Why does Numbers 1 leave the Levites out of the count of men fit for war?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

God assigns the Levites to carry, set up, serve and guard the tabernacle rather than count them with the other men. They must camp around it and keep watch so indignation does not come upon the children of Israel.

Chapter breakdown

Numbers 1 records the count of the children of Israel and the Levites’ assignment to the tabernacle. The Lord speaks to Moses in the desert of Sinai, in the tabernacle of the covenant, on the first day of the second month in the second year after leaving Egypt. Moses and Aaron must count the congregation by families, houses, and each male’s name. They must number by troops all Israelite men twenty years old and upward who are fit for war. Princes of the tribes and the houses in their kindreds must be with them.

The named leaders are Elisur son of Sedeur for Ruben; Salamiel son of Surisaddai for Simeon; Nahasson son of Aminadab for Juda; Nathanael son of Suar for Issachar; and Eliab son of Helon for Zabulon. For the sons of Joseph, Elisama son of Ammiud represents Ephraim, and Gamaliel son of Phadassur represents Manasses.

For Benjamin the leader is Abidan son of Gedeon; for Dan, Ahiezer son of Ammisaddai; for Aser, Phegiel son of Ochran; for Gad, Eliasaph son of Duel; and for Nephtali, Ahira son of Enan. These are the most noble princes of the multitude by tribes and kindreds, and the chiefs of Israel’s army.

Moses and Aaron take these leaders with the multitude of the common people and assemble them on the first day of the second month. They reckon those twenty years old and upward by kindreds, houses, families, heads, and each person’s name, as the Lord commanded Moses. They are numbered in the desert of Sinai.

The count begins with Ruben, Israel’s eldest son. His males twenty years old and upward who are able to go to war are counted by generations, families, houses, and each head’s name: 46,500. The sons of Simeon are counted by their generations, families, houses of their kindreds, and each person’s name and head. Their males twenty years old and upward who are able to go to war number 59,300.

The sons of Gad are counted by generations, families, houses of their kindreds, and each person’s name, twenty years old and upward and able to go to war: 45,650. The sons of Juda are counted by the same generations, families, houses, names, age and ability-to-go-to-war requirements: 74,600.

The sons of Issachar are counted by generations, families, houses of their kindreds, and each person’s name, twenty years old and upward and able to go to war: 54,400. The sons of Zabulon are counted by their generations, families, houses of their kindreds, names, and the same age and ability requirements: 57,400.

The sons of Joseph are listed through Ephraim and Manasses. The sons of Ephraim are counted by generations, families, houses of their kindreds, names, and those twenty years old and upward able to go to war: 40,500. The sons of Manasses are counted by generations, families, houses of their kindreds, names, and the same age and ability requirements: 32,200.

The sons of Benjamin are counted by generations, families, houses of their kindreds, and each person’s name, twenty years old and upward and able to go to war: 35,400. The sons of Dan are counted by their generations, families, houses of their kindreds, names, and the same age and ability requirements: 62,700.

The sons of Aser are counted by generations, families, houses of their kindreds, and each person’s name, twenty years old and upward and able to go to war: 41,500. The sons of Nephtali are counted by their generations, families, houses of their kindreds, names, and the same age and ability requirements: 53,400.

These are the men numbered by Moses, Aaron and Israel’s twelve princes, each by the houses of their kindreds. The whole number of the children of Israel, by houses and families, twenty years old and upward and able to go to war, is 603,550 men. The Levites, by the tribes of their families, are not counted with them.

The Lord tells Moses not to number the tribe of Levi or record their sum with the children of Israel. He must instead appoint them over the tabernacle of the testimony, all its vessels, and everything concerning its ceremonies. They must carry the tabernacle and all its furniture, minister, and camp around it. When the people move forward, the Levites must take it down; when they camp, the Levites must set it up. Any stranger who comes to it must be slain.

The children of Israel must camp, each man by his troops, bands and army. The Levites must pitch their tents around the tabernacle so indignation does not come upon the multitude of Israel. They must keep watch and guard the tabernacle of the testimony. The children of Israel do everything the Lord commanded Moses.

The story inside

The chapter gives two assignments and shows both being carried out. Moses and Aaron assemble the people with the named leaders and count the men by the commanded age, ability, family and name requirements. The sum is 603,550, with the Levites excluded. God’s command then gives the Levites their work: they carry the tabernacle, take it down for a move, set it up for a camp, serve it and keep watch around it. The text states why they camp there—to prevent indignation upon the multitude—and closes with Israel doing what God commanded. The counting and guarding are recorded duties; the chapter does not describe a human debate about replacing one with the other.

Lessons worth keeping

1
The sum is a count with stated limits. It records men twenty years old and upward who can go to war, by families, houses and names, and excludes the Levites; it is not presented as a count of every person in Israel.
2
The leaders are named with their fathers and tribes. Moses and Aaron take these men with the people and carry out the count, keeping the named relationships tied to the task.
3
The Levites’ camp and watch have a stated reason. They must guard around the tabernacle so indignation does not come upon the multitude, while the other men camp by their troops, bands and army.

