How does the new census govern Israel’s land shares, and who is counted separately?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

God orders land shares according to the number of names, with larger shares for larger groups and smaller shares for smaller groups, while requiring division by lot among tribes and families. The Levites are counted separately from one month old and receive no possession with the others.

Chapter breakdown

After the blood of the guilty is shed, the Lord tells Moses and Eleazar, Aaron’s son and the priest, to count all Israel from twenty years old upward by houses and kindreds: everyone able to go to war. In Moab’s plains on the Jordan opposite Jericho, Moses and Eleazar speak to those twenty and older as commanded. The following record gives their numbers.

Ruben is Israel’s firstborn. His sons and their families are Henoch—the Henochites; Phallu—the Phalluites; Hesron—the Hesronites; and Charmi—the Charmites. Their total is 43,730. Phallu’s son is Eliab, whose sons are Namuel, Dathan and Abiron. Dathan and Abiron were princes who rose against Moses and Aaron in Core’s rebellion against the Lord. The earth opened and swallowed Core, with many others dying when fire burned 250 men. The account calls it a great miracle that Core’s sons did not perish when he did.

Simeon’s sons and families are Namuel—the Namuelites; Jamin—the Jaminites; Jachim—the Jachimites; Zare—the Zarites; and Saul—the Saulites. Their total is 22,200. Gad’s sons and families are Sephon—the Sephonites; Aggi—the Aggites; Suni—the Sunites; Ozni—the Oznites; Her—the Herites; Arod—the Arodites; and Ariel—the Arielites. Gad’s total is 40,500.

Juda’s sons Her and Onan both died in Chanaan. The recorded kindreds come from Sela—the Selaites; Phares—the Pharesites; and Zare—the Zarites. Phares’ sons are Hesron—the Hesronites; and Hamul—the Hamulites. Juda’s families total 76,500.

Issachar’s sons and families are Thola—the Tholaites; Phua—the Phuaites; Jasub—the Jasubites; and Semran—the Semranites. Their total is 64,300. Zabulon’s sons and families are Sared—the Saredites; Elon—the Elonites; and Jalel—the Jalelites. Their total is 60,500.

Joseph’s sons are Manasses and Ephraim. Manasses’ son Machir gives his name to the Machirites; Machir fathers Galaad, giving his name to the Galaadites. Galaad’s sons and families are Jezer—the Jezerites; Helec—the Helecites; Asriel—the Asrielites; Sechem—the Sechemites; Semida—the Semidaites; and Hepher—the Hepherites. Hepher fathers Salphaad, who has no sons, only daughters: Maala, Noa, Hegla, Melcha and Thersa. Manasses’ total is 52,700. Ephraim’s sons and families are Suthala—the Suthalaites; Becher—the Becherites; and Thehen—the Thehenites. Suthala’s son Heran gives his name to the Heranites. Ephraim’s total is 32,500.

These are Joseph’s sons by their families. Benjamin’s sons and families are Bela—the Belaites; Asbel—the Asbelites; Ahiram—the Ahiramites; Supham—the Suphamites; and Hupham—the Huphamites. Bela’s sons are Hered—the Heredites; and Noeman—the Noemanites. Benjamin’s total is 45,600. Dan’s son Suham gives his name to the Suhamites; all Dan’s numbered families are Suhamites, totaling 64,400. Aser’s sons and families are Jemna—the Jemnaites; Jessui—the Jessuites; and Brie—the Brieites. Brie’s sons are Heber—the Heberites; and Melchiel—the Melchielites. Aser’s daughter is Sara. Aser’s total is 53,400.

Nephtali’s sons and families are Jesiel—the Jesielites; Guni—the Gunites; Jeser—the Jeserites; and Sellem—the Sellemites. Their total is 45,400. The total of the children of Israel counted is 601,730.

The Lord tells Moses that the land must be divided among those counted for their possessions according to the number of names. A larger number is to receive a larger portion and a smaller number a smaller portion; each is to receive a possession according to this count. The land must nevertheless be divided by lot among tribes and families. Whatever falls by lot must be accepted by the larger or smaller group. The chapter does not describe how the lots are cast.

Levi’s sons and families are Gerson—the Gersonites; Caath—the Caathites; and Merari—the Merarites. The families also named are Lobni, Hebroni, Moholi, Musi and Core. Caath fathers Amram, whose wife is Jochabed, Levi’s daughter born to him in Egypt. She bears Amram Aaron, Moses and their sister Mary. Aaron’s sons are Nadab, Abiu, Eleazar and Ithamar. Nadab and Abiu died when they offered strange fire before the Lord. The numbered Levites total 23,000 males from one month old upward. They are not counted among the children of Israel in the preceding count, and no possession is given them with the rest.

