Numbers 26:5 - Meaning and Application

This is the record of the tribes as they were enrolled again, in the same order as in chapter 1. Notice, first, the account kept of the families in each tribe. These were not what we usually mean by families, people living in one house, but the descendants of the sons of the patriarchs, the ancient fathers of Israel. Their descendants carried those names with honor and used them to mark out their lines.

The families of the twelve tribes are counted in this way. Dan had only one family, because Dan had only one son, yet that tribe became the second largest, after Judah (Numbers 26:42-43). Its beginning was small, but it grew greatly in the end. Zebulun was divided into three families, Ephraim into four, Issachar into four, Naphtali into four, and Reuben into four. Judah, Simeon, and Asher each had five families, Gad and Benjamin had seven each, and Manasseh had eight. Benjamin had ten sons when Jacob’s family went down into Egypt (Genesis 46:21), but it seems three of them either died without children, or their family lines later died out, because only seven names remain here. That tribe was not among the largest, and this shows that God’s providence, in building families and nations, does not follow human odds. “The barren woman has borne seven, but she who has many children has become weak” (1 Samuel 2:5).

Next, notice the numbers of each tribe. It is helpful to compare them with the count taken at Mount Sinai. The total was almost the same, only 1,820 fewer than before, yet seven tribes had grown. Judah had increased by 1,900, Issachar by 9,900, Zebulun by 3,100, Manasseh by 20,500, Benjamin by 10,200, Dan by 1,700, and Asher by 11,900. The other five tribes had fallen enough to balance that growth. Reuben had decreased by 2,770, Simeon by 37,100, Gad by 5,150, Ephraim by 8,000, and Naphtali by 8,000.

Here we can observe several things. All three tribes that camped under Judah’s banner, Judah being the ancestor of Christ, had increased. This fits the promise that Christ’s church will be built up and multiplied. Also, none of the tribes increased more than Manasseh. In the earlier count, Manasseh was the smallest tribe, with only 32,200, but here it becomes one of the larger ones. His brother Ephraim, which had been numerous before, is now one of the smaller tribes. Jacob had crossed his hands when blessing them and gave Ephraim the first place over Manasseh. The Ephraimites may have become proud of that favor and treated the Manassites badly. But when the Lord saw Manasseh was despised, he multiplied him greatly. It is God’s glory to help the weak and lift up those who are brought low.

Notice also that no tribe fell so much as Simeon. It went from 59,300 down to 22,200, a little more than a third of its former size. One whole family of that tribe, the family of Ohad (Exodus 6:15), disappeared in the wilderness. That is one reason Simeon is not mentioned in Moses’ blessing (Deuteronomy 33), and why its inheritance in Canaan was so small, only a portion within Judah’s land (Joshua 19:9). Some think most of the 24,000 who died in the plague because of the sin at Peor belonged to that tribe. Zimri, who led in that sin, was a prince of Simeon, and many of his people likely followed his bad example.

In the account of Reuben, Moses also mentions the rebellion of Dathan and Abiram, Reubenites who joined with Korah the Levite (Numbers 26:9-11). Though that story had been told only a few chapters earlier, it is repeated here so later generations would remember it. Whenever they looked at their family line and took pride in its age or honor, they were to remember that they could also come from rebels against God. Two things are said about Dathan and Abiram. First, they had once been notable in the congregation, probably because they were capable and active, and fit for public work. They might have been raised up in due time under God and Moses. But their proud hearts led them to resist God and Moses, and when they fought against one, they fought against the other. Second, those who might have become famous were made infamous. They became a warning sign (Numbers 26:10). Their ruin displayed God’s holy justice, and their memory was left as a warning to all people in every age not to follow pride and rebellion.

The passage also notes that the children of Korah were preserved (Numbers 26:11). They did not die, unlike the children of Dathan and Abiram, no doubt because they kept themselves free from the sin and would not join even their own father in rebellion. If we do not share in sinners’ sins, we will not share in their punishments. Later, these sons of Korah became very useful to the church. David appointed them as singers in the house of the Lord, and many psalms are linked with their name. Perhaps that name was kept so long, rather than the name of some other ancestor, partly as a warning to them and partly to show God’s power, which can bring precious fruit even from a bitter root. Children of families marked by shame should try, by excellent character, to remove the reproach of their fathers.