total number of forces from Reuben's side of the camp totals 151,450 fighting men. They will set out second.
"The Tabernacle and the camp of the Levites will have their places in the middle of the encampment. They will set out in the same order in which they make camp, each in their assigned places under their banners.
"On the west side will camp the following tribes under their ancestral banners:
Ephraim, led by Elishama, son of Ammihud, numbering 40,500 fighting men
Manasseh, led by Gamaliel, son of Pedahzur, numbering 32,200 fighting men
Benjamin, led by Abidan, son of Gideoni, numbering 35,400 fighting men
The total number of forces from Ephraim's side of the camp totals 108,100 fighting men. They will set out third.
"On the north side will camp the following tribes under their ancestral banners:
Dan, led by Ahiezer, son of Ammishaddai, numbering 62,700 fighting men
Asher, led by Pagiel, son of Okran, numbering 41,500 fighting men
Naphtali, led by Ahira, son of Enan, numbering 53,400 fighting men
The total number of forces from Dan's side of the camp totals 157,100 fighting men. They will set out last whenever the Israelites break camp."
These, therefore, are the forces of the Israelites, counted according to their tribes. The total number of fighting men equals 603,550 (excluding, as Jehovah ordered, the Levites, who were not enrolled for military service). The Israelites complied with the instructions Jehovah gave to Moses: each family and tribe set up camp under their ancestral banners and, when marching, did so with their own family and tribe.
Notes
1. It is amazing the degree to which Jehovah (Creator-God of the universe?) takes an interest in the nuts-and-bolts details of Israelite affairs. His insistence on micromanaging everything suggests little confidence in Moses' administrative abilities.
2. A common characteristic of ancient and medieval chronicles is the presentation of superfluous details, those that really do not further the narrative or provide any significant insight. Most such chronicles, the Bible included, are based on oral traditions, and so it seems unlikely that such details, especially numbers and names, would have been accurately recorded and passed down, yet they are always pointedly presented with assumed exactitude. Perhaps the reason for this is that details always suggest accuracy, a confirmation of authenticity, authority and, in the case of the Bible, divine provenance. Significant details, on the other hands, seem always omitted and ignored. For instance, the readers were never informed in Exodus of the name of the Egyptian Pharaoh, which is the very first thing one would like to know, but we are given the exact details of the construction of the Tabernacle. We have the exact number of people in each tribe of Israel, but we are not informed, for instance, of the unglamorous details of how the sanitation needs of such a vast population could possibly have been met.
Jehovah gave the following instructions to Moses and Aaron: "When camp is set up, each family will pitch their tents beneath their family’s ancestral banners. The encampment will be made on all sides of the Tabernacle, but at some distance from it.
"On the east side, facing the rising sun, will camp the following tribes under their ancestral banners:
Judah, led Nahshon, son of Amminadab, numbering 74,600 fighting men
Issachar, led by Nethanel, son of Zuar, numbering 54,400 fighting men
Zebulun, led by Eliab, son of Helon, numbering 57,400 fighting men
The total number of forces from Judah's side of the camp totals 186,400 fighting men. These tribes will set out first when the Israelites break camp.
"On the south side will camp the following tribes under their ancestral banners:
Reuben, led by Elizur, son of Shedeur, numbering 46,500 fighting men
Simeon, led by Shelumiel, son of Zurishaddai, numbering 59,300 fighting men
Gad, led by Eliasaph, son Deuel [or Reuel], numbering 45,650 fighting men
The total number of forces from Reuben's side of the camp totals 151,450 fighting men. They will set out second.
"The Tabernacle and the camp of the Levites will have their places in the middle of the encampment. They will set out in the same order in which they make camp, each in their assigned places under their banners.
"On the west side will camp the following tribes under their ancestral banners:
Ephraim, led by Elishama, son of Ammihud, numbering 40,500 fighting men
Manasseh, led by Gamaliel, son of Pedahzur, numbering 32,200 fighting men
Benjamin, led by Abidan, son of Gideoni, numbering 35,400 fighting men
The total number of forces from Ephraim's side of the camp totals 108,100 fighting men. They will set out third.
"On the north side will camp the following tribes under their ancestral banners:
Dan, led by Ahiezer, son of Ammishaddai, numbering 62,700 fighting men
Asher, led by Pagiel, son of Okran, numbering 41,500 fighting men
Naphtali, led by Ahira, son of Enan, numbering 53,400 fighting men
The total number of forces from Dan's side of the camp totals 157,100 fighting men. They will set out last whenever the Israelites break camp."
These, therefore, are the forces of the Israelites, counted according to their tribes. The total number of fighting men equals 603,550 (excluding, as Jehovah ordered, the Levites, who were not enrolled for military service). The Israelites complied with the instructions Jehovah gave to Moses: each family and tribe set up camp under their ancestral banners and, when marching, did so with their own family and tribe.
Notes
1. It is amazing the degree to which Jehovah (Creator-God of the universe?) takes an interest in the nuts-and-bolts details of Israelite affairs. His insistence on micromanaging everything suggests little confidence in Moses' administrative abilities.
2. A common characteristic of ancient and medieval chronicles is the presentation of superfluous details, those that really do not further the narrative or provide any significant insight. Most such chronicles, the Bible included, are based on oral traditions, and so it seems unlikely that such details, especially numbers and names, would have been accurately recorded and passed down, yet they are always pointedly presented with assumed exactitude. Perhaps the reason for this is that details always suggest accuracy, a confirmation of authenticity, authority and, in the case of the Bible, divine provenance. Significant details, on the other hands, seem always omitted and ignored. For instance, the readers were never informed in Exodus of the name of the Egyptian Pharaoh, which is the very first thing one would like to know, but we are given the exact details of the construction of the Tabernacle. We have the exact number of people in each tribe of Israel, but we are not informed, for instance, of the unglamorous details of how the sanitation needs of such a vast population could possibly have been met.
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