This is Israel’s count taken by Moses and Eleazar in Moab’s plains on the Jordan opposite Jericho. Among them there is none of those previously numbered by Moses and Aaron in Sinai’s desert. The Lord had foretold their death in the wilderness, and none of them remained except Caleb son of Jephone and Josue son of Nun.

The story inside

The census uses one rule for the war-ready Israelites and a different rule for the Levites. The first count begins at twenty years and includes those able to go to war. The Levite count begins at one month and is explicitly separate, with no possession given alongside the rest. Those distinctions prevent the two totals from being treated as the same kind of count.

The land instructions refer back to the numbered names. Numbers affect share size, but the tribes and families must also accept what falls by lot. The chapter records both requirements without describing the casting method or an actual distribution. Its closing comparison names those counted before at Sinai and the two who remained. It does not compare each tribe’s growth or decline with an earlier total or assign causes to those changes.

Lessons worth keeping

1
The family lists give more than totals. They preserve names, relationships, deaths and exceptions, including Core’s surviving sons and Salphaad’s daughters. Those details belong to the record.
2
Share size and division by lot are both required. The law gives more land to more people, yet also requires tribes and families to accept the lot. Neither rule should replace the other in the summary.
3
The two counts have different scopes. War-ready Israelites begin at twenty years; Levite males begin at one month and are separate from that count and land possession.

Test your recall

How do the census numbers affect land shares, and what second requirement still governs their division?

