New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
Numbers 2
1
The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron. He said,
2
"The people of Israel must camp around the Tent of Meeting. But they must not camp too close to it. All of them must camp under their flags and under the banners of their families."
Reference
Parallel theme
1 Corinthians 14:40
1 Corinthians 14:33
Joshua 3:4
Numbers 10:25
Numbers 10:22
Temple
Numbers 1:50
3
The companies of the camp of Judah must be on the east side. They must set up camp toward the sunrise. They must camp under their flag. The leader of the tribe of Judah is Nahshon, the son of Amminadab.
Reference
4
There are 74,600 men in his company.
5
The tribe of Issachar will camp next to them. The leader of the tribe of Issachar is Nethanel, the son of Zuar.
Reference
6
There are 54,400 men in his company.
7
The tribe of Zebulun will be next. The leader of the tribe of Zebulun is Eliab, the son of Helon.
Reference
Parallel theme
Numbers 1:9
8
There are 57,400 men in his company.
9
So a total of 186,400 men will be set apart for the camp of Judah. They will be arranged company by company. They will start out first.
Reference
Parallel theme
Numbers 10:14
10
The companies of the camp of Reuben will be on the south side. They will be under their flag. The leader of the tribe of Reuben is Elizur, the son of Shedeur.
Reference
Parallel theme
Numbers 1:5
11
There are 46,500 men in his company.
12
The tribe of Simeon will camp next to them. The leader of the tribe of Simeon is Shelumiel, the son of Zurishaddai.
Reference
Parallel theme
Numbers 1:6
13
There are 59,300 men in his company.
14
The tribe of Gad will be next. The leader of the tribe of Gad is Eliasaph, the son of Deuel.
Reference
15
There are 45,650 men in his company.
16
So a total of 151,450 men will be set apart for the camp of Reuben. They will be arranged company by company. They will start out second.
Reference
Parallel theme
Numbers 10:18
17
Then the camp of the Levites will start out. The Tent of Meeting will go with them. They will march in the middle of the other camps. They will start out in the same order as they do when they set up camp. Each one will be in his own place under his flag.
Reference
18
The companies of the camp of Ephraim will be on the west side. They will be under their flag. The leader of the tribe of Ephraim is Elishama, the son of Ammihud.
Reference
19
There are 40,500 men in his company.
20
The tribe of Manasseh will be next to them. The leader of the tribe of Manasseh is Gamaliel, the son of Pedahzur.
Reference
Parallel theme
Numbers 1:10
21
There are 32,200 men in his company.
22
The tribe of Benjamin will be next. The leader of the tribe of Benjamin is Abidan, the son of Gideoni.
Reference
Parallel theme
Numbers 1:11
23
There are 35,400 men in his company.
24
So a total of 108,100 men will be set apart for the camp of Ephraim. They will be arranged company by company. They will start out third.
Reference
Parallel theme
Numbers 10:22
25
The companies of the camp of Dan will be on the north side. They will be under their flag. The leader of the tribe of Dan is Ahiezer, the son of Ammishaddai.
Reference
Parallel theme
Numbers 1:12
26
There are 62,700 men in his company.
27
The tribe of Asher will camp next to them. The leader of the tribe of Asher is Pagiel, the son of Ocran.
Reference
Parallel theme
Numbers 1:13
28
There are 41,500 men in his company.
29
The tribe of Naphtali will be next. The leader of the tribe of Naphtali is Ahira, the son of Enan.
Reference
Parallel theme
Numbers 1:15
30
There are 53,400 men in his company.
31
So a total of 157,600 men will be set apart for the camp of Dan. They will start out last. They will march under their flags.
Reference
Parallel theme
Numbers 10:25
32
Those are the men of Israel. They were counted in keeping with their families. The total number of all of the men who were in the camps is 603,550, company by company.
Reference
33
But the Levites weren't counted along with the other men of Israel. That's what the Lord had commanded Moses.
Summary of Numbers 2
Numbers 2 describes how the Israelites should organize their camp around the tabernacle. Following the census taken in chapter 1, people were gathered in tribes and families to encamp and travel in order. God instructed Moses and Aaron regarding the organization of the tribes. The Israelites had the tabernacle at the heart of their camps to signify that worship and His presence were most important to them.
