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CHAPTER XXVI

Moses and Eleazar are commanded to take the sum of the Israelites, in the plains of Moab, 1-4. Reuben and his posterity, 43, 730, ver. 5-11.Simeon and his posterity, 22, 200, ver. 12-14. Gad and his posterity, 40, 500, ver. 15-18. Judah and his posterity, 76, 500, ver. 19-22. Issachar and his posterity, 64, 300, ver. 23-25. Zebulun and his posterity, 60, 500, ver.26, 27. Manasseh and his posterity, 52, 700, ver. 28-34. Ephraim and his posterity, 32, 500, ver. 35-37. Benjamin and his posterity, 45, 600, ver.38-41. Dan and his posterity, 64, 400, ver. 42, 43. Asher and his posterity, 53, 400, ver. 44-47. Naphtali and his posterity, 45, 400, ver. 48-50. Total amount of the twelve tribes, 601, 730, ver. 51. The land is to be divided by lot, and how, 52- 56. The Levites and their families, 57, 58. Their genealogy, 59-61. Their number, 23, 000, ver. 62. In this census or enumeration not one man was found, save Joshua and Caleb, of all who had been reckoned 38 years before, the rest having died in the wilderness, 63-65.

NOTES ON CHAP. XXVI

Verse 2. "Take the sum of all the congregation" - After thirty- eight years God commands a second census of the Israelites to be made, to preserve the distinction in families, and to regulate the tribes previously to their entry into the promised land, and to ascertain the proportion of land which should be allowed to each tribe. For though the whole was divided by lot, yet the portions were so disposed that a numerous tribe did not draw where the lots assigned small inheritances. See verses 53-56, and also see the note on "chap. i. 1".

Verse 10. "Together with Korah" - The Samaritan text does not intimate that Korah was swallowed up, but that he was burnt, as appears in fact to have been the case. And the earth swallowed them up, what time that company died; and the fire devoured Korah with the two hundred and fifty men, who became a sign.

Verse 11. "The children of Korah died not." - It is difficult to reconcile this place with chap. xvi. 27, 31-33, where it seems to be intimated that not only the men, but the wives, and the sons, and the little ones of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, were swallowed up by the earthquake; see especially ver. 27, collated with xvi. 33. But the text here expressly says, The children of Korah died not; and on a close inspection of xvi. 27 of the above-mentioned chapter, we shall find that the sons and the little ones of Dathan and Abiram alone are mentioned. So they gat up from the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, on every side: and Dathan and Abiram came out-and their wives, and their sons, and their little ones. Here is no mention of the children of Korah, they therefore escaped, while it appears those of Dathan and Abiram perished with their fathers. See the note on "chap. xvi. 30".

Verse 51. "These were the numbered of the children of Israel, six hundred thousand and a thousand seven hundred and thirty." - The following comparative statement will show how much some of the tribes had increased, and others had diminished, since the enumeration in chap. i.

Reuben 43, 730 to 46, 500=2, 770 decrease

Simeon 22, 200 to 59, 300 = 37, 100 decrease

Gad 40, 500 to 45, 650 5, 150 = decrease

Judah 76, 500 to 74, 600 1, 900 = increase

Issachar 64, 300 to 54, 400 = 9, 900 increase

Zebulun 60, 500 to 57, 400 = 3, 100 increase

Manasseh 52, 700 to 32, 200 = 20, 500 increase

Ephraim 32, 500 to 40, 500 = 8, 000 decrease

Benjamin 45, 600 to 35, 400 = 10, 200 increase

Dan 64, 400 to 62, 700 = 1, 700 increase

Asher 53, 400 to 41, 500 = 11, 900 increase

Naphtali 45, 40 53, 400 = 8, 000 decrease

Total 601, 730 to 603, 550 = 1, 820 decrease

On the whole, in 38 years. Decrease in all, 61, 020. Increase in all, 59, 200.

Let it be observed, 1. That among these there was not a man of the former census, save Joshua and Caleb, see ver. 64, 65. 2. That though there was an increase in seven tribes of not less than 74, 800 men, yet so great was the decrease in the other five tribes, that the balance against the present census is 1, 820, as appears above: thus we find that there was an in crease of 601, 728 from 603, 550 in the space of thirty-eight years.

Notwithstanding the amazing increase in some and decrease in other tribes, the same sort of proportion is preserved in the east, west, north, and south divisions, as before; so as to keep the division of Judah, which was always in the front or van, the largest; and the division of Dan, which was always in the rear, the next in number. But it is worthy of remark that as they are now, properly speaking, to commence their grand military operations, so their front, or advanced division, is increased from 186, 400 to 201, 300; and their rear from 157, 600 to 163, 200. The first division is strengthened 14, 900 men, and the last division 5, 600 men. The reasons for this are sufficiently obvious.

Mr. Ainsworth has a curious remark on the number of families in the 12 tribes. "Here are families 1. Of Manasseh 8 7. Of Reuben 4 2. Of Benjamin 7 8. Of Issachar 4 3. Of Gad 7 9. Of Ephraim 4 4. Of Simeon 5 10. Of Naphtali 4 5. Of Judah 5 11. Of Zebulun 3 6. Of Asher 5 12. Of Dan 1 "In all 57; to whom if we add the 12 patriarchs, and Jacob their father, the whole number is 70, the exact number of the souls in Jacob's house that went down to Egypt, Gen. xlvi. 27." In a variety of things in this ancient economy there is a most surprising proportion kept up, which never could have been a fortuitous effect of general causes. But proportion, harmony, and order distinguish all the works of God, both in the natural and moral world.

Verse 55. "The land shall be divided by lot" - The word lrwg goral, translated lot, is supposed by some to signify the stone or pebble formerly used for the purpose of what we term casting lots. The word hlot is Anglo-Saxon, from to divide, or portion out, i. e., fortuitously: it answers to the Greek klhrov, which some think comes from klaw to break; because the lot, being a sort of appeal to God, ("The lot is cast into the lap, but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord," Prov. xvi. 33,) broke off all contentions and litigations relative to the matter in dispute.