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 17160–17176
Numbers Chapter 26 The people are again numbered by their tribes and families. 26:1. After the blood of the guilty was shed, the Lord said to Moses and to Eleazar the son of Aaron, the priest: 26:2. Number the whole sum of the children of Israel from twenty years old and upward, by their houses and kindreds, all that are able to go forth to war. 26:3. Moses therefore and Eleazar the priest, being in the plains of Moab upon the Jordan over against Jericho, spoke to them that were 26:4. From twenty years old and upward, as the Lord had commanded: and this is the number of them:
Lines 17177–17198
26:5. Ruben the firstborn of Israel. His sons were Henoch, of whom is the family of the Henochites: and Phallu, of whom is the family of the Phalluites: 26:6. And Hesron, of whom is the family of the Hesronites: and Charmi, of whom is the family of the Charmites. 26:7. These are the families of the stock of Ruben: whose number was found to be forty-three thousand seven hundred and thirty. 26:8. The son of Phallu was Eliab. 26:9. His sons, were Namuel and Dathan and Abiron. These are Dathan and Abiron the princes of the people, that rose against Moses and Aaron in the sedition of Core, when they rebelled against the Lord: 26:10. And the earth opening her mouth swallowed up Core, many others dying, when the fire burned two hundred and fifty men. And there was a great miracle wrought, 26:11. That when Core perished, his sons did not perish.
Lines 17199–17221
26:12. The sons of Simeon by their kindreds: Namuel, of him is the family of the Namuelites: Jamin, of him is the family of the Jaminites: Jachim, of him is the family of the Jachimites: 26:13. Zare, of him is the family of the Zarites: Saul, of him is the family of the Saulites. 26:14. These are the families of the stock of Simeon, of which the whole number was twenty-two thousand two hundred. 26:15. The sons of Gad by their kindreds: Sephon, of him is the family of the Sephonites: Aggi, of him is the family of the Aggites: Suni, of him is the family of the Sunites: 26:16. Ozni, of him is the family of the Oznites: Her, of him is the family of the Herites: 26:17. Arod, of him is the family of the Arodites: Ariel, of him is the family of the Arielites. 26:18. These are the families of Gad, of which the whole number was forty thousand five hundred.
Lines 17222–17234
26:19. The sons of Juda, Her and Onan, who both died in the land of Chanaan. 26:20. And the sons of Juda by their kindreds were: Sela, of whom is the family of the Selaites: Phares, of whom is the family of the Pharesites: Zare, of whom is the family of the Zarites. 26:21. Moreover the sons of Phares were: Hesron, of whom is the family of the Hesronites: and Hamul, of whom is the family of the Hamulites. 26:22. These are the families of Juda, of which the whole number was seventy-six thousand five hundred.
Lines 17235–17250
26:23. The sons of Issachar, by their kindreds: Thola of whom is the family of the Tholaites: Phua, of whom is the family of the Phuaites: 26:24. Jasub, of whom is the family of the Jasubites: Semran, of whom is the family of the Semranites. 26:25. These are the kindreds of Issachar, whose number was sixty-four thousand three hundred. 26:26. The sons of Zabulon by their kindreds: Sared, of whom is the family of the Saredites: Elon, of whom is the family of the Elonites: Jalel, of whom is the family of the Jalelites. 26:27. These are the kindreds of Zabulon, whose number was sixty thousand five hundred.
Lines 17251–17282
26:28. The sons of Joseph by their kindred, Manasses and Ephraim. 26:29. Of Manasses was born Machir, of whom is the family of the Machirites. Machir begot Galaad, of whom is the family of the Galaadites. 26:30. Galaad had sons: Jezer, of whom is the family of the Jezerites: and Helec, of whom is the family of the Helecites: 26:31. And Asriel, of whom is the family of the Asrielites: and Sechem, of whom is the family of the Sechemites: 26:32. And Semida, of whom is the family of the Semidaites: and Hepher, of whom is the family of the Hepherites. 26:33. And Hepher was the father of Salphaad, who had no sons, but only daughters, whose names are these: Maala, and Noa, and Hegla, and Melcha, and Thersa. 26:34. These are the families of Manasses, and the number of them fifty-two thousand seven hundred. 26:35. And the sons of Ephraim by their kindreds were these: Suthala, of whom is the family of the Suthalaites: Becher, of whom is the family of the Becherites: Thehen, of whom is the family of the Thehenites. 26:36. Now the son of Suthala was Heran, of whom is the family of the Heranites. 26:37. These are the kindreds of the sons of Ephraim: whose number was thirty-two thousand five hundred.
Lines 17283–17314
26:38. These are the sons of Joseph by their families. The sons of Benjamin in their kindreds: Bela, of whom is the family of the Belaites: Asbel, of whom is the family of the Asbelites: Ahiram, of whom is the family of the Ahiramites: 26:39. Supham, of whom is the family of the Suphamites: Hupham, of whom is the family of the Huphamites. 26:40. The sons of Bela: Hered, and Noeman. Of Hered, is the family of the Heredites: of Noeman, the family of the Noemanites. 26:41. These are the sons of Benjamin by their kindreds, whose number was forty-five thousand six hundred. 26:42. The sons of Dan by their kindreds: Suham, of whom is the family of the Suhamites: These are the kindreds of Dan by their families. 26:43. All were Suhamites, whose number was sixty-four thousand four hundred. 26:44. The sons of Aser by their kindreds: Jemna, of whom is the family of the Jemnaites: Jessui, of whom is the family of the Jessuites: Brie, of whom is the family of the Brieites. 26:45. The sons of Brie: Heber, of whom is the family of the Heberites: and Melchiel, of whom is the family of the Melchielites. 26:46. And the name of the daughter of Aser, was Sara. 26:47. These are the kindreds of the sons of Aser, and their number fifty-three thousand four hundred.
Lines 17315–17326
26:48. The sons of Nephtali by their kindreds: Jesiel, of whom is the family of the Jesielites: Guni, of whom is the family of the Gunites: 26:49. Jeser, of whom is the family of the Jeserites: Sellem, of whom is the family of the Sellemites. 26:50. These are the kindreds of the sons of Nephtali by their families: whose number was forty-five thousand four hundred. 26:51. This is the sum of the children of Israel, that were reckoned up, six hundred and one thousand seven hundred and thirty.
Lines 17327–17341
26:52. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 26:53. To these shall the land be divided for their possessions according to the number of names. 26:54. To the greater number thou shalt give a greater portion, and to the fewer a less: to every one, as they have now been reckoned up, shall a possession be delivered: 26:55. Yet so that by lot the land be divided to the tribe and families. 26:56. Whatsoever shall fall by lot, that shall be taken by the more, or the fewer.
Lines 17342–17364
26:57. This also is the number of the sons of Levi by their families: Gerson, of whom is the family of the Gersonites: Caath, of whom is the family of the Caathites: Merari, of whom is the family of the Merarites. 26:58. These are the families of Levi: The family of Lobni, the family of Hebroni, the family of Moholi, the family of Musi, the family of Core. Now Caath begot Amram: 26:59. Who had to wife Jochabed the daughter of Levi, who was born to him in Egypt. She bore to her husband Amram sons, Aaron and Moses, and Mary their sister. 26:60. Of Aaron were born Nadab and Abiu, and Eleazar and Ithamar: 26:61. Of whom Nadab and Abiu died, when they had offered the strange fire before the Lord. 26:62. And all that were numbered, were twenty-three thousand males from one month old and upward: for they were not reckoned up among the children of Israel, neither was a possession given to them with the rest.
Lines 17365–17376
26:63. This is the number of the children of Israel, that were enrolled by Moses and Eleazar the priest, in the plains of Moab upon the Jordan, over against Jericho. 26:64. Among whom there was not one of them that were numbered before by Moses and Aaron in the desert of Sinai. 26:65. For the Lord had foretold that they should die in the wilderness. And none remained of them, but Caleb the son of Jephone, and Josue the son of Nun.