The Israelites were divided into four groups with three tribes in each group. Each group had a leading tribe and the other two tribes camped on either side of it. Moreover, every tribe had their places and banners. Additionally, the people could not decide where to camp on their own. They had to obey the orders of Moses which God had given to him.
Around the eastern side of the tabernacle, the group of Judah led the others. The tribe of Judah had 74600 warriors according to the census, making it the largest tribe among the three. Issachar was the second-largest tribe with 54400 men, and the third was Zebulun with 57400. Altogether, three tribes had 186400 fighting-age men. They formed the first division of the Israelites and were the first to set camp and march.
Judah’s division was the most important one as it was in the front line during their travels. The tribe of Issachar and Zebulun went with Judah, and altogether, these tribes formed a large division. Whenever the Israelites had to travel from one place to another, the division of the tribe of Judah was the first to move.
On the south side of the tabernacle, the second division of Israelites led by the tribe of Reuben had to camp. The tribes of Simeon and Gad were on the sides of Reuben. The tribe of Reuben had 46500 warriors, Simeon had 59300, and Gad had 45650. Altogether, there were 151450 fighting men in this division. It was the second to start marching when the Israelites had to move.
Levi’s family and the tabernacle were in the middle of the camp of Israelites. The Levites had the responsibility for the maintenance of the tent of meeting and all the furniture in it. The place of the tabernacle was most sacred as it symbolized the center of Israel. The people of Israel surrounded it, but the Levites had their own duty to serve the tabernacle.
On the west side of the tabernacle, the third division of Israelites set up their camp led by Ephraim. The tribes of Manasseh and Benjamin were on the sides of Ephraim. The tribe of Ephraim had 40500 warriors, the tribe of Manasseh had 32200, and the tribe of Benjamin had 35400. Altogether, these tribes had 108100 fighting men and formed the third division. This division was the third to leave their places when the Israelites had to travel somewhere.
On the north side of the tabernacle, the last division of the Israelites led by the tribe of Dan had to camp. The tribes of Asher and Naphtali were on the sides of Dan. The tribe of Dan had 62700 warriors, the tribe of Asher had 41500, and the tribe of Naphtali had 53400. Altogether, these tribes had 157600 fighting men. They formed the fourth division of Israelites and were the last ones to march.
Judah’s division was the first to travel, followed by Reuben’s division. Then, Levitical and the tabernacle’s tents moved, followed by Ephraim’s division. Finally, the division of Dan brought up the rear, and all the tribes knew their places and the order in which they had to set up their camps.
The chapter 2 of Numbers contains a great amount of information similar to that in chapter 1. It describes the Israelites’ camping and marching order. Although it seems that Numbers 2 provides too many details similar to those in Numbers 1, this is not the case.
The Israelites had a well-defined order in which they had to camp and march. They were not a wild nation wandering aimlessly in the desert. They had their leaders, tribes, families, responsibilities, places in the camps, banners, etc. This was because of the great importance of the tabernacle.
It served as the heart of the Israelite camp. Consequently, the Levites had their order concerning the responsibilities of maintaining the tabernacle. It was especially important to keep everything around the tent of meeting in order so that nothing would disrupt the services.
Numbers 2 also shows a great number of warriors Israel had to march. According to the census, there were more than 600000 fighting men, not counting women, children, elderly people, and Levites. The whole nation must have been incredibly large, and it needed a special order to keep everyone together.
This order helped them maintain the separation between the Israelite tribes and the Levites. This distinction was necessary as the Levites had exclusive rights to serve the tabernacle. The Israelites needed it to serve as a reminder that God’s presence dwelled exclusively in the tabernacle.
The last part of the chapter mentions that the Israelites obeyed the commands of God concerning the order of their camps and marching. Every tribe knew its place and followed the instructions of Moses. Therefore, they never wandered without a clear goal in the desert.
Numbers chapter 2 teaches the Israelites an important lesson about the organization and order of their nation. Every tribe had its own place and responsibilities. The tabernacle was the most important object in the camp. The Israelites had to keep everything well-defined and special. This way, God’s presence was in the center of the nation.
