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Vulgate: Numbers: Numbers Chapter 26

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This is a passage from the Latin Vulgate Bible, comprising Numbers 26 — the second census of the Israelites conducted by Moses and Eleazar on the plains of Moab, just before the conquest of Canaan. The text methodically enumerates the fighting-age males (twenty years and older) of each of the twelve tribes, listing their clan subdivisions and population totals, which sum to 601,730. Following the census, God instructs that the land of Canaan is to be distributed proportionally — larger tribes receiving more territory, smaller ones less — with lot-casting determining which specific portions each tribe inherits. The Levites are counted separately (23,000 males from one month old and up) since they receive no territorial inheritance. The passage closes with a pointed theological note: not one person counted in this second census had been counted in the original Sinai census, fulfilling God's judgment that the entire exodus generation would die in the wilderness — with the sole exceptions of Caleb and Joshua.

Vulgate: Numbers: Numbers Chapter 26

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