Key Verse Spotlight
Numbers 26:57 - Meaning and Application
Understand how this verse speaks to what you're facing and how to apply it today
Translation: World English Bible — Catholic Edition
" These are those who were counted of the Levites after their families: of Gershon, the family of the Gershonites; of Kohath, the family of the Kohathites; of Merari, the family of the Merarites. "
Numbers 26:57
Verse in Context
Understanding the surrounding verses prevents misinterpretation:
55 Notwithstanding, the land shall be divided by lot. According to the names of the tribes of their fathers they shall inherit.
56 According to the lot shall their inheritance be divided between the more and the fewer.”
57 These are those who were counted of the Levites after their families: of Gershon, the family of the Gershonites; of Kohath, the family of the Kohathites; of Merari, the family of the Merarites.
58 These are the families of Levi: the family of the Libnites, the family of the Hebronites, the family of the Mahlites, the family of the Mushites, and the family of the Korahites. Kohath became the father of Amram.
59 The name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed, the daughter of Levi, who was born to Levi in Egypt. She bore to Amram Aaron and Moses, and Miriam their sister.
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Levi was God’s special tribe. It was not given a share of land with the other tribes in Canaan, so it was counted separately. The Levites had already been numbered earlier in this book at Mount Sinai, and because they were not included in the first count of the fighting men, they did not come under the sentence that all those men would die in the wilderness, except Caleb and Joshua.
So Eleazar and Ithamar, sons of Aaron, and perhaps others who were over twenty at that time, were able to enter Canaan, because they were not counted with the rest for war. Even so, when this tribe was counted again here, it had grown by only about 1,000 and was still one of the smallest tribes.
The death of Nadab and Abihu is mentioned here because they died for offering unauthorized fire. It is recorded, as Korah’s sin and punishment were recorded earlier, because these events serve as warnings for others.
From This Chapter
Numbers 26:1
"After the plague, the LORD spoke to Moses and to Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, saying,"
Numbers 26:2
"“Take a census of all the congregation of the children of Israel, from twenty years old and upward, by their fathers’ houses, all who are able to go out to war in Israel.”"
Numbers 26:3
"Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke with them in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying,"
Numbers 26:4
"“Take a census, from twenty years old and upward, as the LORD commanded Moses and the children of Israel.” These are those who came out of the land of Egypt."
Numbers 26:5
"Reuben, the firstborn of Israel; the sons of Reuben: of Hanoch, the family of the Hanochites; of Pallu, the family of the Palluites;"
Numbers 26:6
"of Hezron, the family of the Hezronites; of Carmi, the family of the Carmites."
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