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Before leaving the encampment at Mount Sinai, God directed Moses and Aaron to
take a census ofall who constituted the host of Israel in the language of Scripture. "All
that are able to go forth towar," "their armies," (Numbers 1:3) that is, "every male
from twenty years old and upwards." In thisthey were to be assisted by one delegate
from each tribe, "every one head of the house of hisfathers" (1:4); or, as they are
designated in ver. 16, "the called (representatives) of the congregation,princes of their
paternal tribes, heads of thousands in Israel."
The latter expression indicates that the census was taken on the plan proposed by
Jethro, (Exodus18:21, 25) by which Israel was arranged into thousands, hundreds,
fifties, and tens. This alsoaccounts for the even numbers assigned to each tribe as the
final result of the numbering, Manifestly,the census was made on the basis of the poll
taken, nine months before, for the purpose of the"atonement money." (Exodus 30:11-
16) This poll had yielded a total of 603,550, (Exodus 38:26)which is precisely the
same number as that in Numbers 1:46. Probably, therefore, the census
wassubstantially only a re-arrangement and registration of the people according to
their tribes, inthousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens, made with the co-operation of the
hereditary rulers of thetribes. The above number of men capable of bearing arms
would, if we may apply modern statisticalresults, imply a total population of upwards
of two millions. Thirty-eight years later, just beforeentering upon possession of the
land, a second census was taken, (Numbers 26) which yielded atotal number of
601,730 capable of bearing arms (26:51), thus showing a decrease of 1820 duringthe
years of wandering in the wilderness. Arranging these two census according to the
tribes, andplacing them side by side, we gather some interesting information:
First Census (Exodus 30; Numbers 1)
REUBEN..............46,500 (Elizur, "My God the Rock.")
Simeon..............59,300 (Shelumiel, "God my Salvation.")
Gad.....................45,650 (Eliasaph, "My God that gathers.")
JUDAH ...............74,600 (Nahshon, "The Diviner.")
Issachar .............54,400 (Nethaneel, "God the Giver.")
Zebulon .............57,400 (Eliab, "My God the Father.")
EPHRAIM.............40,500 (Elishama, "My God the Hearer.")
Manasseh..........32,200 (Gamaliel, "My God the Rewarder.")
(^)