B e 1,2. Command.
f1 3,4. Judah. East.
5,6. Issachar. "
7,8. Zebulon. "
g1 9. Total.
f2 10,11. Rueben. South.
12,13. Simeon. "
14,15. Gad. "
g2 16. Total.
h1 17. Levites. CENTER.
f3 18,19. Ephraim. West.
20,21. Manasseh. "
22,23. Benjamin. "
g3 24. Total.
f4 25,26. Dan. North.
27,28. Asher. "
29-31. Naphtali. "
g4 32. Total.
h2 33. Levites.
e 34. Obedience.
1490 B.C.
Numbers 2)
1 And the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, (see 1:1)
2 "Every man of the sons (see 1:2) of Israel shall encamp by his own standard, with the ensign of their father's house (each standard is said to have had as its own "sign" one of the twelve constellations, see Gen.1:16. Heb. 'oth. See "And the stars also"): over against about the tent. of the congregation shall they pitch. (Same as Ps. 38:12, yet so as to be in view. Cp. 2 Kings 2:7. Deut. 32:52. Gen. 21:16.)
3 And on the east side toward the rising of the sun (the order proceeds according to the course of the sun: east, south, west, north) shall they of the standard of the camp (each camp comprised of three tribes. cp. vv.3,10,17,18,25,32) of Judah (the sign, a lion, Gen.49:9. Esek. 1:10. Rev. 4:7. The standard, the colors of the 3 stones of the second row, Ex.28:18. This is the only order which occurs 3 times. Levi mentioned in v.17 after Gad. The order is that of importance) pitch throughout their armies: and Nahshon the son of Amminadab shall be captain of the sons of Judah."
4 And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were threescore and fourteen thousand and six hundred.
5 "And those that do pitch next to him shall be the tribe of Issachar (brother of Judah, same mother Leah, Gen. 35:23. Sign of standard = Cancer): and Nethaneel the son of Zuar shall be captain of the sons of Issachar."
6 And his host, and those that were numbered thereof, were fifty and four thousand and four hundred.
7 Then the tribe of Zebulun (brother of Judah, same mother Leah, Gen. 35:23. Sign of standard = Virgo): and Eliab the son of Helon shall be captain of the sons of Zebulun."
8 And his host, and those that were numbered thereof, were fifty and seven thousand and four hundred.
9 All that were numbered in the camp of Judah were an hundred thousand and fourscore thousand and six thousand and four hundred, throughout their armies. "These shall first set forth.
10 On the south side shall be the standard of the camp of Reuben according to their armies (the center of the south side, with standard in the colors of stones in fist row of Ex.28:17; and sign, a man, Gen.30:14. Sign = Aquarious): and the captain of the sons of Reuben shall be Elizur the son of Shedeur."
11 And his host, and those that were numbered thereof, were forty and six thousand and five hundred.
12 "And those which pitch by him shall be the tribe of Simeon (the brother of Rueben, same mother Leah, Gen. 35:23. Sign = Pisces): and the captain of the sons of Simeon shall be Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai."
13 And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were fifty and nine thousand and three hundred.
14 "Then the tribe of Gad (brother of Rueben, same mother Leah, Gen. 35:23. Sign = Aries): and the captain of the sons of Gad shall be Eliasaph the son of Reuel (or Deuel).
15 And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were forty and five thousand and six hundred and fifty.
16 All that were numbered in the camp of Reuben were an hundred thousand and fifty and one thousand and four hundred and fifty, throughout their armies. "And they shall set forth in the second rank.
17 Then the tent of the congregation (see v.2. This was in the center. So is the tent of the chief of the tribe to this day. The manner of its being carried is shown in 10:17 &c.) shall set forward with the camp of the Levites in the midst of the camp (the order of the Levite's camping is shown in Chapter 3, their marching in Chapter 10. Their sign was Libra, or more anciently the "altar"): as they encamp, so shall they set forward, every man in his place by their standards.
18 On the west side (Heb. = sea, that being west) shall be the standard of the camp of Ephraim according to their armies (the center of the west side. The colors of the stones in fourth row of Ex.28:20. The sign, an ox., Deut. 33:17. Ezek. 1:10. Rev. 4:7. In the Zodiac, Ephraim and Manasseh are the two horns of Taurus the bull. Ephraim, the younger, bears the standard, according to the blessing in Gen. 48:14-20): and the captain of the sons of Ephraim shall be Elishama the son of Ammihud."
19 And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were forty thousand and five hundred.
20 "And by him shall be the tribe of Manasseh (brother of Ephraim, same mother Asenath, Gen. 41:50-52. Sign = Taurus): and the captain of the sons of Manasseh shall be Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur."
21 And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were thirty and two thousand and two hundred.
22 "Then the tribe of Benjamin (sons of Rachel, all on west side. Sign = Gemini): and the captain of the sons of Benjamin shall be Abidan the son of Gideoni."
23 And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were thirty and five thousand and four hundred.
24 All that were numbered of the camp of Ephraim were an hundred thousand and eight thousand and an hundred, throughout their armies. "And they shall go forward in the third rank.
25 The standard of the camp of Dan shall be on the north side by their armies (The center of the north side. Colors of the standard same as those of the third row of stones in Ex.28:19. Sign, the eagle, substituted for the serpent of Gen. 49:17. Cp. Ezek. 1:10. Rev. 4:7): and the captain of the children of Dan shall be Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai."
26 And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were threescore and two thousand and seven hundred.
27 "And those that encamp by him shall be the tribe of Asher (the son of the other handmaid Zilpah, put with Dan and Naphtali, the sons of Bilhah. His sign was Sagittarius, the Archer): and the captain of the sons of Asher shall be Pagiel the son of Ocran."
28 And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were forty and one thousand and five hundred.
29 "Then the tribe of Naphtali (his sign was Capricornus, the goat. Cp. Gen.49:21): and the captain of the sons of Naphtali shall be Ahira the son of Enan."
30 And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were fifty and three thousand and four hundred.
31 All they that were numbered in the camp of Dan were an hundred thousand and fifty and seven thousand and six hundred. "They shall go hindmost with their standards."
32 These are those which were numbered of the sons of Israel by the house of their fathers: all those that were numbered of the camps throughout their hosts were six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty.
33 But the Levites were not numbered among the sons of Israel; according as the Lord commanded Moses.
34 And the sons of Israel did according to all that the Lord commanded Moses: so they encamped by their standards, and so they set forward, every one after their families, according to the house of their fathers.