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NUMBERS 2

PARAGRAPH DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS

 NASB  NKJV  NRSV  TEV   NJB
(MT versing)
Arrangement of the Camps The Tribes and Leaders by Armies The Arrangement of the Tribes While Encamped Or On the March The Arrangement of the Tribes in Camp Order of the Tribes
2:1-9 2:1-9 2:1-9 2:1-2 2:1
2:2
2:3-9 2:3-4
2:5-6
2:7-8
2:9
2:10-16 2:10-17 2:10-16 2:10-16 2:10-11
2:12-13
2:14-15
2:16
2:17 2:17 2:17 2:17
2:18-24 2:18-24 2:18-24 2:18-24 2:18-19
2:20-21
2:22-23
2:24
2:25-31 2:25-31 2:25-31 2:25-31 2:25-26
2:27-28
2:29-30
2:31
2:32-34 2:32-34 2:32-33 2:32-33 2:32-33
2:34 2:34 2:34

READING CYCLE THREE (see "Bible Interpretation Seminar")

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT THE PARAGRAPH LEVEL

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects. Compare your subject divisions with the five translations above. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is the key to following the original author's intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every paragraph has one and only one subject.

  1. First paragraph
  2. Second paragraph
  3. Etc.

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 2:1-9
  1Now the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, 2"The sons of Israel shall camp, each by his own standard, with the banners of their fathers' households; they shall camp around the tent of meeting at a distance. 3Now those who camp on the east side toward the sunrise shall be of the standard of the camp of Judah, by their armies, and the leader of the sons of Judah: Nahshon the son of Amminadab, 4and his army, even their numbered men, 74,600. 5Those who camp next to him shall be the tribe of Issachar, and the leader of the sons of Issachar: Nethanel the son of Zuar, 6and his army, even their numbered men, 54,400. 7Then comes the tribe of Zebulun, and the leader of the sons of Zebulun: Eliab the son of Helon, 8and his army, even his numbered men, 57,400. 9The total of the numbered men of the camp of Judah: 186,400, by their armies. They shall set out first."

2:2 "shall camp" This VERB (BDB 333, KB 332) is repeated often in this chapter.

  1. Qal IMPERFECT ‒ Num. 2:2 (twice),17
  2. Qal PARTICIPLE ‒ Num. 2:3,12,27
  3. Qal PERFECT ‒ Num. 2:34

Each "camp" (i.e., compass directions) had three tribes.

▣ "each by his own standard, with the banners of their fathers' households" The term "standard" is first mentioned in Num. 1:52. See note there.

The term "banners" (BDB 16, #7) is only here and Ps. 74:4. Apparently every tribe had a "standard" and every clan a "banner" (TEV, NJB).

▣ "tent of meeting" There has been some confusion (NIDOTTE, vol. 2, p. 874, #2) about where the Tabernacle was placed in the camp of Israel.

  1. outside the camp ‒ Exod. 33:7-11; Num. 11:24-30
  2. in the midst of the camp ‒ Num. 2:2,17; 5:3; Exod. 25:8

The Exod. 33:7-11 text mentions "a tent," not specifically the Tabernacle complex. I think Moses had a separate special small tent for revelation that was somewhat secluded from the camp, lest the Israelites see God and die!

▣
NASB, NKJV, NJB, JPSOA  "at a distance"
NRSV, REB  "facing"
LXX  "opposite around"
Peshitta  "far off around"

The MT has two ADVERBS.

  1. facing ‒ BDB 617
  2. on every side ‒ BDB 686

This formation matches the pattern of Rameses II's military camp, except where the Pharaoh's tent was is now the Tabernacle of YHWH. See Introduction VI., A., #1. Moses was trained in the Egyptian military schools. See SPECIAL TOPIC: TABERNACLE (chart).

2:3 The preeminent tribal position was at the entrance of the Tabernacle, which faced east. Even though Reuben is listed first in Numbers 1, as Jacob's firstborn, here, Judah has the place of honor. By the numbers of military age men listed, it was the largest tribe (cf. Num. 2:9).

2:4 "numbered men" This VERB (BDB 823, KB 955, Qal PASSIVE PARTICIPLE) occurs often in this chapter (cf. Num. 2:4, 6, 8, 9, 13, 15, 16, 19, 21, 23, 24, 26, 28, 30, 31, 32 [twice], 33).

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 2:10-16
  10"On the south side shall be the standard of the camp of Reuben by their armies, and the leader of the sons of Reuben: Elizur the son of Shedeur, 11and his army, even their numbered men, 46,500. 12Those who camp next to him shall be the tribe of Simeon, and the leader of the sons of Simeon: Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai, 13and his army, even their numbered men, 59,300. 14Then comes the tribe of Gad, and the leader of the sons of Gad: Eliasaph the son of Deuel, 15and his army, even their numbered men, 45,650. 16The total of the numbered men of the camp of Reuben: 151,450 by their armies. And they shall set out second."

2:14 "Deuel" See note at Num. 1:14. The Leningrad codex has "Ruel."

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 2:17
  17"Then the tent of meeting shall set out with the camp of the Levites in the midst of the camps; just as they camp, so they shall set out, every man in his place by their standards."

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 2:18-24
  18"On the west side shall be the standard of the camp of Ephraim by their armies, and the leader of the sons of Ephraim shall be Elishama the son of Ammihud, 19and his army, even their numbered men, 40,500. 20Next to him shall be the tribe of Manasseh, and the leader of the sons of Manasseh: Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur, 21and his army, even their numbered men, 32,200. 22Then comes the tribe of Benjamin, and the leader of the sons of Benjamin: Abidan the son of Gideoni, 23and his army, even their numbered men, 35,400. 24The total of the numbered men of the camp of Ephraim: 108,100, by their armies. And they shall set out third."

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 2:25-31
  25"On the north side shall be the standard of the camp of Dan by their armies, and the leader of the sons of Dan: Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai, 26and his army, even their numbered men, 62,700. 27Those who camp next to him shall be the tribe of Asher, and the leader of the sons of Asher: Pagiel the son of Ochran, 28and his army, even their numbered men, 41,500. 29Then comes the tribe of Naphtali, and the leader of the sons of Naphtali: Ahira the son of Enan, 30and his army, even their numbered men, 53,400. 31The total of the numbered men of the camp of Dan was 157,600. They shall set out last by their standards."

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 2:32-34
  32These are the numbered men of the sons of Israel by their fathers' households; the total of the numbered men of the camps by their armies, 603,550. 33The Levites, however, were not numbered among the sons of Israel, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 34Thus the sons of Israel did; according to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so they camped by their standards, and so they set out, every one by his family according to his father's household.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

This is a study guide commentary which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.

  1. How does the formation of Israel's camp point toward a second millennium B.C. date?
  2. How is the preeminence of Judah shown?
  3. Do the large numbers of chapter 2 match the numbers of chapter 1?
  4. Why were the Levites camped around the Tabernacle?

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