Numbers 1:17-54 comments: 603,550 men of fighting age

 

Numbers 1:17 ¶  And Moses and Aaron took these men which are expressed by their names: 18  And they assembled all the congregation together on the first day of the second month, and they declared their pedigrees after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, by their polls. 19  As the LORD commanded Moses, so he numbered them in the wilderness of Sinai. 20  And the children of Reuben, Israel’s eldest son, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; 21  Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Reuben, were forty and six thousand and five hundred. 22  Of the children of Simeon, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, those that were numbered of them, according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; 23  Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Simeon, were fifty and nine thousand and three hundred. 24  Of the children of Gad, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; 25  Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Gad, were forty and five thousand six hundred and fifty. 26  Of the children of Judah, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; 27  Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Judah, were threescore and fourteen thousand and six hundred. 28  Of the children of Issachar, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; 29  Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Issachar, were fifty and four thousand and four hundred. 30  Of the children of Zebulun, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; 31  Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Zebulun, were fifty and seven thousand and four hundred. 32  Of the children of Joseph, namely, of the children of Ephraim, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; 33  Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Ephraim, were forty thousand and five hundred. 34  Of the children of Manasseh, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; 35  Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Manasseh, were thirty and two thousand and two hundred. 36  Of the children of Benjamin, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; 37  Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Benjamin, were thirty and five thousand and four hundred. 38  Of the children of Dan, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; 39  Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Dan, were threescore and two thousand and seven hundred. 40  Of the children of Asher, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; 41  Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Asher, were forty and one thousand and five hundred. 42  Of the children of Naphtali, throughout their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; 43  Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Naphtali, were fifty and three thousand and four hundred.

 

Due to the immediate availability of the numbers presented by comparing verses 1 and 18 it is clear that the tribes kept a tally of their numbers.

Numbers 1:44 ¶  These are those that were numbered, which Moses and Aaron numbered, and the princes of Israel, being twelve men: each one was for the house of his fathers. 45  So were all those that were numbered of the children of Israel, by the house of their fathers, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war in Israel; 46  Even all they that were numbered were six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty.

 

Exodus 12:37 ¶  And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children. 38  And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle.

 

But, now, they were called together to provide a total of all of the tribes available for war.  603,550 with just the young men ready for war not counting the Levites, the old, children, women, or the mixed multitude that came out of Egypt. We must be talking here about a couple of million people overall. Holding them together was almost as a spectacular a feat as parting the Red Sea. Think of the total area in the Sinai wilderness they must have covered, like locusts, and a terror for any kingdom bordering the Sinai that waiting in terror for forty years to see where they would go.

Numbers 1:47 ¶  But the Levites after the tribe of their fathers were not numbered among them. 48  For the LORD had spoken unto Moses, saying, 49  Only thou shalt not number the tribe of Levi, neither take the sum of them among the children of Israel: 50  But thou shalt appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of testimony, and over all the vessels thereof, and over all things that belong to it: they shall bear the tabernacle, and all the vessels thereof; and they shall minister unto it, and shall encamp round about the tabernacle. 51  And when the tabernacle setteth forward, the Levites shall take it down: and when the tabernacle is to be pitched, the Levites shall set it up: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death. 52  And the children of Israel shall pitch their tents, every man by his own camp, and every man by his own standard, throughout their hosts. 53  But the Levites shall pitch round about the tabernacle of testimony, that there be no wrath upon the congregation of the children of Israel: and the Levites shall keep the charge of the tabernacle of testimony. 54  And the children of Israel did according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so did they.

 

The Levites were not included in this counting as they were assigned, not to war, but to minister to the tabernacle. Anyone not of the Hebrews, a stranger, who came near to them while they tore down or put up the tabernacle was to be put to death.