Test your recall

Why must the Levites camp around the tabernacle and keep watch while the other men camp by their troops?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 13896–13913
Numbers Chapter 1 The children of Israel are numbered: the Levites are designed to serve the tabernacle. 1:1. And the Lord spoke to Moses in the desert of Sinai in the tabernacle of the covenant, the first day of the second month, the second year of their going out of Egypt, saying: 1:2. Take the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel by their families, and houses, and the names of every one, as many as are of the male sex, 1:3. From twenty years old and upwards, of all the men of Israel fit for war, and you shall number them by their troops, thou and Aaron. 1:4. And there shall be with you the princes of the tribes, and of the houses in their kindreds,
Lines 13915–13926
1:5. Whose names are these: Of Ruben, Elisur the son of Sedeur. 1:6. Of Simeon, Salamiel the son of Surisaddai. 1:7. Of Juda, Nahasson the son of Aminadab. 1:8. Of Issachar, Nathanael the son of Suar. 1:9. Of Zabulon, Eliab the son of Helon. 1:10. And of the sons of Joseph: of Ephraim, Elisama the son of Ammiud: of Manasses, Gamaliel the son of Phadassur.
Lines 13928–13939
1:11. Of Benjamin, Abidan the son of Gedeon. 1:12. Of Dan, Ahiezer the son of Ammisaddai. 1:13. Of Aser, Phegiel the son of Ochran. 1:14. Of Gad, Eliasaph the son of Duel. 1:15. Of Nephtali, Ahira the son of Enan. 1:16. These are the most noble princes of the multitude by their tribes and kindreds, and the chiefs of the army of Israel:
Lines 13941–13949
1:17. Whom Moses and Aaron took with all the multitude of the common people: 1:18. And assembled them on the first day of the second month, reckoning them up by the kindreds, and houses, and families, and heads, and names of every one from twenty years old and upward, 1:19. As the Lord had commanded Moses. And they were numbered in the desert of Sinai.
Lines 13951–13964
1:20. Of Ruben the eldest son of Israel, by their generations and families and houses and names of every head, all that were of the male sex, from twenty years old and upward, that were able to go forth to war, 1:21. Were forty-six thousand five hundred. 1:22. Of the sons of Simeon by their generations and families, and houses of their kindreds, were reckoned up by the names and heads of every one, all that were of the male sex, from twenty years old and upward, that were able to go forth to war, 1:23. Fifty-nine thousand three hundred.
Lines 13965–13976
1:24. Of the sons of Gad, by their generations and families and houses of their kindreds were reckoned up by the names of every one from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war, 1:25. Forty-five thousand six hundred and fifty. 1:26. Of the sons of Juda, by their generations and families and houses of their kindreds, by the names of every one from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war, 1:27. Were reckoned up seventy-four thousand six hundred.
Lines 13977–13988
1:28. Of the sons of Issachar, by their generations and families and houses of their kindreds, by the names of every one from twenty years old and upward, all that could go forth to war, 1:29. Were reckoned up fifty-four thousand four hundred. 1:30. Of the sons of Zabulon, by the generations and families and houses of their kindreds, were reckoned up by the names of every one from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war, 1:31. Fifty-seven thousand four hundred.
Lines 13990–14001
1:32. Of the sons of Joseph, namely, of the sons of Ephraim, by the generations and families and houses of their kindreds, were reckoned up by the names of every one, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war, 1:33. Forty thousand five hundred. 1:34. Moreover of the sons of Manasses, by the generations and families and houses of their kindreds, were reckoned up by the names of every one from twenty years old and upward, all that could go forth to war, 1:35. Thirty-two thousand two hundred.
Lines 14003–14014
1:36. Of the sons of Benjamin, by their generations and families and houses of their kindreds, were reckoned up by the names of every one from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war, 1:37. Thirty-five thousand four hundred. 1:38. Of the sons of Dan, by their generations and families and houses of their kindreds, were reckoned up by the names of every one from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war, 1:39. Sixty-two thousand seven hundred.
Lines 14016–14026
1:40. Of the sons of Aser, by their generations and families and houses of their kindreds, were reckoned up by the names of every one from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war, 1:41. Forty-one thousand and five hundred. 1:42. Of the sons of Nephtali, by their generations and families and houses of their kindreds, were reckoned up by the names of every one from twenty years old and upward, were able to go forth to war, 1:43. Fifty-three thousand four hundred.
Lines 14028–14038
1:44. These are they who were numbered by Moses and Aaron, and the twelve princes of Israel, every one by the houses of their kindreds. 1:45. And the whole number of the children of Israel by their houses and families, from twenty years old and upward, that were able to go to war, 1:46. Were six hundred and three thousand five hundred and fifty men. 1:47. But the Levites in the tribes of their families were not numbered with them.
Lines 14040–14052
1:48. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 1:49. Number not the tribe of Levi, neither shalt thou put down the sum of them with the children of Israel: 1:50. But appoint them over the tabernacle of the testimony, and all the vessels thereof, and whatsoever pertaineth to the ceremonies. They shall carry the tabernacle and all the furniture thereof: and they shall minister, and shall encamp round about the tabernacle. 1:51. When you are to go forward, the Levites shall take down the tabernacle: when you are to camp, they shall set it up. What stranger soever cometh to it, shall be slain.
Lines 14054–14065
1:52. And the children of Israel shall camp every man by his troops and bands and army. 1:53. But the Levites shall pitch their tents round about the tabernacle, lest there come indignation upon the multitude of the children of Israel, and they shall keep watch, and guard the tabernacle of the testimony. 1:54. And the children of Israel did according to all things which the Lord had commanded Moses.