The Israelites were divided into four groups with three tribes in each group. Each group had a leading tribe and the other two tribes camped on either side of it. Moreover, every tribe had their places and banners. Additionally, the people could not decide where to camp on their own. They had to obey the orders of Moses which God had given to him.
Around the eastern side of the tabernacle, the group of Judah led the others. The tribe of Judah had 74600 warriors according to the census, making it the largest tribe among the three. Issachar was the second-largest tribe with 54400 men, and the third was Zebulun with 57400. Altogether, three tribes had 186400 fighting-age men. They formed the first division of the Israelites and were the first to set camp and march.
Judah’s division was the most important one as it was in the front line during their travels. The tribe of Issachar and Zebulun went with Judah, and altogether, these tribes formed a large division. Whenever the Israelites had to travel from one place to another, the division of the tribe of Judah was the first to move.
On the south side of the tabernacle, the second division of Israelites led by the tribe of Reuben had to camp. The tribes of Simeon and Gad were on the sides of Reuben. The tribe of Reuben had 46500 warriors, Simeon had 59300, and Gad had 45650. Altogether, there were 151450 fighting men in this division. It was the second to start marching when the Israelites had to move.
Levi’s family and the tabernacle were in the middle of the camp of Israelites. The Levites had the responsibility for the maintenance of the tent of meeting and all the furniture in it. The place of the tabernacle was most sacred as it symbolized the center of Israel. The people of Israel surrounded it, but the Levites had their own duty to serve the tabernacle.
On the west side of the tabernacle, the third division of Israelites set up their camp led by Ephraim. The tribes of Manasseh and Benjamin were on the sides of Ephraim. The tribe of Ephraim had 40500 warriors, the tribe of Manasseh had 32200, and the tribe of Benjamin had 35400. Altogether, these tribes had 108100 fighting men and formed the third division. This division was the third to leave their places when the Israelites had to travel somewhere.
On the north side of the tabernacle, the last division of the Israelites led by the tribe of Dan had to camp. The tribes of Asher and Naphtali were on the sides of Dan. The tribe of Dan had 62700 warriors, the tribe of Asher had 41500, and the tribe of Naphtali had 53400. Altogether, these tribes had 157600 fighting men. They formed the fourth division of Israelites and were the last ones to march.
Judah’s division was the first to travel, followed by Reuben’s division. Then, Levitical and the tabernacle’s tents moved, followed by Ephraim’s division. Finally, the division of Dan brought up the rear, and all the tribes knew their places and the order in which they had to set up their camps.
The chapter 2 of Numbers contains a great amount of information similar to that in chapter 1. It describes the Israelites’ camping and marching order. Although it seems that Numbers 2 provides too many details similar to those in Numbers 1, this is not the case.
The Israelites had a well-defined order in which they had to camp and march. They were not a wild nation wandering aimlessly in the desert. They had their leaders, tribes, families, responsibilities, places in the camps, banners, etc. This was because of the great importance of the tabernacle.
It served as the heart of the Israelite camp. Consequently, the Levites had their order concerning the responsibilities of maintaining the tabernacle. It was especially important to keep everything around the tent of meeting in order so that nothing would disrupt the services.
Numbers 2 also shows a great number of warriors Israel had to march. According to the census, there were more than 600000 fighting men, not counting women, children, elderly people, and Levites. The whole nation must have been incredibly large, and it needed a special order to keep everyone together.
This order helped them maintain the separation between the Israelite tribes and the Levites. This distinction was necessary as the Levites had exclusive rights to serve the tabernacle. The Israelites needed it to serve as a reminder that God’s presence dwelled exclusively in the tabernacle.
The last part of the chapter mentions that the Israelites obeyed the commands of God concerning the order of their camps and marching. Every tribe knew its place and followed the instructions of Moses. Therefore, they never wandered without a clear goal in the desert.
Numbers chapter 2 teaches the Israelites an important lesson about the organization and order of their nation. Every tribe had its own place and responsibilities. The tabernacle was the most important object in the camp. The Israelites had to keep everything well-defined and special. This way, God’s presence was in the center of the nation.